My deer in the headlights build, opinions welcome.

[Cygnys]

Hello folks,

Upgrade time, my budget is around 4k and the new system needs to be able to drive a 37" Westinghouse monitor. Mainly a gaming system with some photoshop work, I tried to config a system below. Please let me know your opinion, and what you would change if you were me. Thanks!

INTEL, Core™ 2 Duo E8400 Dual-Core, 3.0GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6MB L2 Cache, 45nm, 65W, EM64T EIST VT XD
TERMALRIGHT, Ultra-120 eXtreme CPU Heatsink, Socket 775/AM2, Aluminum
eVGA, nForce 780i SLI 775 A1, LGA775, nForce 780i SLI, 1333MHz FSB, DDR2-1200 8GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI /3, SATA 3.0 Gbit/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, Gb LAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
G.SKILL, 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz CL4 (4-4-4-12) SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
eVGA, e-GeForce 8800GTX Superclocked 621MHz, 768MB DDR3 2GHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2x DVI
eVGA, e-GeForce 8800GTX Superclocked 621MHz, 768MB DDR3 2GHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2x DVI
WESTERN DIGITAL, 150GB WD Raptor® X, SATA 150MB/s, 10000 RPM, 16MB cache
WESTERN DIGITAL, 500GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD5000AAKS), SATA II 300MB/s, 7200-RPM, 16MB cache
LITE-ON, DH-16D2S-04 Black 16x48x DVD-ROM Drive, SATA, OEM
LITE-ON, LH-20A1L Black/Beige 20x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, Retail
SILVERSTONE, Temjin TJ07 Black Mid-Tower Case w/ Window, EATX, No PSU
OCZ, ProXStream 1000W Power Supply, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Quad +12V, Multi-GPU Ready, Dual CPU Support
MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64-bit, OEM


More cowbell?

 

[beurling]

Hell.. might as well get an extreme Quad core with that budget. Or if you can wait until the new quads are released get one of those. E8400 might not do your system justice.

Overall it makes my new system look like a piece of crap, enjoy!

 

[rockyjohn]

What no raid?
Maybe could use more neon.

Why the TJ07 case instead of the TJ09?

Did you consider the Cooler Master Cosmos 1000?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119138

Here is a brief review on the case from THG. One feature I particularly like is eSATA connector on the front.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/11/01/holiday_buyers_guide_2007/page6.html

 

[Cygnys]

Thanks for the reply, I'm not very well informed about today's new pc hardware choices and what is considered a high end system. The amount of selections in hardware is staggering and confusing. I hate to make an uneducated guess that the most expensive stuff is the best stuff, but I guess that's probably true.

I'll check out that case, thanks!

 

[halflife]

i would suggest...

1. go with a quad core with that system (q6600 would do)

2. save your money on the hard drives, skip the raptor and just buy another 500gb or get just one 1tb drive

3. unless your doing some extreme gaming, you probably wont need the cpu cooler, the stock one will do for most

4. with that huge monitor i would suggest two 8800 Ultras instead of the GTX's. The differences between the two are more obvious with more pixels. The Ultra works better with larger monitors and higher resolutions

otherwise this is a very impressive build. good luck!

 

[misterlarry]

Not married - just got paid? or recently divorced - not letting the ex have everything? If you shop a round, you'll be able to build a monster with that budget. Take your time and build exactly what you want. I agree with "Beurling" and "halflife" wholeheartedly.

 

[Cygnys]

Never married, been saving my pennies for awhile now.

This better?

INTEL, Core™ 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad-Core, 3.00GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 12MB L2 Cache, 45nm, Retail
TERMALRIGHT, Ultra-120 eXtreme CPU Heatsink, Socket 775/AM2, Aluminum
eVGA, nForce 780i SLI 775 A1, LGA775, nForce 780i SLI, 1333MHz FSB, DDR2-1200 8GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI /3, SATA 3.0 Gbit/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, Gb LAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
G.SKILL, 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz CL4 (4-4-4-12) SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
eVGA, e-GeForce 8800Ultra Superclocked 655MHz, 768MB DDR3 2250MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDTV/S-Video, Retail
eVGA, e-GeForce 8800Ultra Superclocked 655MHz, 768MB DDR3 2250MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDTV/S-Video, Retail
WESTERN DIGITAL, 1TB WD Caviar® GP (WD10EACS), SATA 3GB/s, 7200 RPM, 16MB Cache
LITE-ON, DH-16D2S-04 Black 16x48x DVD-ROM Drive, SATA, OEM
LITE-ON, LH-20A1L Black/Beige 20x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, Retail
OCZ, ProXStream 1000W Power Supply, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Quad +12V, Multi-GPU Ready, Dual CPU Support
MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64-bit, OEM

 

[misterlarry]

You might consider DDR3 memory if you can utilize it. R U OCing this rig, or is that a silly question? I'm no better informed than you are other than the extensive forum reading that I've been doing all month.

 

[Cygnys]

I will have someone build this system for me, so if there is any over clocking done it will be done by whoever assembles the system. Can I buy a DDR3 motherboard that supports SLI?...will I miss the boat by not going DDR3?

Thanks!

 

[yay]

DDR3 is really an "option" until they hit the huge numbers, not a neccesity, as DDR2 is more than enough with its huge speeds you can get within your budget, also, you should consider X38 chipset with 2 3870 X2's, it will best 2 ultras in lots of things, and save you many of those penny's you saved.

Everyhting else looks lovely.

(lol i wonder if some nvidia fanbois will cry about me suggesting the 3870 X2)

 

[Cygnys]

Hmm...Decisions, Decisions

So something like this eh?

INTEL, Core™ 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad-Core, 3.00GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 12MB L2 Cache, 45nm, Retail
TERMALRIGHT, Ultra-120 eXtreme CPU Heatsink, Socket 775/AM2, Aluminum
ASUS, Maximus Extreme, LGA775, Intel X38, 1600MHz FSB, DDR3-1800MHz (OC) 8GB/4, PCIe x16 CF /3, SATA 3.0 Gbit/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
OCZ, 4GB (2 x 2GB) Platinum EB Edition PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL (7-6-6-20) 1.9V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
DIAMOND, Viper Radeon® HD 3870 775MHz, 512MB 2400MHz GDDR4, PCIe x16 CrossFire, DVI /2, HDTV-Out, Retail
DIAMOND, Viper Radeon® HD 3870 775MHz, 512MB 2400MHz GDDR4, PCIe x16 CrossFire, DVI /2, HDTV-Out, Retail
WESTERN DIGITAL, 1TB WD Caviar® GP (WD10EACS), SATA 3GB/s, 7200 RPM, 16MB Cache
LITE-ON, LH-20A1L Black/Beige 20x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, Retail
LITE-ON, LH-20A1H Silver 20x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, E-IDE, Retail
OCZ, ProXStream 1000W Power Supply, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Quad +12V, Multi-GPU Ready, Dual CPU Support
MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64-bit, OEM

 

[hawkspur]

Everything looks good, but I think what the above poster was referring to was the two 3870 X2 that is released in a short amount of time. It's two GPUs on one card, so getting two would be quad Crossfire or CrossfireX.

 

[Cygnys]

Ok, thanks for clearing that up for me.

Do you guys have any suggestions as far as online PC builders go, good reputation, prices, etc...?

Thanks!

 

[hawkspur]

I'd buy the parts from Newegg and have a locally owned PC shop put it together for me if I didn't know how to do it myself.

 

[happy_fanboy]

Your 780i motherboard choice, not vista certified.
Drivers may or may not work.
Find a motherboard with the "Certified for Windows Vista" seal on the box.
This is even more important with 64 bit editions, driver stability is a must.

 

[rockyjohn]

If you are not going to build it yourself, you might consider ordering it from Cyberpower. The provide the option to select from a wage range of quality components (for most you can select the brand and often the model), including a an overclocked Extreme QX6850 CPU and Crossfire 3870s. With them you get a warranty and support.


At their site, select the Intel Desktop line, the High Performance Gaming PC item, and the Gamer Infinity Crossfire 2900 XT line. Or use this link:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/CyberPower_Gamer_Infinity_CrossFire_2900_XT/

Then start selecting away and see what it will cost. Afterwards you might compare this with the cost of the components and what it will cost to pay someone else to assemble it.