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Need help from the pros (with pics ;) )

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Need help from the pros (with pics ;) )

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Teslyn   03-21-2008 at 10:55:32 AM

Below is my proposed system. I have a hard drive to put in it and other DVDR's and such. Basically I am trying to get it to conform to a gaming rig for the following needs:

City of Heroes - I'd probably neer go above 1600X1200 res but I would like to max out all settings
Older games that don't matter.
Crysis (haven't picked it up but I'd like to)
Witcher (see Crysis)
Hellgate London
Assassin Creed
And the real reason I want to upgrade is: Age of Conan.

I would like to know where I can trim a little fat (if any) without sacrificing too much performance and maybe save a few bucks. Right now it weighs in at $1250 (including the flash drive) at newegg. I'd like to keep it below that amount.

I appreciate any help. :)

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7894/68721509rw3.jpg

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akhilles   03-21-2008 at 01:02:58 PM
- 0 +

GTS512 would be the minimum, but personally I would pick out something faster if I want to max out everything in games. Like HD3870X2.

Ditch the sound card. The onboard is more or less the same, unless you're an audiophile, in which case, go with at least X-Fi XtremeGamer or better.

Why that cpu? Why a 2nd fan? Are you overclocking? If so, go with E8400 or E3110 with a P35 board.

Reply to akhilles
huron   03-21-2008 at 01:07:16 PM
- 0 +

I have another simple suggestion.

It looked like you had DDR2 1200 - If you were planning on overclocking the E6750 up to 3.2GHz (which would put the FSB at 400 MHz) you would only need DDR2 800 to get the overclock to be at a 1 to 1 ratio. That will save you plenty as well.

The 6750 has been good for me. I agree about a soundcard. Not really a necessity. The vid card was a fine choice, but like the previous poster said, you may want a little more power (especially for crysis) and may want to et the 3870x2 or get a different board and put some 8800GT or 8800GTS in SLI.

Reply to huron
deuce271   03-21-2008 at 01:52:07 PM
- 0 +

Lose the sound card.

And swap the expensive X38 mobo for the cheaper and just as good for single card solutions P35 board.

------------------------------ Antec Nine Hundred, Gigabyte P35-DS3R, Intel Q6600 @ 3.2 Ghz, Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme, eVGA 8800GT 512MB, G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800 4-4-4-10, Seasonic S12 ATX 650W, Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA, 26" LCD Monitor (1900x1200), Windows XP Pr
 Reply to deuce271
Bronze Home Brew badge Shadow703793   03-21-2008 at 03:23:44 PM
- 0 +

Get Crucial Ballastix DDR2 800 RAM. Most motherboards seems to have a problem with DDR2 1060+ (native) RAM sticks, but not when DDR2 800 is OCed to the same level. If budget permits go for a E8400(if you can find it @ a fair price) or a Q6600. Everything else looks good. Also the Rosewill cooler is cr@p. Get a good Zalman or Thermaltake or a Arctic Freezer 7 at least.

------------------------------ http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/3815217176_0a5be7955d_o.gif
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3553/3818083596_1a772f7162_o.gif
 Reply to Shadow703793
ImajorI   03-21-2008 at 03:46:12 PM
- 0 +

Ditto to all the above comments. Good speakers first, then a sound card later if needed, I have these http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProM [...] B000062VUO. DDR2 800, better cooler maybe more CPU, I would go Q6600 at least.

Reply to ImajorI
Teslyn   03-21-2008 at 06:46:58 PM
- 0 +

While I appreciate all the Wolfdale suggestions, it was part of my original build, I have been on waiting lists for it for weeks.

I'd like to build this system sometime before Christmas. =P

I know the Q6600 is the wonder chip on this forum, but I like the numbers presented by the E6750 for the price to bang ratio.

Thank you much about the other suggestions and advice. It's very much appreciated. :)

Reply to Teslyn
colonelblake   03-21-2008 at 07:50:34 PM
- 0 +

if your really picky about gaining 2-3 fps in games, KEEP the sound card, it offloads all sound rendering off your cpu.

------------------------------ nickc07 wrote :


I dont follow any rules I just throw everything in the case.
Reply to colonelblake
Teslyn   03-21-2008 at 08:19:06 PM
- 0 +

Ok.

 

Here is the second run. After some consideration and reading on these forums I decided to see it your ways on the CPU.

 

Can't bring myself to justify an SLI board and paying for 2 cards. Guess Im just a dinosaur in this digital age.

 

How does this look, and it trimmed $100 off the original.

 

Of course click the picture to enlarge.

 

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9374/91010444fr7.jpg


Message edited by Teslyn on 03-21-2008 at 08:19:50 PM
Reply to Teslyn
cornholio_oh   03-21-2008 at 08:32:09 PM
- 0 +

I agree with everyone else. If you really want to shave the cost down, you can ditch the sound card and see how you like the onboard sound. Onboard sound these days is actually pretty good. You can always add a sound card later.

Do you live near a Microcenter? If so, they are having in-store only deals on Intel Q6600 for $199. There's another $40 in savings.

Reply to cornholio_oh
ohiou_grad_06   03-22-2008 at 12:48:03 AM
- 0 +

Get rid of the sound card man, on my gigabyte board, they've actually got outputs for High Definition audio. It's plenty for what I need! Have fun!!

Reply to ohiou_grad_06
caspian21   03-22-2008 at 02:02:59 AM
- 0 +

I personally like your addition of an X-Fi card. If you ever use plain headphones, this card will make a huge difference. Creative is the only company who has managed to almost perfectly replicate 5.1 audio using ordinary stereo headphones. Trust me, play any online fps and you know EXACTLY where the source of gunfire is. You will forget you are using headphones or my name isn't Orville Redenbacher. Works great with speakers also, but a previous poster is correct...your speakers have to be decent quality also.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to caspian21
mlig911   03-22-2008 at 02:22:59 AM
- 0 +

Instead of the Zalman I'd suggest the Xigmatec Rifle Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003

Theres a site where they tested all the coolers and such, and this one came out on top cooling wise, and near the top 5 sound wise. I'll edit with the link in a sec.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to mlig911
oushi   03-22-2008 at 06:05:37 AM
- 0 +

Buy the PSU from here to get it $15 cheaper and free shipping (total of $25 cheaper).
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx [...] 52646.html

Reply to oushi
Teslyn   03-22-2008 at 08:48:06 AM
- 0 +

caspian21 wrote :

I personally like your addition of an X-Fi card. If you ever use plain headphones, this card will make a huge difference. Creative is the only company who has managed to almost perfectly replicate 5.1 audio using ordinary stereo headphones. Trust me, play any online fps and you know EXACTLY where the source of gunfire is. You will forget you are using headphones or my name isn't Orville Redenbacher. Works great with speakers also, but a previous poster is correct...your speakers have to be decent quality also.



I am 100% headphones. I don't even own speakers. ;) :sol:


mlig911 wrote :

Instead of the Zalman I'd suggest the Xigmatec Rifle Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003



Thanks much. I swapped it in. Was motivated by the fact that a review stated it fit in his Antec 900 despite it's size.


My thanks goes to everyone for their insight and advice.

Reply to Teslyn
akhilles   03-22-2008 at 12:53:06 PM
- 0 +

Perfect! Good thing you listened. You're in good hands. Enjoy the pc.

Reply to akhilles
Teslyn   03-22-2008 at 08:26:17 PM
- 0 +

ACK!

Had a friend review this and he is certain that the board will be a choke point for the vid card or the CPU or something.

Should I really fear that? Or will some minor OCing (I've never done it so expect another question about that in the OCing section) cure that?

Reply to Teslyn
cmashwin   03-22-2008 at 08:45:49 PM
- 0 +

your "choke point" will still be ur Graphics card and not ur board.. How can a P35 not handle this?? I have a P35 too!! And also, its 1600 FSB rated recently.. So, it wont be the mobo for sure buddy... Your system seems good... Go for it!

Reply to cmashwin
Darkness Flame   03-22-2008 at 08:47:51 PM
- 0 +

One thing to say. To shave off a bit more if you need it, try looking at the Coolermaster 690 case instead. I'm not sure how size compares (sorry), but it still has great airflow if it's set-up right, and it's cheaper too.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to Darkness Flame
Teslyn   03-22-2008 at 09:12:34 PM
- 0 +

Darkness Flame wrote :

One thing to say. To shave off a bit more if you need it, try looking at the Coolermaster 690 case instead. I'm not sure how size compares (sorry), but it still has great airflow if it's set-up right, and it's cheaper too.



I will admit it is a nicer looking case than the Antec and I know Coolermaster has a great reputation, but I am always terrified of cooling.

My very first rig I threw together in an old case that a friend had laying around. I had constant overheating issues.

Then I bought this beast of a themaltake case that Im using now, sure it sounds like a turbine engine, but everything stays so cool it literally cools my room around my desk area. I've even gottenused to the noise over the years and barely hear it unless I've been away for a few days, but its full tower and I jsut want something smaller and if I dare say, something that can actually sit up on my desk top.

I'll definitely consider it over the next couple days while I finalize my decisions. Thanks for the suggestions.

Quote :

your "choke point" will still be ur Graphics card and not ur board.. How can a P35 not handle this?? I have a P35 too!! And also, its 1600 FSB rated recently.. So, it wont be the mobo for sure buddy... Your system seems good... Go for it!



Thanks for the second opinion. I figured since no one here brought it up, there wasn't going to be an issue. :)

Reply to Teslyn
mlig911   03-22-2008 at 11:57:43 PM
- 0 +

sorry for the late link, but here it is to better justify your good decision ;)

http://www.frostytech.com/articlev [...] 233&page=5

Reply to mlig911
dodian   03-23-2008 at 12:33:01 AM
- 0 +

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134
Ditch the Zalman and pick up the AC Freezer 7 Pro. It has great reviews by anandtech and other sites. The performance is the same or better than the Zalman. Anandtech claims it has nearly the same performance as the Thermalright extreme and is off by 1-3c. Its also $27

Reply to dodian
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