Checking my first build with the TH Community.

[mattmofomoe]

Hey guys, I've been planning an upgrade for a while now, and I think now is about time. I've been researching a lot recently, and this is what I've come up with for my build. There are a few ifs that are still there, so I'm hoping some of you guys can help me sort those out

CASE: Cooler Master Stacker 830 EVO *OR* Cooler Master RC-690
MOBO: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Mobo
PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply
CPU: Intel e8400 *OR* Intel q6600
HS/F: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
GPU: eVGA 8800gt Superclocked
RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) 4-4-4-12
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

I'm taking a drive or two from the 2 desktops I have lying around, but may invest in another one. Don't know yet. My primary uses are going to be to game on my LG Flatron-24" HD Monitor in 1920x1200 resolution. I can knock it down if need be, but I plan on going at bioshock, crysis, CoD4, and HL2. Maybe even more than that. Also, maybe a little audio editing and some video converting. Other than that, just computing. So, any feedback you have, or amendments to my build would be greatly appreciated by this first-time poster/builder. Thanks!

 

[mlaporta]

Good build. Maybe 2 good drives for optimal performance if budget allows 250gb for OS & 500gb for Games, Video, mp3's, Data, etc if budget restaints get 2 250gb's:
Seagate Barracuda ST3250410AS 250GB 7200.10 RPM 16MB Cache
Seagate Barracuda ST3500320AS 500GB 7200.11 RPM 32MB Cache

Optical Drive - Samsung SH-S203B SATA get retail item for software codec's, etc and you may think about getting the EVGA GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB runs better and cooler.

The Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro is a great cooler but if you plan to OC like a demon-fiend get these END-OF-SUBJECT-NO-QUESTIONS-ASKED:
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme
Scythe S-Flex SFF21F fan
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound

 

[Silverion77]

budget???

Help me a lot to know budget.

Straight off I can say, try to upgrade to the GTS 512mb. Its dual slot cooler is really nice compared to the GT = hot and loud

Good hard drive, good everything else. Be nice to know the price of that build and your max budget so we can suggest upgrades etc.

 

[mattmofomoe]

Okay, my total price should not exceed $1500. If at all possible, under about $1200.

 

[Silverion77]

Have you considered getting a X38 and the new 3870x2....they perform very well and will run well on that large monitor
That will go to the upper $1500 limit but will last a good amount of time

 

[mattmofomoe]

So if you were in this position, you would try and go for the 3870x2? I've never tried an ati card. I had an older dell pc with a p4 3.4ghz and an nvidia 6800, and then a laptop with a 7900gs, so I don't much know what to expect. I guess with trying something new, there is always a level of skepticism, right? If I were going to keep my budget around $1200, you would suggest the 8800gts g92 right? And then processor wise, if I plan on doing some overclocking, but nothing hardcore/extreme, which one would you suggest, as well as the case?

 

[Silverion77]

If $1500 then go with the 3870x2. Its the best thing out for its price.

At $1200 then the G92 GTS for sure. Processor wise you will get a lot a arguments. atm games do not utilize 4 cores so the dual core will overclock to 4.2 and beat the crap out of the Q6600. But Longevity wise the Q6600 might be better down the road.

I say go with the E8400. Either that or wait for the new Penryn quads (Q9450)

 

[night_wolf_in]

for gaming. get the E8400.

if u have multitasking, programs that are multithreaded. get the q6600.

 

[Shadow703793]

Wait until the nVidia dual GPUs if you plan to go dual GPU. Until then just get a cheap 8400 or so to hold out.

 

[mattmofomoe]

See, I was gonna ask if you guys thought that the nVidia dual gpu will be better than the 3870x2. If so, couldn't I just use the step-up program and use a 8800 gt sc or the gts g92 until then? Another thing, I heard the first replier say that the thermalright ultra is where it's at for HS/F, so is that the general consensus? I'm not going to be overclocking like a "demon-fiend," but I plan on getting a little in there. Also, do we know when the penryn quads are coming out, I.E. Q9450? I saw they said Feb/March 08, but I was wondering if there was anything more specific than that. Thanks guys, and sorry for all the questions.

 

[Silverion77]

GPU wise...no ones sure. The general consensus is yes, the nvidia will be better.

HSF- yes the Thermalright 120 Extreme is the best

CPU- No one knows the exact date of the Penryn Quad release

 

[mlaporta]

If he is not going to OC' like a caffeine addict on speed then do you think he should just go with the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler or if he has the $$$ just get the Thermalright 120 Extreme also realize mattmofomoe that it needs a fan (Scythe S-Flex SFF21F) and possibly some thermal compound (ARCTIC COOLING MX-2).

What do you think Silverion77?

 

[Silverion77]

^^ you always have to ask??
Im like a god to you

Depends on how far he wants to OC....once I get a number I can guesstimate but again Im not positive

 

[mattmofomoe]

MEH! I really am thinking about waiting on the Q9450. I just don't know if I'll really have a reason for it though. I'd love more processing power BUT, money is an issue. I'm going with the e8400, and I'm thinking about 3.4-3.5ghz is a safe number for it. I know that it can be pushed higher. Also, with either of those as my HS and the Scythe as my fan, do you think I will need more than the 3 case fans that are default on the CM 690?

 

[mattmofomoe]

Oh yea, and I'm gonna stick with the nVidia chips. I just have to decide on the 8800gt sc, or the 8800gts g92. I know the g92 is better, and for another $60, you get a considerable difference in power and crysis Plus, my plan is to step-up to a 9xxx card when they come out, if they come out in time. Any suggestions, or does that sound good?

 

[Silverion77]

Go with the G92, its quieter and runs cooler.

3 fans should be fine

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Well if ya getting free hard drives like Tom is.....

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/12/21/toms_reference_system/page7.html

"Western Digital provided the 15 test hard drives for our test systems. We would have opted for a Raptor hard drive, but its 150 GB doesn't provide sufficient capacity to provide our raw benchmark data and the Windows installation, including the necessary applications. The WD5000AAKS is a Caviar SE16 drive with 16 MB cache, Serial ATA/300 and a 7,200 RPM spindle speed. Though it cannot compete with the latest hard drive generation (Samsung Spinpoint F1 or Seagate Barracuda 7200.11), it is a solid performer and a reliable workhorse. Thanks to its under $120 price tag, this model offers an exceptional price/performance value."

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/11/21/samsung_overtakes_with_a_bang/page11.html

[The Samsung F1] beat Hitachi, Seagate and Western Digital when it comes to performance. Hitachi and Seagate still offer better access times, which is why Samsung does not dominate the I/O benchmarks, but only the Barracuda 7200.11's access time is noticeably quicker. The maximum throughput of 118 MB/s is up to 18% faster than Seagate's 100 MB/s maximum, and the average and minimum throughput when reading and writing also dominate the benchmark results. When compared to WD's Caviar GP, the new Spinpoint F1 by Samsung offers roughly a third more throughput, which is very respectable."

make sure ya get any

 

[mlaporta]

8800gts g92 without-a-doubt

 

[systemlord]

budget???

Help me a lot to know budget.

Straight off I can say, try to upgrade to the GTS 512mb. Its dual slot cooler is really nice compared to the GT = hot and loud

Good hard drive, good everything else. Be nice to know the price of that build and your max budget so we can suggest upgrades etc.

^^Agreed, the 8800GTS 512mb card is the cooler way to go. If your really going to a 24" monitor you might find yourself having to drop below native resolution which doesn't always look great depending on how well the game scales down. Something to think about is the ATI 3870x2, I can't believe I'm recommending an ATI graphics card. Maybe down the road you could get another 3870x2 = 4 GPU's, in that case you'll need the Asus P5E which has two full 16x PCI-E 2.0 slots. The 8800GTS 512mb card comes pretty close to the price of an 3870x2.