Since I'm new at this, I may not know exactly what I'm doing, so I thought I would ask you guys: Will all these parts work together nicely? Are there any better parts I could get for roughly the same price?
Message edited by xbolt on 01-24-2008 at 08:57:10 AM
Looks like a solid build. The Motherboard selection suggests this is going to be a HTPC, correct? With the 28" monitor, it might be wise to go with an 8800GTS G92 or a sli motherboard so you can later add in another 8800 GT to be able to game at higher resolutions, if building a gaming computer is what you are aiming for. With the state that HD-DVD is in right now and with the finalization of a standard Blu-ray drive (if one will ever exist), I dont know if it will be worth the extra $300 or so dollars. On top of that, reviews claim that the included software doesnt even play Blu-ray or HD-DVD, and that they can only be played on software that costs $100. It seems it would be cheaper to watch HD-DVD die slowly and purchase a playstation 3 ( which is the only futureproof blu-ray disk player)
By all means I am no professional though and that is just my opinion.
Couple of questions.
Are you going to use the 64bit version of either O/S? If not then you'll be wasting Money on all that RAM because the 32bit versions will only recognize up to 3 GIG of RAM.
With the Blu-Ray are you going to be doing any Video editing or burning onto Blu-Ray Disks or are you looking at using this to watch DVD movies?
If so I'd recomend you go with a Quad Core like the Intel Q6600, why you ask? Because it'll make rendering and editing videos much faster than Dual Core and it's only a little more than what you're spending on a CPU anyway.
Allot poo poo Quad Core but in the last few Months software manufacturers have really stepped up with driver support for Quad Core tech and you'll notice a big difference in performance even though the Quad Core is slower in GHz.
Other than that you've really go ta nice Rig comming together. SLI M/Boards are about the same price or just a tad bit higher than what you're looking at so if you might think of getting a second Card to SLI in the future for H/D gamming etc, you might want to concider getting one.
Allot of older as well as new Games are using good SLI drivers and they really do make a difference.
It all depends on 2 things really. How hard core are you going to be into gamming and video editing and how long are you going to keep this Rig.
P.S. Like Stang said before I posted this, spend a little extra Money and get the 8800 GTS. It's faster and has more video RAM, you will notice a difference with a non SLI system. Then if you go with an SLI Board you can upgrade later and have one heck of a screamer!
P.P.S. Sorry. I looked at the M/Board you're thinking of buying and it doesn't support Quad Core, just thought I'd let you know.
Message edited by kentuckyranger on 01-24-2008 at 09:12:42 AM
Great build, looks almost like mine. I am in no way an expert but let me throw my opinion.
I would suggest you get 8800 GTS 512 instead of GT(get the EVGA one that comes with crysis). If you have the extra money, throw it on 8800 GTS 512 it runs better, quieter, less heat and more performance.
I have a Corsair PSU and I tell you this brand is high quality and I'm very satisfied with it. But since you're not going SLI why don't you consider the Corsair HX 620w instead?
I'm getting the 64-bit version of Vista, and 32-bit for XP.
No, I'm not going to be burning any Blu-Rays, I'm only watching them. (I will, however, be burning DVDs and CDs, but I don't need a faster CPU for that.)
I thought about getting the Q6600 initially, but a guy I knew said that the new dual-core Wolfdale range of chips were better than the Kentsfield quad-core ones. And he said for gaming, dual-core is fine. This is going to primarily be a gaming rig, not primarily watching Blu-Rays. I'm planning on keeping this for several years, at least.
Unless I missed a memo, I do not think that MB is compatible with the newer E8 Wolfdale processors, or even any current E6 1333 FSB processors. It is also not compatible with DDR2 800 memory.
Very good catch tlmck, this M/Board doen't support the RAM you're looking at.
Also as I said before, you'll be wasting Money on 4 GIG with the 32bit O/S as well.
P.S. another good point is that Blu-Ray drives need allot of software support to play Hi-Def DVD's Windows media player won't do it and if you're going to be watching Hi-Def DVD's then you really need the 8800 GTS.
I got a Blu-Ray drive for my build and so far none of the video editing software I have or am thinking of getting right now supports it so it just sits there. If I had it to do again or if I was building a Rig like you want I'd have spent the Money on a PS3 that not only plays great games but also plays Blu-Ray DVD's as well.
I think Blu-Ray burners are just too far ahead of the PC Curve right now to see spending that kind of money on One, I'll sell ya mine... LOL!
Message edited by kentuckyranger on 01-24-2008 at 09:42:05 AM
Alright, I decided to hold off on the Blu-Ray player, and wait until it becomes more stable before I get one. However, I will get the 8800GTS video card.
And thanks for the heads-up on the motherboard incompatibility. That would have been bad...
Not necessarily. P35 boards all use Intel chipsets and most have greater overclocking options than an Intel board. If your getting a video card there is no reason to buy a board with on board video. Search the P35 MB's on Newegg and find one with the features and price you like and go from there. You do not need a 750 Watt PSU, I'd go with this;
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX [...] 52646.html Good luck with your build.
The ABIT board the guy recommended looks pretty good. It should work with all my other stuff, right?
And for the PSU, are you sure? I was going to get a 520 Watt, but I was told I should get a 750 Watt instead.
EDIT: On second thought, this Gigabyte motherboard looks pretty good, but the memory standard says DDR2 1066 rather than DDR2 800. Will my DDR2 800 memory work in it?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059
Message edited by xbolt on 01-24-2008 at 11:31:50 PM
Intel boards are very good for stock speed systems, although they can be a bit picky on ram. Definitely not good for overclocking.
I generally prefer Gigabyte boards myself.
In any case, your original Corsair memory choice will work on all the aforementioned motherboards.
Any top quality 500w PSU will run your system, but there is never an issue with having more power than needed. The Corsair 620 is considered one of, if not "the" best PSU out there based on quality and efficiency. Your original Corsair would be a fine choice as well, as would the 550vx.
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I know what I know, and I don't know what I don't know.
I'm still $500 below my budget, so I was thinking of going SLI and getting a second 8800GTS card. (The motherboard and everything supports that, right?) And then, should I get the 620W PSU? Because that says it's SLI certified, whereas the 750W doesn't.
Also, I just found out that the Creative sound card drivers are currently very unstable on Vista. What other sound card can I get?
EDIT: Nope, I just looked, and that motherboard can't do SLI. Any recommendations for one that does?
Message edited by xbolt on 01-25-2008 at 10:33:55 PM
