Gaming Rig, all suggestions welcomed

[Hozer]

I am building a gaming PC, mostly for things like CoD:4, Crysis, and WoW(I know, I hate the game too).

I have 2x Samsung 226BW's, and multi tasking is very important to me. I will almost always have a game up, and on the second screen, have AIM, winamp, firefox, ie7, and more running. I have spent a lot of time with computer hardware, so I feel very comfortable overclocking and using different apps to improve performance.

I have looked at most of the recent threads, and based a lot of my build off of those buids and the suggestions they received. I was just hoping that for my particular needs, if there were any tweaks to the build, someone might suggest them.

Here goes:

Motherboard:
Abit IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Quad 6600 Kentsfield

Video Card:
XFX PVT88GYDF4 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB

RAM:
G-Skill 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB

DVD:
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model

Case:
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black

PS:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS 12V

CPU Cooling:
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler



I am in no frantic hurry to purchase, but I also am not intending on waiting for the 9 series if the price is going to be upwards of $600. Currently this build is ~$1350, and I'd like to keep it somewhere around there. I wouldn't mind going up or down a little for better performance, but nothing drastic.

Thanks in advance for anyone who is more knowledgeable than me, and is able to help me out before spending some decent money for a machine.

 

[rgeist554]

That looks like a pretty solid build to me. The only thing I can recommend is getting / using a 64 bit OS (to successfully utilize 4GB+ of RAM) and making sure you get a G0 stepping version of the Q6600.

You may also be able to save a little money going to DDR2 800 or 667 RAM. I really don't think there will be a noticeable a difference between either and the 1000Mhz modules you have selected. *Also make sure that you set the BIOS to have the correct RAM voltages as those run at 2.0-2.1v and the default is often 1.8v or so.

 

[Hozer]

Yea, through the college I attend, we have free access to 64-bit XP, or Vista.

Thanks for the note abotu the 2.1v, I had planned on having to do that. Heh, takes about 2 hours to physically assemble it, then about 8 to tweak all the bios / drivers / settings to the way I like. Thanks for input! More is always welcome.

 

[zigzag]

rgeist554 - How can you tell if you're getting a G0 stepping version of the Q6600, and what benefits does it have?

 

[Avenger_K]

Yeah, rgeist just said everything I was going to say before I refreshed the page .

Here's this same brand name RAM with just a little lower speeds, but it's $10 cheaper and has better timings: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231148

I also suggest OCZ if you're overclocking.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5439699?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

They have EVP, which allows you to increase the voltage without voiding your lifetime warranty.

 

[rgeist554]

Certain websites will state that they guarantee the G0 version, also called SLACR.
*edit* ClubIT.com guarantees G0 stepping: http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA1938452

The G0 fixes a few minor bugs, but the best part about it is that fact that it has lower power consumption. Therefor you can get a higher OC with a lower voltage. It also means you have a cooler CPU, so you may not need aftermarket cooling (as long as you aren't aiming for over 3.0Ghz).

SLACR Article for those interested: http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3066&p=1

TLDR Version: Better overclocker.

 

[Avenger_K]

rgeist554 - How can you tell if you're getting a G0 stepping version of the Q6600, and what benefits does it have?

Some places like clubit are guaranteeing the GO stepping. They have good prices too.

The benefits of a GO stepping are a few degrees lower temps, less power consumption and potentially slightly higher overclocks. As far as I know, that's the only difference.

The way to tell if it's GO once you've received it is the product number (it might be called something else, I forget now), it should be SLACR.

 

[Avenger_K]

Dangit rgeist, beat me to it again!

 

[rgeist554]

Dangit rgeist, beat me to it again!

No worries, you're just supporting the statements about G0.

 

[Hozer]

This is great information! I really do appreciate the input. I suppose the one question I would have is this:

Would there be anything in the near future(maybe month or two) that would be a significant enough upgrade without too much of a price increase that is worth waiting? I am a pretty patient person, so I don't mind waiting, as long as the increase is worthy of the wait.

And once again, I really, really appreciate the input. I would have gone and made some bad decisions otherwise!

 

[Hozer]

I suppose I had just one more question:

Considering I have free access to 64-bit Vista Business, or 64-bit XP, which would be better to run? I haven't used Vista much at all, and I have heard very varied opinions.

And if there is any input as to my previous post about possible hardware releases in the next month or so, I'd be interested.

Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!

 

[Hozer]

Actually, I guess I should have done a little more looking around on my own:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/01/29/xp-vs-vista/

 

[rgeist554]

Would there be anything in the near future(maybe month or two) that would be a significant enough upgrade without too much of a price increase that is worth waiting? I am a pretty patient person, so I don't mind waiting, as long as the increase is worthy of the wait.

The only thing we know for sure that is coming soon is the E8xxx. It's a dual-core 45nm chip, but it should OC to 4Ghz w/ little voltage increase. It's going to be a fast chip, but it's probably not for you if you're 100% committed to a quad.

Also, there is the Nvidia 9xxx series due in February sometime. They are supposed to show huge gains over the GTX... but only time will tell.

 

[Hozer]

I wouldn't say I'm dead set on the Quad, but I might be under the false impression that it would be the best chip / $ right now.

 

[Hozer]

I have been looking through a lot of the articles on Toms, and after looking at the VGA Charts, it seems I would be much better off to shell out the extra $100 or so and get an 8800 GTX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150205

 

[rgeist554]

I wouldn't say I'm dead set on the Quad, but I might be under the false impression that it would be the best chip / $ right now.

It's a very good price vs. performance chip, especially if you OC. That being said, it will multi-task better than a dual core, and you said that is very important to you.

I have been looking through a lot of the articles on Toms, and after looking at the VGA Charts, it seems I would be much better off to shell out the extra $100 or so and get an 8800 GTX

Check this out (GTS 512 vs GTX): http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3175&p=8

Even at 1920x1200 the GTS 512MB still keeps up with the GTX. (I'm not sure if the difference between the two is worth the $100, but that's up to you)

 

[Hozer]

well, I have approximately ~$1300-$1500 to spend. I already have 2s Samsung 226BW's, so I just need the tower, and a mouse. I'll keep using the G15 I have now. Assuming I am intending on playing games at 1850x1080 (I'm pretty sure that's the aspect ratio I use, I'm dumb and forget it exactly), with dual screen. Sometimes I run multiple copies of a game, or two games at once and alt tab.
Would there be a more effective use of that money on a tower/mouse than my current setup?

I realize this is sort of a lame question, leaning towards "do my research for me", but I have read a lot of the articles here, and at anand and I have basically seen what FPS GPU's can hold at max load with AA and AF, or what speeds CPU's can keep, under certain conditions. I dont care if graphics are set to medium for better performance, I'd rather see a smooth medium, than a choppy high personally.

So, if you have spare time, and have $1300-1500 of my theoretical dollars, what combination of parts would you purchase? If you go so far as links, it'd be cool, just so I could see which company, maybe even for personal reasons (i.e. which 8800GTS G92 you'd get, if that's the card you'd get)

If this is a lame request, just ignore me!

Thanks!