SLI Gaming Build

[CraigR]

My Brother has asked me to put together a system for him that will be a screaming graphics / gaming machine. I won't overclock the machine too much. I may optimize the memory and tweak the graphics cards, but that's about it. Also, once put together, the machine will stay as is for somewhere between 3 - 5 years.

I put together some rough specs, but would appreciate any comments / insights as

1) The price has added up and
2) I want to make sure the configuration works

Thanks in advance.

The specs as they are now:

Case: Thermaltake VA3000BWA - $108.88
Mobo: MSI K8N Diamond Plus - $189
CPU: AMD 64 FX 57 - $789.5
Heatsink: Zalman CNPS9500 LED - $54.49
Graphics: 2 x XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME - $598 (299 x 2)
Memory: Corsair TWINX2048-3200C2 - $188
HDD1: Western Digital Raptor WD360GD 36.7GB 10,000 RPM 8MB - $101
HDD2 & 3: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB - $174 (87 x 2)
PSU: Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 - $79
Optical: SAMSUNG SH-S162L/BEBN - $39 (New Egg)
OS: Win XP Pro 64

Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers will be purchased separately. I didn't price a floppy drive, but I'll put one of those in as well. They are pretty cheap though.

HDD1 will be for the OS only; 2 & 3 in Raid 0 for data.

I priced all the components using Pricewatch.com. Rough total is $2322.

Now, onto my questions.

1) Is the PSU strong enough? The next unit I could find that covered my specs is the PC Power and Cooling T85SSI. That PSU goes for $458.

2) CPU - Everything I've read has the FX57 rated as the best gaming processor out there. Is it worth stepping down to save a couple of bucks? This component is biggest price driver in the rig.

3) Memory - Currently speced 2 1 Gig sticks, Would 4 x 512 in dual channel mode be better?

4) System Temp - Will the case keep the 2 graphics cards and the cpu cool enough?

5) OS - Should I start him with XP 64, or just XP?

Thanks!

[jayb1234]

Since you are planning on overclocking and using an aftermarket heatsink, try to get the processor OEM, not boxed. That way using the aftermarket unit won't void the cpu warranty, although the unit might have to be on an approved list. Check AMD's site for that.

Psu might be a little on the light side, take a look at the ones in the 7900gtx section on this page. The sparkle and fortron units will be a lot less than 400 bucks.

2x1Gb will be fine, just check the msi website for a tested ram list or look in the online manual or use a configurator to be sure you get a compatible part number. 4x512Mb would mean that if you ever want to go above 2Gb you would be stuck with homeless 512Mb sticks.

As far as case cooling, the only Thermaltake case on Intel's Thermally Advantaged Chassis list is the VA7000BWA. That one or one of the others on the list would be a good choice. This Antec is pretty nice and comes without a psu.

OS: 64 bit XP still has an issue with driver availability, I would just get OEM XP Home w/SP2.

[786ARS]

if you want the pc to last a very long time, then i would suggest a dual core amd processor, as programs over the next 2-4 years are going to become optimized for dual core.

[spartan015]

just curious on why you're after the MSI. lol jus curious, don't get me wrong I've had my share of MSI but lately their support for certain things have gone... well weak lol. so make sure your products work. yea thats about it...

[CraigR]

I did check out the SLIzone site for PSU's. The problem is the only PSU's certified with a 12V rail @ 18A is the PC Power and Cooling T85SSI with the SATA feeds I need. The reviews @ New Egg for the FSB FX700-GLN say the unit is under rated and it actually should be rated @ 20A for the 12V rail. My concern with that is the FSB site still has it officially rated @ 15A.

There are other threads I read in this forum that recommended the Truepower PSU I listed. I'm just concerned that the 550W might be underpowered for the rig.

Thanks for the link to the Antec case - I may go with that or this Thermaltake. It will depend on if he wants the side panel window or not.

I did think about Dual Core, but he is mainly interested in gaming. Of course he will be using it for the internet and some home apps, but multi-tasking is not his primary concern.

As far as why I decided on the MSI board, it's simply because I've never had a problem with MSI boards. I've put together a total of 4 builds, 3 with MSI mobo's. I only had a problem with the non-MSI build.

[pam123]

I did think about Dual Core, but he is mainly interested in gaming. Of course he will be using it for the internet and some home apps, but multi-tasking is not his primary concern.

You're in for a surprise then.
By the time 2007 is over most of the new games will be making some use of dual core processors .
Since you need to future proof your brother's computer you'll need dual core.

[blue60007]

Originally Posted by CraigR I did check out the SLIzone site for PSU's. The problem is the only PSU's certified with a 12V rail @ 18A is the PC Power and Cooling T85SSI with the SATA feeds I need. The reviews @ New Egg for the FSB FX700-GLN say the unit is under rated and it actually should be rated @ 20A for the 12V rail. My concern with that is the FSB site still has it officially rated @ 15A. There are other threads I read in this forum that recommended the Truepower PSU I listed. I'm just concerned that the 550W might be underpowered for the rig.

Keep in mind those PSUs have mulitple 12V rails. I believe that Forton has *quad* 12V rails for a total of 60A. It's that total amperage that really counts. I think the 600W version of that Forton would be a good choice. With two "extreme" (assuming it's overclocked) 7900GT's the TPII-550 might be stretched a bit.