$1500 Gaming build

nuke3ae · Oct 23, 2008

Hey hows it going,

I was on this forum a couple months ago when I was building a rig for my dad for his b-day. All of the comments I got on my post really helped and the build came out awesome. Now it is time to build my first gaming build for myself and I wanted to get everyone's expert opinion.

I am pretty solid on most of the parts except for the motherboard really. I am having a hard time deciding on that.

My concern is for compatibility, will everything fit in the case, will there be too much heat, etc?

Also I am planning on getting a second 4870 card and a second monitor for xmas so full crossfire support is important and a power supply that can support the power draw.

Here it goes:

Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025
will two 4870's fit in here ok?

Motherboard Ummm I have no idea which is best for me so here are 4
Asus P5E Deluxe http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131317
Asus Rampage Formula http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131284
Gigabyte DS4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336
Gigabyte DS5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128332

all are x48, I really dont want to spend 300 on a motherboard but if that is the best choice then i will

Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
this power supply only has one 12 volt rail, if i want to crossfire do i need two?

Graphics Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102795
Im going to start with one and then add on the second

Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
Can I still do air cooling if I do a mild oc and would the q6600 be better?

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074

Monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236028
I am going to buy one and get the second for xmas

DVD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106265

Aftermarket Case Fans (3) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835129245

CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Bracket http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

Nothing too complicated comes out to 1485 before shipping if i go with the asus rampage mb
Any thoughts?

Thanks for looking

** fixed hd link

aevm · Oct 23, 2008

Switch the case to RC-690. It's cheaper, roomier, better cooled. $77.24 with free shipping, can't beat that.
http://www.buy.com/prod/cooler-master-690-without-power-supply/q/loc/101/206177908.html

The Corsair 750TX is a great choice. One rail only, but a REALLY good rail. Perfect for HD 4870 Crossfire or for a HD 4870 X2.

You could get the P5E Deluxe or GA-X48-DS4 and two HD 4870 1 GB cards for a total of about $225+ 2*$320. However, it's smarter to get a GA-EP45-DS3R or Asus P5Q Pro and a HD 4870 X2. Same performance, and the cost is about $120+$559, i.e. you save about $200. The only problem is you need to pay for it all now, can't add the last $300 at Christmas.

Between E8400 and Q6600 I would take the Q660, but I'm sure you'll hear lots of arguments for the E8400 too. Get a Q9550 if you can afford it.

RAM: I'm voting for the Mushkin. Sorry Corsair, you got my vote for the PSU already

HDD: your link doesn't work. Anyway, get a WD6400AAKS.

Good monitor and DVD and cooler.

You don't need extra case fans with the RC-690. You can add up to 4 more, but try without first. Download GPU-Z, see your video card temps, add fans only if they're needed.

No idea what your total is now, but with $50 less from the case and $170 less from the MB and no need for extra case fans I think you can now afford the HD 4870 X2 and the Q9550. I hope so, at least... If you have to dump the Xigmatek to afford the Q9550, do it. You can use it with the stock cooler and add a better cooler later.

stoner133 · Oct 23, 2008

My vote is with the Mushkin as well. Got two of the 4GB sets here and I'm very happy. Last system I used Corsair XMS after a few months one failed. Corsair replaced very quickly and I had no further problems with that system. But thought I would give Mushkin a try the build after that and now I'm on even a newer build and I'm using it again. Mushkin was also cheaper then the Corsair was.

nuke3ae · Oct 23, 2008

Yea i used that case for the last system and loved it, was going to try something different this time.......

antiacid · Oct 23, 2008

apparently, many people are missing the key point here:

dual monitor and dual graphic card = no crossfire for you!
Crossfire is 2x vid card on a SINGLE monitor. You can very well have 2 graphic cards and 2 monitors and have a single card per monitor though

Being on a slight budget, I'd advise going with a q6600 oc on air (that won't be a problem). Some people here are pretty vocal about keeping their cpu cold but the truth is that the q6600 can reach 70degrees celcius and still perform fine.

jcknouse · Oct 23, 2008

I hate quoting name brands on parts, but this is the generic desc. of the rig I'm building as soon as all the parts get here:

case (no PS)
1100 watt PS
mobo w/wifi and 7.1 sound
quad core CPU
2x 9800 GTX+ for SLi
20x DVD burner
150GB 10k SATA drive
500GB 7.2k SATA drive
CPU cooler
4 x 2GB DDR2-800 SLi cert memory
kb and mouse
5.1 speaker setup
3.5" floppy (i'm sentimental lol)
3 extra case fans

Total: about $1480

I already have a spare 22" 5ms LCD I don't use, so it will go on the new box.

Also, I have about $80 of rebates coming back, so it puts the system price right about $1400.

I price my parts at about 4 different sites, but Newegg is always getting 95% of my business in buying PC parts. I find if someone has a lower price on something, it usually means you pay shipping and/or tax on it too. It comes out about even. I love Newegg

(edited 10k drive and video card model data)

hardwarekid9756 · Oct 23, 2008

Call me a fanboy, but I'm a huge proponent of the MSI motherboards.

(Same price):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130189

That and I've got a rager for the P45 'set.

The E8500 does a good job of beating most games than the Q6600, and it's a touch cheaper. My vote to the E8500. It's not as good in applications benches, but it serves well in games. However, like everyone said, spring for the 9450 or 9550 if you can scrounge the fundage.
I'm also a pretty hard-core G.Skill fan:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

xblackjackx · Oct 23, 2008

This is almost the exact same system I recently built. Rips through games like nothing. At first I had a 4870 512MB then I swapped it out for a 1GB and I could notice a difference in-game. It just felt smoother.

P.S. You have a PM.

nuke3ae · Oct 23, 2008

antiacid :

Can I hook both monitors into the same card and benefit off of the crossfire? I wasnt planning on using dual monitors in game, I just like the idea of the screen real estate for multi tasking

antiacid · Oct 23, 2008

yes, you can plug 2 monitors in 1 vid card without problems. I do it on mine (8800gt on a 22inch primary and a 19inch 2nd). I can watch a fullscreen movie while playing whatever without issues.

aevm · Oct 23, 2008

What DVD player and O/S are you using? That doesn't work well for me with PowerDVD/XP Media Center SP2/8800GTX.

mexpedip · Oct 23, 2008

aevm :

Switch the case to RC-690. It's cheaper, roomier, better cooled. $77.24 with free shipping, can't beat that.
http://www.buy.com/prod/cooler-master-690-without-power-supply/q/loc/101/206177908.html

The Corsair 750TX is a great choice. One rail only, but a REALLY good rail. Perfect for HD 4870 Crossfire or for a HD 4870 X2.

You could get the P5E Deluxe or GA-X48-DS4 and two HD 4870 1 GB cards for a total of about $225+ 2*$320. However, it's smarter to get a GA-EP45-DS3R or Asus P5Q Pro and a HD 4870 X2. Same performance, and the cost is about $120+$559, i.e. you save about $200. The only problem is you need to pay for it all now, can't add the last $300 at Christmas.

Between E8400 and Q6600 I would take the Q660, but I'm sure you'll hear lots of arguments for the E8400 too. Get a Q9550 if you can afford it.

RAM: I'm voting for the Mushkin. Sorry Corsair, you got my vote for the PSU already

HDD: your link doesn't work. Anyway, get a WD6400AAKS.

Good monitor and DVD and cooler.

You don't need extra case fans with the RC-690. You can add up to 4 more, but try without first. Download GPU-Z, see your video card temps, add fans only if they're needed.

No idea what your total is now, but with $50 less from the case and $170 less from the MB and no need for extra case fans I think you can now afford the HD 4870 X2 and the Q9550. I hope so, at least... If you have to dump the Xigmatek to afford the Q9550, do it. You can use it with the stock cooler and add a better cooler later.

Well so much for being able to contribute...

Go with the recommendations above and you will be happy for a long time.

antiacid · Oct 24, 2008

aevm :

I use MPC (MediaPlayerClassic) on windows XP 32bits (sp2 I believe) with 2gig ram, xp4400+ (2.2ghz@2.4ghz) and 8800gt.

Maybe you ought to look into using a different decoder. I mostly use ffdshow (that decodes xvid and divx and whatnot) but sometimes I have to play around with the overlay settings (directx 7, 9, 3d, yuv, blah blah). There's a nice menu for that in MPC and some functions work better than others. One problem that I run into though is when I move the MPC window from one monitor to the other, it will sometimes turn black. One work around is to start your video file, pause, move the window to where you want it, double click again on the file you want to play to relaunch it and it'll be fixed.

Hope it helps

aevm · Oct 24, 2008

Thank you very much! I'll give it a try.

nuke3ae · Oct 26, 2008

aevm · Oct 27, 2008

I wish you'd write the names of the parts - I'm on dial-up and those links are slow. Anyway, here they are, for anybody who reads this later:

Q6600 OEM, WD6400AAKS, Sapphire HD 4870 X2, P5Q Pro, RC-690, 750TX
Mushkin 2x2GB DDR2-800 5-4-4-12 @ 1.8V
Rosewill card reader
ASUS VW222U Black 22"
Lite-On SATA burner
Xigmatek HDT-S1283+ bracket

I think it's an excellent build. Pretty much like mine (Q6600/8800GTX) except with 3 times the graphics power. It should last you several years unless you fry something during overclocking. Be careful, OK?

No idea about the card reader; I assume it supports whatever type of flash card your digital camera uses.

You can save some money with this Core Contact cooler. The Xigmatek is just as good, but costs more because the bracket comes separately and has shipping costs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004

I get about $1400 too but I just added them in my head and I probably missed shipping a few times.

I've never seen that monitor but the reviews are very nice. I'd recommend a 24" for a setup like that, but I assume you're broke now and don't have the extra $150

aevm · Oct 27, 2008

On second thought, the Core Contact does fit on the RC-690/P5Q Pro combination but it's a big pain to install, apparently. I just did a little searching to make sure I don't get you in trouble.

Maybe you should stick with the Xigmatek after all.

nuke3ae · Oct 27, 2008

lol yea going on broke....

I was watching the giants game and realized that i hadnt put the part names, its there now, thanks for the tip/suggestions

i cant wait to order and put together

ryanb213 · Oct 27, 2008

nuke3ae :

go steelers

Priv · Oct 27, 2008

I'm not sure about the Q6600 people link though, maybe a E8500 or E8400 would suit you more for gaming. It outperforms the Q6600 in almost all games and they both are good overclockers. And both at around the same price.

nuke3ae · Oct 27, 2008

yea i was between the q6600 and the e8400. I think ill go for the q6600 because of good experiences ive had in the past with it and the fact that i will proly do a mild oc with it eventually.

ryanb213: I grew up in Pittburgh and im living in ny now, i had no idea who to root for.

ryanb213 · Oct 28, 2008

i live in north hils (pgh)

aevm · Oct 28, 2008

Here's a good article that shows how CPU's do in games:
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=775&p=2

fruees · Oct 28, 2008

I suggest you stop watching these pussy sports and start watching rugby:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/default.stm

ryanb213 · Oct 28, 2008

fruees :

PUSSY SPORTS!!! YOU GUYS ARE OBCESSED WITH **** SOCCER!!!! GAY!!!

$1500 Gaming build

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