Review my SLI rig please

[Jeff Roy]

MOBO- ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe $199.00

MEMORY- CORSAIR TWIN2X1024-5400C4 $94.99

PSU- ANTEC TP2-550 EPS12V $95.00

CPU- INTEL BX80547PG3000F $171.99

HDD- HITACHE HDS728080PLA380 $55.00

VID- NVIDIA EVGA 256-P2-N386 $205.00

Total: $821.00


Is the P5N32-SLI Deluxe mobo worth the money, or should I go with something else?

[Cricket]

Could you post the brands of these components. Those model numbers don't mean a whole lot.

Cricket

[Jeff Roy]

fixed!

[rspassey]

What video card is that? Are you only getting one or two of them in SLI... if you are getting two of them, then replace that with one 7800gt(x if you can) and it will be better than the two you have selected.

You are missing opticals...maybe a floppy if needed to load drivers.. and an OS

If you aren't getting two video cards than that motherboard isn't need for the extra money, if you are for sure you are going with two video cards then I would keep that card.

How large is that harddrive...?

[Jeff Roy]

Originally Posted by ryan124712 What video card is that? Are you only getting one or two of them in SLI... if you are getting two of them, then replace that with one 7800gt(x if you can) and it will be better than the two you have selected. You are missing opticals...maybe a floppy if needed to load drivers.. and an OS If you aren't getting two video cards than that motherboard isn't need for the extra money, if you are for sure you are going with two video cards then I would keep that card. How large is that harddrive...?

Im going with one videocard right now, but I will add one in a year or so when it is neccisary. I have all my optical drives, and OS already. And the HDD is an 80gig SATA.

[blue60007]

You won't need the server (EPS12) version of that power supply. The regular Truepower II will do you fine.

[Jeff Roy]

Originally Posted by blue60007 You won't need the server (EPS12) version of that power supply. The regular Truepower II will do you fine.

Whats the difference in these power supplies? They both look to be around the same price. If anyone can help me shave some money off this build up please let me know.

[blue60007]

They would both work, but this one is $10 cheaper:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103931

The EPS12V has an extra server connector which you won't need. Also the cheaper one has 1 120mm fan which will be quiter than the two smaller fans on the EPS12V one.

[Jeff Roy]

Originally Posted by blue60007 They would both work, but this one is $10 cheaper: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103931 The EPS12V has an extra server connector which you won't need. Also the cheaper one has 1 120mm fan which will be quiter than the two smaller fans on the EPS12V one.

Thanks, I may just go with this one http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...6&sku=ULT31844 to save a few bucks.

[blue60007]

Well...Ultra power supplies are of questionable quality. And I don't believe it is SLI-Certified. Either way, you need a good SLI-Certified power supply. Save yourself the trouble and get the Antec.

[LoC]

Im going with one videocard right now, but I will add one in a year or so when it is neccisary.

BAD idea. by that time, SLI will have evolved and you will have to get TWO new video cards because the cards need to be identical or very similar. i suggest a single card setup if you wannt get full SLI immediatley. as well, it isnt worth the money. single cards are superior than an SLI setup. yes, benchmarks show and increase but for another $260 6800GT, $300+ 7800GT, etc... is ~10% increase in performance worth it?

[rspassey]

Originally Posted by LoC BAD idea. by that time, SLI will have evolved and you will have to get TWO new video cards because the cards need to be identical or very similar. i suggest a single card setup if you wannt get full SLI immediatley

What are you talking about... they still make cards which are two + years old... you will not have a problem finding your same card a year down the road, TRUST ME....

Originally Posted by LoC single cards are superior than an SLI setup. yes, benchmarks show and increase but for another $260 6800GT, $300+ 7800GT, etc... is ~10% increase in performance worth it?

This is true and not true, for budget reasons it make a lot of sense to get one card now and another one down the road because it will bring you up to scale for a lot less money then buying a whole new all-mighty single card. It is not true at the same time because two cards are better than one when comparing the same model (ex: try to tell me that two 6800s are not better than one 6800 - it is obvious that the two are better than the one).