Looking for input before purchasing.

[meta70454]

Hi,

This computer is being built for gaming. Before I actually purchase anything I am wanting to know if everything I've chosen is compatible and worth the money, or if I should swap certain pieces for others. Any help would be appreciated. Here's what I've chosen:

Mobo - ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX

GPU - EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB

PSU - 750 Quad EPS12V 750W Power Supply

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor

RAM - mushkin 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800

HD - Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJB 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive
SC - Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz

Case - NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CD/DvD - LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe

OS - Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium

The main thing I'm worried about is the CPU. Some people have told me to go with a good dual core instead while others have told me to stick with the Q6600.

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[g-paw]

Depends on what you're doing. If editing and rendering, e.g., video, photos, or music, the Q6600 would be worth the money. If not, e.g., gaming, the E6750 will be fine

 

[beurling]

Get an E8400 releasing tomorrow. Easy overclock on stock voltage and less heat!

You dont need 750W of power, but it's really up to you, it won't hurt your system having too much...

Everything else looks solid to me!

 

[akhilles]

Most games are single core. New ones are dual-core. A few are quad-core. Dual core for now; quad later. You can run single-core games on quad-core cpu, but the games won't take advantages of the remaining cores. However, if you have background apps like security, a/v conversion, file decompression, etc., the other cores will cut down the processing time.

If you don't upgrade often, get a quad & be done with it. Enthusiasts & I on the other hand upgrade every few months or so. We can live with duals for now.

 

[aevm]

You can replace the PSU with a Silencer 610W. It's cheaper and still plenty for what you need. The 750W on the other hand is more future-proof. Either way, great choice.

I'd replace the IDE hard disk with a SATA disk, specifically WD7500AAKS. It's faster because it has perpendicular magnetic recording and because it's SATA. Also, SATA cables don't block airflow.

Most 8800GT versions have bad coolers which will cause trouble and/or make noise. If you can afford an 8800GTS G92 512MB instead go for it. It has no such problems, it's 14% faster, and it overclocks better.

Great motherboard.

I think Samsung SH-S203N is a better drive than the Lite-On.

The Q6600 is more future-proof than a dual-core. If this is a long-term thing (i.e. no CPU upgrade planned in 2008) go for it.

 

[meta70454]

I have made some adjustments to my previous post based on the suggestions given.

Mobo - ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

GPU - BFG Tech BFGE88512GTSE GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

PSU - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400

RAM - CORSAIR 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5 G

HD - Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

SC - Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz

CD/DVD - SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N - OEM

OS - Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium

Case - Case - NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case



This is what I plan to order within the next few days. If you see any more problems please let me know. This is my first attempt at building my own system. Thanks for all your input.

 

[aevm]

Oops, yeah, there is a problem. Creative drivers for Vista are not so good. Check out HT Omega and Auzentech.

 

[g-paw]

Oops, yeah, there is a problem. Creative drivers for Vista are not so good. Check out HT Omega and Auzentech.

The HT Omega Claro is a terrific card. This bluegear is built on the same chipset and is less expensive although it lacks some of the analogue capabilities, which doesn't mean much if you're not running your system through an analogue reciever
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829127002

 

[Dunkel]

Does that mean that the onboard Abit sound will conflict with Vista?

 

[Noya]

HD - Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

While that drive is fine, I prefer Seagate and Samsung.

Another thing altogether different that I would do is simply buy 2 x 250gb drives (vs the single 500gb).

You place Windows and apps on the first partition (30gb +/-) of the first drive, and games on the first 75gb +/- partition of the second drive. This gives the games the full speed of their own drive. While 500gb drives currently give you the most GB per $, two seperate physical drives will nearly always give you better performance in any app/game. After having a multiple hard disk set-up, I could never go back to a single drive.

 

[aevm]

Does that mean that the onboard Abit sound will conflict with Vista?

No. The aBit IP35Pro uses a Realtek ALC888 audio chip, which has its own drivers. It has nothing to do with Creative's drivers. From what I've read it's OK, no special issues with Vista. Of course, if you find problems you can always add a sound card.

 

[aevm]

While that drive is fine, I prefer Seagate and Samsung.

Another thing altogether different that I would do is simply buy 2 x 250gb drives (vs the single 500gb).

You place Windows and apps on the first partition (30gb +/-) of the first drive, and games on the first 75gb +/- partition of the second drive. This gives the games the full speed of their own drive. While 500gb drives currently give you the most GB per $, two seperate physical drives will nearly always give you better performance in any app/game. After having a multiple hard disk set-up, I could never go back to a single drive.

My favorite strategy is to buy two large and fast drives to start with, and add more later. Not the very largest available (1TB today) because they tend to be overpriced, but the next level (500 or 750 GB).
Small disks are more expensive per GB, often slower because they use older technology, and they fill up too fast. I really like the WD7500AAKS because it's almost as fast as a Raptor and it's huge at 750GB and it's actually cheaper per GB than a lot of other disks. The WD5000AAKS used to be the sweet spot when I bought my own disks last summer, but I think 750GB is the sweet spot now.

Seagate has some very nice drives in the 7200.11 series. Also, Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB is the fastest disk
available when it comes to encoding videos - it has a huge transfer rate. Look at these charts for details:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/storage.html?modelx=33&model1=1049&model2=1047&chart=49
http://www23.tomshardware.com/storage.html?modelx=33&model1=1049&model2=1047&chart=34

 

[akhilles]

^^^ I pick out harddisks the same way. The cheapest per gig gets my money. Right now it's about 22 cents per gig for a 500GB harddisk. On sale, it's 19 cents per gig.