|
|
|
|
| Author |
Message |
Crash55
Guest
|
 Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:57 pm Post subject: New System Build - Want Opinions |
 |
|
Hi,
It is about time for me to upgrade my PC and after reading the latest
PC Gamer I started looking at prebuilt systems (a special deal was
advertised). I haven't given up on building one myself though so here
is a possible build:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700
MB: Asus P5N
Memory: 2Gb - Corsair?
Soundcard: SB X-Fi of some sort
Video Card: NVidia 8800GTX
Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling 750W
Case: Antec P180
Optical Drive: Some Dual Layer DVD Burner
HD: 250GB Western Digital
Keyboard: Logitech G15
Mouse: Logitech G5 gaming mouse
Cooling: Zalman 9700 -?
Monitor: Smasung 204B
OS: Win XP Pro with upgrade to Vista
Almost none of this has been nailed down yet except that I want a Quad
Core CPU and a Direct X 10 NVidia card (loayalty based on stock
performance). So I am open to changing almost everything.
Running everything through NewEgg it looks like ~$3500 as listed. What
surprised me looking at prebuilts is that I could get what appeared to
be a comparable one from Aeoncraft for $3483 and Vigor Gaming for
$3900. Alienware with liquidcooling and a special PCGamer discount was
$4200. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Fix your Windows Problems - FAST.
FREE Safe Scan Registry Check. Locate & Fix Errors in Minutes!
|
|
Brownz (Mobile)
Guest
|
| Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:05 pm Post subject: Re: New System Build - Want Opinions |
|
|
Crash55 wrote:
| Quote: | Hi,
It is about time for me to upgrade my PC and after reading the latest
PC Gamer I started looking at prebuilt systems (a special deal was
advertised). I haven't given up on building one myself though so here
is a possible build:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700
MB: Asus P5N
Memory: 2Gb - Corsair?
Soundcard: SB X-Fi of some sort
Video Card: NVidia 8800GTX
Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling 750W
Case: Antec P180
Optical Drive: Some Dual Layer DVD Burner
HD: 250GB Western Digital
Keyboard: Logitech G15
Mouse: Logitech G5 gaming mouse
Cooling: Zalman 9700 -?
Monitor: Smasung 204B
OS: Win XP Pro with upgrade to Vista
Almost none of this has been nailed down yet except that I want a Quad
Core CPU and a Direct X 10 NVidia card (loayalty based on stock
performance). So I am open to changing almost everything.
Running everything through NewEgg it looks like ~$3500 as listed. What
surprised me looking at prebuilts is that I could get what appeared to
be a comparable one from Aeoncraft for $3483 and Vigor Gaming for
$3900. Alienware with liquidcooling and a special PCGamer discount was
$4200.
|
If you're looking at speccing a perfomance system then consider sticking a
couple of WD 150GB Raptors in their as a raid0 stripe boot o/s drive, then
stick something like a 400/500 sata in as well as for media storage.
Twas the best thing I ever did with my badaxe board.
--
Cheerz - Brownz
http://www.brownz.org/ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Fishface
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:55 am Post subject: Re: New System Build - Want Opinions |
|
|
Crash55 wrote:
| Quote: | It is about time for me to upgrade my PC and after reading the latest
PC Gamer I started looking at prebuilt systems (a special deal was
advertised).
|
Oh, and do *you* give out free medical advice on the internet? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kony
Guest
|
| Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:35 am Post subject: Re: New System Build - Want Opinions |
|
|
On 14 Jan 2007 08:57:27 -0800, "Crash55" <Crash55@gmail.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | Hi,
It is about time for me to upgrade my PC and after reading the latest
PC Gamer I started looking at prebuilt systems (a special deal was
advertised). I haven't given up on building one myself though so here
is a possible build:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700
MB: Asus P5N
Memory: 2Gb - Corsair?
Soundcard: SB X-Fi of some sort
Video Card: NVidia 8800GTX
Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling 750W
Case: Antec P180
Optical Drive: Some Dual Layer DVD Burner
HD: 250GB Western Digital
Keyboard: Logitech G15
Mouse: Logitech G5 gaming mouse
Cooling: Zalman 9700 -?
Monitor: Smasung 204B
OS: Win XP Pro with upgrade to Vista
Almost none of this has been nailed down yet except that I want a Quad
Core CPU and a Direct X 10 NVidia card (loayalty based on stock
performance). So I am open to changing almost everything.
Running everything through NewEgg it looks like ~$3500 as listed. What
surprised me looking at prebuilts is that I could get what appeared to
be a comparable one from Aeoncraft for $3483 and Vigor Gaming for
$3900. Alienware with liquidcooling and a special PCGamer discount was
$4200.
|
As Brownz mentioned it would be reasonable to add at least a
2nd HDD as a separate logical volume (not raided). If that
2nd drive were larger or lower seek time (like a Raptor), so
much the better... with the lower seek drive used for OS.
If you wanted to go RAID, too, then still at least one
addt'l logical volume besides the RAIDed volume.
As for the rest, that's up to you as only you can determine
budget/value-per-use. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Crash55
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:48 am Post subject: Re: New System Build - Want Opinions |
|
|
The problem I have with the P180 is that I am not sure about fitting
in dual 8800GTX? I seem to be hearing mixed comments on that. You can
get one in fi you remove a drive cage but I don't know about the second
one. The Antec 900 is supposed to fit two and the same with the
Kandalf. The Kandalf has built in liquid cooling.
For memory I was thinking about going with the Corsair
Twin2X2048-8500C5 chips
24" monitor won't fit in my PC desk. So I am staying with my 19" CRT.
I may also drop to a single 150GB Raptor and 500GB data drive.
The 750W PC Power and Cooling Supply is rated for running two 8800GTXs
Fishface wrote:
| Quote: | Crash55 wrote:
I am still not decided on Dual or Quad core. After reading some
articles I was thinking Dual and overclocking. So here is the new
possibility:
CPU: Intel E6700 or QX6800?
If you are going to overclock a dual core, you probably won't gain
anything with the E6700 over the E6600 except a 10 multiplier instead
of a 9. But, with decent cooling, you can probably get 3.6 GHz from
the E6600 ( 400 x 9 ). That saves you $200.
MB: Asus Striker Extreme (or eVGA 680i board?)
Ok, there went the $200. That Asus board is $420!
Memory: Corsair Twin2X2048-6400C4
You're right on track for the 400 x 9. I'm likin' the Crucial
Ballistix though. Higher rated speed, Micron D9 chips,
lower price.
Case: Antec 900 or Thermaltake Kandalf LCS
Getting flashy now! Despite it's flaws, I still couldn't find a case I
liked better than the P180. I'd probably buy it again. It's very
quiet the way I have it set-up. Yours will probaly sound like a
hair dryer, though! Speakers, need speakers!
Video: 2 XFX 8800GTX
Power: PC Power and Cooling 750 Quad
Ok, I hope the 60 Amps single rail $300 power supply is big enough for
the dual 8800GTXs and overclocked multi-core CPU. They're around
280 watts apiece in the AnandTech article under load. Anyway, the PS
seems to be a $100 cheaper from the pcpower website than from Newegg.
A thousand watter is only $500! Heat to match the hair dryer sound. You
weren't thinking of going off-grid, were you?
HD: 2 WD Raptor 150GB in Raid 0 and a WD 500GB data drive
Mouse: Logitech G5
KB: Logitech G11
Sound: SB X-Fi Fatal1ty
Optical: LG 18X DL DVD burner
Cooling: Zalman 9700
OS: XP Media Center with Upgrade to Vista Home Premium
Well, you're getting a heck of a lot better gaming experience now for about
the same money. Now, about that 24" monitor... |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Fishface
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:35 am Post subject: Re: New System Build - Want Opinions |
|
|
Crash55 wrote:
| Quote: | The problem I have with the P180 is that I am not sure about fitting
in dual 8800GTX? I seem to be hearing mixed comments on that. You can
get one in fi you remove a drive cage but I don't know about the second
one. The Antec 900 is supposed to fit two and the same with the
Kandalf. The Kandalf has built in liquid cooling.
|
Hadn't seen that. www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1115861
The bottom bay holds four drives, I have three in mine (1 x Raptor 150 and
2 x Samsung 500GB). The Raptor is pretty fast and so much quieter than
my old SCSI drives. I had to glue my separating side panels with a glue gun.
Afraid I used a tad too much.
| Quote: | For memory I was thinking about going with the Corsair
Twin2X2048-8500C5 chips
|
You pay a premium for Corsair, and they seem to be heavily binned, so the
faster sticks are more likely to do 400 x 9 at 3-3-3-12. Consider also the
currently out-of-stock, not so heavily binned Buffalo Firestix:
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820150054
| Quote: | 24" monitor won't fit in my PC desk. So I am staying with my 19" CRT.
|
So get a new desk! It's about the same height as the 19", physically, just wider.
If you're going to keep the 19", you'd might even do fine with the single 8800GTX.
| Quote: | I may also drop to a single 150GB Raptor and 500GB data drive.
The 750W PC Power and Cooling Supply is rated for running two 8800GTXs
|
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine
According to this page, assuming it's correct, you should just squeak by with a
dual core. With a quad core at perhaps 3.4, not. There's a big discrepancy with
this calculator if you overclock an E6600 and E6800 to the same speed, which
probably should not exist. Indeed, my E6400 with half the cache and at stock
voltage supposedly consumes a lot more power than the E6800, which I highly
doubt. I imagine the figures produced are an approximation with varying levels of
accuracy, depending upon which parts are chosen. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
  |
Index
-> DIY |
All times are GMT
|
| Page 1 of 1 |
|
| |
Watched Topics
Search
Register
Log in to check your private messages
Profile
Log in
Memberlist
Usergroups