Homebuilt with core 2 duo SLI and ddr3 ~ $700

[hydra13331]

Is it possible to build a good gaming system (just desktop) with no OS and no monitor or anything else, but with SLI capability, a core 2 duo and DDR3 memory for around $700 usd. I would prefer to be able to upgrade to a quad core eventually, but I've been looking at the core 2 duo's because they're so much cheaper. I will only be putting one video card in it at the time of the build but would like the option of adding another card eventually and configuring it for SLI. I would also like the memory to be one set of dual channel that maxed out that channel (like if the board supported a total of 8 gigs and had 4 slots, then I would like to buy a kit of 2 sticks of 2 gigs of DDR3 memory). Also what video card should I use? I will be playing mostly WOW but would like to be able to play newer games that require a better computer than WOW does. Also from the memory specs I've been reading on newegg for motherboards it states:

DDR3 2000(OC)/1800(OC)/1333
Support for up to 2000 MHz SLI-Ready Memory with EPP

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188025

does that mean I have to overclock to get 2000 and 1800 memory to work?

thanks for the help and the great site!

 

[Outlander_04]

C2D motherboards that support SLI will all have nVidia chipsets on them . Like the 790 on the mb you list .
None of the these have a good reputation for stability and overclocking .
The majority of gamers turned to intel p35 and then p45 chipset motherboards because they overclock well and they support ATI's crossfire .

Its also worth mentioning that you should never buy 2 gfx cards when 1 will do the job . The second card wont double gfx performance . Sometimes it wont do much at all , but often the improvement is around 20% . Its always more economical to spend $200 on one card rather than $200 on two $100 cards . You get better performance .

For 700 you can get a really powerful computer .

Does it have to be intel? The new AMD phenom ll is better value

 

[hundredislandsboy]

I have an SLI rig with the Asus P5N-D motherboard and 2 MSI 9800 GTs. If I had to do it all over again to build a gaming rig, I would get an Asus P45 chipset motherboard, a Q9650 or e8600 and a single high-end video card, a GTX 260 or even GTX 275.

Unless you plan on using a 24 " monitor or bigger, SLI will not be worth the cost.

Read as much as you can on Crossfire and SLI as they both have issues and both ATI and NVDA fanbois will tell you one system is better than the other.

What I've learned from my dual GPU experience is that I will stay away from Crossfire or SLI in the future (unless of course I hit the lotto and can game on a 30 inch monitor!)

 

[batuchka]

These days $6xx can get you an awesome 1650 x 1050 quadcore gamer!

 

[hydra13331]

Does it have to be intel? The new AMD phenom ll is better value[/quotemsg]


No, it doesn't have to be intel but from what I've read it has the best over clocking ability and most people recommend it more than AMD. I've always built systems with AMD processors previously when cost was an issue.

 

[JTP709]

The new Phenom IIs are great for overclocking, as long as you have a 790FX or 790GX northbridge on your mobo. Based on most of the overclocking reviews I've seen for both Intel and AMD, ~3.6 to 3.8 ghz is all you'll need. Sure, you can push them farther than that (with liquid nitro you can get 6ghz lol) but it won't do much for gaming performance. After 3.6 ghz most CPUs are already faster than most graphics cards, and the performance will bottleneck in the GPU. So while you have a raging fast CPU, your GPU will be holding you back (unless you're runing a GTX 295 or GTX 280 3 way SLI lol).

So while some set ups will get more power from Intel and others from AMD in terms of overclocking, after 3.6 it won't really matter. IMO go with AMD, save some money, and get just as much performance as you would with a C2D.

 

[Helloworld_98]

@JTP

uhh, no way, it is far easier to get a CPU bottleneck than GPU bottleneck with anything above a single 4870.

 

[JTP709]

Yeah, sorry I should've been more specific. When I meant most graphics cards i mean anything pretty much bellow the high end cards like 4870s or GTX 260s, which covers all the older card models, and the value/performance 4600s and GTX 250s, etc.

This is just based on a few websites like anandtech.com and guru3d.com when they benchmarked overclocked C2Ds, i7s, and PIIs, they didn't get much of a performance boost after 3.6ghz. This because most games are GPU dependant, so if the CPU is working harder it won't matter.

 

[Helloworld_98]

also hydra, there is no point of ddr3 with c2's since the extra speed doesn't make any difference and also C2's will cost a lot more after Q3 when they're discontinued.