monthos May 4, 2008 Share monthos Member May 4, 2008 Well my Desktop died on me around christmas and I was just procrastinating building a new one. The time has come but I have no clue what the current generation of hardware is out there, and would like some guidance to make sure I build a strong/reliable rig. I tend to be a fan of AMD and ATI, and would like a quad core and support for crossfire, though I will only be purchasing one GPU at this time. What do you guys suggest? I will be ordering in the next Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos May 4, 2008 Author Share monthos Member May 4, 2008 I would also like to add that I could go with Intel as well for the processor. Though I would like to go with ATI video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos May 30, 2008 Author Share monthos Member May 30, 2008 Even though I am talking to myself here , I am asking for a little more help. I think I have finally decided to go the nvidia route, despite the fact I love AMD/ATI. They just do not have what I am looking for out on the market at this time. I am building this rig with the thought of at some time adding another video card for SLI, as well as adding memory when/if I need it. I am buying two of those hard drive's and plan on doing RAID0. Newegg has a combo deal with the board and memory, so that will save me 40$. Anything you guys will do differently? Will the 850W power supply handle the load? Motherboard Memory Processor Video HDD Power Supply -Monthos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher May 30, 2008 Share Preacher Member May 30, 2008 honestly those are all decent picks. I might go lighter on motherboard pricing http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131232 paired with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220293 850 is more than enough and antec is a nice brand I might waver a little and drop to this one to save a few $$: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817139006 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817171024 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos May 30, 2008 Author Share monthos Member May 30, 2008 Thanks Preach, I had never heard of Patriot brand memory before(or im having a huge brainfart) so I was a little hesitant to include them. Have you used their memory before? I was planning on going with the higher clock speeds DDR3 uses, is it not worth the cash at this point? The mobo had great reviews which is why I included it, but if DDR3 is not the way to go, then obviously I won't be needing it. And thanks for the input on the PSU, wasn't sure exactly how much I needed which is why I went bigger, would a 750 still be adequate if I go SLI later on? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher May 30, 2008 Share Preacher Member May 30, 2008 I have it in my current system, awesome RAM, prior to this one I had G-Skill and was very pleased there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher May 30, 2008 Share Preacher Member May 30, 2008 Well we go round and round about it on here. DDR3 have higher speeds but very high CAS latency, DDR2 can go as low as 4 and DDR3 is stuck at 7 or more. The speeds are a bit faster but looking at benchmarks I see them hitting pretty dang close for quality RAM. That said DDR2 is WAY cheaper so in my opinion (worth nothing) go DDR2 The mobo choice is great but for $200 cheaper you get basically the same thing with a few tweaks. Again this is my opinion, but $200 buys 5 new games at Walmart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos May 30, 2008 Author Share monthos Member May 30, 2008 Gotcha, I was wondering when I seen the CAS times being around 9 on average, but since its units of measurement were clock cycles, and I was looking at getting close to double current DDR2 speeds, cas latency though numerically was double, was about even. Though if they cant match up in the benchmarks I agree I do not see a reason to buy it. Thanks for the help, this free's up some cash, which is always nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher May 30, 2008 Share Preacher Member May 30, 2008 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814121224 If a budget is in question get 2 of these and go SLI from the get go. Right now there is nothing that can puch an 8800GT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demoner May 30, 2008 Share Demoner Member May 30, 2008 the performance you gain from ddr3 at this point isn't worth the money. its very minimal difference that you notice between ddr3 and ddr2. here's a link you can look at http://www.digit-life.com/articles3/cpu/dd...-ddr3-1333.html one thing i would change is your video card, i'd get a 8800GTX. right now i believe NOFX has one for sale in the gc forums for 275 or something. here's the link 8800 GTX check out this topic too has some info you might want to look at http://www.gamrs.co/forums/in...showtopic=36054 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo May 30, 2008 Share Cujo Member May 30, 2008 ok. first of all that system you put together is just awesome. you really don't need help as much as a lot of ppl on here. second, i would go the ddr2 route that preacher is suggesting as it just doesn't make sense to spend all that extra money on ddr3 when you won't notice a real life difference. that is a huge chunk of saved money. as for the rest. the power supply is great. i'd look at the 640gb aaks model as it's maybe 15 bucks more and quicker. that cpu is the exact one i'd buy right now so good choice. i would go with demoners suggestion. that's a good price for an 8800gtx as he's offering it for $250 now. though as discom said a new one is $260 so closer to $200 would be a more fair price. keep in mind evga has a lifetime warranty so don't worry about buying used. if i had an sli board i'd have bought it already. i don't recommend sli right now simply because both ati and nvidia are releasing brand new high end cards in the next month that promise to be upwards of 50% faster than current single cards. look for the ati ones to be dirt cheap as they're significantly cheaper to manufacture then the new nvidia cards. also, the new nvidia cards are set to be obsolete in 3 months time. see here: http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/new...-sucessor-tapes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos May 30, 2008 Author Share monthos Member May 30, 2008 Yeah thats the thing, their is always something around the corner so you will never finalize the build cuz there is always something to wait for. After reading the replies I now have a much better understanding of price points and expected performance. It also appears the geforce 9800 is a rebranded 8800 that they played with the clocks a little. Also I always knew video memory was key in high resolution high texture games. So Im looking at going the 8800 route and buy one with 1gig of memory, which would actually be cheaper than that 9800 anyways. So basically my whole build has changed. Here is the GPU im thinking of http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130352 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher May 30, 2008 Share Preacher Member May 30, 2008 get a free tomb raider anniversary game, get a faster clocked card and save $45 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814261012 note: rebate ends tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo May 31, 2008 Share Cujo Member May 31, 2008 Yeah thats the thing, their is always something around the corner so you will never finalize the build cuz there is always something to wait for. After reading the replies I now have a much better understanding of price points and expected performance. It also appears the geforce 9800 is a rebranded 8800 that they played with the clocks a little. Also I always knew video memory was key in high resolution high texture games. So Im looking at going the 8800 route and buy one with 1gig of memory, which would actually be cheaper than that 9800 anyways. So basically my whole build has changed. Here is the GPU im thinking of http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130352 i mentioned this on another thread here very recently but 1gb on the 256bit 8800 makes absolutely no difference. see here: http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MT...GhlbnRodXNpYXN0 now nofx's 8800gtx is a similar price and a much better buy than that palit card. if you don't want used then a new one is still $260 as discom says. the extra $40 price is more than made up for in the performance over the 1gb palit card. oh and a 9800gtx is not just a rebranded 8800 but it's close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick June 2, 2008 Share [LaW]Maverick Member June 2, 2008 (edited) The 9800 GTX is essentially almost the same performer as the 8800 GTX, but it lacks a little bit of memory. I just put a system together for a kid, and I put in a 9800 GTX because it was cheaper than the 8800 GTX. It plays all his games maxed out and handles Crysis pretty well. The 9800 GTX in SLi is supposed to be one of the first cards worth doing it with. They're close: http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html...W50aHVzaWFzdA== HardOCP also has an article where they stuck the 9800 GTX in SLi and it was pretty solid... That being said, I have an 8800 GTX, and I love it. Edit: For the record, I'd buy this (it's what I put in that kid's system and it's only $60 more than the one you have picked) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130339 Edited June 2, 2008 by [LaW]Maverick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly June 2, 2008 Share dragonfly Member June 2, 2008 Keep in mind too that that card you were going to get with the 1GB has only 112 SPs whereas the 8800GTX or 9800GTX both have 128. That seems to be a big factor too between these cards. There was an easily noticable difference between the 96SP 8800GTS and the 112SP 8800GTS that I got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick June 3, 2008 Share [LaW]Maverick Member June 3, 2008 Yeah, in the benchmarks I've seen the 8800 GTX and the 9800 GTX consistently do better than the GT and the GTS, and now with the lower prices, I think it's worth just a lil' bit of extra cash.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos June 11, 2008 Author Share monthos Member June 11, 2008 (edited) Alright, the build is complete and everything is installed. I should be on the midwest CSS servers sometime this week Here is what I went with. All inside a Antec P160W case I had. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115042 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813141005 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820227299 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814130339 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822136012 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817256009 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16835128015 I went with the smaller fast drive instead of RAID, I will upgrade later for storage of coarse. But for now its quick and quiet and easy to set up, also less drives mean less heat inside the case. I spent a bunch of time organizing the cabling and tying it up, then when I installed the liquid cooling tubing it looks way too crowded again. I honestly cant imagine fitting all the water cooling stuff if I didnt take that extra time for the cabling. The ram can be liquid cooled or air cooled, I chose to route some hoses to it because, why not? I decided to go with the 9800GTX as well, I will be going SLI with another one at some point, the board supports 3x sli, but honestly there is no room for the gpu's air cooling if you go all three , so I would probably have to upgrade the cooling system at that point and get waterblocks for the GPU's, so doubt it will ever happen. The only issue I am having is the power switch lead for the pump, it piggies off the case power switch wiring so that it can turn the system off if it detects very low coolant or high temperatures. It's acting like its constantly pushing the button, when I switch the power supply on the system turns on for 4 seconds, then off and my front button does not work. I just dont have that plugged in at the time being, I will figure that one out later. All in all I am happy with it, I am not running it when I am not home yet to make sure I dont get any surprise leaks, but temps and the system are stable. Edited June 11, 2008 by monthos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Preacher June 11, 2008 Share Preacher Member June 11, 2008 liquid cooling has always scared me for that reason. Besides I have always achieved much cooler temps than the people around me who use liquid cooling. My readout under load is around 35 c +/- 1 and I usually idle around 27 c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo June 11, 2008 Share Cujo Member June 11, 2008 nice build but you'll never go sli. there aren't any games right now aside from crysis where you can't play max res and details unless you have a 24" or larger monitor. not to mention, the next gen ati and nvidia cards are out in the next two weeks and supposedly they'll be 50% faster than the current single cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos June 11, 2008 Author Share monthos Member June 11, 2008 My monitor is a 24" widescreen. I tried crysis and it runs well enouph, nothing to complain about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthos June 11, 2008 Author Share monthos Member June 11, 2008 (edited) Oh and Preach, my CPU is idling around 40c, I could probably get better flow but I had to compromise with the way i am routing through the memory slots using multiple smaller sizes. It seem's to stabilize the temperatures though, as under load it doesn't go much higher either, maybe a couple degree's. The radiator is mounted on the outside of the case in the spot for the rear case fan. I am sure the protective mesh of the case is inhibiting air flow some, I may snip that out of there someday and see how that helps. *EDIT* Ive been using the nvidia system monitor program to check temps and I think it may be a little off. Its stating low 40's constantly but if I reboot straight to the bios I get low 30's every time. Was wondering what you guys use to get accurate readings? Edited June 11, 2008 by monthos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cujo June 11, 2008 Share Cujo Member June 11, 2008 i wouldn't snip the mesh out as that will ruin it permanently. the fan filters should be removable if i recall correctly. i would tend to leave them in though unless you plan on cleaning your system every few months. do make sure you clean the filters regularly though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly June 11, 2008 Share dragonfly Member June 11, 2008 I turned on my PC and this morning it's idling around 19C. It's cold here though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwEEziL June 11, 2008 Share dwEEziL Member June 11, 2008 We need pics of your setup monthos. Also, I believe I use Riva Tuner or Everest for system temps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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