Please critique my 1st build

This is basically bits pieces of other builds with the goal of
- max speed
- max OC ability
- max flexibility in future
- Around $1000

Here she is:
Video Card
EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130319

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 G0 Stepping Conroe 2.66GHz 4MB L2 LGA 775 Processor Retail
http://www.clubit.com/product_deta [...] o=A1938254

Mobo
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059

ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131219

PSU
OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W Power Supply 100 - 240 V
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6817341001

HDD
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6822136073

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] %2bHundred

Fan/Heatsink
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] ower%2b120

CD/DVD Combo
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD...2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151153

Memory
Crucial Ballistix 4GB (4 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6820146565

Total Cost (before shipping/tax): $1,060.41

Some outstanding ?s I still have:

OS? Want to be cost efficient, I do run some directx10 games

EDIT: Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116204

OK that no sound card? Is on-board sound ok with this mobo?
Does this setup have plenty of upgradability? Will it support 45nm?
As the title says, this is my 1st build. Am I ok with the case and these components as far "ease of installation?"
Did I miss anything?

Message edited by davidc on 01-17-2008 at 02:13:46 AM

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Solid build. That's a pretty awesome machine.

Quote :

Some outstanding ?s I still have:

* OS? Want to be cost efficient, I do run some directx10 games
* OK that no sound card? Is on-board sound ok with this mobo?
* Does this setup have plenty of upgradability? Will it support 45nm?
* As the title says, this is my 1st build. Am I ok with the case and these components as far "ease of installation?"
* Did I miss anything?

1. Go with Vista 64 bit then. (Premium or Ultimate)
2. On-board sound is fine. Unless you have high-quality speakers / phones, you probably won't notice the difference.
3. Don't know, you'd have to see if Gigabyte will give a BIOS update to support the new chip.
4. Yes, it's pretty straight-forward. I would read some 1st time builder guides to make sure you don't make some of the common mistakes. (Forget to insert the 4 pin CPU power cable, not use stand-offs, etc.)
5. Nope.

What type of monitor are you going to be running this on?

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to rgeist554

Monitor I already have (and love) is

HP w2207 Black-Silver 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] %2bmonitor

Reply to davidc

did you actually buy the pc or not yet? cuz you could wait 3-4 days and get the new cpu E8400 which is faster than the E6750 and better OC-wise and for the exact same price...not to mention it runs cooler and consumes less power..it is 45nm though
about the mobo, you need to check gigabyte first if they gonna update the bios to take in 45nm CPUS or not...else go for X38 mobo to be on the safe side.

Reply to neocortex

Quote :

did you actually buy the pc or not yet? cuz you could wait 3-4 days and get the new cpu E8400 which is faster than the E6750 and better OC-wise and for the exact same price...not to mention it runs cooler and consumes less power..it is 45nm though

No I haven't. Is it really going to be 3-4 days? I've seen lots of skeptics on these boards so I was thinking I'd just pull the trigger on this and then upgrade later if I needed to (one of the reasons I didn't go 6600)

Quote :

about the mobo, you need to check gigabyte first if they gonna update the bios to take in 45nm CPUS or not...else go for X38 mobo to be on the safe side.

Like this?
GIGABYTE GA-X38-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128080

Thanks for the advice!

Does anyone know if gigabyte is going to update the bios for 45nm?

Reply to davidc

The X38 and X48 boards will be 45nm ready, I can't say for sure on the others though.

Reply to rgeist554

I dont like that mobo... I dont think it has built in RAID controller... I dont know why a new mobo would not have a built in RAID controller. I would get a 680i board personally or a less expensive x38 board.

Reply to hughyhunter

check asus maximus formula..its x38 and 45nm ready.
and yes E8400 and E8500 are out within few days...some people got them already..mine comes monday.

Edit: i just remembered, there is also Asus P5E...great x38 mobo and cheaper than maximus formula..check it out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131219

Message edited by neocortex on 01-16-2008 at 11:16:37 PM

Reply to neocortex

Quote :

and yes E8400 and E8500 are out within few days...some people got them already..mine comes monday.

Sweet! Can you post a link where you got it from? Anyone have any idea when newegg will be getting them?

Reply to davidc

im sorry but im not a US citizen...i live in the Netherlands so i have no idea about US retail stores..BUT, if we got it here then US got it already for sure as we always retail after the US market.

Message edited by neocortex on 01-17-2008 at 11:01:31 AM

Reply to neocortex

sounds good, i have the same processor myself. if u want to unleash maximum performance, u shud go with the 680i chipset. this motherboard i have is awesome. it comes with a overclocking tool that you can change in windows, so u dont need 2 mess with bios, write all ur stuff down, reboot and hope for the best. this **** runs bomb for me and its a great deal.get this mobo/cpu bindle for $300. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] 80I-E6750A
or for an extra $100 u can upgrade to a quad core (q6600) with 2gbs of pc6400 ram. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] ILT-Q6600A
or u can go with the e6750 bundle with this high performance heatsinked ram for 25 bux a gig. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 820227120.
hope this was good advice for u. ur hdd, case, and cd/dvd drive are good choices too. good luck on ur build.

------------------------------ e6750, 4gb pc6400, 680i LT, 7950gt 512mb.
Reply to dankcomp_danknuggets

oooo by the way, if u ever wanted to go sli for the near future, u shud get a psu with 2x 6pin pcie supplemtary power connectors. heres a good 1. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] CatId=1483

------------------------------ e6750, 4gb pc6400, 680i LT, 7950gt 512mb.
Reply to dankcomp_danknuggets

rgeist554 wrote :

Solid build. That's a pretty awesome machine.

Agreed^^

------------------------------ Intel C2D E6600 @ 3.2GHz * Asus P5E * 2x1 GB Crucial Ballistix Tracers * Raptor X * EVGA Geforce 8800GTX 768MB 651MHz/1525MHz/2100MHz * X-FI Fatal1ty Pro * Enermax Infiniti 720W PSU * Creative THX5.1 * Tuniq Tower 120
Silverstone TJ09 * Windows XP
Reply to systemlord

Ok. I'm almost convinced I should get e8400 and x38 mobo.

A couple of new questions:

1. Are there any sites that have done full test (including OCing) on the e8400? I know they run cooler and have lower power consumption but I've conflicting reports of 1%-10% speed increase over e6750.

2. Do I need to worry about getting G0 stepping with the e8400? If not, are all e8400s "created equal" or is there something else I should look for (like the G0)?

In case anyone is looking, looks like the e8400 is available now:
http://www.compsource.com/pn/BX80570E8400A/Intel_211/

Thanks!

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to davidc

davidc wrote :

Ok. I'm almost convinced I should get e8400 and x38 mobo.

A couple of new questions:

1. Are there any sites that have done full test (including OCing) on the e8400? I know they run cooler and have lower power consumption but I've conflicting reports of 1%-10% speed increase over e6750.

2. Do I need to worry about getting G0 stepping with the e8400? If not, are all e8400s "created equal" or is there something else I should look for (like the G0)?

In case anyone is looking, looks like the e8400 is available now:

Thanks!

Yes there is link below at Legion Hareware. As far as G0 stepping no, the E8400 is a new processer and therefore it can't have improved stepping being new. For the motherboard the Asus P5E (X38) is very popular for those smart enough to go with DDR2 RAM.

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=714

------------------------------ Intel C2D E6600 @ 3.2GHz * Asus P5E * 2x1 GB Crucial Ballistix Tracers * Raptor X * EVGA Geforce 8800GTX 768MB 651MHz/1525MHz/2100MHz * X-FI Fatal1ty Pro * Enermax Infiniti 720W PSU * Creative THX5.1 * Tuniq Tower 120
Silverstone TJ09 * Windows XP
Reply to systemlord

Asus P5E X38 is a very good board choice if you go with Radeon 3870/3850 instead of getting 8800GT, you can not do SLI on Asus P5E X38. if you get the Radeon 3870 or 3850 now and leave a option for crossfire in the future.

Get the Thermalright Ultima-90 instead of getting the Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler. the Ultima-90 is much smaller then Tuniq and better then Tuniq 120.

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 -$94.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to sayems

sayems wrote :

Get the Thermalright Ultima-90 instead of getting the Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler. the Ultima-90 is much smaller then Tuniq and better then Tuniq 120.

The Ultima-90 is not better than the Tuniq Tower 120, the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is number #1. The Tuniq Tower 120 is number #2 and for third is the Zalman 9700, these are the top three CPU coolers on the market. The Ultima-90 is old compared to the three listed above that just can't compete anymore.

Quote :

the Ultima-90 is much smaller then Tuniq

Please tell me how the Ultima-90 having less surface area can even compete with the huge surface area provided by the Tuniq Tower 120?

By systemlord at 2007-12-29

Message edited by systemlord on 01-20-2008 at 01:47:02 AM

------------------------------ Intel C2D E6600 @ 3.2GHz * Asus P5E * 2x1 GB Crucial Ballistix Tracers * Raptor X * EVGA Geforce 8800GTX 768MB 651MHz/1525MHz/2100MHz * X-FI Fatal1ty Pro * Enermax Infiniti 720W PSU * Creative THX5.1 * Tuniq Tower 120
Silverstone TJ09 * Windows XP
Reply to systemlord

Nice rig, steal this PSU while you can, best price on it I've seen;
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-52 [...] 70716.html

Reply to chuckm

Thermalright all the way!!!! I have an older xp-90 and it works like a champ for my hot as heck 4600+ x2

Reply to hughyhunter

2x 250GB drives are faster than one 500. You might want to wait for the E8400.

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Reply to nhobo

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