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10-24-2008, 10:06 AM
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#1 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Posts: 241
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Which Intel-based Mobo/Memory/GPU combo?
I'm doing my homework to put together a new gaming rig. First off, it's most certainly meant to be a "brag" system, so it will be at least a little bit overboard. ...All I really play is WoW right now, though eventually Diablo III and SW:tOR when they're released. So money isn't a huge deal just yet (I'm hoping to keep the system under $2000... I can certainly go above that, but would only want to do so to see a good increase in a benchmark, if not the games I'll be playing, since I know WoW doesn't take a lot relatively speaking, LOL). That said, I don't want to spend $150 more for only 200 MHz more of speed (or whatnot--you get the idea).
I've yet to narrow down a board, memory speed, and GPU, so there aren't any links I can post. I'd like to do SLI of course, or CrossFire if I can find the parts in the right combo I'm looking for, but could really use a fresh perspective (or many fresh perspectives! LOL) on how to go. If possible, I'd like to go with DDR3 system memory, and I'll be shooting for 8 GB. ...But I'd like to be able to pay a reasonable amount for it (sure, it'll be more than DDR2, but I don't want to go *that* overboard)... But, if "competitively priced" and "DDR3" don't belong in the same sentence just yet, I'm fine with DDR2. A slower DDR3 speed would be just fine if it would be a performance increase over DDR2. But slower DDR3 is how I go, I also need a board that supports a less expensive DDR3 memory bus, along with having the number of PCI Express x16 2.0 slots I want (two at least if not three, see below), preferably under $300. Finally, for GPUs, I've been considering two primary options--twin GeForce 9800 GX2's, or three Radeon 4850's. The review I saw on Tom's Hardware Guide says that two 4850's are better than one 9800 GX2, but since I'm looking at twin GX2s, I'd want the third 4850 to compete. Which is the better option--will the third 4850 compete with the twin GX2s, and still be viable in an Intel-based system for the other specs I want, or are the GX2s the better/easier-to-part way to go? ...Can I get all of this without destroying my budget (I actually had to convince my girlfriend not to include the monitors and mounting arms I'll be getting to stay under that loose $2000 mark), or am I in a pipe dream and should consider stepping back a couple parts to "just-before-state-of-the-art"? |
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10-24-2008, 11:36 AM
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#2 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Do you need a copy of windows? I have not included one in the list, but there is room to change the components so that a copy of windows will fit and there won't be that much of a performance loss. 2 HD4870s 1GB will work better in crossfire than 3 HD4850s and probably better than 2 9800GX2s in SLI (Most games can barely handle two GPUs properly, often they will make very little use of more than two GPUs). If you are not overclocking, you will not need the Zalman fan in the list (overclocking and putting on third party heatsinks will void the Intel warranty, but you will still have the standard newegg warranty). DDR2 is currently very competitive with DDR3, and since it is less expensive, it is a better choice. Here is a build list for under $2000 that should have the kind of performance you are looking for:
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS220-08 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106265 $29.99 COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119138 $179.99 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148274 $129.99 2 X POWERCOLOR AX4870 1GBD5-PPH Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131120 $599.98 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006 $119.99 2 X mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996599 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146785 $235.98 ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131284 $288.99 ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118020 $59.99 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 Intel Gift http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115041 $319.99 Subtotal: $1,964.89
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Core i7 2600K @ 4.2GHz | Corsair H100 w/ Scythe S-FLEX 120mm Med. Flow & AC MX4 | 4 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance PC3-12800 | HIS 1GB HD6870/ HIS IceQ X Turbo 1GB CF | Asus P67 Sabertooth | OCZ Vertex 3, WD Velociraptor 150GB & Seagate 1.5TB in Tt iCage | LG 22X DVD+/-RW | D-Link DWA-556 | Corsair TX 750W | Coolermaster Cosmos 1000 | Windows 7 HP 64-Bit | LG Flatron L246WH-BN 3D Mark11: P8491| 3D Mark Vantage: P30840| 3D Mark06: 29912 Last edited by Masaki 7-11; 10-24-2008 at 11:39 AM. |
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10-24-2008, 10:47 PM
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#3 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Omaha, NE
Posts: 207
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You can't go wrong with Masaki's recommendations. Personally, I'm an EVGA fan. Another mobo option to look at is the EVGA nVidia 780i SLI. I have one and have been very happy with it from the start. I don't OC or anything...but it's been running flawlessly since May, running Witcher and COD4 at highest settings...Crysis at all High.
If you run into problems with the budget, I can also recommend 2x EVGA 9600GT 512 MB cards. These have dropped in price and work like a charm in my current rig. With the newest cards out...the 9600 appears to have fallen out of favor, but at least back in May (when I built) this combo was listed as one of the best performers for the money.
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Gaming Rig(March 2008 Build): ANTEC 900 Case w/ Stock Cooling, Intel Q9300 2.5GHz Quad, 4GB Corsair DDR2 800MHz, 750w Corsair PSU, WD Caviar 500GB 7200RPM, EVGA nVidia 780i SLI, EVGA GTX-470, Pioneer DVD+/-R w/ Lightscribe HTPC (May 2010 Build): nMEDIAPC 2000B ATX, AMD Athalon II Regor 2.8GHz Dual Core, 2GB Corsair DDR2 800MHz, 400w Corsair PSU, WD Caviar 500GB, MSI 770T-C45 Motherboard, EVGA nVidia GeForce 210 512MB, Lite-On DVD+/-R w/ Lightscribe |
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10-25-2008, 09:18 AM
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#4 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,557
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For gaming you might want to consider a Dual Core CPU.
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10-25-2008, 09:26 PM
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#5 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Posts: 241
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FANTASTIC posts so far you guys, thanks so much!
 I was certainly considering a 780i board, but that won't work if I want to go with Crossfire, correct? Masaki recommends the twin 4870s, and I'm inclined to agree (if not twin 4870's, then twin 4850)... Still, what are everyone else's thoughts about the ATIs vs. nVidias I'm considering? ....For the GPU, I can understand not getting more than 4 GPUs since games won't really use them, but for the CPU itself, I'm okay with getting 4 cores for just everything in general, not just games... It could be I load up my game while I've got several other apps still loaded from beforehand, and I'll do other stuff with it outside of games... Is there any reason a quad-core wouldn't still benefit me for those applications (i.e. lots of stuff open at once just in general)? Stated another way, is there any reason quad cores would impair gaming performance, or it is just overkill if gaming was my only consideration? |
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10-26-2008, 03:52 PM
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#6 | |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,358
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Quote:
Regarding the ATI vs. Nvidia cards, for most price points you'll find that performance is comparable, a good alternative to the HD4870 1GB is a GTX260(Make sure it is the updated one with 216 shader processors instead of the old which only has 192). The older version of the GTX260 is slower than the HD4870 in most games but can be found for $240 on newegg. |
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10-29-2008, 10:55 AM
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#7 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Posts: 241
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Following some minor tweaks (including a downgrading of the video cards to twin 4850s as recommended by this THG Review:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...Card,2033.html ....I've come up with a final build! Let me know if I've missed anything, if something won't fit with another, or my only thought was that I might need a heftier PSU? LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model iHAS220-08 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106265 $29.99 COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119138 $179.99 I actually wasn't going to go with this one since I don't like the door in front, and tend to prefer my HDs "classic" mounted, but I *really* like the look of this case, and I know I'll need something big for air flow and to allow enough space for the GPUs Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148274 $129.99 ((2x)) Acer X203Wbd Black 20" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009126 $319.98 ((2x)) POWERCOLOR AX4850 512MD3-PPH Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131118 $339.98 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006 $119.99 Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126034 $89.99 Logitech G9 Black 5 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104079 $89.99 ((2x)) OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P10664GK http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227298 $175.98 ((2x)) ERGOTRON 45-174-300 Neo-Flex LCD Arm with Extension (silver) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16850000336 $149.98 --------I thought it would be really cool to have mobile monitors; that way, I can move them out of the way if I need to get at my laptop, and then bring them back into view for when the laptop is parked or just away from my desk. I can't wait to see how this part turns out! ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131284 $288.99 Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116493 $179.99 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115041 $319.99 Subtotal: $2414.83 I can't wait! ...But how's it look? Thanks in advance guys! --Rob |
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10-29-2008, 11:26 AM
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#8 |
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9mm wins.
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Behind my Glock 34.
Posts: 4,544
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Why don't you purchase 22" LCDs instead?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009145 It only costs about $20 more BUT they have FREE shipping whereas the 20" does NOT. So the price difference overall is not that much difference. |
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10-29-2008, 11:39 AM
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#9 |
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I like me
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Tejas
Posts: 7,332
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No need for ddr2-1066 with that cpu. Get ddr2-800 and save money. Only way you would need the 1066 is if you overclock it.
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It's coming....just you wait. |
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10-29-2008, 09:54 PM
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#10 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 172
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i don't think 8gb is necessary anyways. I know you're going overkill, but seriously, i don't think you would need it. That's up to you. also, why get two 20"s? I'd get one big one like 30 inches or something. or atleast get two 22" inches.
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10-30-2008, 10:51 AM
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#11 |
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Member (8 bit)
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Posts: 241
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Swapped out the monitors for twin 22" as suggested, yay for free shipping.
...I'm not really planning to OC this guy, even though that could make it even more amazingly incredible (for WoW, anyway), so I did downgrade the memory to DDR2 800.It's true I'm mostly going 8 GB to be overkill, but also because it's an inexpensive overkill to purchase with the price of memory (especially at DDR2 800). At one time I was considering going 8 GB of DDR3, but decided against it per Masaki's recommendation. So I'm okay with a little excess. ;> I think it's time to purchase!
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10-30-2008, 06:15 PM
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#12 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,557
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Cases are a personal preference but I would save some money and go with something a little cheaper. These two Antec case are clean inside, ample working space and have efficient cooling.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...129021&bop=And |
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