Nwe system build, reviews/thoughts?

[Megapants]

Im about to start purchasing all these parts starting next week.

Case: Cooler Master HAF 932
Motherboard: XFX 790i Ultra
PSU: Corsair 1000HX
RAM: Corsair DDR3 4GB (1333MHz) (Will OC as needed to match the CPU, it comes with a fan kit.)
CPU: Intel Q9550 2.83GHz (This will be one water, hoping to get about an OC of 3.4-3.6)
HDD: 300GB Velociraptor
HDD2: 500GB WD (Storage)
GPU: x2 XFX GTX 260's (SLi)

Of course I'll pickup some optical drive, they are all pretty much the same. And I'll be running on Vista 64bit with a 22 inch Samsung LCD.

Whatcha think?

 

[emp]

You need to know the following...

1.) Nvidia chipsets are well known not only to be piss poor overclockers, but also ridden with stability and heat issues. On the flip side, the X38 and X48 boards are stable and excellent overclockers.

2.) an HD 4870 X2 would be faster and leave you a better upgrade path, however if you're only going for a 22" screen, then you could get dual HD 4850s and still obtain excellent performance.

3.) Velociraptors look good on paper, but the real-world advantages to it are minimal, if you want the extra speed, then set RAID 0 on two cheaper 500GB drives.

4.) DDR3 is pretty much a marketing gimmick for current LGA775 CPUs for all but the most extreme, record-breaking overclockers using Liquid nitrogen. I would suggest you get DDR2 1066 if you're serious about overclocking, you'll reach the CPU's overclocking limit before you even get close to reaching the memory limit.

I'd get the following items:

Motherboard: DFI Lan Party DK X38-T2R
RAM: 4GB (2 x 2GB) OCZ Reaper HPC DDR2 1066
GPU: 2 HD 4850s or an HD 4870 X2.

 

[Megapants]

1.) Nvidia chipsets are well known not only to be piss poor overclockers, but also ridden with stability and heat issues. On the flip side, the X38 and X48 boards are stable and excellent overclockers.

All boards are going to have heat problems. But I didn't hear anything about it being a poor overlock and or having stability issues. I'll have to do some reasearch.

2.) an HD 4870 X2 would be faster and leave you a better upgrade path, however if you're only going for a 22" screen, then you could get dual HD 4850s and still obtain excellent performance.

Ive had quite a few ATI cards in the past and have had some problems, kinda left a bad taste in my mouth. Gonna give NVIDIA a try.

3.) Velociraptors look good on paper, but the real-world advantages to it are minimal, if you want the extra speed, then set RAID 0 on two cheaper 500GB drives.

Sorry, I dont agree with you at all there man. Having an OS/games installed on a 10k HDD will always perform better than a 7200. And striping isnt always a good thing to do. If one drive fails, you lose the data on both drives. Mirroring is a better choice.

4.) DDR3 is pretty much a marketing gimmick for current LGA775 CPUs for all but the most extreme, record-breaking overclockers using Liquid nitrogen. I would suggest you get DDR2 1066 if you're serious about overclocking, you'll reach the CPU's overclocking limit before you even get close to reaching the memory limit.

I had read alot of the nominal upgrade you get out of DDR3. You really only see a difference when you get 1600HMz speed. But since i havent read anything on the X38 and X48 boards you mentioned. I'm still sticking with the 790i. So DDR3 it is.

I'm not really looking to have any really high overclocking, I just wanna get it to 3.4-3.6 so my CPU isnt bottlenecking the system as a whole.

I gonna go read a few atricles about x38 and x48 boards, I really appreciate your insight, thanks.

 

[emp]

Alright no problem, consider yourself warned though. Happy building.

 

[evongugg]

You could overclock better with DDR3-1600.
DDR3-1333 is the minimum.

 

[evongugg]

That's a nice case. You may want to consider this one:

COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119138

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Why come asking for suggestions then shoot them all down?

I agree with emp. X38/X48 with 4850/4870/4870x2 would be a far better option than what you originally posted. DDR3 is a waste of money at the moment. Performance gains are marginal at best. It sounds like you've got your mind set already, so good luck!

Previous generations of ATI cards have nothing to do with the current 48xx cards. The GTX260 is really kind of a joke.

 

[Megapants]

I didn't shoot anything down, really...

I thanked him for his thoughts and said I would do some research... The only one I "shot down" was the RAID 0 one, and the reasons were stated. I also said that the increase from DDR2 to DDR3 was nominal, which you also said. I dont have my mind set, or else I wouldnt be here asking you guys.

Why is the GTX 260 a joke? And does anyone have any decent reviews on the X38/X48 boards? I would like to weight it against the nvidia chipsets.

And on the Cosmos case. I really do like that case. The reason i chose the HAF was for two reasons. the 230mm fans. Bigger = more air movement. And since they are big, they dont have to spin as fast to move the air which means less noise. And the HAF has alot of venting/grating on the bottom of the case, pretty decent for the PSU to breathe.

 

[fergie]

Looks a nice system. I haven't had any problems with my 790i and it overclocked very well to 4.2 ghz with a qx9650 so to say they don't overclock well is rubbish.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Quotes like this "Ive had quite a few ATI cards in the past and have had some problems, kinda left a bad taste in my mouth. Gonna give NVIDIA a try." and this "I'm still sticking with the 790i. So DDR3 it is." just seem like you've already decided on Nvidia and 790i/DDR3.

I guess calling the GTX260 a joke might be a little strong, but for your money a 4870 offers more bang for the buck IMO.

I don't have any brand loyalties. I just buy what is the best value at the time. At the moment that seems to be an Intel chipset with an ATI 48xx GPU.

 

[uguv]

Looks a nice system. I haven't had any problems with my 790i and it overclocked very well to 4.2 ghz with a qx9650 so to say they don't overclock well is rubbish.

I think the 790i gets a bad rap because of all the problems with the 680i and 780i, especially the data corruptions and the scorching NB temps. The 790i supposedly is a lot more stable but I think a lot of people shy away just because the past nvidia chipsets have been so bad. I don't put much value in newegg customer reviews but it is worrysome that 17 of the 70 reviews for this board are "very poor".

The X38 and X48 are generally known to be solid chipsets and the 4870 (1GB) generally beats out the GTX260 in most games. I'd get an X48, DDR2, and a 4870 (1GB) if I were building a gaming machine for myself right now.

 

[rammar16]

overall you've got a great build i would like to comment a few things

DDR3 isn't much faster for the money although that is really just a matter of budget which you did leave out...

as for what emp was saying the X38s and X48s have proven to be faster in more benchmarks. however, if your looking to go nvidia (which is understandeble i had 3 nvidia cards and wanted to try ATI so i understand) then that is a mute point...

here is a review of the rampage...

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/793/1/

if you are looking for data safety you are right raid 0 is not the way to go

as for OC you don't seem to want to push your anywhere near what most can do so you will be fine any motherboard that cost 300 dollars is going to be able to get that overclock

as for the 3 fan thing included with the corsair i wouldn't rely on it.... i have corsair 2x2gb DDR2 1066mhz memory that came with the fan thing it doesn't really stay on very well if the case is vertical.

hope this helps

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I'd get an X48, DDR2, and a 4870 (1GB) if I were building a gaming machine for myself right now.

+1

 

[Megapants]

Oh sorry about that guys, I did't tell a budget. I'm looking to spend about 2500-3000. Rammar, thanks for the link. Gonna check it out. Good to see that you understand what I meant in my latter post, wasnt shooting anything down.

So the fan that comes with the RAM is kinda lousy? sucks...

 

[the_one111]

So far you look like you know what your doing mega...

While the GTX 260 in SLI is far from garbage, it does perform a LITTLE bit worse than the 4870x2... I myself would have liked to have gotten a 4870 instead of the 8800gt i got but the 4870's heating issues detered me...

Really its your call, either card(s) would be an excellant choice, I personally like the GTX260's because they are dual slot cooling and dont get up to 80C as easilly...

Good luck! oh and nice CPU choice quad ftw.