Well, with the arrival of the 4850/4870, my midrange dream build from a few weeks ago has been thrown completely out the window and has been replaced by this (so far):
new components: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/ [...] ID=7874031 motherboard - DFI X48 T2R - $270
video card - VisionTek Radeon 4870 - $310 (not sold on the brand...will go with whatever is available/best deal)
CPU - Q9450 - $330
memory - Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2) DDR2 800 - $109
dvd burner - Samsung S203N - $30
parts I already own: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/ [...] ID=6947345 case - Lian Li PC-65B
PSU - PC Power & Cooling 750W
CPU cooler - Zalman CNPS9700
sound card - Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro (grabbed it for $74 when they ran the special last week)
monitor - (not on newegg anymore) Samsung 226BW (22" 1680x1050 max res)
OS - XP 32bit for now (will upgrade to XP 64bit or Vista 64bit in the near future)
HD - I'm not sure...500GB Seagate I think?
One thing I'm not sure about is the case...it's 6-7 years old and I have no idea if everything will fit in it or not. I decided to pay a little more for the X48 mobo to eventually run two 4870's in crossfire at x16. On memory, is an extra $12.50 (when you factor in rebates) worth it to go with 4-4-4-12 over 5-5-5-18?
Any thoughts/suggestions before I finalize the deal? I haven't built a system in 6-7 years, so any advice would be greatly appreciated
I'd say an extra 12.50 is worth the better timings, you will be able to clock the RAM higher if you loosen the timings. Plus its just a little bit faster.
Yeah, I'm not sure I can wait that long. I can barely run CoD4 (or any other game) now with this monitor with the graphics looking like they're 10+ yrs old.
Is the price/performance worth it to go with DDR3 over DDR2 now...or will it be in the future?
Don't waste your money on the $270 motherboard (that's not midrange).
If you want to run 2 cards, just get a motherboard with 1 16x PCIE slot (saving money) and get the 4870X2 that's coming out in end of July or maybe August.
Edit.. and DDR3 is kinda pointless. Get DDR2, it's a lot cheaper.
Message edited by GlacierFreeze on 06-29-2008 at 10:23:36 PM
Hmm, Glacier...yeah, I see what you're saying...1 PCIE x16 slot motherboard + 4870X2 should be a lot cheaper than a 2 PCIE x16 slot motherboard + 2 4870's.
My reasoning is I think CF 4870's at 1680x1050 may be a bit overkill at that resolution right now, but may not be in the future. I could pay more for the mobo and get the 4870 now, and when I do decide to get a second card, it should be a lot cheaper then. Or, I could wait 30-45 days or more (I haven't seen anything on the release date or price point for the 4870X2 yet so I don't know) to possibly save some money in the long run, but is it really worth it?
I'm just guessing here but choice:
A) $270 mobo + $309 4870 card + another 4870 card a few months down the road at maybe $225-250?
or
B) $150 mobo + $550 (I'm guessing)
so I could maybe save $100 or so if I went with option B but I may be waiting a while...also, there's the option of going with a less expensive X38/X48 motherboard with option A
what exactly is this XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail ? what does it do and is it worth it?
It's a "bolt-up bracket" that comes with the bolts/screws. It's well worth it for the fact it allows you to install it with the applied pressure that you need for it to get a tight fit, otherwise that heatsink barely stays on there and it's so loose it doesn't do it's job like it should. That bracket should come standard with all Xigmatek coolers...it's a crap deal that they don't.
this is the other X48 board I was considering...I had heard the DFI would be better at overclocking the CPU, but if the difference is negligible and everything fits, I may go with this one instead...at $45 less, it makes the 2 PCI x16 slot mobo a little more justifiable
as for the rest of the links, I'm pretty much stuck with what I've got unless there's a strong reason to believe I should return what I have or buy new parts
kipton1@hotmail.com 
