Vista/DX10 build (E6600 based)

[Turbo_Supra]

Well, this will be my second build. Any tips, suggestions, products changes, or compatibility issues are welcome. Also, for you other e6600 builders out there this should provide the perfect framework to get you started.

Currently I’m set on the following items:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115003)

MSI P965 Platinum (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130055)
Reason: Shootout at the Core 2 Corral: Seven P965 Motherboards Compared (http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/11/...core_2_corral/)

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) TWIN2X2048-6400C4 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034)
Reason: Choosing the Right Memory for Core 2 Duo Platform - Part 3: DDR2-800 SDRAM Modules Roundup (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/mem.../ddr2-800.html)

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133021)
Reason: Great air-cooling (5 stock fans) with plenty of room and also comes predrilled for future liquid cooling upgrades.

Microsoft Windows XP Home Upgrade with SP2 - Retail comes with free vista upgrade coupon (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837116194)


I’m not so sure about the following:

PSU: SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151027)
Reason: ATX Power Supply Units Roundup. Part VI (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/oth.../atx-psu6.html)

However, I’ve heard things about seasonic power supplies having short cables and my case is huge so they might not reach. What’s another PSU that you guys recommend that stay under ~$150 with a minimum 550watts?

Hardrives: As for my hardrives I want to try out the RAID 0 route. This will be my first time attempting this so I’m a little lost. What exactly do I need besides two identical hardrives? I need 74 GB of storage space so do I need two 36 GB hardrives or do I need two 74 GB hardrives? What about RAID controller cards or other items? Do I need more than one copy of Windows Operating system? Anyway, regardless of whether or not i go the RAID 0 route I'm getting the Western Digital Raptor 10,000 RPM HD.

Graphics: As for my graphics card I think I’m just going to pick up a cheaper card and wait for the DX10 cards prices to settle a bit. I know I’m going to upgrade to an 8 series eVGA graphics card within a year. For now I’ll just get the eVGA Geforce 7600GT 256MB 256-P2-N554-AX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017) unless someone has some big objection to that idea.

Optical drive: LITE-ON 20X DVD+R… with LightScribe Technology - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106055)
I’m a fan of lite-on so there might be some superior products out there that I was to biased to see.

[flanzig1]

You don't want to run RAID 0 for storage, if one drive dies, ALL data is lost. RAID 0 is to run just apps.
As for the mother board, unless your a mad OCer don't need the MSI. If you look at the amount of differences in each test in that article you will see that the differences are not that big.

[newbuilder14]

Processor: Awesome

Motherboard: Not the best, the Asus P5B is much better/stable and highly recommended here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131030

Memory: C4 latency has had some issues with the P965 platform, you want C5 memory You shouldn't notice a difference: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

Case: Totally up to you.

OS: Good choice to prepare for Vista.

PSU: Excellent.

Hard Drives: Well, first of all, RAID 0 is not all that great - it has a pretty wide data loss risk and RAID 0 is pretty impossible on the P5B board, and I wouldn't even try it on the other boards. Your best bet is to save a bunch of money and get one of these hard drives, which are just about as powerful as the Raptors: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148144

Graphics: Excellent choice again. I have the same card and I am happy with it.

Optical Drive: You do not want an OEM drive as they don't come with any software, and it is hard to tell whether other software will cooperate with your drive. Here is a better choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106045

[Turbo_Supra]

I plan on overclocking my CPU, memory and graphics card. So yes, i definitely want to go with the MSI over the asus (the AP WiFi was my first choice but it cost more, has poorer performance, and i don really need the extra features.)

as for the memory suggestion, why would i want to go with C5 over C4? The difference would be quite substantial when OC'ing i'd rather just take the chance and send it back if it doesn't work. Do you have any specific links i could look at regarding the C4 issues?

also, i have another old HD i plan to use to store data. So the two drives in RAID 0 would only be used for apps. Can anyone else give me info on setting up a RAID 0 system?

[Mr.Ferrari]

Alright I suggest you dont go by tomshardware when worrying about serious overclocking. A P5B Deluxe is the best performer and is the top overclocker for Core 2 Duo. The P5B will overclock much better then the MSI as well.

There is absolutely 0 diff. when it comes to overclocking with the C5 and C4 versions. Corsair uses the exact same chips in both. So C4 wont overclock higher then C5. Corsair did use some better stuff before in the C4 but not anymore. Timings will give you a tiny perf. boost with core 2 duo. Frequency>Timings.

FYI, that thing in toms was done in november of '06. Boards have evolved ALOT since then.

[Turbo_Supra]

Do you know anything about RAID 0 setup Ferrari? That's my biggest question at the moment.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Some speed gain is there for those who use it with Raptors and dont really care about their data.

Otherwise you wont gain all that much, but will risk alot more. If you must have Raid0, I suggest you have a good backup plan for any valuable data...

[newbuilder14]

I have heard the only way to do RAID with the Asus P5B was to use the eSATA port in the back along with the JMicron internal connector. Is this true?

Either way, I'd still pick the P5B/P5B Deluxe - it is truly the best P965 board out there in my opinion.

[Turbo_Supra]

I realize how 'outdated' that article is in term of how fast parts evolve in the computer component world. however, I'm not aware of any new 965 Mobos since Novermber '06. The new 680is just came out but they are far to expensive for a mid-range budget. The MSI 965 dominated all the other mobos in that lineup; it especially dominated the p5b. I've always been an asus fanboy -- I used one in my last build -- but the MSI board was cheaper and performed so much better in the tests. PCstats.com suggests the MSI for a mid-range build (http://www.pcstats.com/ShoppingList.cfm). Hardware secrets also recommends it over the asus p5b (http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/408/8). Every single component review site i go to suggests the MSI over the Asus. You guys have the experience so I'll leave the final decision up to you. Between the ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP and the MSI P965 Platinum which would you prefer?

[newbuilder14]

Most definately the Asus P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP. It is more stable and a much higher quality board. It also has the better overclocking.

[Turbo_Supra]

Do you have any evidence to support that argument. . . ?

I really want to believe the asus is better as well but based on all the facts I'm finding the MSI is appearing to be better.

oh, and i found out the answer to RAID0 question

[newbuilder14]

If you think the MSI appears better, then go ahead and get that board. It is always your choice.

I'm telling you right now, the Asus P5B has been a proven success for the P965 platform in terms of overclocks and stability. All experienced members here recommend it more than any other board. I used one in my build and I was up and going in no time, and have had no problems.

[Mr.Ferrari]

The P5B Deluxe is the 965 board to have. Any experianced perf. user or overclocker will tell you that. 95% of world records (in overclocking) have been done with this board. Rock solid too.

Remember the P5B Vanilla and the Deluxe are two wholly different animals.

[jfk]

I find that memory article "interesting", as that is the ONLY article I have seen stating that the GSkill's use Elipida chips. Every other article shows them to be D9 Micron chips, with the overclocks to support it.