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Please review my build - Price/Performance Gaming System

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Please review my build - Price/Performance Gaming System

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smootwoa   09-23-2008 at 05:17:36 AM

I'm looking to build a system that will allow me to play some games, but not break the bank. From reading your suggestions on other threads, I feel pretty good about the CPU and board (which are a combo from newegg), and the GPU

But I do have the following questions:

1 - Will I be able to tell a significant difference using the DDR2 800 memory listed here vs. DDR2 1066? Is the faster stuff worth it from a price/performance standpoint?

2 - Should I drop the HDD in favor of 2 smaller ones (with smaller cache) like I've linked below running in RAID 0? I'm talking strictly price/performance here, as the increased failure chance of the RAID 0 will be offset by good backups. (Acronis TI FTW!)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136075
2x Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

3 - Is the Case/PSU combo any good? I'm just after something that's low cost, not hideous looking, and may possibly support Crossfire if I get a wild hair down the line. Oh, and will an aftermarket cooler like the Tuniq tower fit in this case?

Thank you in advance for your opinions, my build details are as follows:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146692
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996557

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136161
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814261027
PALiT XAE/48500+T352 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817182032
Rosewill RP600V2-S-SL 600W ATX12V v2.01 SLI Ready Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147037
Rosewill R5604-BK 0.8mm Japanese Cold Rolled Steel Dual 120mm Fans Screw-Less design ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Grand Total: $674.93
(This includes combo discounts on the CPU/mobo and case/PSU, and is before rebates)


Message edited by smootwoa on 09-23-2008 at 05:21:32 AM
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kitsilencer   09-23-2008 at 05:29:43 AM
- 1 +

1 DDR2 800 is easily OC'ed to 1066. That's not a big problem.
2. Hard drive failure is an overrated problem. It does exist, but it's not as prevalent as say, CPU overheating. As long as you have a good surge protector, don't bang your PC around a lot, and you PC doesn't crash regularly, you're OK.
3 Your case/PSU combo is good if you're going to stick with the 4850 in CFX. Anything spec'ed higher, and you'll need at least 750W.

Good luck on the build, and have fun.


Message edited by kitsilencer on 09-23-2008 at 05:30:55 AM
Reply to kitsilencer
Fwertz   09-23-2008 at 06:34:48 AM
- 0 +

+1

The build is fine. Some folks aren't fond Rosewill PSU's, I think you'll be alright for now, for that price too. Keep your HD and don't worry about the raid, your configuration is fine as is FWIW.

Reply to Fwertz
smootwoa   09-23-2008 at 07:04:05 AM
- 0 +

Thanks for the feedback guys. What are the more respected PSU's? I'll admit my brand awareness there is pretty thin.

Reply to smootwoa
evilshuriken   09-23-2008 at 07:24:06 AM
- 0 +

Heres a short list of PSU manufacturers with a good track record.
Antec
Enermax
Corsair
OCZ
PC P&C
SeaSonic
Silverstone
Thermaltake

Reply to evilshuriken
johnyeah   09-23-2008 at 07:30:46 AM
- 0 +

Well okay.

In terms of good case/psu combos you can check out the Antec 300 and the comboed PSU, it should be in the same price range as what you have picked right now. Just another solid option I'd recommend.

I'd pitch in an extra 25 bucks to get the WD 640GB (it offers better performance and more space), but that's not necessary if you're going for every penny.

Your other choices are pretty solid.


Message edited by johnyeah on 09-23-2008 at 07:31:48 AM
------------------------------ "If you don't plan on listening, why ask?"
 Reply to johnyeah
aznguy0028   09-23-2008 at 08:01:31 AM
- 0 +

PSU tiers

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

i would suggest you get a tier 2 or above, a solid PSU is an absolute necessity for a good stable system, specially if you're running CF

www.spoofee.com

go do yourself a favor and click that link and towards the bottom, you'll see a corsair 750TX for $85.61 after rebate

happy building :)

------------------------------ http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/590311.png
 Reply to aznguy0028
smootwoa   09-23-2008 at 03:51:26 PM
- 0 +

Wow thanks again for the help guys.

Azn, your link to the PSU tiers is great information, thanks a ton for that.

And John, great find on the Antec combo. That's only $20 more than what I had specced, moves me into a "Tier 2" PSU per Azn's list, and the case looks to be an upgrade as well. I've added that to my build, thanks.

I'm still debating myself with the hard drive situation. I'd still like to do more research and see what kind of performance benefit can be had with RAID 0. I've heard that it can move data faster due to the striping across disks, but will that really translate into better performance, or simply faster load times? I'll be looking into that while I'm at work today.

Thanks again

Reply to smootwoa
johnyeah   09-23-2008 at 07:19:17 PM
- 0 +

Regarding the HDD situation, it depends on what you want to do with your computer. If you're constantly doing heavy amounts of file transferring then yes, it's a big deal. If you're just an average gamer, like me, one HDD partitioned is actually simple and you won't face the problems that come with RAIDing.

Honestly, at this point in time, even with my machine, it loads all games pretty fast already (for average users, RAIDing is too much hassle).

------------------------------ "If you don't plan on listening, why ask?"
 Reply to johnyeah
smootwoa   09-23-2008 at 08:37:31 PM
- 0 +

I'm with you now john. It's looking like the real world benefits of a RAID 0 are pretty limited, since not many applications are doing the long sequential reads that would show a performance increase.

I'm familiar with working with RAIDs (primarily 1 and 5) from fooling with servers at work, so the added complexity doesn't phase me, but I agree with you that the performance difference will be negligible, so why bother?

Again, thanks so much for your help everyone, especially for the tips on PSU's, and for pointing me toward that Antec combo. It looks like it's time to start ordering, and then the fun really begins :)

Reply to smootwoa
johnyeah   09-24-2008 at 12:02:57 AM
- 0 +

Before I forget, you might still need a DVD-drive (or burner, same price anyways) and an OS (unless you have one already).

------------------------------ "If you don't plan on listening, why ask?"
 Reply to johnyeah
megamanx00   09-24-2008 at 12:16:14 AM
- 0 +

You won't really notice the difference between DDR2 800 and 1066 memory, the difference is small. It only matters if you plan to overclock. I don't really like Rosewill PSUs, but that one should be fine for your system. It only has 19v on each 12v Rail so I'd recommend a better one if you plan to add another 4850 if only for stability.

Message quoted 1 times
------------------------------ Playing X-Men Origins: Wolverine Athlon 64 X2 5000+ @3.24 Brisbane | GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-DS4 | 4GB Mushkin DDR2 1066 | Plextor 760A| 2x 3850 512M CF| WD 1TB Black| Fortron Blue Storm II 500W | APEVIA X-Dreamer Black | Win XP Pro & Vista Buisness 32bit
 Reply to megamanx00
johnyeah   09-24-2008 at 07:47:43 AM
- 0 +

megamanx00 wrote :

You won't really notice the difference between DDR2 800 and 1066 memory, the difference is small. It only matters if you plan to overclock. I don't really like Rosewill PSUs, but that one should be fine for your system. It only has 19v on each 12v Rail so I'd recommend a better one if you plan to add another 4850 if only for stability.



I think he switched to the Antec one earlier in the post. I believe he mentioned it.

------------------------------ "If you don't plan on listening, why ask?"
 Reply to johnyeah
gators1223   09-24-2008 at 08:45:16 AM
- 0 +

Quote :

You won't really notice the difference between DDR2 800 and 1066 memory, the difference is small. It only matters if you plan to overclock. I don't really like Rosewill PSUs, but that one should be fine for your system. It only has 19v on each 12v Rail so I'd recommend a better one if you plan to add another 4850 if only for stability.



should be a rule read the thread before posting

Reply to gators1223
Superhal   09-24-2008 at 09:00:37 AM
- 0 +

i dunno why people like newegg so much. try www.pricewatch.com, you'll save about 10% on the same stuff.

with that 10%, i would upgrade:
core 2 duo -> q6600 (about $9 diff at pricewatch)
320 gb hd -> 500 gb hd (+9)
A case with a good front fan, like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811103010
Flow through is becoming more and more important for cooling, and a lot of cases today block the front vent.

also, i see you don't have an hsf. i made a buyer's guide here:
http://forums.amd.com/forum/messag [...] erthread=y

But if you are going for the best price/performance, the Sunbeamtech core contact freezer is going for $31 (with rebate) at newegg right now.

Reply to Superhal
gators1223   09-24-2008 at 09:07:06 AM
- 0 +

they use newegg becasue it is easy and it gives you most of what you want to know at your fingertips

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to gators1223
johnyeah   09-24-2008 at 09:27:55 AM
- 0 +

gators1223 wrote :

they use newegg becasue it is easy and it gives you most of what you want to know at your fingertips



Pretty much. I don't use newegg to get all my stuff, I search around but then I've also come to realize that the convenience is sometimes worth the 10% (it's not that Newegg is expensive, it's just not as cheap sometimes, but they do have excellent customer service).

------------------------------ "If you don't plan on listening, why ask?"
 Reply to johnyeah
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