New Rig, need advice...

[jones911]

Hello, I am not sure if this is the right forum but here it goes. I am in the process of pricing parts for a new computer I want to build to run EQ2 and any other games coming out in the near future. Here is a list of the components:



Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
EVGA 512-P3-N871-RX GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor
That is the list of the main components. Any feedback you can give me on improving this list please let me know.

P.S. I am trying to stay under 800-900 bucks, don't have a huge budget.

 

[theAnimal]

Change the HDD to Seagate 7200.12 500GB or WD Caviar Black 640GB.
Change the GPU to HD4870 512, about the same price and faster.

 

[techwizard08]

Get the 640 gig version of that hard drive--it is faster due to the platter density.

The 4870 512mb is dropping to 149.99. You should pick that up instead of the antiquated 9800.

I would go with the G. SKill Pi Black for the ram. Pretty popular for dual channel 4 gig (2x2gig) sets around here.

I won't go on record for this one, but I'm pretty sure the stepping on that quad is worse than the 6600, which is a known oc-er. However, I would wait for confirmation on that one. Not too familiar with the Q8s.

 

[xthekidx]

You will get better gaming performance out of an E8500 since most games don't use all 4 cores that quads offer

If you want to be able to use dual GPU's in the future, go with the HD 4850 instead so you can xfire. P45 doesn't support SLI, so you will have to toss that Nvidia card if you want to upgrade in the future.

Get the 640gb version of that HDD, it is faster and bigger for a similar price.

You left the PSU off your main component list which you shouldn't do. The PSU is very important. I suggest this one for you, it will allow xfire later:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=650tx

I would just stick with 800mhz ram unless you think you will be doing some serious overclocking:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209
That is a great price snag those while you can^^^

 

[techwizard08]

Once again I'm 8 nanoseconds behind theanimal.

Props for beating me to the punch

 

[xthekidx]

LOL everyone posting at the same time.

 

[techwizard08]

@thekid

Looks like someone agrees on the ram

Assuming OP wanted to stay quad rather than dual, would you suggest moving up to the Q9450 (which dropped in price) or down to the 6600?

 

[theAnimal]

I won't go on record for this one, but I'm pretty sure the stepping on that quad is worse than the 6600, which is a known oc-er. However, I would wait for confirmation on that one. Not too familiar with the Q8s.

The Q8XX have lower multipliers, but they will OC well enough. They are also faster clock for clock and run cooler than the Q6600.

 

[techwizard08]

The Q8XX have lower multipliers, but they will OC well enough. They are also faster clock for clock and run cooler than the Q6600.

Thank you for the information. I will file it away, so that my advice will be just that much more solid in the future

 

[techwizard08]

Though I was aware of the differences in clock speed. Are they cooler due to difference in die size?

 

[xthekidx]

The I would go with the Q6600 given his budget if he really wanted a quad, but the E8500 still is my recommendation.

 

[techwizard08]

I suppose given his only requirement is gaming, the higher linear clock speed of a dual is a better recommendation.

Besides, if he wants an upgrade, later on he can always throw a Q9550 in there.

 

[jones911]

Looking at the viseo cards, cant find an ati 4870 512mb card for less than 184.00 any other websites i could get the card for 150?

 

[techwizard08]

The price drop was just recently announced. If you don't HAVE to pull the trigger on the build today, give it a few, and the price change should be widely reflected.

 

[jones911]

Ty for all the advice, I have changed the following:
Changed Ram to G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Changed Video card, which I was looking at the ATI 4870 before I posted but I just didnt want to spend that extra money.
Changed Processor to Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model instead of a Quad core. I really don't know much about processors so I will jsut have to take everyones word that Dual core is better for gaming.
Changed Hard drive to Western Digital 640 GB 7200, again, I don't know much about hard drives.
Also someone asked about my power supply, it is CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W.

Ty for all the advice.

 

[xthekidx]

The reason that Dual cores are better is because games are not written to take advantage of quad cores yet. Only two games manage to do this: FSX and GTA4. All others can only use up to two cores, and so your other two cores just sit idle while your other ones do all the work. Since dual cores only have half the number of cores, they also generate less heat, and so it is possible to run them at higher speeds, which will give you smoother gaming. No one knows when games will finally be able to fully utilize quads, and so for now going with a fast dual is the best option for gaming. If you use your rig for other things like CAD, video editing, media file creation, photoshop or other CPU intensive tasks, then the quad is better. For your stated purpose though, a dual is a better option, and cheaper.

 

[xthekidx]

If you can fit it in your budget, I highly recommend you get an aftermarket CPU cooler and overclock your CPU, this will give you a free performance boost!
This is my favorite for LGA 775:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029&Tpk=S1283v
and if you can afford it, get this too for even better cooling:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

 

[techwizard08]

In a world of 500$ GPUs, how can affording 7$ thermal paste pose an issue...

 

[xthekidx]

dunno lol