new build

[mike354]

working on a new build..old one fried...

reusing antec slk3700 case

mobo - asus P5Q-E or the P5K pro

cpu: e8400 wolf

gpu: asus radeon 4850

psu: corsair 750tx

mem: corsair 4gb (2x 2gb) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184
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hd: seagate 7200.11 ST3500320AS

os: trying to decide between xp & vista..personal choice i guess...old dog...


Unsure diff between the two mobos whether the Q is worth the $??

Any reason to bump the cpu to E8500 or the Q6600?

Hoping to play the new gen games. Thanks!!

[Katreat]

Proformance wise there is not much of a difference between the P35 and P45 MBs. The P45 mainly gives you advances that "may" make a difference in the future, like PCI 2.0 support. So if you are looking for performance today and find a good deal on a P35 MB you will be money ahead, but if prices are close then it might be nice to have some of the new features in case video cards start really taking advantange of the new standard. No clear cut answer.

The E8400 still holds the sweet spot for performance for the dollar. The E8500 is a bit faster but IMO not worth the extra $. The performance is not that much better. The quad is a good choice for future proofing, it is only a matter of time before someone starts writing games to take advantage of more cores. It is also a great OCer from what I have read. But again, if you are mainly gaming the best bang for the buck right now is probably the duel core E8400.

As for vista or XP it really is a personal choice now. They are both stable and work with all newer games. I went vista so I could enjoy 10x, which is a big reason to head that direction. But if you are playing older games then XP is probably the most stable of the two platforms.

To be honest, if you want to spend a bit more then I would spend it on video card. The 4850 is a fantastic deal right now, and going that directiona and saving a bit for a future upgrade is a great choice, but if you are looking to improve anything in your posted build I would probably start looking at the 4870 as a place to put my money.

Kat

[cantputt04]

After the E8500's price cut (nearly 80 bucks), it is now the same price as the E8400 was a couple weeks ago, and comes with World in Conflict, making it superior deal.

Also, the HD 4870 is amazing.

[mike354]

I just priced out at newegg and they had a combo deal with the P5Q & E8500 for the same $ as buying the P5Q & the E8400. So might as well go with the combo. You are right probably wouldn't notice the performance difference between the two processors. That is a good thought about the MBs to help for the future. Tough though these days as the tech seems to move quicker.

As far as the cards go - it is tempting to go for the 4870. I guess its approx $100 difference. Whats a 100 dollars these days..lol. I agree with you that the card is where you should invest a little more. So maybe I will lean toward that one.

So you have had good luck with vista? Any trouble with playing older games? wondering if there are network issues as my home network is XP. I guess I should check out the networking forum.

Thanks so much for your help!

[Katreat]

I have had zero problems with vista and software and I got it pretty early before the patches. All the older games I play have worked wonderfully. But I dont play many older games so not sure if I am a good test case. But if you play newer games and have the video to crank them up then I figure it is worth it to enjoy the 10x experinece.

Kat

[Patch]

Having just completed my first custom build (with great help from the folks in this forum), I'd like to chime in on the Vista/XP decision. I read endless forums and reviews and got scared away from Vista and 64 bit. With this build I cycled through XP Pro 32 and XP Home 32 (I had retails already - all "clean" fresh installs) with various frustrations and an overall feeling of "meh". Then, riding a wave of momentary OS anger, I brashly decided that Vista couldn't be any worse and bought Ultima 64 bit.
I LOVE IT.

Here's why:
XP = problems.
Vista = problems.

XP = A few old, familiar, monumental problems.
Vista = Many new, unfamiliar, minor problems.

XP 32= Something won't work.
1) Pull hair out.
2) Google for answers. Most say, "update drivers".
3) Update drivers. Never works. Google again.
4) Manually install something. Sometimes works. If not.....
5) Google again. Long list of suggestions. None work.
6) Manually uninstall something. Works, but......breaks something else...
7) Takes days to get everything working.

Vista 64= Something won't work. (Repeat step 1 above)
1) The first thing is probably your (brand new) motherboard.
2) Update bios. Thank the Gods for Express Gate internet access.
3) Next thing is that half your (brand new) hardware is not recognized at all.
4) Update drivers. Now recognized.
5) Software won't work.
6) Google drivers. Install. Now works.
7) Takes hours to get everything working.

They both have problems, so pick your poison. So far, every vista problem I've had has been rapidly solved with a driver.

If you do go Vista, I recommend disabling UAC (user account control). For me, it's like an annoying backseat driver who occasionally has good suggestions. You're so annoyed by him you want to do the opposite of what he suggests just to make him mad..... Any security problem I ever have will be well worth not hearing his voice up until then.

Only problem I've had with 64 bit so far is a message warning me that a program "Is not supported by your operating system, use at your own risk". Every one of them has worked just fine so far.

ASUS P5Q-Pro
Lian Li V1010
E 8400 @ 3.6
Zalman 9500A cooler
Velociraptor
8800 GT (still waffling on what upgrade, if any)
4GB G-Skill 800 DDR2
Corsair HX1000W PSU