Need Help - Deciding Between....

[deathwishh]

Okay, heres what I'm doing.. I'm upgrading my current PC and I'm buying new components..

Here are the components im CONSIDERING getting.

1) EVGA 132-YW-E178-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX

2) Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz

I have a GeForce 8800 GTS and I eventually want to add another in for SLI, so I'd be getting a Nvidia chipset on the mobo.. I know that reduces the amount I can overclock the G6600.. I still plan to overclock the G6600 to 3.4GHZ or 3.6GHZ..

My question here is... Do you have any recommendations on switching either of those to a different component or do you think those are fairly good choices?

My second question is... my RAM.. I want to get 2x2GB..
I'm debating on whether or not I should go DDR2 800 or DDR2 1066

These were the two I was debating between:
1) G.SKILL 4GB DDR 2 1066

2) Crucial Ballistix 4GB DDR2 800

I couldn't find any 2x2gb 1066 Crucial which is why I looked at those.. but I did find 2x1gb 1066 crucial, which I WOULD consider going 4x1GB Crucial 1066 if it would make much difference but I would prefer having the 2x2gb if I ever decide to add more RAM.

ANY recommendations are appreciated.. Just want the best possible setup.. I'm a gamer and I want a SICK PC for Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 =P

THANKS!!

 

[geofelt]

What are the parts that you are starting with?

For the best possible setup, sell your 8800GTS assuming it is not the G92-512 version.
Get the best single vga card you can afford. a GTX280 or 4870X2. The vga component is much more important than the cpu. Just my opinion, but I don't much like the SLI option if you can avoid it. Games do not all scale well.

A duo at 3.0 like the E8400 will be able to drive the best card well. only if your game is multicore optimized like FSX or supreme commander would a quad be better. In that case, be prepared ot OC to 3.0

Core 2 cpu's are not very sensitive to ram speeds.
If you look at real application and game benchmarks(vs. synthetic tests),
you will see negligible difference in performance between the slowest and fastest ram.
Perhaps 1-2%. Not worth it to me.
Don't pay extra for faster ram or better timings unless you are a maximum overclocker.
4gb in a 2x2gb configuration is best.

 

[deathwishh]

I have a AMD ATHLON 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+ right now.. would the Duo 3.0 be much of an upgrade? I see your point with the single GFX card and I will probably go that route... So should I change my MOBO to a non GeForce chipset and go Intel? (considering the Duo E840 is a big upgrade)..

The problem is my current PC is getting pretty major Frame Lags in Warhammer Age of Reckoning.. and it's because of my Memory (I think)

My current Memory: OCZ EL Platinum Revision 2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)

But I can't find good memory to replace it, and that ram is no longer made.

So I'm in a predicament and I want to have a computer that can pretty much handle every game...

What do you think the best bet would be?

 

[ahslan]

I would say go for the ddr2 800 ram...this ram is really solid :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

 

[geofelt]

I have a AMD ATHLON 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+ right now.. would the Duo 3.0 be much of an upgrade? I see your point with the single GFX card and I will probably go that route... So should I change my MOBO to a non GeForce chipset and go Intel? (considering the Duo E840 is a big upgrade)..

The problem is my current PC is getting pretty major Frame Lags in Warhammer Age of Reckoning.. and it's because of my Memory (I think)

My current Memory: OCZ EL Platinum Revision 2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)

But I can't find good memory to replace it, and that ram is no longer made.

So I'm in a predicament and I want to have a computer that can pretty much handle every game...

What do you think the best bet would be?

1gb is just not enough. 2gb should be a minimum, and 4gb is best.
Read this:
http://www.corsairmemory.com/_appnotes/AN804_Gaming_Performance_Analysis.pdf
If you don't fix the ram situation, nothing will help much.
You might find some compatible ddr ram on e-bay.

If you go the new motherboard and ram route, a basic motherboard like the Gigabyte EP45-DS3L is $90.
4gb of Corsair DDR2-800 is $43 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145194
An E8400 is $165:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
That will run any single card well.

 

[deathwishh]

Should I get a better motherboard than that? If that one would be perfect then sure. Just seems a little on the cheap end?

Do you think going with the new Mobo and RAM route would be a better combo?

 

[geofelt]

Should I get a better motherboard than that? If that one would be perfect then sure. Just seems a little on the cheap end?

Do you think going with the new Mobo and RAM route would be a better combo?

There is NO noticeable difference in performance among motherboards using the same cpu. The extra you pay for gets you some features which may or may not be of interest, perhaps some overclocking capability, or some good looking cooling.

The DS3l, for instance has only one pci-e slot which is fine, unless you want crossfire.
It has no Raid, which I find generally a bad idea.
Go to the Gigabyte web site to get a side by side comparisons of features.
Do you need firewire? 8 usb back panel ports, etc.

 

[deathwishh]

I would be running a Raid 0 config.. I have 2 10,000 RPM 74gb Raptors I would Raid.. It doesnt look like the EP45-DS3L supports that?

Also, I would plan to overclock the E8400 to 4.0 GHZ..

What would be a good alternative for a motherboard?

How about this one?
ASUS P5Q Pro

OR

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P

THANKS!!

 

[geofelt]

There is generally no real world(vs. synthetic transfer rate benchmarks) performance advantage to raid of any kind.
Go to www.storagereview.com at this link: http://faq.storagereview.com/tiki-index.php?page=SingleDriveVsRaid0
There are some specific applications that will benefit, but
gaming is not one of them. Even if you have an application which reads one input file sequentially, and writes
it out, you will perform about as well by putting the input on one drive, and the output on the other.

There is little value on an overclock past 3.0, unless your vga configuration is two GTX280's or better. Even then, getting a frame rate past 60 is not very useful for good gameplay, unless you are into bragging about your system.

Either of the two motherboards would be good.

 

[deathwishh]

So what would be the difference If I got the E8400 and left it stock at 3.0Ghz compared to getting the G6600 and Overclocking it to 3.4 Ghz... Would I get better performance gaming with the G6600 or would the E8400 still excel in most situations as well? Thats what I'm confused about, pretty sure the config I'm going to go with though.