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Okay, so now that I'll be essentially free for the next two weeks, I'm going to start some serious shopping for my new computer. Unfortunately, it's been years since I've constructed one and I know it's going to be a pain in the ass. I was originally considering just getting a packaged Dell XPS 700 but I hear for a high end computer like that, it isn't worth the price. I was hoping someone could help be my guide to which parts I should purchase.

At this point, my goal is to get below 3000 USD, which I think should give me plenty of room to piece together an awesome gaming computer. And now for the parts...

CPU: I hear that AMD is supposedly better for gaming but I don't know exactly why. To be honest, I'm more familiar with Intel, which is why at I'm moving towards getting the Core 2 Duo processor. The Core 2 Extreme looks really nice but it looks way too pricey and I don't even know if most games will use its extended capability.

Memory: I figure 2Gigs of DDR2 RAM should suffice or am I not looking far enough into the future?

Video Card: Right now, I have my eyes set on the GeForce 7900GTX. Are dual video cards worth it? I know there are motherboards with SLI support for dual GF7900s. At work, that's going to be our solution to the performance issues we're having.

Motherboard: I have yet to figure out what motherboard I want. I figured that a motherboard with a fast FSB rate would make a lot of difference. Or am I mistaken?

Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-Fi.

Miscellaneous: What's up with the Ageia PhysX accelerator? Does anyone know if it's worth it? Will most games even make use of it? I'm pretty sure the rest of the details, I'll be able to choose.

That's all I got so far. Any suggestions, tips or ideas?

AMD is no longer the king of processors. Intel took the crown back with the Core 2 Duos. E6300 or E6600 is probably going to be the best choice (especially if you decide to overclock (which means you'd need better RAM, and possibly cooling (water cooling?))).

WinXP cannot use more than 3 gigs of RAM. As such, it'd be useless to put 4 Gigs in the machine. In any case, 2 Gigs should be fine. That's what I'm using right now, and I have yet to run out of RAM (as indicated by excessive paging)

SLI does have a benefit. Since you have a very large budget, go for it.

MB: not all LGA775 boards support Core 2 Duo, and not all of the ones that support it will work right out of the box(BIOS needs updating). So double check on that.

I'd hold off on the PhysX for now. Nothing uses it at the moment, AFAIK.

If you go with the Core 2 Duo and SLI, double check that your motherboard supports SLI, there are many Intel chipset boards out that have the two PCIe 16x slots, but don't actually support SLI/Crossfire, as my boss recently found out

Beowulf wrote:E6300 or E6600 is probably going to be the best choice (especially if you decide to overclock (which means you'd need better RAM, and possibly cooling (water cooling?))).

Ah yes, I forgot to add: What kind of cooling system should I get? I've had some rough experiences before with not acquiring adequate cooling so I want to make sure nothing overheats. For that matter, if you have an awesome case to recommend, let me know.

The PhysX cards actually make games that support it run less efficiently in most tests, IIRC. In any case, at several hundred dollars, it's simply not worth purchasing at the moment.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:The PhysX cards actually make games that support it run less efficiently in most tests, IIRC. In any case, at several hundred dollars, it's simply not worth purchasing at the moment.

I believe that's because games which actually use it, significantly increase the number of objects in use, which makes the game run slower. There's no real way to do an apples to apples comparison with some games.

where is the best place to get Core 2 Duos now?

Pint0 Xtreme wrote:Okay, so now that I'll be essentially free for the next two weeks, I'm going to start some serious shopping for my new computer. Unfortunately, it's been years since I've constructed one and I know it's going to be a pain in the ass. I was originally considering just getting a packaged Dell XPS 700 but I hear for a high end computer like that, it isn't worth the price. I was hoping someone could help be my guide to which parts I should purchase.

At this point, my goal is to get below 3000 USD, which I think should give me plenty of room to piece together an awesome gaming computer. And now for the parts...

CPU: I hear that AMD is supposedly better for gaming but I don't know exactly why. To be honest, I'm more familiar with Intel, which is why at I'm moving towards getting the Core 2 Duo processor. The Core 2 Extreme looks really nice but it looks way too pricey and I don't even know if most games will use its extended capability.

I'd snag the Core 2 Duo E6600. Fast out of the box, futureproofed, and great overclocker (they're all great overclockers, but the E6600 has a high multiplier so it's even better). Availability on those sucks right now, though, so you might have to wait a couple weeks.

Memory: I figure 2Gigs of DDR2 RAM should suffice or am I not looking far enough into the future?

Video Card: Right now, I have my eyes set on the GeForce 7900GTX. Are dual video cards worth it? I know there are motherboards with SLI support for dual GF7900s. At work, that's going to be our solution to the performance issues we're having.

It depends on what resolution you're running. At 1920 x 1200 with AA, AF, and options maxxed you're definitely going to need SLI. At 1280 x 1024 you're not going to see any benefit.

So if you're running a 24" or larger monitor, SLI. If you're running a 30" at 2560 x 1900, Quad SLI. But if you're only running a standard size, a single 7900 GTX should be more than enough. If you go SLI, I wouldn't use two GTX's since they're expensive, but a 7950 GX2 because it's cheaper, almost as high performing and you have the option of later adding another one for Quad SLI.

Motherboard: I have yet to figure out what motherboard I want. I figured that a motherboard with a fast FSB rate would make a lot of difference. Or am I mistaken?

Sound Card: Sound Blaster X-Fi.

Get the Extreme Music version. Same card without the useless, overpriced extras.

Miscellaneous: What's up with the Ageia PhysX accelerator? Does anyone know if it's worth it? Will most games even make use of it? I'm pretty sure the rest of the details, I'll be able to choose.

If I had $10,000 and a willing bookie, I'd bet that nothing ever comes of the PhysX card. It's a chicken and egg problem. People don't buy one because there aren't any killer apps that require it. Games don't require it because nobody has one. The most PhysX will ever do is add some extra eye candy for a few select games. Other than that, it's a $300 doorstop.

That's all I got so far. Any suggestions, tips or ideas?

Personally, I don't think you have to even come within shouting distance of $3,000 for a killer gaming rig. If you shop smart, you can get 95% of cutting edge performance for half the price or less. The system I recently specced out on Newegg to last me 2+ years without upgrading only came to $1,100 with tax and shipping. For instance, the fastest RAM and motherboard will help you reach the insane overclocks, but modern games are GPU bound anyway so you'll only notice the difference in video encoding and such. By going with more reasonably priced stuff here, you can save hundreds of dollars. RAID and "performance" hard drives are bullshit, and you can waste hundreds here for a non-noticeable performance increase. The truth is that there just isn't that much difference between a $1,500 system and a $5,000 system.

Hawkwings wrote:where is the best place to get Core 2 Duos now?

Anywhere but Newegg. Newegg is notorious for charging ridiculously high prices for the first few weeks after a hot item launches, and the Core 2 launch is no exception.

Maximum PC selected an Intel Core 2 Duo processor-compatible motherboard based on NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI technology and dual GeForce 7900 GTX GPUs for their 2006 Dream Machine cover story. (Link). I've been poking around the net and haven't as yet found one - apparently this was a reference motherboard that's currently unavailable. Maybe that would be worth waiting for? AFAIK Intel chipsets do not yet offer SLI - I believe you need an nVidia chipset for SLI or an ATI chipset for Crossfire. These new Core 2 Duo chips are pretty awesome, but the myriad of chipset options for Intel continue to confuse the heck out of me. The Asus P532-SLI Deluxe looks pretty good - it looks like it will support Core 2 Duo and SLI.

As far as cases go, I was under the impression that a case with good airflow would be fine for Core 2 Duo, since those CPUs have a pretty low power consumption. I've heard good things about the Silverstone TJ07, as well as Thermaltake cases.

I've done some poking around, and has anyone else noticed that Core 2 Duo chips seem to be a little scarce right now?

Edit: MonarchComputer has an E6700 for $583 (U.S.) and an E6600 for $375. Both are pre-order. They have an E6400 for $290, and it's not on pre-order. Those pre-orders are scheduled to ship by August 31st. This is killer for instant-gratification folks.

I have the TJ07, and its a great case. My only knock against it is that the stock fans are a little weak (and issue I've fixed in my case). In its ATX configuration you could probably get away with passive cooling, since the rear intakes and top exhaust are right at the CPU location. You might also want to get a Scythe Kama Bay for a front intake to help cool the GPUs. For putting a system together, the TJ07 is probably the easiest to work in and manage cables in.

The higher end Core 2 Duos are scarce right now; everyone on HardOCP seems to be bitching about that. For SLI motherboards, Asus should be the first out the door this month with an NF590 board. However, I'd wait for the DFI board, since it has a far superior layout, and the Asus products I've dealt with in the past year have been shit. The DFI board will probably ship August 31st/September 1st time frame, based on the last rumor I heard. (And after dealing with issues on my Asus board at home, and one that won't even work for more than five minutes at work, that DFI board is very tempting).

Pint0 Xtreme wrote:Video Card: Right now, I have my eyes set on the GeForce 7900GTX. Are dual video cards worth it? I know there are motherboards with SLI support for dual GF7900s. At work, that's going to be our solution to the performance issues we're having.

SLI is only worth it when you need even more performance than can be delivered by the single fastest video card available.

Where do you work?

He mentioned previously interning at Epic, maybe he got a full time job there.

Anyway, you should get SLI only if you plan to game on large screens(say 24inch and up) and demand maximum quality.

Also, beware that SLI precludes the use of multiple monitors.

I thought that wasn't true anymore?

Uraniun235 wrote:Also, beware that SLI precludes the use of multiple monitors.

You can turn SLI on/off without rebooting, so you can still use multiple monitors.

Uraniun235 wrote:Where do you work?

Ace Pace wrote:He mentioned previously interning at Epic, maybe he got a full time job there.

Haha. Not quite. I'm currently interning for the Institute for Creative Technologies. We mostly create training simulations for the US Army. Most of what we do is half research and half implementation. A great deal of our projects utilize the UT2004 engine so naturally, we have a lot of contracts and license agreements with Epic. Since our projects aren't for commercial release, we can specify any type of system we need and not worry that much about compatibility issues. The current project I'm working on is a resource hogger when it comes to rendering so we figured getting quad-GPUs would be a cheaper solution than the man hours it would require to optimize it in time for the demo this month.

Uraniun235 wrote:Also, beware that SLI precludes the use of multiple monitors.

What?? I wasn't aware of this! So I'm forced to constantly switch on and off dual monitors whenever I want to utilize the SLI?

Research around, as I suppose its quite importent for code monkeys to have two screens. Atleast all the code monkeys I see have two screens.

Ace Pace wrote:Research around, as I suppose its quite importent for code monkeys to have two screens. Atleast all the code monkeys I see have two screens.

I'm a poor code monkey then.

The dual monitor restriction should matter much really. When you're gaming, most people tend not require the vast expanse of screen real estate that multiple monitors allow.

Just get a single 30 inch Dell.

Beowulf wrote:

Ace Pace wrote:Research around, as I suppose its quite importent for code monkeys to have two screens. Atleast all the code monkeys I see have two screens.

I'm a poor code monkey then.

The dual monitor restriction should matter much really. When you're gaming, most people tend not require the vast expanse of screen real estate that multiple monitors allow.

I found that having the second monitor on actually slows things down. Unless you do something absurd like use both monitors for the same picture, but I don't think that would look good no matter how you look at it.

My workstation is dual monitor. The primary displays my code, while the secondary displays email, internet, remote desktop and misc. odds and ends. Its nice, but not needed. I'd rather code on my widescreen at home, just so I can see more code and diagrams at once.

Ace Pace wrote:Just get a single 30 inch Dell.

Dell does make good monitors.

But if you want to spring for a 30", I'd say go the full nine yards and just get a flatscreen TV.

DPDarkPrimus wrote:Dell does make good monitors.

Damn right. Their CRTs last a long time (mine only had to be replaced after five years due to frequent transporting), with our eight-year-old first 21" still working like a charm. And I'm very happy with my replacement 19" flat panel.

This is what I've gotten so far

Motherboard
ASUS P5N32-SLI SE Deluxe Socket T (LGA 775) NVIDIA nForce4 SLI X16 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131031
$278.99

Processor
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 - BX80557E6600 - Box CPU - Socket LGA775 - Ship on 8/14/06
http://shop2.outpost.com/product/4893660
$357 (From Fry's Outpost)

Video Card (2X)
ASUS EN7900GTX/2DHTV/512M Geforce 7900GTX 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814121002
$945.98

Memory
pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model PQI26400-2GDB - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820141064
$219.99


Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6829102188
$121.99

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KSRTL 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136039
$149.99

Keyboard
Saitek PZ30AU Black USB Wired Standard Eclipse Keyboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6823175103
$41.95

Mouse
Logitech G5 Laser 931376-0403 2-Tone 6 Buttons 1x Wheel USB Laser Mouse - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6826104191
$51.99

DVD/CD Drive
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827152058
$28.99

TOTAL CURRENT COST: $2341.31 (Yes, with taxes)

The DELL counterpart is currently at $4,354! The only thing I have yet to add to this figure is the monitor, computer case, power supply (thinking 1KW), and cooling unit.

So what y'all think so far?

Edit: Changed memory.