This a good build?

[quantum112]

Hi folks, I'm in need of some advice regarding building a new gaming PC. Currently I'm running a 3200+, with 2 gigs of DDR and a Sapphire X1800 which is a bit dated. So here's what I've come up with:

MBO GIGABYTE GA-X48T-DQ6, iX48 + ICH9R, DDR3, S-ATA, PCI-E, Cross, G-Lan, s. 775
CPU INTEL Core2Duo E8400 BOX, s. 775, 3.00GHz, 6MB c., FSB 1333MHz
VGA PCI-E SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON HD3870 X2, 1GB DDR3, 256bit, DVI, HDMI, CrossFire
PSU CORSAIR TX Series 750W CMPSU-750TX, ATX2 v2.2, 120mm vent., modular
RAM PC-12800, 2 GB, CORSAIR XMS3-1600, DDR3 1600 MHz, KIT 2x1 GB
HDD 750.0 GB SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1, SATA, 32MB cache, 7200 rpm/min
Super Tower, THERMALTAKE Armor LCS, VE2000BWS, ATX 2, black
DVD±RW ASUS DRW-2014L1T, 20x, crna, SATA, Light Scribe, DVD-RAM, Dual layer, bulk
Floppy drive 3.5'', 1,44MB, black


This rig was made in mind for serious gaming and playing at high details, hence the water cooled case, as I can't afford
a separate cooling solution. I'm trying to plan ahead with DDR3 here so I won't have to change the MBO once it becomes standard, same goes for the bigger power supply if I ever decide on CrossfireX. I hope this build lasts at least 2-3 years (as long as it takes me to pay it off :lol: ) I'm also shopping locally and the budget doesn't go much higher so there isn't too many options here (I come from Croatia btw) I just wanted to also ask a few questions regarding the components:

1. The GFX card states in order to make use of ATi Overdrive you'd need to have both a 6-pin and 8-pin connector on the PSU you're using however, the Corsair power supply has 4 8-pins (though they look like you could use only 6 on one of them if you prefer, check this out: http://www.corsairmemory.com/products/tx.aspx but I'm not sure on this here). Does this mean the PSU is compatible with this card and will utilize ATi overdrive?

2. I'm not sure at what frequency I can get the memory to run if I overclock an E8400 to say, 4.5 GHz (using the integrated water cooling solution) and also at stock spec, as far as I know memory is not allowed to run faster than the FSB of the CPU, does that mean it won't go past 1333 even though it's rated as 1600 or do I have my terms completely wrong here?


Thanks

 

[godspeed7]

I am building a PC as well. I've always owned ATI video cards, and always like them... truth is though nVidia is doing a much better job performance-wise. I looked at all the mobo's available, and the only one to strike me are the EVGA's. I wanted to get a Gigabyte or ASUS at first, but it seems the crossfire platform is easier to dev for mobo's. My opinion is if this is a gaming rig, go nVidia-way... you probably have noticed how most games always show an ad for nVidia... that isn't jsut marketing, but most game-makers amke sure their games run top notch on nVidia boards.

I'm going for EVGA motherboard and an EVGA 9800GTX {stand-alone card isn't as powerfull as the ATI, but in SLI it scares it away}. ATI also has more incompatibilities from my own experience...

My mobo will only take DDR2 ram, but by next year I will have switched the mobo for EVGA's best one that uses up to DDR3-16000 ...

btw, make sure you motherboard supports up to DDR3-16000, or else you be stuck with the DDR3 that isn't all that faster than the best DDR2..

Those are just ideas, if you have in mind what you want, go for it though!!!

 

[quantum112]

Hmmm yeah I know, it would be hella tough to squeeze in a 9800 GX2 right now, especially considering ATi's 4870 is right around the corner, as well as the 4870X2, and that's gonna be one hell of a machine. It may pay off to just wait a bit and see what we get.

 

[godspeed7]

Yeah, I would guess so. But then, that may be at a steep cost! Maybe wait though as you say, and see how the newer nVidia 9900GTX {or G280} will do with the new 4870x2, they will both be top-of-the-line dual core GPU's, but from the way things are going I have the impression nVidia again will rise above. And not to mention that Intel are "with" nVidia and AMD "with" ATI; for compatibility and best performance it would be better to stick with an nVidia if you're going for an intel CPU. nVidia chipsets seem to be more specialized, the ATI Crossfire chipsets are becoming the mainstream budget boards... it is a tough decision though! Don't let cost turn you down from getting nVidia though, they are more expensive, but it shows in their ability to provide higher framerates.

 

[godspeed7]

By the way, I thought it would be interesting for you to take a quick glance at this Thread I started a few days ago; it's about CPU's. I see you are going for the E8400 which I find for cost/performance is probably the best CPU out there.

Still though, you might like to take a look at this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/250618-28-gaming

Tom's Hardware has quite a few very experienced ppl who know their stuff, I learnt a few things. I Hope it might help you in your decision making!

Read it through and look at the links and everything...

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

I would reconsider the move to ddr3. Even with heavy overclocking it would be near impossible to use all the banwidth the memory has to offer. You would be better off getting a ddr 2 based board with 4GB of ddr2 memory. Consider the money you'll save an investment toward the upgrade when ddr3 becomes much more mainstream and fsb speeds get high enough to use it.

 

[godspeed7]

I do agree at one 101%

...as the Motherboard's with DDR3 will also go down in price, and more importantly make use of the better DDR3, right now it isn't worth it as PsyKhiqZero says.

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

Water cooling is a pain. hardley worth the trouble with todays much cooler running cpus and awesome heatpipe based coolers. My intel q6600 2.4Ghz oced to 3.0 Ghz idles at 35c and maxs at 50c under full load. the cpu can handle temps up 70c.

 

[gators1223]

as for gfx card look into the 8800gts 512mb, if you could fit 2 in sli in that would be great

 

[lunyone]

Personally this is what I'd look at:
* CPU - q9450 if you can afford it or the e8400 is good too. You could afford the q9450, if you stick with a p35 based mobo. This CPU should be good for 2-3 years, depeding on your needs.
* CPU HSF - I'd go with Xigmatek s1283, if you can get your hands on it.
* Mobo - I'd go with a p35 based mobo, Gigabyte DS3L/R or Asus p5k series or Abit IP35 based mobo's. These will be all good solid OC'ing mobo's and are around the $100-130 price range, which will save you a ton of $ right now.
* GPU - I'd wait for the the 4850's to come out before deciding what you want. Check out the benchmarks and see buy what makes sense.
* Memory - I'd stick with DDR2 CAS4 Memory. At least 800mHz or even 1066mHz, depending on what FSB your going to be OC'ing too. DDR2 800mHz will cover 95% of most OC's so that is where I'd start. I'd also consider getting 2x2gb's of memory, so you can add another 2x2gb's later, if you feel you need more.
* Case - I'd probably stick with the Antec 900 or Cooler Master 690 cases. They run cool, have sufficient space, and are both around $100 depending on specials. I'd probably go with the CM 690, since it's usually a bit cheaper and does a good job too.
* PSU - You have the right PSU. It has 4x6+2pin PCI-e power connectors, so you have any combination of 6 pin or 8 pin PCI-e power connectors that you need. So for the 3870x2 you will have 1x6pin and 1x8pin PCI-e power connectors. Your PSU choice is a good one, IMHO!!!
* HD/DVD burner - They look good to me, so have at it!!

 

[quantum112]

Thanks to everyone for your input, I've spent the afternoon looking at parts and tailoring a new configuration this time around with DDR2 and aiming at a quad-core setup, as well as taking a very high end graphics card. By shopping at two stores and combining parts, I've actually gotten a LOWER price than with a C2D and a HD3870X2. Check this out:

MBO EVGA, s. 775, 680i SLI, NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI, BUS 1333 MHz, serial ATA II, RAID, 7.1 zvuk, 2x 1Gbps, Fire Wire, DDR 2, ATX 2
Intel® Core(TM) 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 1066MHz, 8MB LGA775 (QUAD CORE), BOX
RAM, 4 GB (2GB + 2GB), DDR 2, PC-8500, 1066 MHz, MUSHKIN XP Series
VGA PCI-E CLUB 3D, 9800 GX2, GeForce 9800 GX2, 1024 MB, Dual DVI, HDMI
HDD 750.0 GB SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1, SATA, 32MB cache, 7200 okr./min, desktop
Super Tower, THERMALTAKE Armor LCS, VE2000BWS, ATX 2, black
DVD writer, DVD±RW & DVD±R, LITE ON DH-20A3H-06C, Light Scribe 20x, 8x dual layer 8.5 GB, bulk, black
PSU 750W, CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX, ATX2 v2.2, 120mm vent., modular

A few comments:
-apparently as reviews state the EVGA motherboard albeit cheaper than the gigabyte is an extremely well made motherboard with some pretty crazy overclocking capabilities and features, quite good value/money
-opted for a quad setup as I reckon games will start to benefit more from them down the road and it can be OC'd pretty
good on water cooling too
-no need to comment the graphics, pretty sick
-rest is same more or less, RAZER mouse/keyb planned too, nothing else

 

[godspeed7]

WooT! You've got yourself a PC good for a while there!

That is about the system I am building as well, I think if you go with the EVGA mobo you can't go wrong.

Might I suggest one thing; Get 2 9800GTX in SLI instead of a single Dual-Gpu card. In Crysis, the SLIed 9800GTX beats the Dual-Core GTX by 5 FPS, and belive me, even in you system like your building Crysis will run around the 30 FPS all on Very High, so 5 FPS extra is a VERY welcome Addition.

Getting those two cards should also cost not much more than the single x2 GTX.

With all the research I've done lately in my system I am building, I've come to the conclusion that nVidia SLI is the way to go, especially with the EVGA parts, you can't go wrong!!

 

[godspeed7]

And by the way, I beleive the 680i EVGA you're looking at is more expensive than the newer 780i one, check it out, because they are identical! But the 780i is cheaper!

The Cheaper cost of the newer Mobo, will counter the slightly higher cost of the 2 Video Cards.

 

[quantum112]

I can't find that motherboard, and the only way I could make do of 2x 9800GTX would be to take the ones from Gigabyte, cause all the others are more than the cost of this Club3D GX2. Are the Gigabyte cards any good?

 

[quantum112]

The only difference I'm seeing between the cheapest Gigabyte 9800GTX and the most expensive eVGA 9800GTX is that the clock speeds are about 170 MHz higher, but I'm guessing, if they're using the same GPU, I should be able to achieve almost the same clockrates, am I right?

All the other features like QuantumEffects, Lumenex and all that stuff are pretty much the same, right?

Taking two Gigabyte 9800GTX's would be well within my budget, it's actually cheaper than a GX2 so I could do so.
Provided they are not lacking so much compared to the eVGA cards.

 

[quantum112]

LATEST BUILD:

MBO EVGA, s. 775, 750i SLI FTW, NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI, BUS 1333+ MHz, serial ATA II, RAID, 7.1, 1Gbps, FireWire, DDR 2, ATX 2
Intel® Core(TM) 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 1066MHz, 8MB LGA775 (QUAD CORE), BOX
RAM, 4 GB (2GB + 2GB), DDR 2, PC-8500, 1066 MHz, MUSHKIN XP Series
2x VGA Gigabyte 9800GTX, 512Mb GDDR3 256bit, Dual DVI, PCI-X 2.0 , HDCP, HDTV
HDD 750.0 GB SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1, SATA, 32MB cache, 7200 rpm
Super Tower, THERMALTAKE Armor LCS, VE2000BWS, ATX 2, black
750W, CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX, ATX2 v2.2, 120mm vent., modular

Question above regarding the graphics card still stands if anyone is willing to reply. Thanks

 

[gators1223]

yes they are essentially the same, you can pay a lot for water cooling and factory oc now days, the factory Oced cards will often have a better cooler so you don't want to push your cards to hard

 

[quantum112]

Well I'm not gonna shell out additional money for clocking I can do at home and once the water coolers start to appear.

 

[quantum112]

Will the 750W power supply be enough for those two graphics cards, along with two HDD's and two DVDRW's ?

 

[gators1223]

yes, corsaire 750tx is a good psu and will power the rig fine

 

[quantum112]

Well I guess that's that then, it's just a matter of time when I pick it up and when I can get a free day to install the whole thing
Thanks to everyone involved for helping me choose the parts, cheers!