2nd Build - Need some help/suggestions!

[jayn1321]

Hey everyone,

I am going to do my 2nd build and need some help/suggestions. First of all, I have a 27" Viewsonic that I run at 1980x1200. I mostly use my computer for gaming and also modeling (Autocad, Revit, Sketchup, etc.). With being in school and all, I really don't want to spend a whole lot, but I also want something with longevity.

Here are some of my ideas so far:

MOBO:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Which is a better CPU to go with? or is there another CPU that someone recommends?

RAM:
2x2 DDR2 1066
2x2 DDR2 800
Are there any huge gains by going from 800 to 1066 RAM?

GPU:
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
EVGA GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
I am afraid that a 260 may not perform all that well at 1920x1200, but I don't want to spend about $100 more for a 280 just for a slight gain. I am a fan of NVIDIA, and have had problems with ATI in the past...which is why I didn't include the 4850 or 4870. I'll probably do SLI down the road when my 2nd video card is cheaper.

HD:
Western Digital Caviar black 640GD 32 MB cache
Is it okay/safe to run your OS and everything off a 1TB drive?

PSU:
Possibly something that will be able to handle SLI of whatever GPU that I get (which is one of the reasons why I am going with the GA-EP45-UD3P). I want to be able to pick up one of the video cards down the road for very cheap and add it in.

Sorry its a lot, but any help is greatly appreciated!
THANKS!

 

[ehanger]

Mobo: looks good

CPU: E8500 will offer more performance in most current games and applications, but the Q6600 will be more futureproof (especially if you overclock it). If you can afford it, shell out an additional $100 and get a Q9550 (45nm, 12mb L2 cache, 2.83GHz)

RAM: Get DDR2-800, only get 1066 if you're a mad overclocker.

GPU: Get the 260 core 216 over the 280, like you said theres very little performance gain for the amount of extra money paid. Benchmarks have shown even a moderately overclocked GTX 260 core 216 matches a stock GTX 280 in performance.

HD: the 640GB HD looks fine, if you want more storage I recommend running two HD's in a RAID configuration as it will be faster than a single 1TB drive.

Get a PSU made by a decent company (corsair, antec, etc.) and if you want SLI for the future get at least a 750W PSU with good amperage on the +12v rails.

 

[sharken]

Try an XFX GTX 260 216 Black Edition, on par with 280....

 

[kelfen]

FYI don't think you can SLI with that mobo and stay away from NVIDIA chipset they have issue's unless you go x58. well 4870 is only 200 and performs about equal to the gtx 260; They basically trade blows in certain games.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810

 

[sharken]

the 4870 doesnt perform equal to the Black edition XFX, it smacks it around in almost everything

 

[jayn1321]

Great, thanks for the help.

Does anyone think it is worthwhile going with the i7? I've seen all the benchmarks, and it does seem quite worthwhile. If I did shell out the extra $100 for the Q9550, I would probably just bump up to the i7 instead...
The only thing keeping me away from the i7 is the X58 mobo prices...they hurt.