Built review needed for asus rampage

[chromeeightball]

I have a POS and need a new system that I can run games with. I am trying to stay below $1300. I have revised this list too many times and need more input from others. Tell me what you think. Thanks!

Raidmax Smilodon ATX-612wb black
$69.99 Newegg =$31.99 w/ MIR and 20% off

Asus Rampage formula LGA 775 Intel x48 ATX
$288.99 Newegg

XigmateK MC NRP-MC75- 750W ATX12V Ver.2.2
$124.99 Newegg =$104.99 w/ $20 MIR

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
$189.99 Newegg

Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-pin DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)
$73.99 Newegg =$38.99 w/ $35 MIR

Sapphire 100259-1gl Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR 5
$239.99 Newegg =$224.99 w/ $15 MIR

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320as 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0
$64.99 Newegg

LG 22x DVD Burner SATA M#GH22LS30
$25.99 Newegg

Zalman CNPS9500 AT 2 ball cooling fan/heatsink
$48.99 Newegg

Thanks again!

 

[crhscoog]

What resolution do you play at? If it is lower than 1680x1050, don't even think about crossfire or sli. Go with a cheaper P45 mobo.

I am guessing that your planning to overclock. If so get the cheaper 800mhz ram. I prefer the xigmatek s1283 cooler over the zalman. if u get the xigmatek then get the xigmatek retention bracket as well.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

One of these PSU's would be a better choice than that Xigmatek PSU. Xigmatek makes great coolers, but I wouldn't trust their PSU's.

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009 $134.99 - $35.00 MIR

or

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=750TX $119.99 - $20.00 MIR

For $4 more you can get a faster drive with 140GB more capacity.

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://search.zipzoomfly.com/?Key=wd6400aaks&Category=00&x=0&y=0 $68.99

 

[sailer]

Here's a few suggestions:

fan Thermalright Ultra 90: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109127 Save $20

ram OCZ 4 gig DDR@-800: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227371 Save $10

PSU, PC P&C 750wt: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011 Save $35

Video card ASUS 512mb: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121290 Save $35

save $105.00 after mail in rebates

Use the money saved, and maybe scrap up a few dollars to buy a better CPU, a Q9550 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

As said before, unless your monitor is bigger than 1650x1050, you won't need a 1 gig video card. In fact, I have a 512mb video card with my 1650x1050 LCD monitor and it works fine.

Just some thoughts.

 

[chromeeightball]

Hey thanks for the suggestions, I was going with the Xigmatex psu because of the lifetime warranty and the modular design. Can't find any tested reviews of it thought. I don't have to have a modular psu and with the PSU, PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W, cheaper that does look better.

I have a 1024 x 768 monitor but am planning on upgrading to a 22" sometime. I was wondering if the 512mb card would be OK? I also plan to crossfire the card when I get enough $ to get a second card.

Will the Thermalright Ultra 90 be enough to cool the cpu with no fan on it and a mild overclock of the cpu?

I like the Quad Q9550 but I have to stick to the budget and it will have to wait.

I looked at the Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB and found the SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB for the same price today both look good.

 

[lunyone]

+1 to the below:
* 512mb 4870
* PCP&C 750w PSU that's a steal of a deal on a quality PSU!!
* 800 mHz DDR2 should be plenty for 95% of your needs!! It's cheaper and will do what you need it to do. I'd look at 1.8v (stock voltage) CAS4 stuff (4-4-4-12 speeds) G.Skill has some for $50 shipped!
G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
* Xigmatek s1283 CPU HSF or at least the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 pro for mild OC'ing!!
* WD 640 gb AAKS version HD!!

Things I'd change would be the Asus Rampage mobo. I'd save the $130-180 and just get a p45 based mobo. X-fired/SLI'd on a 22" monitor isn't going to make too much difference, IMHO. Even the p45 based X-fire at x8 by x8 is going to be plenty for quite some time. Use the extra $ for a good case or to get Vista Home Premium 64 bit OS to take advantage of >4 gb's or RAM for the future.

 

[sailer]

I have a 1024 x 768 monitor but am planning on upgrading to a 22" sometime. I was wondering if the 512mb card would be OK? I also plan to crossfire the card when I get enough $ to get a second card.

Will the Thermalright Ultra 90 be enough to cool the cpu with no fan on it and a mild overclock of the cpu?

I like the Quad Q9550 but I have to stick to the budget and it will have to wait.

A 512mb video card should be fine with a 22" monitor, especially if you go Crossfire eventually.

Forgot that the Thermalright Ultra 90 didn't include a fan. Try looking at this one, as it includes a fan: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233014 Better yet, its a bit cheaper at $18 after mail in rebate. The savings there might help get a Q9550, as that would make for a $115 saving over your original estimate. The $115 plus the $190 for the Q6600 adds up to $305, only $15 short of the Q9550. Save some beer money (or whatever) for an extra week and you have the extra $15.

I love the X48 Rampage, and I would choose that mobo if I was to build again. Its easy to overclock and very forgiving of mistakes, which I've made more than a few of when experimenting with overclocks.