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Advice on new spec

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rains   09-09-2008 at 02:45:49 PM

Hi all

 

Any advice on the following spec would be appreciated as this is my second build. I dont really know what im doing with the fan/cooler section and would appreciate more information regarding this area.

 


pc spec so far...
cpu: qx8650 (already have)

 

motherboard: Asus P5E3 PREMIUM WIFI AP

 

hard disk: Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 32MB Cache x2

 

memory: OCZ 4GB KIT (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1800Mhz PC3 14400 REAPER SERIES DUAL CHANNEL KIT (8-8-8-27) or

 

G.Skill 4GB DDR3 PI (2x2GB)PC2-12800C7 1600MHz CAS7 Timing: (7-7-7-18) Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL7D-4GBPI

 

or somthing else...

 

graphics card: unknown (need help/advice)

 

dvd drives Pioneer DVR-215DBK 20X SATA & LG GGC-H20L BluRay/HD-DVD 16x DVDRW Black SATA

 

case: lian li...still looking really for a case I like that has a good build quality

 

psu: unknown (need help/advice)

 

fan/cooler: unknown (need help/advice)

 

monitor: unknown looking for 22"

 

keyboard: still looking current one is poor

 

optical mouse: I have already

 

What should I change?

 

once again any help much appreciated.

 

rains :)


Message edited by rains on 09-09-2008 at 03:06:33 PM
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Proximon   09-09-2008 at 03:13:12 PM
- 1 +

There is no reason to waste cash on DDR3. You will not see any performance gain.

Did you want to Crossfire or SLI? If you just want to run a 22" monitor you don't need to.

Reply to Proximon
blackwidow_rsa   09-09-2008 at 03:18:28 PM
- 0 +

If i had the cash, id go to DDR3 too. Could be used in a nehalam build later on.
On your gfx card question, HD4870x2 or GTX280, or a single HD4870

Reply to blackwidow_rsa
rains   09-09-2008 at 03:32:02 PM
- 0 +

Thanks for the info Proximon,, go with ddr2 g.skill? as I wouldnt really see much of a difference....graphic card not sure what would be best to run...


Dirtmountain thanks for the link...this is my second build but really my first serious spec im building and so dont really know what would be better. anymore information on this area would be awesome.

Reply to rains
jtt283   09-09-2008 at 03:43:08 PM
- 0 +

Choose DDR2-800 RAM that will run at its advertised timings on the JEDEC standard 1.8V. Mushkin and A-Data are the brands I have used lately without issue.
PSU sizing calculator: http://www.extreme.outervision.com [...] orlite.jsp
I'd add another 25% for increased efficiency and room for future expansion.

Tiered PSU Listings
http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiere [...] ngs?t=anon
This list is old, but still a good place to start. If the model you're considering isn't listed, I'd check to be sure the company has nothing below Tier-3 on the list. I don't think I've ever read a poor technical review (i.e. one properly done, with measurements under loads) of Antec, Corsair, PC Power & Cooling, or Seasonic PSUs. OCZ, Silverstone, and Enermax should be good too.

------------------------------ There is ALWAYS a drone. Exactly where, or how many drones you will encounter may vary, but that there will be at least one will not.
 Reply to jtt283
homerdog   09-09-2008 at 03:44:45 PM
- 0 +

+1 for dropping the DDR3. I have this G.Skill kit and it is flawless. Micron D9s FTW! I guess you'll have to swap the motherboard too; there are plenty of great X48 options out there.

For the video card I'd say a single 4870 will get you by on a 22'' LCD. You can always throw another one in there later on if you feel it is necessary.

PSU: The Corsair TX750 has been my standby recommendation for quite some time now, and for good reason. Great PSU for a great price.

Reply to homerdog
rains   09-09-2008 at 04:32:35 PM
- 0 +

thanks alot guys for the information.

 

So if I was to drop the ddr3...im guessing I would need to look at a different motherboard? Any suggestions regarding what motherboard.

 

jtt283 thanks for the information and links.

 

Blackwidow _rsa looking into the HD4870 gfx card you recommended.

 

homerdog, checking out the CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX psu (I can't belive the price newegg have it for compared to uk prices $200). also think I to will buy g.skill kit.

 

Cheers
rains

 


---EDIT--- so as it stands with the motherboard and memory I have chosen I wouldnt be able to take advantage of the ddr3 memory even if I was to use xp 64bit/vista 64bit? Could some one please explain this to me.

 

How would you be able to take advantage of ddr3?

 

Have just searched and found http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/15/vista_workshop/

 

so in order to take full advantage of ddr3 I would need to use 8gb 4x2gb to benefit from ddr3?

 

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by rains on 09-09-2008 at 04:54:34 PM
Reply to rains
homerdog   09-09-2008 at 07:05:42 PM
- 0 +

rains wrote :

---EDIT--- so as it stands with the motherboard and memory I have chosen I wouldnt be able to take advantage of the ddr3 memory even if I was to use xp 64bit/vista 64bit? Could some one please explain this to me.

How would you be able to take advantage of ddr3?

Have just searched and found http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/15/vista_workshop/

so in order to take full advantage of ddr3 I would need to use 8gb 4x2gb to benefit from ddr3?


I'm not really sure what you're asking, but a 64 bit operating system is required for your system to make use of more than ~3.5GB of RAM. It matters not if it is DDR2, DDR3, or DDRwhatever. You should use Vista 64bit if you plan on having ≥4GB of RAM.

Reply to homerdog
rains   09-09-2008 at 07:36:19 PM
- 0 +

Thanks homerdog for the information....It's just that im being told that there is no point going with ddr3 as it wont perform any better than ddr2....what would be required to take full advantage and get the best out of ddr3?

cheers
rains

Reply to rains
nussrods   09-09-2008 at 08:09:13 PM
- 1 +

Rains, check this out, it may help you with your ddr2 vs ddr3 questions. DDR2 is so affordable it is dificult to justify the price vs performance gain difference at this time.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index. [...] 4&Itemid=1

The tiered PSU listings from jtt283 are the place to start for your psu.

I like the xigmatek RS-1283, works really well if you have the room.

Reply to nussrods
rains   09-09-2008 at 08:47:47 PM
- 0 +

thanks alot Nussrods thats an excellent read and has cleared up my questions regarding memory.

Reply to rains
Proximon   09-09-2008 at 11:33:31 PM
- 0 +

Real world tests do show some performance gains with high end DDR3 motherboards and certain, memory intensive synthetic benchmarks. The improvement in those cases is around 5%.

My previous statement was just a shortcut ;)

We still need to figure out what you want out of your build. You say that you want a 22" monitor. Those generally operate at a resolution of 1680x1050.

You do not really need an x48 chipset to get excellent performance at that resolution. A single video card would cover all your needs.

I'll guess you want a MB with a lot of bells and whistles:
ASUS P5Q Deluxe or P5Q -E
Although those do leave the option of a second video card open, they are recommended more for their features, stability, etc.

Video card:
4870

PSU:
There are a lot of choices here. I'm going to just say you will likely only ever use one video card, and recommend OCZ:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341017
This is a brand new PSU from them, but looks to be another quality product... and it's MODULAR and under 100 bucks to boot.

However, the Corsair 750TX already mentioned would likely last you through a few builds.... so either way. Both are high quality.





Reply to Proximon
rains   09-10-2008 at 01:14:51 AM
- 0 +

Thanks alot Proximon.

I will mainly be using it for work.

3dmax studio
photoshop
premiere
flash
video capture/compression/encoding

then gaming next.

When I first started off looking at mobo's i found this board asus p5q3 deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131298

I was already to buy when i found this thread (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=191848)

with ppl returning asus p5q3 deluxe boards back....they were saying ithat it had something to do with the p45 chip set.....msi boards were also having same problem.

But there seems to be a problems with p45's and memory especially with ocz brand of chips used....

Many thanks
rains

Reply to rains
Proximon   09-10-2008 at 03:57:06 AM
- 0 +

I run a P5Q - E and 4 Gb of OCZ Reapers with no problem. We have many happy P45 users around here... but few DDR3 users for sure. The thread you linked is talking about DDR3, and people needing to adjust skews manually to make memory work. ASUS has addressed some memory issues in recent BIOS updates, as well.

You know, given your usage I would think you might be happier holding out for i7 (Nehalem). It's not too far off now.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to Proximon
homerdog   09-10-2008 at 02:27:22 PM
- 0 +

Proximon wrote :

I run a P5Q - E and 4 Gb of OCZ Reapers with no problem. We have many happy P45 users around here... but few DDR3 users for sure. The thread you linked is talking about DDR3, and people needing to adjust skews manually to make memory work. ASUS has addressed some memory issues in recent BIOS updates, as well.

You know, given your usage I would think you might be happier holding out for i7 (Nehalem). It's not too far off now.


i7 will be great, but also in an entirely different price bracket until later in 2009. Not to mention he already has a CPU.

A 4870 + P45 or P43 and 4GB of quality DDR2 would make for a very nice bang/buck build.

Reply to homerdog
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