Building new gaming PC

[gxip]

Hi, I'm new here and I'm about to order some parts to start building my new gaming desktop.
Here's the wish list that I made
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=7582811&WishListTitle=Gxi+New+Wish+list

I'm going to use this PC mostly for gaming and do plan to do some OCing to it, but since I'm only gonna have it Air Cooled I don't plan any major OC(just as much as I can while keeping the temps low).

I'm not gonna get the case though since shipping it to PR is way expensive($90). So I'm going to go local but I was hoping any good cases for keeping temps low could be suggested(I was thinking Antec 900?)
I needed some advice on Mobo, RAM, and video card too. I don't know if I should go cheaper for the gpu or maybe get some of the recommended ($360) ones at this site:
2x GeFforce 9600 GT 512MB in SLI configuration
2x Radeon 3870 in Crossfire Configuration

And last, I'm going for the 4x2GB 1066MHz RAM but I wanted your opinion on whether I should just go for 4x2GB 800Mhz instead.
Please post comments and suggestions I'm a nOOb here so anything related you post will be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Almost forgot about price range....My budget is about $1300 -$1500, the lower the better though(need to save some money for the case too you know).

 

[weinzey]

hi
you should wait for the new ati 48*0 series to hit the market which will excel the 9800gtx by far, if early benchmarks are true, even the 9800gx2 a little. i think they're supposed to be launched by the end of the month.
with that kick the 750i board and aim for a x38/x48 which are far better overclockers + support crossfire (in case you need that)
as far as ram is concerned, 1066mhz is often only factory-oced 800mhz, plus many mobos have problems with 1066mhz factory-wise, not with 1066mhz oc though.
probably best overclockers are the crucial ballistix, alternative are corsair xms2
btw, you wont need 8gb of ram, even with vista. remember, its cheap, not free. if you need it, you can still upgrade.
yeah, and 750 is overkill!!! a lot
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

 

[gxip]

When is the new ati 48*0 series expected to come?
Won't the price of the new ati 48*0 be way higher?
Understood about Mobo...
Ok so I should just get 800MHz factory OC to 1066MHz or should I just get 800MHz?

 

[Onus]

Just get DDR2-800. You can probably OC it yourself to 1066 if you want to.

 

[weinzey]

Won't the price of the new at 48*0 be way higher?
Understood about Mobo...
Ok so I should just get 800MHz factory OC to 1066MHz or should I get 800MHz and OC them myself?

no, i think 4870 will be between 300 and 350 if i remember correctly, only 4870x2 will priced like a high end card (around 500)

definetly get 800mhz ram, especially since you only need to oc it to max 900, maybe 950mhz to get 1:1 fsb/ram ratio
but dont get the dominator(as you chose), they're just too expensive

with the money you save by dowing that and getting a lower wattage psu, you can get a q9450, which is 45nm, instead of the q6600. and i would also change the heatsink and get a xigmatek s1283 red scorpion or a s1284 if its released till you start your build(if those fit your case).

EDIT: 4870 launches end of mai/beginning of june as mentioned above

 

[Andrius]

weinzey said everything about the X38/X48 motherboard and HD 48x0.

I recommend you get the XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 cooler. The WHY? is explained here -> http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

The 750W might be overkill for 2 9600GTs in SLI but it's a good pick for X38/X48 and 2 HD 3870s in CrossFire or potential HD48x0 upgrades.

Cheaper Corsair PSUs here:
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-tx-750w-atx-12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/206178325.html

With the Q6600 you don't really need 1066MHz RAM. Corsair DHX C4 gets you upto 450MHz FSB no problem ($92 after MIR). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194

 

[weinzey]

im too fast for you

 

[Andrius]

^Indeed you are.

 

[gxip]

Ok so here's the new setup...

Q9450 BX80569q9450 from TD = $349.99
either:
Crucial Ballistix 4GB(2x2GB) BL2KIT2... = $109.99 (Out of Stock atm)
or
CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2x2GB) TWIN2X4096... = $122.00
2X Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 = $199.98
2X LITE-ON 20x DVD+-R = $ 45.98
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 = $ 36.99
Artic Silver 5 Thermal Compound = $ 5.99 (thought maybe I'll need this)
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W = $ 99.99 (dunno if it'll be enough 4 future upgrades or OC thou I was thinking 650W?)
Will wait for the ATI 4870 to be released= $350.00 (chose most exp price just in case)

Mobo? So many X38/48 to choose from... Any suggestions on Which one will be better price/performance wise and for the use I'm going to give the PC(if that's not a too general question)? Also if you guys know any issue on compatibility on the current setup...
ASUS P5E ($224.99)
DFI LP LT X38-T2R ($249.99)
DFI LANPARTY DK ($189.99)
GIGABYTE GA-EX38-DS4 ($199.99)
MSI X48C Platinum ($229.99)
ASUS Rampage Formula ($199.99)

So I'm already at about 1400 without a case...hmm...
Any more advice please?

EDIT: $1400 without shipping too btw... so it'll probably be more than $1500 to bring all this to PR

 

[weinzey]

you can also get a solid p35 board, which is still a good overclocker, but hast got 2 pcie 16x, so you wont be performing good with crossfire on it, like the gigabyte ds3l or ds3r, which would be a lot cheaper.
concerning power, check out the link i posted above. you can also enter the amount you wanna oc there.
if you wanna stick with an x38/48 board, it depends on your needs which one is best, but i wouldnt go over the price of a maximus formula, i guess

 

[gxip]

Hehe, thanks for the advice, I'll check that gigabyte. The problem with me is that I always tend to exceed my budget (last time i bought a computer for $3.6k+ when I was only going to spend $2k) :lol:
I'll check on the amount I'm going to oc too so I can choose the perfect PSU and look if my needs require an x38/48 board.
Need to read some more to actually understand everything I can do on it... that's kinda why I was asking you guys who probly have much more experience on this than me.

Thanks for all of your help you guys and I'll post some updates when I'm decided and some pics when I get everything together(which might take a lil while thou)... Also how much it cost me(btw if by any chance some1 out there knows a few website where I could get some of the components for cheaper it would be deeply appreciated)

Oh and one last question about the link for the power calculator, what gpu should I choose that will have a comparable wattage consumption as the ati 4870?

 

[Maroc]

Wow. Asus Rampage Formula for only $199... Americans get things for so cheap it's becoming a joke. The Asus Rampage Formula in England is £199 which is eqivalent to $386. I seriously don't understand why we have to pay double. Someone enlighten me.

 

[weinzey]

Oh and one last question about the link for the power calculator, what gpu should I choose that will have a comparable wattage consumption as the ati 4870?

nobody can tell right now, but i guess it will need about as much power as the 3870.

concerning mobo, im dont think p35(or at least not all p35 boards) support 45nm cpus (no sure though), so you might have to choose either q6600+p35 or q9450+x38. keep that in mind

 

[Andrius]

Wow. Asus Rampage Formula for only $199... Americans get things for so cheap it's becoming a joke. The Asus Rampage Formula in England is £199 which is eqivalent to $386. I seriously don't understand why we have to pay double. Someone enlighten me.

It's $289.99 on newegg.com. No idea where he got the $200 price. We get it a bit cheaper in backwater Europe ... 235 EUR. I guess your retailers put a higher % in their pocket.

 

[Maroc]

It's $289.99 on newegg.com. No idea where he got the $200 price. We get it a bit cheaper in backwater Europe ... 235 EUR. I guess your retailers put a higher % in their pocket.

Maybe, but if what you're saying is true, it means that all the very few retailers in England do it. Which gives us no other option unless theres a way of importing components from america.

 

[weinzey]

It's $289.99 on newegg.com. No idea where he got the $200 price. We get it a bit cheaper in backwater Europe ... 235 EUR. I guess your retailers put a higher % in their pocket.

thats just totally wrong, sry. 290$ equal about 184€ at the moment, so components are way cheaper in the us than in europe. do your home work bro.

 

[Andrius]

@weinzey
Yes $290 is around 190 EUR.
However my "cheaper" quote was for the UK price of £199 and that's almost 255 EUR. 235 is less than 255 IIRC.
Backwater Europe (where I'm from) has higher prices than most of mainland Europe, but still cheaper than the UK prices. The US prices for components are just silly. I paid 155 EUR for a GF9600GT last month. Thats $240. Lucky me.

 

[gxip]

Hey just read from this article:
http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-37453-135.html
that they're expecting the 4850 to launch in mid june and the 4870 and 4870X2 in july... How much do you guys know about this?

I wouldn't like to wait that long but i might as well wait since then some of the components will lower on price too.

 

[gxip]

Ok, sorry need your expertise once more... I've decided to wait for the launch of the new gpus and save up some more money and go with something different.

Like I said before, I'm planning on buying a cheap notebook; which will be used for college maybe some WOW if it can handle it.
Now I've been thinking of setting up my new rig in my room and leave the office just for studying and working.
Since I only have a 17" monitor I was looking at the prices on bigger ones. But comparing them to a local store I found out that it would be much more cheaper to just buy a 32" HDTV 720p (aprox. $700); which i can hook up to the wall and buy some wireless keyboard and mouse so I can play comfortable.
I know it's been discussed before about 1080 not have more than 30fps and the power consumption but I'm in need of good tv for my room so I might as well fix 2 problems and save some money. I'm checking posts on htpc and see what ideas I can get. I do plan to be more than 4 feet away from the tv so... Dunno about 780p thou maybe I should check the difference in price between a 1080p and 780p (just couldn't find any at that local store).

Will this be a good idea?

Another problem will be noise levels. I'm not 100% sure about components, but except for MOBO and GPU the ones in my last post will probly stay. Will my build be too noisy? I want it to be as quiet as possible without having to sacrifice (much) performance.

EDIT: I actually found one cheaper over the internet but dunno about shipping prices... here's the link:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8632553&type=product&id=1194052042159

 

[houstonserenity]

Wow. Asus Rampage Formula for only $199... Americans get things for so cheap it's becoming a joke. The Asus Rampage Formula in England is £199 which is eqivalent to $386. I seriously don't understand why we have to pay double. Someone enlighten me.[/quotemsg


The UK has hight tariffs as does much of the Europe