Suggestions on Components for new system

[temoo]

Hello Everyone,


I recently decided to build a new computer and think I have narrowed my choices of components to the following. Any suggestions on any of the components is more than welcome as I want to get the best bang for the buck. Here goes:


Q6600 2.4 GHz processor that I plan on OC to 3.0
ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Mobo
Corsair Dominator 4GB(2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 (PC2 8500)
EVGA GTX 260 (216 core)
Rosewill 950W ATX 12V
Acer 24" 2ms full HD monitor

As far as a case did not know if anyone could recomend a great case that can fit the GTX 260 since I hear it is a beast and keep the system running cool for 100-150$. Also, not really sure about the Rosewill brand as a power supply, for the price any ideas of similar PSUs? Maybe I do not even need the 950W it might be overkill.

Any suggestions on changes or upgrades would be very helpful.

Thanks!

 

[outlw6669]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

I would change a few things with your system.

First and foremost, DO NOT BUY A ROESWILL PSU!!
They are JUNK and have a high probability of failing and tosting your system.
For your rig, you will need a QUALITY 550w+ (600w+ if you intend to go CrossFire) Corsair, Seasonic, PCP&C, Enermax or Antec Earthwatts PSU.

The ASUS P5Q Deluxe is a great motherboard but is priced past it's market.
I would recommend either an X38/48 motherboard in the same price range or an ASUS P5Q-E.
The P5Q-E is nearly the same as the Deluxe, it just costs less.
Any of these will be good enough for your system.

DDR2 1066Mhz RAM is overkill.
There is no real world performance increase over DDR2 800.
Go for the cheapest quality 4Gb set of DDR2 800 with a lifetime warranty and, preferably, 4-4-4-x timings.

The GTX 260 core 216 is not a bad card but a 4870 would be a better choice.
It will match/outperform the GTX 260 core 216 and, as you have an Intel P45 motherboard, you can CrossFire it if you end up needing better performance.
Price is fairly comparable between the two.

I am sure the Acer monitor is decent but I would never recommend a TN panel to someone who can afford better.
If you can fit it into your budget, the Dell 2408WFP is a far superior display.
You will NOT be disappointed upgrading to a S-PVA based display.

The Q6600 is a great CPU and is highly overclockable.
Make sure to get an upgraded CPU cooler.
Depending on what you have available to you, look into an Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, Xigmatek S1283 (with S775 mounting bracket) or a Sunbeam Core Contact Freezer.
All three are fairly cheap and offer much better than stock cooling.

 

[dirtmountain]

outlw69 makes some good points. One thing though is the new edition Xtreme Rosewills aren't bad power supplies at all, get good ratings from www.hardwaresecrets in reviews, but you can get a better power supply for your system cheaper. A quality 750w from Corsair or PC Power and cooling at about $100 after rebates would be fine for crossfired 4870s. Go with his suggestion of a X48 instead of that high budget P45. The Asus X48 P5E is a bit more, but would allow full 16x/16x bandwidth for your graphics cards.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131317
Go with the 4870 1GB instead of the 260GTX 216, they're roughly equal in performance, but the 4870 can be crossfired, you'd have to go with a SLI/ Nvidia chip motherboard to double up on the GTXs.
I'd also recommend DDR2 800 RAM 1.8v like outlaw
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731
Good case with good amount of room and good cooling that will fit those cards is the Coolermaster 690 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
Operating system Vista Home Premium 64bit
coolers what outlaw recommended
www.frostytech.com for reviews and charts for cooling and quiet.

 

[temoo]

The P5Q-E is nearly the same as the Deluxe, it just costs less.
Any of these will be good enough for your system.

Well the thing is I looked and newegg sent out a monthly brochure where I can get the deluxe for 130$ shipped, everything i found had the P5Q-E priced higher. In the end is it worth the extra money to upgrade the board?

I guess I will change from the gtx 260 over to the 4870, although I have read they perform very similarly. The only reason being if I want to run crossfire it would make sense with the mobo I am going with. As far as ram I dont see a problem spending a little bit more for the faster ram, I dont know, I probably wont see the benefits but for 30 bucks more can't see a reason not too.

Now is the 4870 card as big as the gtx 260 because I hear that thing is HUUGE.

Thank you for all of the input thus far,

I am really not that familiar with building computers and am trying to figure it out as I go, don't worry I have a friend guiding me through but he wnats me to pick out my hardware. So any further tips or suggestions would be great. I deally I would want the rig to run 800-1000 without a monitor. Maybe I have completely miscalculated what components to buy but that is why I am here.

 

[temoo]

Okay so I found this deal earlier today on newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.141712

Is this ram worth the effort of getting and is teh 4870 512mb card a steal? Also not sure whow much of a difference would be seen if I went for the 4870 2GB card for a lot more money. You could probably get two 4870 512mb cards for the same price , just not sure which would perform better.

Also assuming I keep with my q6600 processor what mother board would you suggest to run with the 4870 cards. Or as other posters have noted should I go with the P5Q-E for roughly 190$ or my original P5Q deluxe for 130$ Not sure if the 60$ will provide a huge boost.