So far this is what ive put together

Case - Antec 900

Mobo - Asus Maxiumus Formula

Hard drive - Raptor 150gb

Graphics card - Evga 8800gtx [plan on using step up for 9800gtx when it comes available]

Ram - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4PRO

Power supply - Corsair 620hx

Cpu - q6600 or e8400

Does this look like a good computer for gaming and something that will be future proof? I want something that will stand the test of time 3-5 years. This comp will be for gaming such as crysis counter strike cod4. Also ive been looking into liquid cooling versus air cooling and was wondering if u guys had any insite on it if its worth the money to go liquid or air?

If your planning to overclock then theres better RAM out there, Crucials Ballistix DDR2 800/1066 (that use the best D9 Microns IC's) that are known for there huge OC's. You can even get the Tracer versions that have ground effects and led lights that dance really cool if your into that sort of thing. Also something to consider is getting 4GB total from G.Skill's 2x2GB kit so that you are only using two memory slots instead of four.

I wouldn't worry about the 9800GTX as its spec's put it (link below) slightly ahead of the 8800GTS G92 card. All the other components look great.

http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/Ge [...] /5599.html


By systemlord at 2008-02-26



By systemlord at 2008-02-26



By systemlord at 2008-02-26

you don't need a raptor; teh Spinpoint T with 500GB has seek times real close to those of the raptor, but at a lower cost and with more size...

What the hell happenned to my fullscreen post? Now its a less than half wide, what it going on with Tom's??? First I posted this post on a different web address ( http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-33-208.html ) and this one is - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/foru [...] ic=0&new=0

Thanks for the help guys but i also have a couple more questions first one is about ram and the differences between say a DDR2 800 and something like DDR2 1200? Do you get better performance out of the DDR2 1200 over the 800 sticks for a higher price or whats the deal? And also for a aftermarket cooler i was gonna go with the thermalright ultra 120 but ive heard somewhere it is to big for that case? is this true?

(1) No, running at DDR2 800MHz and then running at DDR2 1200MHz won't see a performance difference, but will allow you to overclock higher so you know that your RAM isn't going to hold back your overclock. Its nice to know for certain that you have minimized the chance that a computer component will not hold you back, having more overclocking headroom is the way to go. (2) I have never heard of anything not fitting into an Antec 900 before, this is the first I have heard of it. These massive cooler are designed to fit the ATX standard and I don't see a problem here.

Keep in Mind, Any Ram rated more than DDR2-800, is nothing more than factory spec'd DDR2-800 chips with testing done and extra memory profiles added to run those speeds. There really isnt much point in going over 1066. I have the Muskin Extreme 1066 modules (they also run the Micron D9s) and I've easily gotten them to 1120 on their EPP, and over 1220 running timings that are most other company's "fast" settings.

I have a Coolermaster Hyper 212 and it's too tall for my case. Most HSFs are not that big though, so I don't think you will have any trouble. the CM Hyper212 is 160mm tall, whereas most of those are around 135mm, which would fit my case, albeit pretty tight fit. So, check the dimensions, and it's over that height (which i think is pretty standard) you may want to measure the case width prior to purchase.

the E8400 would be the better way to go if you're Gaming. If your primary focus is video production, Photoshop, Archiving, then a Q6600 would suit you better in the long run.