New system build. Want to buy ASAP.

[rflction]

I'm trying to build a general gaming machine that will well for most games out or coming out soon (i.e. crysis, SC2, Diablo 3). What do you guys think of the GPU? 4850x2, 4870, 4870x2 (expand in future), or NVIDIA card? i'm planning on using a 22in monitor for this system.

Case Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
[$109.99]

PSU PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
[$159.99]

CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W
[$324.99]

GPU POWERCOLOR AX4870 1GBD5-PPH Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
[$299.99]

HDD Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
[$94.99]

RAM G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
[$59.99]

Motherboard: Any suggestions??

OS: vista 32bit or 64bit?

thanks for the feedback!

 

[crystal_tech]

looks good but i'd go with a 7200.11 model for the hard drive and if you want to use all that ram i'd go with a 64 bit os but make sure that you can get drivers for it. as for a mb i would say get one with a x45 intel chipset.

 

[dirtmountain]

Western Digital 640GB or the Seagate 7200.11 for HD, Vista 64bit OS
X38 or X48 for potential crossfired HD4870s
Asus Rampage at $289
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284
DFI Lanparty X48 $214
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136047
Gigabyte DS4 $225
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336

 

[shortstuff_mt]

+1 for 64-bit Vista, WD 6400AAKS, and X38/X48 chipset.

buy.com is having an amazing sale on the Corsair 750TX. $84 shipped after MIR.

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-tx-750w-atx-12v-power-supply-corsair-tx-cmpsu-750tx-atx12v/q/loc/101/206178325.html $103.74 -$20.00 MIR

Here's the link for the WD drive. It's the best HD your money can buy. Take the money saved by these suggestions and buy two if you want.

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 $79.99

 

[rflction]

thanks for the replies. what is the main difference between x38 and x48? and how come asus rampage costs so much more than the gigabyte? the DFI and gigabyte have a ddr2 800 memory standard (does that mean i won't be able to upgrade to ddr3 in the future?)

also, what do you guys think of 8 gigs of ddr2 800 ram on vista 64bit for gaming purposes?

 

[rflction]

oh yeh and what would you guys suggest for cooling (cpu & gpu) options in terms of the my case size?

 

[lunyone]

Xigmatek s1283 CPU HSF if the best for the buck right now performance wise for your application. Don't forget the retention bracket, it makes the application easier and also more solid than the push pin type that Intel uses.
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail
Frosty Tech's review of the Xigmatek s1283!!!

As far as the DDR3 is concerned, don't worry about it. It really doesn't give you much, if any performance over DDR2. I'd stick with DDR2 800mHz RAM, unless your going to go extreme with the OC'ing. 99% of OC's will work just fine with DDR2 800mHz RAM. 8gb's of DDR2 seems a bit steep, but if you want to spend for it, go ahead. 4gb's is pretty these days with Vista, so you can decide on that one.

Case
Here is your case for $10 cheaper shipped!!

Consider the Cooler Master 690 case over the Antec 900. It allows you to mount your PSU upright or upside down, depending on your preferences, and is $30 cheaper at $78 shipped!!!!
Cooler Master 690 without Power Supply - RC-690-KKN1-GP
Newegg's link to the Cooler Master 690 case. You'll find more details at newegg than at Buy.com[url]

 

[rflction]

i've heard the xigmatek is quite long. will it fit in both cases?

 

[rflction]

nvm. will fit in antec 900 (saw in newegg review). you guys recommend replacing stock gpu fan? and how does the 4870 look? maybe 4850 (1gig) CF is a better option?

thanks again!

 

[Vektor5]

I like just about everything you've got listed, but of course I would, as it's very close to what I built. I decided at the last moment to go Dual vs Quad. I'm using the Xigmatech 1284 Achilles cooler which seems to work very well. I was leary of 64bit and of Vista and find I love both which surprised the hell out of me. To do over again I would have chosen a different Mobo, not sure which, perhaps an X48.
Having migrated back to Asus after crossing over to DFI for my last build, I craved stability and compatibility(problems my DFI Lanparty SLI-DR had). I've been underwhelmed to put it mildly with Asus and their support. I'm beginning to have sensor issues, but it's too late to switch models under warranty so... I highly recommend the E8600, it's a fine chip which runs 4ghz 24/7 @ low volts with ease. Good luck and have fun.

 

[rflction]

is the ASUS Rampage overkill for my 4870 (even if i CF in the future)? I plan on using 4gigs of ddr2 800 ram. since im pretty newbie, im not sure if i will OC in the future (perhaps if i read up on it).

would a cheaper x48/x38 motherboard with PCIe 2.0 x16 motherboard be better?

 

[Vektor5]

I guess that depends on your finances, but you may very well be right. I went whole hog on my last mobo buying the DFI NF4 SLI-DR and never went SLI and found my processor wasn't very good for overclocking. Maybe go with a P45 based board. Like the MSI P45 Platinum, according to Toms hardware it's a good board at a good price. I've heard good things about the the Biostar Tpower45.