$1500 gaming rig with room to grow...please help with my 1st rig

[havik110]

Hi all

First off this is the 2nd computer I will have built even though I work with computers on a daily basis (most companies just buy from dell). It will be the 1st I am building for myself and I want a nice stable gaming rig that in a few months I may add a 2nd vid card to and sli it up for conan and Warhammer and starcraft. Any feedback on how to make it better is greatly appreciated. Also note that I may attempt slight overclocking as I work with a tweaker whos updates his rig every 6 months. anyways here goes.

Case- Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
-$119.99

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
-$249.99

EVGA 512-P3-N877-AR GeForce 9800 GTX SSC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
-$344.99

Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
-$109.99 (Ive been told antec power is not stable and to buy a PSU from the teir 2 list on xtreme)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
-$214.99

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR800C44GK - Retail
-$104.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
-(2 of them raid 0 for) $159.98 total

ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail
-(2 of them because i like 2 drives) $71.98 total

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
-$26.99

Rosewill RCR-FD200 All-in-one USB 2.0 Black 3.5" Card Reader with 1.44MB Floppy Drive - Retail
-$31.99

Total price $1,435.88 + tax and shipping

I would like any opinions other than telling me to go AMD and ATI (I prefer the evil empire)

Ive been told the 900 case and the 9800 gtx are a very tight fit so I have been looking at full atx cases. I like the looks and reviews of the full armor and cosmos but id prefer not to spend 200 on a case if i didnt have to. the main reason for the 900 was keeping the rig cool with all those fans.

thanks for any help

 

[50bmg]

Great build. The only thing i would do different is go with a Q9300. I is $60 more, but you are already spending a bunch. Besides, it is 45nm. It will run cooler, use less power, 1333FSB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115043

 

[blackmage]

My only changes and this will put your rig similar to mine is I went with SLIed 9600GTs. They have a bit more oomph at 1900x1200 than the single 9800GT. And I went with a 800w SLI PSU I only wish I had gone Module PSU as I have a billion and a half cables hanging out and I wish the Q9300 was available when I did my setup.

 

[havik110]

I will look at the other chip. I thought the only steps up were the 6700 and then extreme 1000 dollar chips. but for 60 bucks if it will run cooler its a good idea. i like the idea of the 6600 mainly because it is old and people trust it

On the cards, i plan on getting another 9800 and sling as the price comes down. i know everyone says the new chipset will be out in a month but i wouldnt spend new chipset money and only decided on the 9800 after i was basically told it was two 8800 gt's strapped together in sli mode (is that correct?) and it is cheaper than 2 8800 gt's.

my main concerns are heat, as i am told the 780i runs hot, a good PSU, and if the 9800 will fit in the case with no issue.

thanks for the comments so far.

 

[50bmg]

nvidia mobo chipsets (7xxi's) do run warmer than the intels. That is why i went with x38 chipset. If you want to SLI you are forced to go with a nvidia board. It will be fine. They run warmer but not at dangerous levels, just have good fans.

I like the 45nm intel cpu's because they have a lot of OC room with a lot less heat. I just put in a e7200 2.5G dual core. I have it runnin at 3.8Ghz. It never exceeds 57c at load. The quad 45nm will run warmer but not as hot as the 65nm q6600.

 

[modode]

Several of the reviews of the 900 case on newegg mentioned they put a 9800 in there and none mentioned problems fitting it, so I think you're ok.

If you're CERTAIN you want to do SLI, then you're stuck with an nvidia chipset like the 780i, which has many more reported stability issues than the recent intel p35 or X38/X48 boards. Most will tell you SLI is mostly a waste of money, because the performance gains usually aren't impressive compared to a good single card, especially in terms of a noticable change in your gaming experience.

 

[Shadow703793]

Case- Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
-$119.99

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
-$249.99

EVGA 512-P3-N877-AR GeForce 9800 GTX SSC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
-$344.99

Antec NeoPower 650 Blue 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
-$109.99 (Ive been told antec power is not stable and to buy a PSU from the teir 2 list on xtreme)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
-$214.99

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR800C44GK - Retail
-$104.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
-(2 of them raid 0 for) $159.98 total

ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail
-(2 of them because i like 2 drives) $71.98 total

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
-$26.99

Rosewill RCR-FD200 All-in-one USB 2.0 Black 3.5" Card Reader with 1.44MB Floppy Drive - Retail
-$31.99

Looks good.

Here are some changes I would make:
Drop SLI and get a P35-DS3x; X38-DS4; P5K
SLI is not needed unless playing at 1600+

Swap PSU for PP&C 610 ; Corsair 550

Swap the AF7 Pro, to a XIGMATEK HDT S1283.

Also try and get a 7200.11 HDD(s).

 

[havik110]

question, if i drop the sli motherboard can i pick up a 9800gs2 since it is technically running sli?

what do you think of this board? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131181

 

[Shadow703793]

^That board is DDR3 only. No need for DDR3 yet.

Unless you game at 1600*1200 there is no need for SLI or a 9800GTX2. A 8800GT/(G92)8800GTS will be more than enough for most games.

 

[havik110]

okay so im willing to drop the SLI board, and with the q93 im running cooler but what mother board should i run? the x38 that you recommended has great reviews but is out of stock. do you have a similar asus? if im not doing sli i wont need the 700 watt PSU.

 

[Shadow703793]

For ASUS I recommend P5K; P5E; RAMPAGE Formula.

Since no SLI a PP&C 610 or a Corsair 550VX would be more than enough. If you need modular cables go with some thing like the Corsair 520HX.

 

[jitpublisher]

I am going to make a copy of this so I can just post and repost without having to type it all the time.
A 9800GTX is simply a rebranded 8800GTS (g92) with slightly faster memory.
The 8800GTS is only about 2-5% less performance at stock speed than a 9800GTX, $100 or more cheaper depending on rebates and which one you buy, and overclocks extremely well.
When you buy a 9800GTX, you are really paying a premium simply for the newest cards out right now, for no good reason performance wise.
The only advantage you have with a 9800 is they will do triple SLI, and I am not sure why anyone would spend the money for that either.

 

[havik110]

yes but the 8800 GTS didnt have the hd capabilities that the even cheaper 8800 GT got later on. I was originally going to run 2 8800 GT's in SLI but the single 9800 seems to do well and if i need to do 2 in a few months I can.

 

[Shadow703793]

Imo, you might want to get a cheap GPU until the new ATI cards come out, suppose to be better than 8800GTS and ~$200-300.