Hey i know this probably been asked a billion times but, Well im 18 years old, wanting to build a gaming rig.
I think the only way i can go about this, with my income, is if i finance all the parts from somewhere like Novatech.

Anyway, Im looking for SLI 8800 GTXs i think, but i also want to overclock a Q6600 as well, so im unsure which mobo to get that supports both of these, and up to 4GB of RAM.

I will get a raptor HD until i can afford an SSD. Im going 32 bit for now, vista ultimate, dvd writer.

Ive seen many cases with PSUs that would support SLI and any recent mobo so im not worried about that.

If you have any ideas on where i should start, please just give a quick reply

Thanks

Dan

Look into 780i. EVGA, ASUS, MSI, etc. 780i can do 3-way/dual SLI x16 and Yorkfields. Not a bad overclocker to boot. 3ghz is doable even on stock cooling.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce_780i_sli.html

Finalize the specs & post for critique.

Thanks, I think i will go with that board, i found one on dabs for £150

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=4TZQ

But im not sure whether to build a rig now, or wait because those new Intel nehalem processors come out soon, though that might just be me being a child and wanting everything as soon as I can.

Would you recommend going for Yorkfields or getting a Q6600? As far as i know, a 2.4ghz 6600 will overclock to around 3.4 GHZ which would be plenty for abit of gaming and video editing?

The Q6600 is a fine choice. Still, you will be using a platform that will be obsolete in the near future.
These new platforms will be expensive to start with though.

Instead of financing the amount, you could by one or two items at a time. The issue of course will be with DOAs and the like.
Some sights seem to be supplying more DOAs then is reasonable. Partiqularly for what are suppose to be fully test and sometimes match parts, so be careful with the return policies if you go this way.

Im very impatient though and just want to get a new computer up and running i prefer using it than building it but i would enjoy both.

I have enough money to save up and pay off a "buy now pay in 9 months" option, its just finding one place to supply all the parts. I know dabs do this and a few other places do like novatech and mesh computers.

I think i will go with the Q6600 then as i can't really afford the new platform just yet so i will wait. Any ideas on english websites where i could buy parts from?

Sorry for the life story haha thanks for your help

UPDATE --------- sorry for the double post ,,

I think i am going to have the Q6600 G0 stepping and overclock to around 3.4 ghz,

Also, the EVGA nforce 780i 132-CK-NF78-A1,

a PC2-9600 pair of crucial 1GB sticks ballistix

and a geforce 9800GT 512MB SLI,

and a Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate case with probably a 700W PSU,

Does this sound alright??

It's a misconception that a cpu must be overclocked. It doesn't have to be. A stock Kentsfield is fine for those tasks.

However, down the road software will get more demanding and the cpu may not be able to keep up. Then overclocking is an option for saving some money.

Also, a cpu can be overclocked to a more expensive one to keep the cost down. This is THE POINT of overclocking.

I'd go with Q6600 which is $200 US. Yorkfields are $100+ more expensive. They're not $100 faster. Just a bit faster.

Thanks, I wont necessarily overclock to begin with then,
And yeah i will go for the Q6600 then..

Does the rest of the system seem okay and compatible?
Unsure how much wattage i should get on a PSU though..
Thanks

The rest looks good, but I'd get an aftermarket overclock like Freezer 7 Pro or better yet Xigmatek HDT-S1283 or HDT-SD964 + mounting kit. Cuz if you decide to install a new cpu cooler after the pc is set up, it'll be a hassle to remove everything. Do it right now so when you overclock, you won't have to open up the case.

As for a 9800GT SLI PC wattage:

That's official. Actual wattage usage will be lower. You can pick up a Corsair 750W that can power 2 GTX 200's. Good makes & models:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088

Thanks, I will get a 750W corsair PSU from dabs,
And i will also get a £15 freezer 7 pro or the other one to keep it cool,
I would like to overclock as im new to it but i wont go mad with it,
And i think i will have to buy everything seperately instead of by finance,

Thanks for your help

sigh.... evga 750i FTW is all you need! who has 1k to spend on 3 graphics cards i mean seriously... do you need dual gigabit ethernet? i cant imagine why... if not then why not save some cash and get the 750i -_-

also i would recommend 2 8800GT's... if tigerdirect ships to where you live (which im assuming it can unlike newegg) then theres an XFX 8800GT for $109.99 ! cheap as and will rape a GTX280 in crysis

Couple of things:

- You might be better served by a 4870 system. You need to buy an 8800 Ultra to get on a par with them. (£170 from ebuyer). As far as I can see 8800GTX's are the same price as a 4870 and are considerably outdated technology.

- Corsair 750TX will do that system. Good choice.

- At that point you can go with an Intel P45 chipset which perform better than the nVidia ones. Try and Asus P5Q-Pro. (£85 ebuyer, save £50). P45 will allow for Xfire, but if you want to do that straight away you might want to think about an X48 chipset that has 2x PCI-e x16 lanes.

- You will only need DDR2-1066 even for a big overclock. It will be cheaper than that PC9600. Also go for 4Gb and a 64bit OS. You will see more benefit from more slower RAM and a 64bit that less faster RAM and a 32bit.

Jeremy

Edit: Extra info I've just picked up elsewhere that you will only see a 5% graphics benefit from an X48 motherboard over a P45 in crossfire. Given the extra cost it isn't worth it. Go P45.

this is what i done for a friend recently for about £700 check it out


change the things you need and dont want according to your budget.

Not sure about that spec iluvgillgill.

- Wouldn't go with the 280 - you could save £130 by going with a 4870 and no loose a whole lot. Or you could almost have 2x 4870's for that much.

- Also would go with E8400 or Q6600.

- Maybe an Artic Freezer Pro7 or Xigmatek cooler?

- If you need an OS as well you are going to need to factor in the £100 for that.

- Probably go with 4Gb of RAM also.

We obviously just have different priorities for builds.....

Might consider a higher clocked core 2 duo E8500 wolfsdale as most games are not optimized for 4 cores.

While some people think of overclocking as a free upgrade....its not it cost you the price of your CPU's warranty, but once your warranty is up may as well overclock.... and wolfsdale's are some of the best overclockers.

For gaming its best to pick the biggest single video card you can afford. Then fitting everything else into that budget. In order to tell what card to get you need to know what resolution you will be gaming at. Heres what I would recommend at LCD sizes:

30"+ 4870x2 or 280 gtx
28" - 24" 4870 or 9800gx2
22" or smaller 4850 or 9800gtx+

The 8800gt's lack the shader processors that these cards have.