Non nehalem gaming rig

[tranceporter]

Hello All,

I have been reading/referring this forum for quite some time, and I have decided that I want to build a new rig.
Initially I used to play on my HP Pavilion 17" laptop with Nvidia 7600 GO graphics card, but its simply not able to handle the current games at even the lowest setting. (e.g. Prince of Persia 2008, esp during the fight scenes).

That being said, I evaluated building a rig around Nehalem, but decided against it, since it will not enhance my gaming performance by much (maybe 20% max), and I will be using the rig mostly for gaming (I am not a hardcore gamer, but I do catch on all the titles with good rating).

This is the setup I am currently thinking about:

CPU:
Core2Duo E8400 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Intel-Core-2-Duo-E8400-Wolfdale-Core-S775-30-GHz-1333MHz-6MB-Cache-9x-Multiplier-Retail

OR

Core2Quad8300 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Intel-Core-2-Quad-Q8300-Yorkfield-Core-S775-250GHz-1333MHz-4MB-Cache-75x-Core-Ratio-Retail

MotherBoard:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigabyte-GA-EP45C-DS3R-iP45-Express-S775-PCI-E-20-x16-DDR2-3-1066-1333-1600-SATA-II-RAID-ATX

RAM:

OCZ 4GB DDR3 PC3-10666C7 1333MHz Intel Extreme XMP (2x2GB) Dual Channel DDR3 (OCZ3X13334GK)

Graphics Card:

ATI Radeon HD4870 "Sonic Edition" 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express - Retail (Palit)

Cabinet:

Antec 900

PSU:

Antec EarthWatts 800W


Rest all will be decided on the spur, since I believe that the above components are the most crucial ones.

Please advise me on the choice of CPU's, and the other components of the rig.
Also, should be going for a 22" inch monitor, or a 24" one? I understand that if I go for 24" then 4870 GPU will
not be strong enough to handle games. But I am not sure if I would really want to step up to a 1920x 1200 res,
since the 1650x1080 is usually good enuf for any desktop (but playing games is different from viewing a desktop).

Also, please advise on whether I should opt for nehalem since it would offer me more upgrade paths, or I should wait for the next version? I believe that Nehalem will next be released on a smaller die (35nm), and then 6 months later, it would be sandy bridge platform with 35nm chipset, which might be a better option to upgrade to, instead of nehalem.

I am a bit confused at the moment, so I would really appreciate all your help.
Also, suggest any other other components i might add/subtract.
Please feel free to suggest an laternative setup to mine, since I would like to have all the help I can get,
because this is my first custom build.

P.S.: My budget is max 1000 pounds.

Thanks in advance,
Shreyas

 

[calinkula]

Go with the E8400, the higher clocks on the CPU will be better for games.

I would also suggest running DDR2 memory instead of DDR3. Cheaper and you won't notice the difference.

And go for a 4870 with 1GB, it will out perform the 512MB card at higher resolutions.

 

[tranceporter]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I agree that E8400 does indeed look better.

Also, I decided going for the DDR3 memory, because I was getting it real cheap from
Overclockers UK:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-116-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=923

As for the graphics card, I was thinking of replacing it as soon as the 5870 came out (maybe in 7-8 months)
and that is the reason why I thinking of getting a better PSU right at the start.

What I am looking for is easy upgradability in the future. Though buying a DDR3 ram right not to become future proof sounds like being oversmart ; I was wondering if I should reall let such a good deal go.

Please advise me.

 

[calinkula]

Looking at the site that DDR3 is about twice the price of DDR2 @1066. And that DDR3 may not be good for the future anyways. It's voltage requirements are too high for a Core i7.

 

[caniba]

What I am looking for is easy upgradability in the future. Though buying a DDR3 ram right not to become future proof sounds like being oversmart .

Futureproofing is a crock. Unless you are going with a i7 build forget the DDR3. Get 4gb of DDR2 800 RAM you can easily OC to 4Ghz with that anything more than that with a 775 build is a waste, the difference is only seen by synthetic benchmarks and ever there the difference in minamal.

For the mobo check out the Gigabyte EP45-UD3R or UD3P. they are some of the best out right now. And your PSU is way overkill, go with 550 to 650 from antec, corsair, or PC Power and Cooling and if you want to Crossfire check out the Corsair 750 or PC power and cooling 750. Other than that the I agree with the 4870 1gb everything else looks great.

 

[tranceporter]

Thanks for your response.

I have modified the build a little bit, after further research, and here is the new list:

CPU:

http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=23305

MotherBoard:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Foxconn-P45A-iP45-S-775-PCI-E-20-(x16)-DDR2-1066-1333-800-SATA-II-SATA-RAID-ATX

RAM:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-105-OC

GPU:

http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=27575

Monitor:

http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=27460

Case:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Antec-900-Nine-Hundred-Ultimate-Gamer-Case-with-200m-Top-Fan-w-o-PSU

PSU:

http://www.scan.co.uk/product.aspx?ProductId=21431

Will the PSU be good enough, and are the coolermaster PSU wires long enough for Antec 900? I have read issues about antec 900 esp regarding wiring (if the PSU cables are not long enough)

Please let me know.

 

[caniba]

Everything looks great. Yes that PSU is plenty. I can´t tell you about the wires maybe someone else can jump in if they know. I am not familiar with that MB but I have had a foxconn before and I was very happy with it. Have fun with it.

 

[calinkula]

Everything on the build looks good for a gaming system. I think you'll be happy with the system.