First High-End Build

[Masaki 7-11]

I've been meaning to build a high end computer for a while now, but due to time and money concerns haven't been able to until recently. I'd like this computer to have good gaming and multitasking performance, as well as good cooling and low noise. My budget is $1600 CAD with monitor for the computer itself (I already have OS, peripherals, and motherboard) here is the list I've put together so far:

Vista Ultimate 64-Bit (Already have)

MSI P45 Platinum (Already have)
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Ha..._p45_platinum/

Cooler Master - Cosmos 1000 Silent Full Tower (Reviews say that this case is quiet, large and has good airflow)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...18544(ME).aspx
$199.95

Intel - Core™2 Quad Processor Q6600 2.4GHz w/ 2x4MB Cache (I plan on overclocking this processor to at least 3.6GHz, I will try to get a G0 version if possible, but if I can only get a B3, I should be able to get the processor to at least 3.0GHz)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...15884(ME).aspx
$214.95

Mushkin - HP2-6400 High Performance DDR2 SDRAM (5-4-4-12), 4GB Dual Pack (I may need to overclock the ram a bit if the FSB gets higher than 400MHz during overclocking)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...19639(ME).aspx
$99.95

Western Digital - 640GB Caviar SE16 7200rpm SATA II w/ 16MB Cache
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...20687(ME).aspx
$89.95

Liteon - LH-20A1S 20x20 DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive, SATA (Retail)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...16357(ME).aspx
$32.95

XFX - GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI (Reviews show the performance of this video card to be as high or higher than the GTX 280 for 1920x1200 resolution which is what I'll be using for gaming)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...20326(ME).aspx
$299.95

Corsair - TX 750W Power Supply w/ 140mm Fan
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...18779(ME).aspx
$114.95

Thermalright - Ultra-120 eXtreme Aluminum Heatsink for P4-775 / AM2
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...17339(ME).aspx
$69.95

ARCTIC SILVER - Arctic Silver 5 High Density Silver Thermal Compound, 3.5g
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...X1577(ME).aspx
$9.99

Scythe - S-FLEX™ S-FDB 120mm Quiet Fan, Med Flow (I've used this brand of fans before with good results, this particular fan should be a good balance between performance and noise)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...17184(ME).aspx
$19.95

BenQ - V2400W 24in Widescreen LCD w/ DVI, HDMI, 2ms, Black (This monitor features a similar panel to other 24in Benq monitors in the same price range, but has a nicer casing and weighs less)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...21133(ME).aspx
$429.95

Total $1,582.49

Thank you for taking the time to read this far, any thoughts?

[shadowpr]

Looks good.

Might want to look into the 4870's performance at that resolution.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by shadowpr Looks good. Might want to look into the 4870's performance at that resolution.

I was originally planning on getting the HD4870 until I found that the price of the 9800GX2 was the same. In terms of performance, both cards are pretty evenly matched, but I'm a bit concerned about the poor folding performance of the HD4870 and right now the 9800GX2 is better value because it comes with Company of Heroes and has Warmonger (PhysX based FPS) as a free download from the nvidia website. Thanks for the suggestion.

[12twelve12]

Do a Google search for "9800GX2 stutter" before you buy.

Requires more power, I believe, and runs hotter than the 4870 also.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by 12twelve12 Do a Google search for "9800GX2 stutter" before you buy. Requires more power, I believe, and runs hotter than the 4870 also.

Checked on google for stutter on the 9800GX2 and it seems to be at a reasonable level from the videos I've seen. The HD3870X2 seems to have much higher stutter than the 9800GX2 judging by the graphs of stuttering on multi GPUs.

I'm pretty sure that a 750watt power supply will be enough for a system with either a HD4870 or a 9800GX2. In terms of temperature, I've read that the HD4800 series runs at pretty high temperatures at stock fan settings, since I plan on overclocking the video card, I'm pretty sure both cards would run hot and somewhat loud.

I'll continue to look into both the 9800GX2 and HD4870 until I purchase the parts in about a week, but right now I'm leaning towards the 9800GX2.

[Masaki 7-11]

After doing some more research, here are the pros and cons of both the hd4870 and 9800gx2:

HD4870 (Sapphire, ~$300CAD)

Pro's:
Supports DX10.1, Shader Model 4.1
Good media quality/performance
High performance for gaming
Energy efficient
Monthly driver updates which increase performance and remove bugs

Con's:
Poor performance for folding @ home
Runs hot
Does not have support for PhysX
Some games crash if settings are set to maximum (this found in ATI Catalyst release notes)
2 year warranty
Does not support OpenGL 3.0


9800GX2 (XFX, ~$300CAD)

Pro's:
High performance in some games
Supports PhysX
Can run games at maximum settings
High performance in folding @ home
Double lifetime warranty
Supports OpenGL 3.0

Con's:
Runs hot
Not energy efficient
Like the G84 and G86 chips, the G92 chips may also be prone to failure
Support for dual gpus not available on all games
Microstuttering (can be aliviated by running AFR with V-Sync, or SFR with Triple Buffering)
Does not support DX10.1, Shader Model 4.1


Seems like a really hard choice to make, any comments or suggestions?

[chuck4456]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102761

in Xfire will do everything that you want them to do and then some. They also run extremely cool. The images will jump right out of that new BenQ monitor.
BenQ monitors are really great. I have an FP93GX, FP202W, FP222W and a new G2200W.

Based on the box code, this is a GO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115017

The OEM PN is HH80562PH0568M, if you go the OEM route.

Looks like you are going to assemble a nice rig.
Good luck with it.

[liambl]

I don't think dual 3870's will provide the performance or folding ability Masaki is after. I would go with the 9800GX2 personally.

[Masaki 7-11]

I went to buy the parts today (I managed to increase my budget a bit), and due to some parts being out of stock I made a few changes.

Instead of the Q6600, I got the Q9550. (My local computer store actually recommends installing aftermarket heatsinks, so there isn't any issues with warranty)

I got a LG Flatron L246WH-BN instead of the BenQ monitor(s) (all of them sold out just a few days prior to me going to buy the parts).

I got a visiontek HD4870 over the 9800GX2.

I doubled the amount of ram and hard drive.

I also got a DLink Wireless N Router and PCI adapter.

Will probably build the computer tomorrow, I'll update my sig once it's done with final specs and benchmarks.