Help With Building The New Beast

[dd123pp]

At the moment im looking at these motherborads

Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/info_0111079.html

Asus Rampage Formula
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/Asus_Maximus_Formula_Special_Edition_X38_1333fsb_Socket_775_Dd2_1066_Support_Sata_Raid_Gblan_Motherboard.html

Asus Striker II Formula
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/Asus_Striker_II_Formula_Core_2_Quad_nForce_780i_SLI_FSB1333_8Gb_DDR2_SATA_2_Raid_3_x_PCI-Ex16_Dual_GigaBit_LAN_2x1394a_Audio_Motherboard.html


I will get the Nvidia 9800GX2 when it comes out, not sure how good this will be, would there be a need for two?

I will be gaming at 1920 x 1200 has I will be getting this resolution screen, so I can play 1080P, so would it be nesserory to have more than one 9800GX2 (I know crysis takes a lot, but i dont mind using a lower resolution for that game)

I will plug Into screen (I know that i will need to buy HDMI & audio switch box)

- Xbox 360 (Old version without HDMI)
- PS3
- HDMI Freeview Tuner has the screen don't come with freeview tuner

Screens im looking at

http://benq.co.uk/products/LCD/?product=912

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=147262

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF05a/20491-314293-314303-314303-314303-80644319.html

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=128238

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=104716

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Have you seen:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/25/x48_motherboard_comparison/page27.html

Though one thing I am beginning to wonder about is if MoBo manufacturers are going to continue making hi end boards for those who have no intention of adding a 2nd video card. Seems the spots for those 2nd (and 3rd on the Asus) PCI-16 slots could be used for more expandability of one never plans to do Crossfire.

As for the screen....I recommend the Lenovo 22" 1920 x 1200 w/ one caveat....if you intend to use an HDMI connection from a PS3 or something, it doesn't have one.

http://www.shop.com/+-p82337726-st.shtml

Bigger is not better unless it has higher resolution. In a monitor, at the same resolution you'll see less pixelation on a smaller screen than a larger one. LCD's at their "standard" resolutions I find a bit too "dotty"....I no likie being able to see the individual dots.....(typing now from a 1920 x 1200 17" screen).

 

[dd123pp]

update (cant edit first message for some reason)


At the moment im looking at these motherborads

Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/info_0111079.html

Asus Rampage Formula
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/Asus_Maximus_Formula_Special_Edition_X38_1333fsb_Socket_775_Dd2_1066_Support_Sata_Raid_Gblan_Motherboard.html

Asus Striker II Formula
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/Asus_Striker_II_Formula_Core_2_Quad_nForce_780i_SLI_FSB1333_8Gb_DDR2_SATA_2_Raid_3_x_PCI-Ex16_Dual_GigaBit_LAN_2x1394a_Audio_Motherboard.html


I will get the Nvidia 9800GX2 when it comes out, not sure how good this will be, would there be a need for two?

I will be gaming at 1920 x 1200 has I will be getting this resolution screen, so I can play 1080P, so would it be nesserory to have more than one 9800GX2 (I know crysis takes a lot, but i dont mind using a lower resolution for that game)

I will plug Into screen (I know that i will need to buy HDMI & audio switch box)

- Xbox 360 (Old version without HDMI)
- PS3
- HDMI Freeview Tuner has the screen don't come with freeview tuner

Screens im looking at ----- Does not matter if it dont have HDMI or DVI, because I know a way round that, I would like a 24" no bigger, i might agree to a 22", have not got the space for a larger screen, any way it is harder it is to read when it is a bigger screen, im downsizeing from a 42" LCD, I would keep but and just not use it for the pc, but I would not have a space for a desk if I did. Anyone want to buy a 42 inch Sharp Lcd only just over 9 months still with warrenty!

http://benq.co.uk/products/LCD/?product=912

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=147262

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF05a/20491-314293-314303-314303-314303-80644319.html

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=128238

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=104716


CPU - INTEL Q9650

 

[resonance451]

A few questions:

What processor are you using?
Do you have a particular reason for wanting the 9800GX2?
What is your price range?

I highly doubt you need a 9800GX2 or an Intel X48 chipset on your motherboard. I also think that those two ASUS boards you're looking are not as good as some of their competition, but again it depends on what you're looking for.

 

[dd123pp]

A few questions:

What processor are you using?
Do you have a particular reason for wanting the 9800GX2?
What is your price range?

I highly doubt you need a 9800GX2 or an Intel X48 chipset on your motherboard. I also think that those two ASUS boards you're looking are not as good as some of their competition, but again it depends on what you're looking for.

Reason i want the 9800GX2 and the X48 because it is high end so it will last a bit longer

My price range is upto £2500 or maybe a bit more if needed, I can afford a fair amount because I have just got paid and I will also got one of these payback later deals as there is no intrest, this price is including screen

I'm trying to get all the part from one place, either dabs or scan, unless u know of any other shop that have pay back later deal?

I know if the Dell screen is chosse I will have to get that elsewhere because they dont sell Dell screen

Any thing else u want to know?

I problery want to sata 2 drives on raid 0 at least 320GB each
And another drive for backups atleast 750GB

Also want bluetooth keyborad and mouse
Wiress N that does 300mb Tranfere rate
A decent case with a window in it with LED fan
Modlex PSU, not too much wattage like 1000W
The best air cooled fan, or water cooling, if you can give me a really good novice guide how to set it up
Sata DVD Writer

 

[dd123pp]

How do I edit my posts? Every time I press reply, it say Im not allowed to edit this post??? Why

 

[resonance451]

The only advantage the x48 appears to have over the x38 is the higher-rated FSB, so basically they're very similar boards but one's limited availability and more expensive.

I always stay away from RAID for one reason: data security. I can't tell you how many times (and I'm very careful about this) I've lost data from problems with HDDs. The reason I'm very wary about RAID is if one drive dies, all your data is lost, effectively doubling the chance of losing your data. Instead of getting two 320's in RAID 0 and getting a 750GB HDD as backup, I'd just go for a single 500gb SATA or 750gb SATA drive.

If you're interested in getting this computer anytime soon, I'd say you should consider the high-end 8800 series cards, because that's a mature architecture, as opposed to the 9000 series. If you buy a 9000 series card any time soon, you'll end up getting far less price/performance than you will in the future. So just go with an 8800 series card now (8800GT 512mb is an incredible card p/p ratio wise) and upgrade later.

Unless you're doing heavy overclocking, you don't need water cooling. Pick an aluminum case that has good airflow and the necessary fans (120mm is quieter and moves more air).

I'd save the money you'd spend on a wireless mouse and keyboard and spend it on components, but maybe that's just me.

If you want, I can build you a wishlist on newegg just so you can see a few of my recommendations.

 

[dd123pp]

i make a list first and the you tell me what i should change

also what chipset is better the x48 or the nvidia 780i, i know with nvidia you can have SLI better what othere advantages are there on the intel chipset thats better than the Nvidia chipset

also does it make a lot of difference getting faster ram the 800mhz, I am aimming for 4Gb, as that is what I have on my laptop, so I dont what it to be any lower

 

[resonance451]

I wouldn't choose the x48 regardless. If you're only interested in one video card, the x38 can be a good choice.

I've always had an affinity for Nvidia chipsets for a variety of reasons, one of them being the SLI capability.

Usually, I would first consider features on the particular motherboard, so find a motherboard that does what you want it to do.

Getting ram faster than 800mhz does have its advantages, but be sure to have a board that supports the higher speeds. Latency is also a key factor. When you browse memory kits online, you'll notice that they list sets of numbers like "4-4-4-12". Those are the memory timings. The lower the numbers, the better. Of course this is all assuming you're going to be running stock and not overclocking or changing anything.

 

[dd123pp]

Unfinished list at the moment is

Intel Q9650 - £638.03

DVD Writer - LiteOn DH-20A1S-18C - £16.45

Either Asus Striker 2 Forumla - £201.80 (or Extreme with the 890i chipset if it come out when I buying it) OR Asus Rampage Forumula - £193.88 OR Gigabyte X48 - DQ6 - £183.79

Logitech MX5500 Revolution Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse - £94.36

USB 4 Port (1 Internal) So I can install my Bluetooth Adaptor for the Keybord & Mouse - £13.45

Vista Utimate Retail(£150 from ebay from America, that more than half the price in the UK)

4 OR 8GB OCZ Ram (6400, 800MHZ) £60 for a set of £4GB

Creative Soundblaster X-fI Extreme Gamer - £86.62

Screen - BenQ G2400W OR Dell 2407WFP OR Dell 2408WFP OR Dell E248WFP OR HP W2408H

Going to use of of these to switch beween devices

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HQ-4-PORT-DVI-AUDIO-SWITCH-BOX_W0QQitemZ200182604674QQihZ010QQcategoryZ109015QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

TV Card - Hauppauge WinTV-HVR3000 - £64.50

D-Link RangeBooster N 650 Desktop Adapter DWA-547 (Wireless N, I know wired is faster but im upstairs at the modem & routor is downstairs)- £43.87

Case - Thermaltake Black Armor Super Tower - £111.70


Questions

1- What the best Motherboard on that list

2- What screen should I get out of that list

3- What PSU connections are needed for the 9800GTX, Is this correct?
1x8 in & 1x6 pin? That what I will be getting when it comes out later this mouth (So people are saying) Also What about the 9800GX2 power connections, just incase I decide to get that one instead (I need to know about this PSU connection to be able to chose what PSU to get.

4- What air cooler to get? Is it worth getting watercooling?

5- Im looking at getting 2x Raptor in RAID 0 and then 2x 400GB in a different RAID 0 Array, is this possiable, I dont know much about RAID, Would it even be any good like this? Anyway if you say no its a crap idea, can you tell me if it is possable because if would like to know, I know you can do use mutilply different raid types, but I just dont know if you can you can you the same RAID type twice, as you need identicall Hard Drives

6- Also how to you install a fan contoller, My mates good one that came with his CPU cooler, i'm think that I sould get a whole fan contoller for all the fans in the computer, or is it not worth it

7- Is there such think as a PCI Buetooth, all I have found is PCI Bluetooth With WIFI, I dont want it with WIFI

8- Last question - Would it be worth getting two 9800GTX, or will we not know until proper benchmarking comes out?

9- Just Kidding, It now the last question, How much Wattage PSU should I get with one 9800GTX and with two 9800GTX

When you answer my questions please explain to me why you think that is the best for, thank in advance

 

[amd_fanboi]

why not wait, get a cheaper system, adn save for a nehalem system??? or save a lot of money & get a q6600

 

[asgallant]

Save yourself some aggravation and avoid the Logitech bluetooth KB/mouse combos. They really screwed up their hardware and/or software for bluetooth, and they haven't bothered to fix it yet, nearly 2 years after the problem was discovered. If you want bluetooth capability for your system, there are much better ways to get it, and they won't leave you banging you head on the desk in frustration.

If you want to go with RAID 0, using 2 Raptors is probably the best your going to get, but it won't be as awesome as you are thinking. The RAID controllers built into motherboards are not very high quality, so you can't get the really high performance out of them that you can get out of professional RAID controllers. If you do it at all, keep it to just your system files and stuff you can afford to lose - you are doubling your risk of losing data when you go with RAID 0. You won't see any benefit at all in a second pair of drives in RAID 0, especially if they're just for mass storage. My recommendation is to go with KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid! RAID is complicated, and the benefits do not outweigh the costs. Get a Raptor for your system drive and a nice big HD for storage.

 

[TechUser]

Hello everyone! This is my first post on Tom's Hardware Forum...

I am also planning on building a new gaming rig by this summer. I also would like to point out something that could be important to this discussion...

To Original Poster:

You said you wanted an Intel X48 based motherboard and an nVidia Geforce 9800 GX2?

Well, I thought that Intel X48 chipset would not support SLI configuration? Since Geforce 9800 GX2 would be using SLI configuration (as dual GPU on a single card), it would not work with Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6 OR ASUS ROG Rampage Formula... Like the Radeon HD 3870 X2 and upcoming Radeon HD 4870 X2 which uses Crossfire configuration, Geforce 9800 GX2 would use SLI configuration instead. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

It means that you can either go with X48 based mobo with the current ATI HD 3870 X2 or go with nVidia nForce based Motherboard with Geforce 9800 GX2...

However, I'm personally waiting for ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 to come in June 2008 and I will get either Intel X48 or Intel P45 Mobo.

Im not also sure if nForce 790i chipset would support DDR2 since it was actually designed for DDR3. I would not recommend you to get DDR3 until 2009. DDR3 still has poor price/performance but however, it will become mainstream in 2009. Intel Nehalem micro-architecture (2009) will gain more benefit from DDR3 than the upcoming Penryn system (Intel Q9450) so DDR3 would be more convenient in 2009 than now.

Anyway the final decision is yours... Good Luck!

 

[chuckm]

I forget which board I read this on, but I believe someone posted about an issue with X48 and 9800GX2. Some else can probably shed some light on this.