First build in a long time

[Wip3out]

Hi everyone,

The last build I completed was over 3 years ago. Needless to say, times and technology have changed. Here's what I'm looking at right now.

CPU Cooling --> Cooler Master Hyper TX2 ($21.99)
Graphics --> EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT x2 ($259.99 x2)
Sound --> Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail ($80.99)
Processor --> Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Yorkfield 3.0GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 130W Quad-Core Processor ($1059.99***)
Mobo --> EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($249.99)
Memory --> CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) x2 for 4gb ($114.00 x2)
Storage --> Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA-300 Hard Drive - OEM x2 ($119.99 x2)
Case --> ???
Power --> ???
Monitor -->???
============================= Subtotal: $2160.94 ======

Questions/Comments

- I definitely want to make sure everything is compatible. Processor to mobo, Gfx cards to mobo, etc. I think everything should match up. The only thing that concerns me is the sound card. It's listed as PCI, so I'm not sure if I need to be looking for a PCI-express (2.0?) version or not. That's my largest compatibility concern.

- Do I need to get some arctic silver paste for that fan, or do they include a thermal paste these days?

- My old case was a coolermaster wavemaster, and I loved it. Very similar in design to the cavalier. With the huge fans and video cards, space is a concern. What are some nice cases I should be looking at? Minimal design is nice. No cyborg cases please lol.

- From what I understand, great tube monitors are going the way of the dinosaur. This was an area I was hoping to save money and get a great image at high refresh rates (CRT). I searched for monitor reviews, but all I've come up with is a bunch of older articles from ~'05.

- I went with the Corsair memory because the quality and performance of my old XMS 2-2-2-5 was fantastic. I'm not really looking to overclock. I'd rather have solid performance out of the box that I can count on. That being said, it was 3+ years ago. Brands go up and down, new contenders emerge. Definitely don't want to invest in DDR3... ya, some help here would be nice.

- XP pro vs. Vista. With a system like this, I could always upgrade to Vista. Without XP, I save some muscle. With Vista, I get DX10. What's the current consensus on this?

- Power supply. I'm sure I could get away with 750, but I'm thinking 1000 is in order here. Am I wrong? I was also thinking about going with a thermaltake psu again (loved my old one), but I acknowledge that there might be a better choice.

Suggestions

I'm open to anything. Constructive criticism is good, especially in areas where I could decrease cost and (ideally) increase performance!

Thanks!

*edit* the "***" next to the processor price are to remind me that the price will probably drop by $100 or so when the new 9770 is available in March.

 

[WR2]

PCI sound card is fine - will not be a problem. And unless you're a real audiophile the onboard 7.1 sound system is actually quite good.
Hyper TX2 is a good all-round mid-range HSF. It does come with thermal compound already on the HS for easy installation. And unless you're going to be taking the HSF off and putting it back on again later you won't need any extra thermal compound/paste.

750Watt PSU is more than enough for what you're looking at right now. It should even handle a more powerful dual GPU next gen upgrade. Corsair 750TX or something similar.
Now if you were going for a TRI-SLI option you'd want to look at something a bit more powerful. 850-1000Watt PSUs

Case choices are harder. Its a style and function issue mostly. Door or no doors? Ports on top or front panel?
CoolerMaster RC-690, Antec 900, Thermaltake Soprano, Silverstone Kublai are worth look at.

Your RAM choice is fine. Your CPU choice on the other hand is too expensive in my opinion. A mild overclock on the Q6600 (2.4Ghz -> 2.8GhzGhz) or an E8400 dual core (3.0Ghz -> 3.6Ghz) would be close enough in performance to not notice the performance difference to an stock QX9650. And leave you $800 for other upgrades (like a 24" LCD!).

My personal choice for a 24" monitor would be the Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP
Beyond that I think HP 2408, LG L245, Samsung 245T, Viewsonic VX2435 are worth looking at for comparison.

The XP/Vista issue is still lacking full consensus. But I'd say go with Vista - I've had no problems learning how to get it to behave nicely and Im very happy with it.

 

[mtyermom]

What I don't understand is this:

If you're getting the qx9650 (top of the line processor), then why are you getting the Cooler Master Hyper TX2 (mid-range HSF)?

IMO, you should be pairing that high-end processor with a high-end HSF, such as the Thermalright U-120E or IFX-14.

Also, the price you're paying for those 8800GT's you could be getting 8800GTS's.

Regarding the memory, it is generally accepted that 2x2GB is the way to go, leaving an upgrade path to 8GB later. Corsair performance models or Crucial (who are great about using high quality micron ICs).

PSU: Running dual GPUs and I'm assuming you're going to be overclocking that CPU? I would say 750w or better high efficiency PSU from a reputable company is a safe place to start.

Case: Again, you're working on a monster build here, make sure you get a quality case. Thermaltake Armor or something similar. Something you might consider:
Antec Performance One P190+1200 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower $399.99 (this case has 2 PSUs included in the price 650w + 550w, so this would offset the cost of buying the PSU separate)

Monitor: WR2's monitor recommendations are sound, check them out.

OS: Although I love XP, I'll have to make the Vista 64-bit recommendation here. You may have some minor headaches with it initially, but seems the more futureproof option. Also ensures your 4GB memory gets used. Regarding XP performance over Vista, with the system you're building, as long as it is properly configured, it should not be much of an issue.

Soundcard: I commonly recommend that people evaluate their onboard sound first. If you are dissatisfied, then look into purchasing a soundcard.

 

[Wip3out]

Right now, I'm looking at dropping down the processor right now. Not that I wouldn't love having the best processor out right now, but I agree that it would be a wise step to take the processor down a notch or two and use the $800 to increase the quality of other components.

The fan choice was based on the recent Tom's recommendation as the best overall chip cooling for your money. An IFX-14 would be sweet though... just seems like a beast!

I'll post in a minute with some processor ideas.

 

[mtyermom]

Right now, I'm looking at dropping down the processor right now. Not that I wouldn't love having the best processor out right now, but I agree that it would be a wise step to take the processor down a notch or two and use the $800 to increase the quality of other components.

The fan choice was based on the recent Tom's recommendation as the best overall chip cooling for your money. An IFX-14 would be sweet though... just seems like a beast!

I'll post in a minute with some processor ideas.

Wise move on the processor, IMO. You'll see better performance results (as well as other niceties, like larger monitor) putting that $800 elsewhere in the build.

 

[Wip3out]

Ok, so I decided to swap in an "Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor" in exchange for the QX9650. Going by the Tom's processor charts, 6 fps isn't worth $820

Am I right in assuming I can keep the same mobo? Both chips are socket 775.

Regarding the graphics cards, I'm thinking I'll stick with the overclocked 8800 GTs I picked out. Any minimal increase in framerates just isn't worth another $100 to me. I'm also looking at the AKIMBO 8800 GTs, but they are on backorder right now. 720 clock speed is sweet.

 

[mtyermom]

Ok, so I decided to swap in an "Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor" in exchange for the QX9650. Going by the Tom's processor charts, 6 fps isn't worth $820

Am I right in assuming I can keep the same mobo? Both chips are socket 775.

Regarding the graphics cards, I'm thinking I'll stick with the overclocked 8800 GTs I picked out. Any minimal increase in framerates just isn't worth another $100 to me. I'm also looking at the AKIMBO 8800 GTs, but they are on backorder right now. 720 clock speed is sweet.

Excellent choice on the CPU, and yes your chosen mobo will work.

Regarding the video cards, my point is that you're paying $259.99/ea for those 8800GT's when you can be getting
MSI NX8800GTS (G92) 512MB
for $279.99 ($249.99 after $30 mail in rebate, which ends up being cheaper anyway)
Better cooling (more headroom for higher clockspeeds) and more SPs (128 vs 112) for an ultimately cheaper price

 

[Gravemind123]

For the power supply, a PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750W or Corsair TX750 are great choices. I'd get whichever one of those you can find for cheaper.

 

[jerseygamer]

PCI sound card is fine - will not be a problem. And unless you're a real audiophile the onboard 7.1 sound system is actually quite good.
Hyper TX2 is a good all-round mid-range HSF. It does come with thermal compound already on the HS for easy installation. And unless you're going to be taking the HSF off and putting it back on again later you won't need any extra thermal compound/paste.

750Watt PSU is more than enough for what you're looking at right now. It should even handle a more powerful dual GPU next gen upgrade. Corsair 750TX or something similar.
Now if you were going for a TRI-SLI option you'd want to look at something a bit more powerful. 850-1000Watt PSUs


Case choices are harder. Its a style and function issue mostly. Door or no doors? Ports on top or front panel?
CoolerMaster RC-690, Antec 900, Thermaltake Soprano, Silverstone Kublai are worth look at.

Your RAM choice is fine. Your CPU choice on the other hand is too expensive in my opinion. A mild overclock on the Q6600 (2.4Ghz -> 2.8GhzGhz) or an E8400 dual core (3.0Ghz -> 3.6Ghz) would be close enough in performance to not notice the performance difference to an stock QX9650. And leave you $800 for other upgrades (like a 24" LCD!).

My personal choice for a 24" monitor would be the Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP
Beyond that I think HP 2408, LG L245, Samsung 245T, Viewsonic VX2435 are worth looking at for comparison.

The XP/Vista issue is still lacking full consensus. But I'd say go with Vista - I've had no problems learning how to get it to behave nicely and Im very happy with it.

I would agree 100% on the Q6600 comment. Even if you dont OC its still a great choice for Intel users at the price range and a good ratio on performance per $$.

I will argue your MB and gpu though. You are limiting yourself to dx10.0. If you switched up to a good xfire MB and the x2 or wait out the next line you can get dx10.1 and future updates on your platform along with tested performance and better multi gpu scalability in general.

As for your OS if you go Vista go 64bit. You can install in 32 or 64 but you are future proofing your os from the get go. You dont face the performance hits from vista 32 on 64 bit and in almost all cases the Vista 64 will out perform xp and suprass it in 64 bit apps. There are a few driver problems on vista 64 but they are almost all gone. I have yet to find a program that I could not run properly on Vista 64 that could be run on Vista 32. The added protection you get in 64 is also a nice bonous.

 

[Wip3out]

I just realized I used the phrase "right now" 3 times in a row. LOL

@mtyermom: Ah yes, the rebate! K switching over to GTS now

@jerseygamer: An ATI fan I see! I've run ATI's in all of my past builds, and I love them. My 9700pro loved me back, for like 3 years! I loved that card so much. I don't think I'm going to wait for DX10.1 though, just because the arrival of Vista SP1 is anybody's guess. Also, how long it will be before the majority of games support its new features is up for debate. I'll definitely go with Vista though, as it seems the best and most practical way.