i am considering a new build to game with....

[passn_thru2]

CASE: I built a MOD prototype.. works great, temps are way down

PSU: I'm using my 750 watt Corsair from my present ASUS rig

MOBO: MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI ATX AMD
Newegg.com - MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard..
ASUS has an AMD 980SLI.. nice heat sinks.. but i think i've had it with ASUS Mobos

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

HDD: I have a WD black 1Tb hard drive with 2 WD 500 GB backups

RAM: i am presently using OCZ Reaper HPC 1060 up to 1400, i like the heat pipes, i will probably get the OCZ suggested DDR3 Reaper HPC RAM because i use 1 high volume fan in my case.. i have a Thermocouple bonded to my ram and it runs amazingly cool with the heat pipes.
Newegg.com - OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3RPR1600C8LV4GK

Video Card: i have 2 nVidia GeForce 8800GTS's.. i cant SLI on ATI

Monitor: ASUS VW246H hd 24"

Sound: i have a good SoundBlaster, I my Gamecom Plantronics 5.1 headset mostly

Optical: i have a good Optical

i presently have really a good ASUS ATI Mobo, but i have had too many problems with ATI Graphics Cards.. i am using one of my nVidia 512MB 8800GTS's on the ATI Mobo..it works better than my 1Gb ATI card. it did get hot and kick out of the game as the 8800's are prone to do. so cut a hole in the cover over the heat sink and hot glued on a little 34 cfm, and i opened up the back vent as much as possable, good aitflow now.. runs about 48*C gaming .. i play BC2 on higher settings now.

i plan to use my 8800's SLI on the MSI till i can upgrade.. i play a lot of Multiplayer gaming.. i want a Mobo with SLI. i figure there will be some discounts after Xmas.

my only concern is if i can use my Windows 7 PRO 64bit OS in the new MSI Board.. i heard the OS was tied to the Mobo used when it was first loaded .. will there be a problem ..??

[glc]

Video Card: i have 2 nVidia GeForce 8800GTS's.. i cant SLI on ATI

Have you considered an Intel build where you can SLI? Look at the i3/i5/i7 socket 1156 and an Asus P7P55D-E Pro board. It can SLI or Crossfire. I'll take that over anything with a Nvidia chipset in a heartbeat.

I don't blame you for hating your motherboard - the X48 chipset is a flaky unstable high performance chipset for hobbyists, overclocking freaks, and tweakers. The board I mentioned is the mainstream P55 chipset and it's very solid and stable.

[David M]

Nfact, Nvidia is out of the chipset business Now.

[passn_thru2]

the AMD Phenom II X4 965 is REALLY AFFORDABLE... and not really less a performer acording to the graphs i've seem than the i7.. money is a consideration for this build.. i can sell some stuff and pay for it.. i really have no out of pocket money for this..

[Nikon]

the intel equivilent to the 965 would prolly be an i5. the 965 is an amazing chip, and if thats your set, then you want to get the single most powerful graphics card you can (you should do this anyways). avoid sli altogether.

[passn_thru2]

i was planning to get the

GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N470SO-13I GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N470SO-13I GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

with the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

but i have found something better... and of course more expensive, this will take till April.

thanks for all the help.. it has led me to a new'r build.

[passn_thru2]

I'm researching it because it isn't on the market yet.. the i7 socket 1155 info

most of this is way beyond my understanding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_B...roarchitecture)

the motherboards I'm looking at for this chip are P67 ...
also not out till later in Jan 2011

my first choice, at this time is the GA-P67A-UD4
GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket 1155 - GA-P67A-UD4 (rev. 1.0)
they are said to be about $200-$230.

i built my wife a GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-USB3P LGA 775 Intel P45, e7400 for Windows Office, school work.. and some gaming when it's cold or too hot in the basement man cave.
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-USB3P LGA 775 Intel P45 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
it was a dream to put together.. does the BIOS automatically.!!

i will have to wait a while to find out about what RAM people are happy with, cooling heatsinks, etc. and wait for the price to settle a little.

but this Socket sounds like it will be around for a while.. not much more than the X58 I've been looking at. i figure it's better to start at the beginning than at the end.. like i did with x48...

[glc]

I'd recommend you do NOT use a X58 - go with a P55 or wait for Sandy Bridge if you want Intel. I'd also wait for the whole 500 series to come out if you want a Nvidia card. See what the market is in April, and see how Sandy Bridge is playing out.

[Nuclear Krusader]

At this point all that can be said is speculation, which is hardly something solid to base a decision upon.

[passn_thru2]

i'm just researching, collecting information.. all the companies are starting to leak information the closer the release date comes... none of them want to be the only 'Unknown' product the day it's released..

i'll wait till i hear some feedback.. and the 'Overstock' hits the market as discounts..

just wondering if anyone has heard more than what is on Wiki and Youtube.

[glc]

Threads merged - let's keep it all in one thread, please.

I *WILL* say that for GAMING, the CPU is NOWHERE near as important as the video card.

[Nuclear Krusader]

This seems like a terrible time to build a PC. Unless a current system needs replacing, 'tis better to wait till the new technologies not only arrive but are tested in the real world of everyday computing.