Core 2 Duo - $2k budget

[mevans]

Hey folks, been over a year since I frequented this forum after my last build. This time around I'm intending to use an Nvidia 680i SLI board. I've found most of the components I want to use, which will be listed in a sec, but thought I'd see if you guys had any comments or suggestions if you know of anything better or just as good and cheaper. One of the big issues I want advice on is cooling and noise. I'm not sure which, if any, GPU cooler works with my card of choice. Also, I love the case that I picked out but am not sure if I can put anymore fans in it or if would it would need any more. So critique away.

Anyway, here are the parts:


GIGABYTE 3D Aurora 570 GZ-FA1CA-ASB Black 1.0 mm Aluminum body ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811233013

Open Box: ASUS Striker Extreme LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX The Ultimate Gaming Motherboard - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...2E16813131074R

BFG Tech BFGR88640GTSOCE GeForce 8800GTS 640MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 OC HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814143081

XCLIO STABLEPOWER 850W ATX Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817189015

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115003

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145034

Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822136011

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16835186134

[Mr.Ferrari]

-I would personally go with a P5N32-E SLI.

-Go for the Silverstone ST85ZF PSU instead, its higher quality. AND you can get it HERE for $60 less.

-Dont wast your money on the C4 Corsair kit, it uses the same exact chips as the C5 kit, EPP is practically useless too. Go for the 5-5-5 kit.

-Go for a Seagate 7200.10 drive instead. That raptor is a waste of cash.

Stick to the stock cooler that comes with your CPU. If you use one from aftermarket, you will void the warranty on your cpu.

[mevans]

For some additional information, I did read the sticky again before posting, I'll be carrying over my keyboard/mouse, 2 - 400 GB WD harddrives, 26" LCD display, and my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro soundcard.

[mevans]

Do you have any links for that motherboard and RAM example?

Thanks for the tip on the CPU cooler. I actually forgot that it was retail and came with it's own cooler.

And any specific reason why the 7200.10 is better? I've never used anything but WD so far.

[Mr.Ferrari]

P5N32-E SLI

Corsair DDR2 800 C5

Its the fastest non-Raptor drive available. And the speed difference between it and the WD is too little to justify the cost for most builders besides the power user with a huge budget. I would rather get a higher density Seagate 7200.10 for the same price. Its also quieter (arguably), and has a 5 year warranty.

Although since you already have 2-400gb drives, the Raptor might not be all that bad of a choice.

[mevans]

What's the major differences between that board and the Striker?

Also, forgot to mention it, I'm trying to find a board that I won't need to load SATA drivers when installing XP or maybe even Vista at some point. I'm hoping most of the newer mobos are like that. My current Biostar board is.

Thanks for the RAM link. Definitely looks better.

So... other than a PSU change, RAM change, dropping the aftermarket CPU cooler, and contemplating a new board, any other suggestions? Oh, I am considering getting another storage drive too. My 400 gig ones are almost full.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Its just contains a few less features.

You probably won't have to unless your doing raid at startup..

[Alaron]

I notice the link you have for the Striker board is Open Box. That means it is a returned, but working board that may or may not come with all of the accessories. No matter what model motherboard you buy, switch to a regular Retail version.

[mevans]

Do you think I'll need to add more fans on top of the 3 - 120 MM ones included with the case?

Should I still shoot for the E6600 chip or pitch in a few extra $ for the E6700?

And lastly, any opinions on that graphics card? Are they any better and cheaper ones? Do you know of any aftermarket GPU coolers that would work with it? Would I need more than 850 W to run two of these in SLI at some point in the future?

[Alaron]

You won't need any more fans. The included cooling will be plenty.

The E6600 is the sweet spot. An extra 260Mhz for another $80 is not worth it.

We generally recommend eVGA branded cards for their reputation for quality. I've heard good things about BFG though. This version is a tad cheaper: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130071

[mevans]

What about cooling on the card itself? Does the 8800 GTS run very hot? Also, I noticed these cards are getting larger and larger, will that block all of my PCI slots if I'm running SLI?

[mevans]

I was checking the differences on the PSU offered on Newegg and on the SilverStone site. Obviously they're identical models with a $60 price difference. Nothing to sneeze at, to be sure, but getting it directly from the manufacturer only offers a 1 year warranty as opposed to 3 years offered on Newegg. Is two more years worth the 60 bucks in the grand scheme of things?

[Mr.Ferrari]

Actually, you really don't need anymore then 750W. 850W is overkill if you just want to do SLI. In which case I suggest the Silverstone ST75ZF.

And are you talking about www.sundialmicro.com ? Well thats not really silverstone's site..Im not sure why it says 1 year. Im pretty sure its retail packaging, and all silverstone powersupplies over 550w do have a 3 year warranty from manufacturer.

Either way, buy the ST75ZF, save even more cash. Newegg and SundialM both have it for around the same price.

[Alaron]

The video card will not block your PCI slots, especially if you don't have SLI. Looking at the photo of the P5N32E-SLI, your video card would go in the first PCI-E slot, leaving the 2 PCI slots at the bottom perfecly free.

[mevans]

Would it block them if I did get SLI though? I'm coming in under my budget with the build design so far. Comes out to $1,464, so was contemplating a second 8800 GTS.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Well yeah, if you go SLI, you will only end up with one pciex16 and one PCI slot left if im not mistaken.

[Staren]

If you have the money for 2 GTSs, then get a GTX. The proformance would be better.

[mevans]

Alright, the parts are purchased and shipped. Should be here either tomorrow or most likely Thursday. I got all of the recommended parts except for the videocard. I got the BFG 8800GTS. I would have preferred to have gotten the XFX version, have had a good history with their cards so far, but sold out everywhere I looked.

After I get it all together I'll give some feedback. Oh, and just in case the stock case fans blow total chunks, what would be a good/silent 120 mm replacement fan?

[Staren]

I've had good use out of Thermaltake fans, but if you want silent without killing airflow, something from this list is what you want.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=&srchInDesc=

[Mr.Ferrari]

Yate Loon D12-SL's from www.petrastechshop.com.

[Staren]

Scratch my suggestion. Mr.Ferrari has the fan deal right there. They blow a solid amount of air, are quiet, and nice and cheap. I may pick a few of those just to have on hand.

[mevans]

Got it all put together, posted just fine, got Vista installed and running well. However, running games seems to make the video drivers keep crashing. I'm using the drivers that was release two days ago. Any thoughts?

[minsonngo]

Try using an old version of the drivers. There may be some bugs with the newest release.