First time gaming build

[Truehawk]

After getting some great advice on these forums I have decided on these parts for my new gaming build. I have a few questions regarding them and if anyone could help that would be great.

First off, are they all compatible and will they all fit? Is it hard for a first time builder like myself to crossfire two graphics cards? Will this system run too hot, and should I look into getting a heatsink or other cooling system? Will I need any extra cords or connectors to build this or will what comes with it be enough?

ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail
Item #: N82E16827135156

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129025

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136218

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148288

ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI Express Interface Sound Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16829132006

CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817139007

Creative Inspire T6100 76 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
Item #: N82E16836116025

2 x G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231145

GIGABYTE GA-X48-DQ6 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128331

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM

Video cards - 2 4870x2 crossfired

I was working with a budget of around 3000 dollars, so anything you can suggest that may make this better I would greatly appreciate. Thanks in advance.

 

[Shadow703793]

1. Motherboard(X48-DQ6), HDD (7200.11), case,DVD RW looks good. PSU is good but it may be an overkill(?)

2. Are you serious on doing a 2*4870X2s????? What LCD do you play on??? Also do you really need that sound card?

3. Get DDR2 800 RAM.

4. Seriously $3000 for a first build is quite risky. Tone it down to a $1000 or so build. You can game just as well on a $1k build as on the $3k build.

5. For CPU I recommend E8400/Q6600/Q9450 depending on if you do video/photo editing,etc.

 

[rockyjohn]

Before spending $3,000 on a build now, did you consider that when Nehalem comes out later this year it will require a new socket so you will not be able to upgrade to any future CPU's?

However. for a $3,000 system I would consider either SSD HD's or the new Velociraptor if size and heat are not an issue.

Do you plan to overclock? If so, yes you should buy a new heatsink. In your price range - many use water cooling which is even better. I am hesitant to recommend it on a first build - you might want to consider it a later mod.

 

[Truehawk]

In terms of the video cards, ideally I want to get the best possible card(s) for gaming, and after doing some research it seems like crossfiring the two 4870x2s would be the best choice. Is this not the case?

About the RAM, what is the difference between the 1000 and the 800 DDR2?

I had the Q9450 on my list, however I see I didn't put it here.

Sound card wise I could probably lose it to be honest.

I hadn't planned on overclocking, however I might.

I may just wait for Nehalem to come out, since I don't absolutely need a new computer right now. Would this be a wise decision?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Zenthar]

In terms of the video cards, ideally I want to get the best possible card(s) for gaming, and after doing some research it seems like crossfiring the two 4870x2s would be the best choice. Is this not the case?

Something is only as good as its capacity to fulfill a need. Depending on what games you are playing and at what resolution it might just be too much; above 60 FPS, eyes won't see the difference, only the ego will .

 

[Truehawk]

I guess the question I am asking is whether it would be worth it to crossfire two 4870x2s? Or should I simply buy one and it would work fine for the time being.

Also, I am open to suggestions on a cheaper build which would equate to the same gaming performance. This is by no means final, it was more of a starting place for the final build.

 

[Zenthar]

Unless you have a really high resolution monitor, it probably won't worth it. But you never told us the resolution you are planning to use.

 

[Shadow703793]

^Exactly! I asked this earlier too.

@OP: What LCD are you using??

 

[Truehawk]

Sorry forgot to add that. Currently running this monitor : http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/commercial_lcd%20monitors_wide%20screen_L226WTX-BF.jhtml

Thanks for all the help, really appreciate it.

 

[ExistNY]

I just finished my first build, and my thinking with the CPU was to get the Q9450 at the $330 price point, and then in a year, year and a half, I can spend a couple hundred bucks and upgrade to the QX9770. I believe that's currently the most powerful CPU to fit in the same socket.

By the way, the Q9550 is now only $10 more than the Q9450 at Newegg, so you should probably opt for that one. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041&Tpk=q9550

 

[Zenthar]

At a resolution of 1680x1050, a single 4870x2 will be able to tackle most games without flinching except, perhaps, Crysis. Then again, is it worth an extra 500$ to get an extra 5-10FPS (for other games, you probably won't notice the difference since a single card already pushed more than 60 FPS.

 

[Zenthar]

I just finished my first build, and my thinking with the CPU was to get the Q9450 at the $330 price point, and then in a year, year and a half, I can spend a couple hundred bucks and upgrade to the QX9770. I believe that's currently the most powerful CPU to fit in the same socket.

By the way, the Q9550 is now only $10 more than the Q9450 at Newegg, so you should probably opt for that one. I]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041&Tpk=q9550

I don't know if they will ever drop prices on extreme line or if they will release a non-extreme version. There is a Q9650 planned sometime this year, but no news regarding the QX9770.

Moreover in a year, year and a half, Nehalem will be out. If you want an "intermediary" upgrade, better start with a Q6600, then upgrade to a Q9650 then Nehalem. You could also do as I did, start with a Dual Core and plan on upgrading to a Quad before switching to Nehalem. Since I mostly do gaming on my machine and very few games take full advantage of quad cores, it seemed the smartest decision at the time.

 

[Truehawk]

Thanks for all the help. I think I will probably opt for a single 4870x2 at the moment, and if necessary I can add another in the future.

Do you think it would be worth it to wait for nehalem? I figured I could make a build now that will last me a few years and I figured nehalem would be quite pricey when it came out. If I can make a computer now that will last me for 5 ish years then I would be happy, however if nehalem is going to be the way to go and required in about 2 years then I may decide to wait.

I also have decided that I probably will overclock, so could anyone recommend a good heatsink to buy? Thanks.

 

[Shadow703793]

If you want/can to wait till mid next year for Nehalem go for it. Nehalem won't be affordable easily till then.

 

[Truehawk]

Not sure if I want to wait that long to upgrade my computer. Will I really be limiting myself that much if I only want a computer to last for around 4 or 5 years if I don't wait for nehalem?

 

[Shadow703793]

No.

 

[dcm1602]

Couple things.

The Q9650 is allready on newegg for 560.

In all honesty getting the Q9550 is probably your best bet as far as processors go. (its just a much better offer especically if you dont plan on doing hard core overclocking)

I would think getting a single 4870x2 and then eventually upgrading to a second in the future (when the price drops) is the smart way to go.

Also if your monitor doesnt have a native resolution of 1920x 1200 I think you would be MUCH better off spending a little less on the comp and getting a new monitor.

24 inch tn panel monitor with a low ms @ 1920x1200 is gonna make you drool

 

[Truehawk]

Thanks for the advice, will probably go with a Q9550 and just not overclock. Any recommendations on a monitor? Haven't had much experience with them to be honest.

 

[dcm1602]

For a monitor your best bet is buying it from an actual store (not ordering it online).

Alot of people complain about ordering monitors from newegg (or any other online website) because they end up with dead pixels and having to return things over the internet ends up being a major hassel (not to mention you cant look at it online)

But personally I would make sure it has a natvie resolution of 1920x 1200 (which pretty much means 24 inch monitors and up) and then for gaming you are going to want a lower response time (Ideally 5-6 ms if not lower).

Also TN panels tend to look nicer and have better viewing angles (although they are also more expensive and have higher response times)

To tell if a monitor is TN it will usually have a higher viewing angle (the overwhelming majority of them are 178/178) if the viewing angle is around 160 (which is most normal ones) then its almost certainly not TN.

But overall just go to whatever store is near you and just look at them and see what you like.

 

[Truehawk]

Good deal, thanks for the heads up.

When putting this together am I going to need anything else that I don't have listed? A network card or some extra cables or anything I am missing? This is my first build and not sure if I have everything that is needed. Thanks.

 

[dcm1602]

Thermal compound ?

Also check the things you ordered because generally speaking anything that says OEM doesnt come with all the wires and what not it needs. (read the product description)

And im also interested what anyone else says you need since im putting together almost the exact same build as you.

(im going with the Antec 1200 case, and the 860watt PC power & cooling psu. Its got a longer warranty, a better reputation, and its product life is estimated at twice that of the corsair which is the power supply I actually almost bought. And im just gonna dish out a little extra to get the Rampage Formula motherboard since most people think its prob one of the best x48)


So yeah anyone know what else is needed please let him and I both know ;p

 

[Zenthar]

Good deal, thanks for the heads up.

When putting this together am I going to need anything else that I don't have listed? A network card or some extra cables or anything I am missing? This is my first build and not sure if I have everything that is needed. Thanks.

Most MB come with 1 or 2 integrated Gigabit NICs (but no network cables), SATA cables, IDE cables, FLOPPY cable. So beside a thermal paste for that new cooler, you shouldn't need much.

 

[ExistNY]

I don't know if they will ever drop prices on extreme line or if they will release a non-extreme version. There is a Q9650 planned sometime this year, but no news regarding the QX9770.

Moreover in a year, year and a half, Nehalem will be out. If you want an "intermediary" upgrade, better start with a Q6600, then upgrade to a Q9650 then Nehalem. You could also do as I did, start with a Dual Core and plan on upgrading to a Quad before switching to Nehalem. Since I mostly do gaming on my machine and very few games take full advantage of quad cores, it seemed the smartest decision at the time.

Well, I bought the Q9450 from Newegg around July 25, and built my PC last Monday ... missed the Q9550 at the same price-point by just 10 days or so. But so it goes; no sense in crying over what's done. I think the QX9___ are bound to drop in price as they slowly become rendered obsolete by Nehalem. I won't be going to Nehalem at least until 2011.

 

[Truehawk]

Most MB come with 1 or 2 integrated Gigabit NICs (but no network cables), SATA cables, IDE cables, FLOPPY cable. So beside a thermal paste for that new cooler, you shouldn't need much.

In terms of thermal paste, is it fine to not use any extra thermal paste if you don't plan on putting in a heatsink? Or should I still invest in it? I guess I really don't know what the thermal paste is exactly used for and where to use it.

I didn't think I would have to put in a new cooler unless I planned to overclock, which I wasn't sure about either way since I have never done it before.

Thanks for all the help, really has helped me a lot.

 

[Zenthar]

If you don't OC, you can manage with stock cooler (otherwise Intel wouldn't give a 3 year warranty with a cooler that would fry a CPU). If you want you cold always OC later to prolong the useful life of the CPU, that's what I did with my old Athlon XP.