Putting together a new comp

[Zeuriel]

So I've decided to put together a new gaming comp for myself with a reasonable budget. Nevertheless, I am a tad bit clueless about certain componenets and what to pick. Basically I pieced together something like this:

- GeForce 8800GTS 500M 320MB GDDR3, PCI-Express, 2xDVI/HDTV/HDCP,500/1600Mhz (Can't decide whether to go for the 640MB one but more on that later)

- Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz 1333Mhz Socket LGA775, 4MB

- Asus P5N-E SLI, nForce-650i SLI, ATX, Socket-775, GbLAN, DDR2, 2xPCI-Ex16

- Corsair TWIN2X 6400 DDR2, 2048MB CL5 Kit w/two matched CM2X1024A-6400 Dimm's

- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM (I have like 2 more of these in my current comp so that's why it's relatively small)

- Hiper PSU ATX 580W, 18dB,120mm Fan,4xSATA,2XPCI-E,20/24pin

- Creative SB X-Fi XtremeGamer Low-profile PCI

- APLUS Case XClio 2, Side-door with 250mm Fan, Midi tower

And that's basically it. I pretty much just want to be able to run existing and upcoming games at their highest settings (although not necessarily highest resolutions, which if I understand correctly, might require a beefier graphics card like 8800GTX or Ultra). I've also never tried any form of overclocking or suchlike, so although it might be a possibility in the future, it's not something I'm currently planning on doing.

Most of all, I'm completely clueless as to what motherboards to go with. Aside from the general "Make sure your card and processor fits" I really have no idea what other things to look for (or look out for). Also, since I mentioned I don't know the first thing about overclocking, I figure it might be dumb to pay extra for components that are specifically suited for it.

So any tips from the pro's? Should I go with different RAM? More than 2gigs of RAM? Should I try to match motherboard and gfx-card manufacturers (EVga? Asus? XFX?) or does it not matter in the slightest?

I guess my budget is somewhere around 10-12,000 SEK (About $1750USD) but I know that doesn't help much with price differences around the globe so don't worry about it too much.

Any help, comments, criticism and general knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

[InnocentBystander]

Personally, I'd wait at least a little longer on the GPU (or buy an Evga which gives you 90 days to 'trade-in' your current card for a more expensive card at purchased (not market) value). Supposedly the 98 series might be twice as good as the 88 (or maybe it won't). However, if you have to buy today and game at resolutions above 1280x1024 I think the 88gts640 is the way to go. The price difference is pretty small too; I paid less than $300 for my 88gts640, and I don't think the 320s are but 50 bucks less.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Be careful with the Creative X-Fi. Some editions have changes to the board. I can't remember which board is different, but I recall the Fatality version and above retains the original design.

EDIT: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1 ... 239,00.asp

The above weblink gives details.

[Zeuriel]

True, I'd probably regret not shelling out the extra little bit of money for the better card. As for waiting, are the 98 series that imminent? If they are, I guess it's definitely worth considering.

And that page you linked to was great help, Fingolfin_Noldor. Apparently I picked an alright "budget" card and the page had good tips for building comps overall.

[InnocentBystander]

Imminent? No. Within 3 months... maybe.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Imminent? No. Within 3 months... maybe.

That question is kinda open ended as they said they would revamp the cards with new memory etc. but whether they do get down to it is another question altogether.

Also, one thing we are short of is rumours about the next cards.

[phongn]

If you already have two data drives, considering something like the WD Raptor as your boot/application drive.

2GB of RAM is enough for most people. 3GB is probably going to only a marginal increase and 4GB requires a 64-bit OS.

I tend to pimp the P180B case with a Seasonic S12/M12 PSU.

[Uraniun235]

Don't we have a consolidated thread for this sort of thing?


That said, I'm going to pitch in and recommend a Corsair VX450W for the power supply.

[Uraniun235]

The 8800GTS is in fact several months old. I think the only really cutting-edge part there might be the CPU, and even that's a mere $320 USD on Newegg... compared with $317 USD for the E6700 running at 2.66GHz, so the E6850 is clearly the better choice of the two.

[Beowulf]

Another plan might be to get a Q6600 for about the same cost as the E6850. Cores are slower, but you've got twice as many. Depends on how much multi-threaded code your planning on running. Also, the Q6600 will probably be able to overclock better percentage-wise.

Additionally, the Q6600 will need a lower FSB, which may make it easier to find an appropriate MB. I'm not sure a 650i MB can support 1333MHz FSB

[Uraniun235]

Q6600 will also run hotter and draw more power while being of limited utility in most games, considering how few take advantage of even two cores let alone four. I think a (much) faster-clocked dual-core processor will be more advantageous for gaming than a slower (2.4GHz for the Q6600 vs. 3.0GHz on the E6850) quad-core.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

If you're going to go dual-core, the E6850 is hardly the best bang for buck, IMO. People tend to focus on it because it's the same price as the Q6600, but you can get virtually the same performance for about $100 less with the E6750.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Don't we have a consolidated thread for this sort of thing?


That said, I'm going to pitch in and recommend a Corsair VX450W for the power supply.

Won't it be better for him to get a 500W PSU at least? That gives him a lot more head room especially with GPU power requirements increasing with each generation. I think they recommend a 500W supply for a 8800GTS.

[Alexandrov]

I have to second the opinion of getting a Seasonic PSU. I find that hey are more efficient, and vastly quieter than any other PSU I have used.

[Uraniun235]

Don't we have a consolidated thread for this sort of thing?


That said, I'm going to pitch in and recommend a Corsair VX450W for the power supply.

Won't it be better for him to get a 500W PSU at least? That gives him a lot more head room especially with GPU power requirements increasing with each generation. I think they recommend a 500W supply for a 8800GTS.

Maybe, although that 500W figure is partly to make allowances for shitty power supplies that claim 500W by throwing a lot of amps at the 3.3V and 5V rails. It's not like a video card is going to draw 200W or something; I'm pretty sure the 8800GTS draws around ~105W at max power. Still, if more's needed, then I'd recommend Corsair's next-highest model.

[Executor32]

I'd personally recommend the Antec TruePower Trio series. I have a 650W model, and it's a lot quieter than the generic 500W PSU that came with my case. It puts out a max of 19 amps on each 12V rail, and it has three of them (hence the name), so there's more than enough power to spare if you decide later to add another video card and use SLI. It also has sleeved cables with plenty of connectors, and if you consider the mail-in rebates it's only ten bucks more on Newegg than the Corsair Uraniun linked.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

Even high-end non-SLI systems have an actual power draw of sub-300 watts under load unless they have some absurd setup like dual FX-74 processors. The high wattage PSU craze is a scam to take your money, and wattage recommendations are based more on covering the manufacturer's ass from shitty PSU's that barely put out half the rated wattage. I don't know how comfortable I'd be putting a 400 Watt in a new system expected to last several years, but I'd use a quality 450 in a heartbeat.

[Uraniun235]

I'd personally recommend the Antec TruePower Trio series. I have a 650W model, and it's a lot quieter than the generic 500W PSU that came with my case. It puts out a max of 19 amps on each 12V rail, and it has three of them (hence the name), so there's more than enough power to spare if you decide later to add another video card and use SLI. It also has sleeved cables with plenty of connectors, and if you consider the mail-in rebates it's only ten bucks more on Newegg than the Corsair Uraniun linked.

Mail-in rebates? Eww.

I also wouldn't recommend Antec anymore; they've been slipping in quality.

[Beowulf]

I'd definitely recommend Seasonic built units over Antec branded ones. The Corsair previously linked is a Seasonic built unit.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

PC Power and Cooling is selling a 610W PSU for a similar price to the Corsair equivalent at NewEgg: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W]

EDIT: Apparently the company itself sells it cheaper even after shipping: http://www.pcpower.com/products/viewpro ... view=about

[Zeuriel]

After reading through these replies I've decided to forego the audio card in favor of a better PSU and case. It's not like I can't just add one at a later time if I'm really that unsatisfied with the integrated one. A lot of people recommend Antec cases, so I guess I'll look into those more.

[Beowulf]

Ahem...

P150!
P150!
P150!
P150!

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

After reading through these replies I've decided to forego the audio card in favor of a better PSU and case. It's not like I can't just add one at a later time if I'm really that unsatisfied with the integrated one. A lot of people recommend Antec cases, so I guess I'll look into those more.

You could still get a cheap Audigy 2 card. I think they finally (*#*^$&#*^$*&#$) got around to release drivers for them.

[Datana]

You could still get a cheap Audigy 2 card. I think they finally (*#*^$&#*^$*&#$) got around to release drivers for them.

If he's going for Vista, however, Creative charges Audigy users extra for their Alchemy suite (which enables legacy multichannel sound support in games). The X-Fi is the only series to get this for free. Of course, I think the fee is only $10, so it's still not as pricey as an XtremeGamer.

For cases, I ultimately went with an Antec Solo (after consulting the "Rate my rig" thread). It's a P150 without the otherwise-mandatory crappy PSU, and is done up in black instead of white (which may be easier to find matching components for). The P182 looks to be another nice (if expensive) choice. If frequently a LAN gamer, however, Zeuriel might look into a Lian Li case. Those are a bit pricey (though not so much as when I had purchased one some years back) and the style looks extremely plain and generic on the outside, but I've never found another case that was both light and as easy to work in.

EDIT: Clarified some phrasing that could potentially be misinterpreted.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

I recommend Lian-li. They have some very nice aluminium cases for just under 100 bucks.