new system build, checkup by some pro's

[megamold]

so i have been keeping busy with building a new system from scratch, but i would be stupid not to have it checked by someone who actually knows what he's talking about

i'm still having some doubts about some parts so i'll post the options i have in mind, but if you got a better option for me, i'm all ears
keep in mind this is a gaming & multimedia rig

case : antec threehundred = 56€
or
antec ninehundred = 107€

psu : Enermax PRO-82+ 525W = 97€

mobo : Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3 S775 P35+ICH9 S775 FSB 1333MHz PCIe ATX = 73€

cpu : Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 = 246€
( would it be wise to switch to a quadcore or should i stick with a highend dual core? for ex. )
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 = 175€

ram : 2x2048MB OCZ DDR2 800MHz CL5 = 88€

hdd : 500GB Seagate ST3500620AS Barracuda 7200rpm 16MB SATA = 55€

gfx : 512MB Club 3D Radeon HD4870 GDDR5 256bit DVI HDMI PCIe = 238€
or
512MB Club3D Radeon HD4850 GDDR3 2xDVI TVOut PCIe = 153€

i'm planning on eventually running this system on a dual boot of win xp pro sp3 x64 and windows vista corp x64

thanks in advance for the help

 

[jpbg]

as far as the case goes i say the 300 i have one and its amazing i think it also looks way better than the 900 and if you spend some time the wiring is amazing i don't have one cable over my motherboard.
if you are also doing multimedia go for the 9450 its beast. as far as graphics if you aren't planning on going crossfire and getting a p45,x38, or x48 i say go for the 4870

*edit* are you planning on over clocking?

what resolution do you play at?

 

[megamold]

well i aint planning on going crossfire or overclocking or anything like that
and i'm going for a 22" widescreen.
i dont really know what res i'm gonna use, since i use a 17" laptop atm and my previous pc also had a 17" widescreen
so it will basicly be my first good pc

i built a pc before, like 5 or 6 years ago so i'm kinda out of touch with the new tech

 

[aevm]

I agree with jpbg.

Give us a URL where you are shopping. Maybe I can find you a better PSU and motherboard and HDD for that money.

 

[megamold]

well ok, i hope you understand german

http://www.mindfactory.de/

this online store has by far the best prices i have found and makes my system a good 200€cheaper then if i would buy it from a belgian retailer

but keep in mind that i do want a pc that will upgrade well, so i wont have to buy a new psu in a year or anything like that

i'm also planning on upgrading to the new intel socket eventually ( a while after it gets released ) thats why i was thinking about a good dual core instead of a quad core

 

[megamold]

btw : i noticed that my powersupply only has 1 pcie power connector, but if im not mistaken, the 4870 needs 2 of these, should i get a different psu or am i wrong in thinking this?

 

[WR2]

The ENERMAX PRO82+ has 3 PCI-e power connectors (and plenty of +12V power). 1 is 6pin and 2 are 6+2pin (8) types. No problems with the 4870.

 

[megamold]

well i was looking on this site
and it says 1 pcie connector
http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/product.php?productid=5545&cat=0&page=1

and i have decided to go for the dual core E8500
and an antec P182 for the case with the 4870 gfx card
that should give me a descent amount of power

 

[WR2]

It shows 1 6pin and 2 6+2 pin (the red connectors top right)

 

[WR2]

That site also said:
"DX10 ready! For PCI Express 2.0 next generation graphics cards with 6+2P (8P) PCI-E connectors "

 

[megamold]

ok then, tnx

just trying to make my way through the information jungle of pc building
the only worry i have now is that the psu is at the bottom of the case, so the mobo connector might be to far away or something like that

 

[WR2]

Cable lengths for the PRO82+ 525 look good for bottom mounted PSUs in big cases.
http://www.enermaxusa.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_56&products_id=147&osCsid=7167ef93ad39628cc4dc430965c42855

PSU review: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/551/1

 

[megamold]

sweet, tnx for the help
now i just add a can of compressed air to my order list and as soon as my paycheck comes in i can order my new rig

going for the antec p182 and the dualcore instead of quad makes it about a 100€ cheaper to! and i'll have plenty of choice for future upgrades

 

[aevm]

Check out this GA-EP43-DS3 motherboard.
http://www.mindfactory.de/search_result.php?Query=GA-EP43-DS3&searchbutton.x=0&searchbutton.y=0

You pay 6 euros more than for the GA-EP35-DS3 but get a PCI-E 2 slot instead of PCI-E 1. OK, I don't know for sure if this actually matters to the HD 4870, but it's better for upgradability.

 

[megamold]

well according to what i'm reading the 4870 is PCI-E 2.0 so i geuss it would be better to go for that mobo

it's just a 6€ difference so thats not a problem

 

[aevm]

Cool.

I've got a silly question, if you don't mind. If you live in Belgium, and order something online from Germany, do you pay the German 19 % UST, or the equivalent Belgian tax (hopefully smaller, I don't know), or neither?

Just curious. I order most of my CDs from www.amazon.de and they give me back the 19% at checkout time because I'm in Canada and not in Germany. If you're really lucky Mindfactory might do the same for you, unless there are different rules for European Union countries.

 

[megamold]

nope i get the 19%, not the insanely high one in belgium, thats why i chose that shop ( its been a real b*tch since my german is not so good )
the only bad thing is that i have to pay a lot more transport costs.
its free inside germany, and belgium is 60€.
but thats still quite good cause i save way more then that by shopping there
and it gets delivered by DHL wich is alot better then some noname company

 

[aevm]

Oops, it's even more in Belgium then. Sorry to hear that

 

[megamold]

no matter, i live like a 30 minute drive from the border

oh 2 more Q , if i want to dual boot ( xp & vista ) would it be better to get 2 harddrives?
and , is it possible with the 4870 to use my tv ( hdmi , component ) as a second screen?