New Build. Final tweaks b4 purchase?

[nod25]

I've posted a few times over the past few months configuring my build for my new gaming machine. Money is not an extreme issue here (as long as its not insane) and I'm getting ready to purchase these components and assemble the machine.

I'd like any opinions on the components I've chosen, or if there would be a better choice for my current layout. Please be open, and I thankyou ahead of time for your time.

The only specific component that I might want to look into further is my motherboard. Let me know what you think.

Here is the config:

1. Case - Thermaltake Kandalf VD4000BWS Black Chassis

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811133024

2. Motherboard - DFI LP UT NF680I LT SLI-T2 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813136035

3. Video card - EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB
(just 1 for now, I'll get another later)

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130072

4. Power supply - OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817341002

5. Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115003

6. RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145176

7. Hard drive - Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM
(2 of them in a RAID 0 configuration)

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136033


As I said b4, don't worry about the money thing. I just want to make sure this would all go well together and kick ass as it is. Let me know what you think. :)

[shadowpr]

Edit: double post. sorry.

[shadowpr]

make sure you get a 64 bit OS. vista 64 is great.

get a e6750. it's actually cheaper. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029&Tpk=e6750

and you could get a higher capacity seagate for less money too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148139


and if you're not going to OC or actually get another video card, you probably don't need 700 wattts psu. might be able to save money there. and then just get a newer video card later on.

[chuck4456]

Speaking of overclocking: If you're not going to overclock, then you don't need that DFI. If you are going to overclock, then you may still not need it. That's an advanced user board, and one with a 680i chipset. That makes it a double whammy for you if you're not well-versed in overclocking.

You'd be better off with an INTEL chipset board. P35 or P965. P35 is pretty much where it is for the moment - up to date and reasonably priced.

E 6750 is a good CPU - I have one. I can take it down with an E6600. I can still get better benches and bandwidth with an E6600 then I can with an E6750 in either strap. E6600 is no slouch - it's just not the latest thing. E6750 is newer and less expensive with a 1333 FSB.

[nod25]

Sounds good, I'm looking into these other things. Let me touch by saying that I'll probably not be overclocking really that much. So with that in mind, where can I save and go better?

[nod25]

Speaking of overclocking: If you're not going to overclock, then you don't need that DFI. If you are going to overclock, then you may still not need it. That's an advanced user board, and one with a 680i chipset. That makes it a double whammy for you if you're not well-versed in overclocking.

You'd be better off with an INTEL chipset board. P35 or P965. P35 is pretty much where it is for the moment - up to date and reasonably priced.

E 6750 is a good CPU - I have one. I can take it down with an E6600. I can still get better benches and bandwidth with an E6600 then I can with an E6750 in either strap. E6600 is no slouch - it's just not the latest thing. E6750 is newer and less expensive with a 1333 FSB.


How bout this for the mobo btw:

XFX MB-N680-ISH LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813141003

[average650]

You really aren't getting much space there, why not get a 7200 rpm drive or 2 and get more like 500GB for far less money , something like $100, rather than the 140 GB, which costs almost 300? Or just add another hard drive to that so you have both space and speed.

[Cricket]

How bout this for the mobo btw:

XFX MB-N680-ISH LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813141003I wouldn't use a XFX motherboard even if someone gave it to me for free. I'd go with a ABIT, ASUS or INTEL motherboard that has a INTEL chipset on it.

:) Cricket

[Katreat]

I personally am not a fan of SLI but have a freind who really liked this board

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131073

Few different versions, pick the one you like best.

I also second the recomendation to up the processor to an E6750 or maybe even a Q6600 if your budget can swing it. To save a bit I would recommend one raptor and a large 7200 rpm drive for storage, two raptors is over kill.

The one other thing I would suggest is to calculate your power needs. 700 w actually sounds a bit low to me for two 8800 GTXs in SLI. I know saying 700 w is low seem strange, but I am seeing 550-650 recommneded commonly for single 8800 GTX systems so it just seems like you might need a little more head room. I am no expert on SLI or PSUs so someone else might chip in with more info.

kat

[nod25]

I'm going to go ahead and get this processor:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115017


and I'm going to get this single hard drive:

Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136012


and then purchase an external drive for extra storage:

Seagate FreeAgent Desktop ST305004FDA1E1-RK 500GB 7200 RPM

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148235


I'm also gonna go ahead and get the Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case instead:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811129021


This board also looks pretty good:

ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131073

I might go ahead and switch out the DFI with this one. This board also looks like it comes with a pretty good onboard sound card, no?

How does that look?

[Alaron]

That is a solid list. I'd choose Asus over DFI as well.

[nod25]

Excellent then. I'm going to get the 150 gb Raptor 10000 rpm that I listed earlier, and then an extra external 500 gb Hard drive. I feel that a 10,000 rpm Raptor is fast enough for what I want. Thankyou!

Last thing though, the motherboard? This ASUS ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI is sufficient you feel? I'm wondering however, if it's worth just spending the extra dollars for DFI, because this ASUS doesn't have an outstanding customer review rating here on Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131073

It has onboard sound. Do you think that will suffice for my surround sound needs in gaming?

AND the Power Supply!

How big of a Power Supply should I get?

[nod25]

Any final touchups?

Here's my final config now:

1. Case - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811129021

2. Motherboard - EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813188013

3. Video card - EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB
(just 1 for now, I'll get another later)

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130072

4. Power supply - SILVERSTONE ST1000 ATX12V / EPS12V 1000W Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817256020

5. Processor - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115017

6. RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145176

7. Hard drive - Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136012

[shadowpr]

don't forget an OS that's 64 bit.

[Cricket]

Why did you change the motherboard from a ASUS to a EVGA? You've gone a step down in quality.

:) Cricket

[nod25]

I have posted a few times, my build, chiseling the loose ends so as to not make any mistakes and get the best I can. Here is my final setup for my new machine. I'm going to order it within the next few days. Any suggestions? I'm also getting extra external storage at a later date.

1. Case: APEVIA X-TELSTAR-GN Green/ Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer CaseNo Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811144181

2. Mobo: ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131045

3. Video Card: EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130072

4. Power Supply: SILVERSTONE ST1000 ATX12V / EPS12V 1000W Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817256020

5. Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115017

6. RAM: CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145176

7. Hard Drive: Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822136012

8. Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16829102006

9. Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 8X DVD-R DL 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM IDE Burner with LightScribe Technology - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827106045

[Katreat]

I would suggest looking at the P5K. It is the replacement for the P5B and has the P35 (new) chipset.

1000 W is a huge overkill for this set up. Neither the P5B or P5K is an SLI MB so you dont need 1000 W to power a single vid card computer. Would suggest you check out the Corsair 620, great power supply and plenty of head room for what you are building. You could probably get by with a Corsair 520.

I am not a fan of Raptors. They are noisy, small, and expensive. But, they are faster so it is your choice. I just have a problem with paying that much for so little space, also, I dont think the average gamer would even notice the speed increase.

Both of those MB have really nice on-board sound so you might want to hold off on the sound card tell you give it a try. Sound cards are easy to install after the fact.

Kat

[nod25]

I've decided not to go SLI and going to check out the new P35 Chipsets. I'm deciding b/t these 2 boards: any suggestions?

ASUS P5K PREMIUM/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131190

ASUS P5K WS LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131185

I'm also getting Windows Vista 64 and this PSU instead:

ENERMAX INFINITI EIN720AWT ATX12V/ EPS12V 720W Power Supply 100 - 240 V RoHS - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817194021

[nod25]

New Mobo that I'm getting:

GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128048

[Katreat]

Asus is most recommended on these boards because of their history of quality and performance. However, Gigabyte tends to be considered a decent replacement so if that board has what you want then it should work fine.

Your PSU pick still looks overpowered to me but having headroom is always good. But you could probably save another $50 and drop down to a Corsair 620 and still have 100w of headroom.

Kat

[Fibre Optix]

I agree. From the research I did P35 chipset is better than the 680i, it's compatible with the upcoming intel processors. I like the P5k. Ditch the SLI (you won't see a difference between 200 FPS and 260) take the money you would spend on a 2nd card save it and upgrade to a newer CPUs next year to a 1333 mhz,

Good idea switching the original PSU.