4870x2 on P45

[rflction]

CPU: Q9550 (I will OC)
GPU: 4870X2
RAM: 4x2 G.Skill CAS4 1.8-1.9v
MOBO: ASUS P5Q Pro
PSU: Corsair 750 TX

What do you guys think of this build? I'm thinking of buying today.

 

[fatty35]

Looks all good to me, but you might want to wait for the new sockets & chipsets from Intel and AMD to come out in the next few months.

 

[lunyone]

If you buying today than get what you want!! I'd consider getting the Xigmatek s1283 CPU HSF w/retention bracket for your OC'ing q9550. Or even the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 pro for mild OC's if you like. The stock cooler should handle most situations, so you can decide if you want to get an aftermarket CPU HSF.
* Now I'm going to assume that your going to be running on a high resolution monitor with that 4870x2, right?? If your going to be running on a 1680 x 1050 resolution monitor than you'd be better off getting a single 4870. Save that $200 and use it later to upgrade the GPU in 6-12 months or so. If your running on a higher resolution monitor with resolutions starting at 1920 x 1200 or bigger than the 4870x2 will suit you well.
* I'm also going to assume that your using Vista/XP 64 bit OS?? If your not, than your wasting the extra 5 gb's of RAM.

 

[rflction]

Thanks for the input guys.

i am planning on using the Xigmatek s1283 w/retention bracket.
changed my mind to 2x2gb G.Skill but still using vista 64 (just don't think i will use 8gb for gaming)

using 24in, but might consider going 4870 1gb, x2 might be overkill. thoughts on this?

 

[rflction]

also, which P45 would you guys recommend? I was thinking ASUS P5Q Pro vs. ASUS P5Q (heard they both OC well)

 

[col-p-todd]

I would recommend the Asus Maximus II Formula best mobo ever

 

[lunyone]

I like the Biostar/Gigabyte/Asus mobo's for Intel platforms. All do quite well and should serve you well. Just pick a mobo with the options that you like and get it! I think the 2x2 gb RAM selection is a good one. I'd recommend getting 1.8v DDR2 800mHz RAM, unless your going to extreme OC's, than the 1066mHz would be recommended.
Comparison list of several good p45 based mobo's. Get one with the options you need.

I'm liking the Muskin RAM sticks here. They are $65 - $20 MIR = $45!!! Hard to beat at that price and performance!!

 

[lunyone]

I would recommend the Asus Maximus II Formula best mobo ever

At $270 shipped it should be!! For more than $100 less, any good p45 based mobo will do 95% of what the Maximus can do. Only if your into extreme OC'ing would I buy that board. I'd rather spend the $100 on a better LCD/GPU/Memory or whatever I think I need to upgrade. Just my opinion, but that is what I'd do.

 

[shawnbie]

I have an almost identical system (9550, p5q pro, 4870 x2, xigmatek cooler, vista 64, mushkin 4gb, corsair 750tx) and was able to easily get to 3.4. Its the most stable system i have ever built. The one problem i have with the 4870 x2 is that many games require updated catalyst drivers to run both gpus properlly. When they are working right, it easily runs almost all games at highest settings and resolutions.

As for the motherboard, i would deffinetly save some money and go with the p5q pro over a much more expensive alternative. Unless you are trying for a real high overclock, it should be great for you.

 

[rflction]

yeh i'm not looking for an extreme OC (just want best performance w/least hassle)

as for the Asus Maximus Formula II, it seems quite expensive for a P45 board. i'd rather get an asus rampage for a little bit more or save on p5q pro and spend the rest on lcd or gpu.

i've heard that some people have compatibility issues or something with 1066mhz ram (better just to go with 800mhz since im not extreme OC anyways)

which is more important for OC when considering ram? voltages or CAS? b/c mushkin is 1.8v at CAS 5, but the g.skills are at 1.8-1.9v (whatever that means...) at CAS 4

thanks for input guys!

 

[rflction]

what monitor are you using? i'm trying to decide a 24in monitor (any recommendations for TN and non-TN? i tried to differentiate TN/nonTN monitors in newegg, but there was no option? can i tell the difference by the 160/160 vs 178/178 viewing angles?)

 

[lunyone]

Most 800mHz DDR2 RAM will OC fairly well. The Cas4 stuff (4-4-4-12) is faster than the Cas5 stuff (5-5-5-18). To minimize headaches, I'd recommend sticking with stock voltage RAM sticks (1.8v) and get the fastest RAM at that speed, like the ones I linked above (5-4-4-12). Then if you need to OC them, you should have more voltage room to help you with the OC'ing (if needed). Most Cas4 ram is already OC'd and most of the time the voltage will need to be upped to get the rated speeds (most are 2.0-2.2v, if you look at the details).
The Asus Maximus Formula II mobo is quite expensive. I don't recommend it for most people, because you really don't get that much more performance out of it than a $140 mobo. There are options that it has, but it's generally for more extreme OC's, which most people won't even use!

 

[rflction]

Which brand do you guys think is better for the 4870x2?

Sapphire or PowerColor?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Just stick with the new G.Skill RAM you were originally planning on using. It's DDR2 800 CAS 4 at 1.8v - 1.9v. Apparently lunyone didn't read that far up.

I'd get a VisionTek GPU for their lifetime warranty.

 

[lunyone]

Just stick with the new G.Skill RAM you were originally planning on using. It's DDR2 800 CAS 4 at 1.8v - 1.9v. Apparently lunyone didn't read that far up.

I'd get a VisionTek GPU for their lifetime warranty.

I did, but thought that he was getting 2 x 4gb's not the 4 x 2 gb's, so I mis-read it.