Crit on new rig

[Reign]

Hi, I just put together this rig for gaming/rendering purposes. I use 3ds max and am looking to get into CoD4 and Crysis. I'm looking to stay under the $1500 C range, any help with this rig would be greatly appreciated. Anything I should change?


Heatsink/fan: Kingwin RVT-9225 Direct Touch 3 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S754 S939 S940 W/ 92MM PWM Fan $29.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25879&vpn=RVT-9225&manufacture=Kingwin

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box $239.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=22211&vpn=BX80562Q6600&manufacture=Intel&promoid=1060

RAM: 2 x OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit ($37.99 x 2)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index....002GK&manufacture=OCZ Technology&promoid=1060

MB: ASUS P5Q Pro ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 2PCI-E16 Crossfire 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN eSATA Motherboard $146.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30418&vpn=P5Q Pro&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1060

video card: EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GT 600MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card $149.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27704&vpn=512-P3-N801-AR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1060

Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive $92.00
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27144&vpn=ST3500320AS&manufacture=Seagate&promoid=1060

Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 2253BW 22IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Black 1680X1050 8000:1 DVI VGA $302.63
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29091&vpn=LS22AQWJFV/XAA&manufacture=Samsung&promoid=1060

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio $121.25
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=21123&vpn=NINE HUNDRED&manufacture=ANTEC&promoid=1060
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream 700W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black $86.81
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18185&vpn=OCZ700GXSSLI&manufacture=OCZ Technology


total = $1245.63

 

[aevm]

It looks pretty good. Get a HD 4850 card instead of the 8800GT, it's only $30 or $50 more and faster. It would also allow you to add a second card later for Crossfire. Your MB and PSU and case are already suitable for that.

Get this Noctua cooler, it's the best in the world and $50 is a fantastic price for it. It's usually twice as much in the US at www.ncixus.com
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27130&vpn=NH-U12P&manufacture=Noctua&promoid=1060

 

[aevm]

RAM: 2 x OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-12 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit ($37.99 x 2)
http://www.ncix.com/products/index....002GK&manufacture=OCZ Technology&promoid=1060

This RAM is $72 (you save $4) and it occupies only two DIMM slots. That means you'll be able to upgrade to 8 GB later if you want.
OCZ Platinum XTC PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-4-4-15
http://www.ncix.com/products/index....004GK&manufacture=OCZ Technology&promoid=1060


Edit:
Here's a nice HDD deal:
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 750GB SATA2 7200RPM 32MB Cache Hard Drive
(0A35154) Reg. Price:$155.76 Saving Code: 25448-1060 $89.99 After Rebate
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=25448&promoid=1060&quantity=1

or this:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB Hard Drive 3YR MFR Warranty
(WD6400AAKS) Reg. Price:$107.99 Saving Code: 30004-1060 $89.99
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30004&promoid=1060

 

[shadowduck]

+1 on avem's cooler selection.

Good motherboard choice OP, but go 4850 for sure.

If you want to Crossfire later though, it would benefit you to move to X38/48 chipset board. Some say P45 bottlenecks with 48x0 in Crossfire.

 

[Reign]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm going to switch to the Noctua cooler, and HD 4850, but NCIX only has HIS 4850. I'm never even heard of that manufacturer, so should I wait till they get more cards?

the 48 chipset boards seem really expensive so I think I'll stick to the 45.

I've put together this rig using the NCIX PC builder and customized the default options, but it seems none of the Saving Codes exist when I try to use them. Do you guys know if the discounts are only available if I buy individual parts rather then as a package?

 

[aevm]

Do you want them to assemble the PC for you? OK, I've never tried that. Call 1-888-NCIX-888 and ask them. My guess is that the promoid still applies, especially if you ask.

AFAIK when they assemble and ship a PC they don't install the cooler, because it's risky to ship a PC that way. Just so you know...

Good point about HIS. There are some nasty reviews at newegg for the HIS HD 3870, so yeah, maybe you should avoid them. Sapphire and Diamond seem to get 5-star reviews at newegg for the 3870. BTW, the Diamond HD 4850 is in stock at NCIX and only $175 with that promoid and the rebate. I'd get that one.

 

[aevm]

Here's an article that compares P45 (e.g. P5Q) with X48 when using two HD 4850 cards in Crossfire. My feeling is that P5Q is just fine at 1920x1200 or lower, but at 2560x1600 the same cards do visibly better on the X48. Reign, since your monitor works at 1680x1050, the P5Q should be OK IMO.

http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/1472/7/page_7_benchmarks_crysis/index.html

 

[shadowduck]

aevm is right. As long as you stay below 1920x1200 you should be fine. I was looking future too, in case you got a bigger monitor.