shoot March 25, 2008 Share shoot Member March 25, 2008 (edited) I'm building a new rig for gaming. This is the spec so far.. Case and power supply Motherboard and CPU or 2nd Mobo & CPU option (cheaper) Monitor Memory The REAL question now... Video cards. It's been confusing since the SLIs showed up. Do I go with one top of the line or two of the previous model in SLI? The price is about the same. 9800 option 8800 option No preference on brands. I'm not very familiar with the spec and performance details, so if someone can tell me what the "real life" experience is, it would be great. Another thing... XP or Vista 64? Thanks guys. Edited March 25, 2008 by shoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly March 25, 2008 Share dragonfly Member March 25, 2008 If it was me, I'd get a Gigabyte P35 mobo with an 8400 (if you can find one). You don't REALLY need 4 cores, and with the 8400 you can OC it to 4.0+ ghz. I'd not get that video card either. Look for the 512mb GTS (g92) and get one of those instead, or maybe 2 8800GTs (not GTS, GT) since they're also g92 instead of the old G80 (which your selection above is). I like eVGA personally, but XFX has transferable warranty (for resale) and BFG makes good stuff too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lousiest March 25, 2008 Share lousiest Member March 25, 2008 Wow... 9800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot March 25, 2008 Author Share shoot Member March 25, 2008 This x2 then? evga 8800GT OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo March 25, 2008 Share Cujo Member March 25, 2008 (edited) I'm building a new rig for gaming. This is the spec so far.. Case and power supply Motherboard and CPU or 2nd Mobo & CPU option (cheaper) Monitor Memory The REAL question now... Video cards. It's been confusing since the SLIs showed up. Do I go with one top of the line or two of the previous model in SLI? The price is about the same. 9800 option 8800 option No preference on brands. I'm not very familiar with the spec and performance details, so if someone can tell me what the "real life" experience is, it would be great. Another thing... XP or Vista 64? Thanks guys. with only a 22inch monitor i would go with just a single 8800gts. anything more is overkill as you won't be running a resolution high enough to take advantage of it. i'm on a 24inch and there is very little i can't play at 1920x1200 with all the details full and just a single 8800gtx. at 1680x1050 you'll be even less vid card limited than i am. as far as the rest of those parts go, they're all TERRIBLE, except the ram. the 680i is a generation old already and not compatible with new 45nm cpus that are out. the case and psu for $100 leaves A LOT to be desired. ultra products are simply junk. go with darks recommendation on motherboard and cpu. no sli support but with that monitor it's not likely you'll ever use sli anyway. that's not a bad thing as it'll save you money. a 22inch monitor is all i'd have if i didn't watch movies. Edited March 25, 2008 by Cujo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly March 25, 2008 Share dragonfly Member March 25, 2008 This x2 then? evga 8800GT OC Yeah, you can even get 1 of them if you want. Bush has one, and so do lots of the other guys in here. I'm pretty sure they all like them. They're basically on par with that card you posted above (or SLIGHTLY faster than it) except they produce less heat and use less power. I have the card you were considering (the 8800GTS 640mb 112sp) and I play cod4 with everything maxed and get smooth frames at 1920x1200, so it'd be about the same as that. I can also play crysis @ 1920x1200 with everything on high or medium. Starts to bog down a little with EVERYTHING on high, but I can have most things up there. I didn't look at the ram you selected, but you can get 2 gigs for ~$30 of OCZ platinum ddr2-800, which is basically the same stuff I'm using except slightly better than mine. If you already have a PC, then you have an OS, right? I still use xp for music recording and UT2004 (it feels better in xp) and I use vistax64 for everyday use, programming, and cod4. For a PSU check out enermax or antec. They both make great psu's, or maybe even thermaltake. I have the enermax noisetaker 600W and it's worked the last 3 years flawlessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot March 25, 2008 Author Share shoot Member March 25, 2008 (edited) Ok.. Thanks for the input guys. So, I guess I'll go with one 8800GT(S) and a C2D and a better mobo. You guys made me want to get a 24" monitor, though. Any input whether stay with XP or Vista 64(compatibility & driver issues)? Edited March 25, 2008 by shoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stutters March 25, 2008 Share stutters GC Alumni March 25, 2008 is it just me, or does shoot have the budget of a cartel kingpin? (are you hiring?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DNA March 25, 2008 Share DNA Member March 25, 2008 is it just me, or does shoot have the budget of a cartel kingpin? (are you hiring?) Just what I was thinking.... Good thing he has the economic stimulus check coming next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo March 25, 2008 Share Cujo Member March 25, 2008 i use vista64. once sp3 comes out i MAY be switching back to xp32. haven't fully decided yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boiler March 25, 2008 Share boiler Member March 25, 2008 i use vista64. once sp3 comes out i MAY be switching back to xp32. haven't fully decided yet. vista sp1 wasn't enough to sway you to stick with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly March 25, 2008 Share dragonfly Member March 25, 2008 Ok.. Thanks for the input guys. So, I guess I'll go with one 8800GT(S) and a C2D and a better mobo. You guys made me want to get a 24" monitor, though. Any input whether stay with XP or Vista 64(compatibility & driver issues)? I have no compatibility issues with vista64, but if you have xp and you're happy with it and you dont feel like you need dx10 (which sometimes causes problems in games) then why not save yourself some money here and stick with xp? That's my take anyway. SP1 sure did make vista a lot nicer though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo March 25, 2008 Share Cujo Member March 25, 2008 i use vista64. once sp3 comes out i MAY be switching back to xp32. haven't fully decided yet. vista sp1 wasn't enough to sway you to stick with it? sp1 hasn't made a huge difference. i'll probably just stick with it cause i'm lazy though. btw, this article makes me want to just get a second gtx and sli them http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html...W50aHVzaWFzdA== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly March 25, 2008 Share dragonfly Member March 25, 2008 lol Why do you need more than 1? Do you only play crysis with everything on high? heh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo March 25, 2008 Share Cujo Member March 25, 2008 lol Why do you need more than 1? Do you only play crysis with everything on high? heh well i mean if i wanted to upgrade. css plays fine and any of my other games as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher March 26, 2008 Share Preacher Member March 26, 2008 SP3 is out Cujo http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;DisplayLang=en nub Oh and you can never "overkill" on video and RAM on a gamer's PC. Because as soon as you are "up to date" or "adequate" then someone releases something that makes you feel like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stutters March 26, 2008 Share stutters GC Alumni March 26, 2008 SP3 is out Cujo http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;DisplayLang=en do i have to caucus to get a release candidate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher March 26, 2008 Share Preacher Member March 26, 2008 what ar you asking SJ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo March 26, 2008 Share Cujo Member March 26, 2008 SP3 is out Cujo http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;DisplayLang=en nub Oh and you can never "overkill" on video and RAM on a gamer's PC. Because as soon as you are "up to date" or "adequate" then someone releases something that makes you feel like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. uhh, that's rc2 nub. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/new...3/25/xp-sp3-due of course you can overkill. my card came out nearly a year and a half ago and it's still top of the line. and either way 2 8800gtx would provide a better gaming experience at high res based on hardocps result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boiler March 26, 2008 Share boiler Member March 26, 2008 btw, this article makes me want to just get a second gtx and sli themhttp://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html...W50aHVzaWFzdA== Newegg had a sale on them a week or so ago - I think the final price after discounts was a little under $400ish. Then again they don't ship to Canadia, so I spose that would have been a problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroDamage March 26, 2008 Share ZeroDamage Member March 26, 2008 Shoot, I would consider going with a gtx or going sli on the 8800 gt's. Not all of the 680i boards have an issue with the new Intel chips. My board for example has a bios update that fixes that and it is a hybrid 650i board with dual 16x pci-e slots for SLI. The board has been one of the best boards I've ever owned. I would avoid the new 9x00 series for now due to their overly jacked up price when you can get two 800 gt's for the same or better performance and save $200~. Unlike Cujo, I am not a fan of the Intel chipsets due to their lack of SLI support. Maybe when ATI picks up their game and can perform same or better than the nvidia equivalent will I recommend the Intel stuff but at the moment, I think it is a bad decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot March 26, 2008 Author Share shoot Member March 26, 2008 is it just me, or does shoot have the budget of a cartel kingpin? (are you hiring?) Nah... Not a cartel kingpin nor have his budget. What I have is a bit of expendable budget that my wife lets me spend on stuff every year (she gave up on keeping me from spending on gadgets). Just bought a Macbook Air when it came out in late January and got a few grand left over. Last time I put a pc together was in 2004, so I thought it was time to get a new rig and hand mine to jr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot March 26, 2008 Author Share shoot Member March 26, 2008 Shoot, I would consider going with a gtx or going sli on the 8800 gt's. Not all of the 680i boards have an issue with the new Intel chips. My board for example has a bios update that fixes that and it is a hybrid 650i board with dual 16x pci-e slots for SLI. The board has been one of the best boards I've ever owned. I would avoid the new 9x00 series for now due to their overly jacked up price when you can get two 800 gt's for the same or better performance and save $200~. Unlike Cujo, I am not a fan of the Intel chipsets due to their lack of SLI support. Maybe when ATI picks up their game and can perform same or better than the nvidia equivalent will I recommend the Intel stuff but at the moment, I think it is a bad decision. Thanks for the replies guys. I'm very much considering the 8800gtx option. btw what brand mobo do you have? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroDamage March 26, 2008 Share ZeroDamage Member March 26, 2008 This is the board that I use and I know that Dweezil also recently picked up this open box model. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...82E16813131153R check the Asus site for compatible cpu's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo March 26, 2008 Share Cujo Member March 26, 2008 (edited) This is the board that I use and I know that Dweezil also recently picked up this open box model.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...82E16813131153R check the Asus site for compatible cpu's. man, that's so legacy. any time 570 is mentioned i steer clear as that was a huge failure for nvidia. zd, yes nvidia has sli and superior product but honestly how many people on this board have sli? one or two? out of say at least 20? i'll admit if i had an nvidia board i'd probably have gone sli by now but the only nvidia board i'd seriously consider (based on features, performance, overclocking and compatibility) is the 780i. i probably won't be buying my next board until the new ati cards come out but as far as overclocking stability and features go, intel is still king. Edited March 26, 2008 by Cujo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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