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Questions about a new machine

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I am building a new machine, and having some problems making up my mind on some of the hardware. I have decided on the q9950 Intel C2Q processor at 2.83ghz, but I can't decide what to do for a motherboard/ram. I have looked at some possibilities, but I can't tell which is the best. They are:

Option 1:
EVGA 780i
DDR2-800

Option 2:
EVGA 790i
DDR3-2000

I don't know enough about how to compare the memory and the processor, so any help would be grateful. I want to use one of those mobos, but I am in no way set on what brand/speed of memory to use on them.

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Intel chipsets are usually preferable to NVidia ones unless you are planning to SLI GTX 260's.

I would suggest a P45 motherboard and an ATi 4870 on the information given.

For RAM, unless you are planning very large overclocks, DDR2 800 will be fine. Go for 4Gb and Vista 64bit.

Jeremy

Reply to jpdykes

Thank you for the adivce, I'll go back and look at some Intel boards. I have a graphics card already, I'm just updating a few of the older parts.

Reply to wh1tey

What is your purpose for this build and what are the parts that you currently have that your going to use for this build??
Intel and nVidia chipsets haven't been all rosy as jpdykes has stated. Currently the X-fire mobo's have been quite a bit more stable and reliable over some of the nVidia offerings. This is not to say AMD chipsets haven't been all rosy either, but I'd consider a p45 based mobo. The 4870 is a nice GPU, depending on your requirements. the q9950 is quite expensive and I'd usually recommend something cheaper, but since I don't know what your purpose of this build is, I'll hold off on recommending any CPU's.

------------------------------ PSU Tiers
GPU Power
8800gtx w/e6600 OC'd will run on Antec 380w w/27A on 12v rail, PSU!!
Reply to lunyone

My goal for the system is simply to make it as powerful as possible. The only parts I plan on purchasing at the moment, are a Motherboard, Processor, and RAM. I have the rest covered. I want the q9950 simple for its power. I also have a graphics card, an nVidia 8600 series I believe, and don't want to upgrade it at the moment.

Reply to wh1tey

Okay powerful for what? Your going to be VERY CPU heavy with your proposed setup, not that I'm saying that is wrong, but thats what it is. So what is your proposed reasons for this build? Gaming/DVD burning/CAD????

------------------------------ PSU Tiers
GPU Power
8800gtx w/e6600 OC'd will run on Antec 380w w/27A on 12v rail, PSU!!
Reply to lunyone

Gaming is part of it, I also do a decent amount of graphics design, and some 3ds max rendering as well.

Reply to wh1tey

Well your not going to do much gaming on a 8600 GPU, but that is up to you. Personally I'd get a bit lesser CPU and just OC it to higher speeds, if you feel your not getting enough CPU power. That is just my opinion though.

------------------------------ PSU Tiers
GPU Power
8800gtx w/e6600 OC'd will run on Antec 380w w/27A on 12v rail, PSU!!
Reply to lunyone

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