What do you think of this PC build?

[crazymofo16321]

I'm building a new PC soon and would like to know what you all think of this setup. Will there be any issues with this? I dont want to spend all this money on something thats likely to explode or not perform as well as i expect (which is Crysis for example running on full settings smoothly)

Thanks Guys!

Intel CoreDuoQuad Q6600
4 gigs of CorsairX XMS2 DDR6400 5-5-5-18
XFX MB-n680 ISHnf680i Mobo
XFX 8800ultra
Vista 64bit OEM
400gig SATA harddrive 16mb cache 8.9ms
Akaska AKA 965 x3 CPU Cooler
Antec900 case, oooo lots o' cooling!
generic DVD-RW

Also, will i be able to get a decent overclock on this system?

[Freddie]

I think the legality of buying Microsoft OEM software for personal use is a grey area. Assuming that it is ok you are aware that you will only be able use that OEM license on that machine aren’t you?

BTW buying an 8800 Ultra is like putting £50 notes in a shredder, an ultra card is nothing more then an approved overclocked GTX, just read some of the reviews on sites like Anandtech and toms hardware.

What make is your hard drive? I can’t find that cooler listed anywhere, its probably rubbish so that’s why I can't find it. King Edward I uses the best heatsink on the market but I can’t for the life of me remember what its called, I think it’s a Tuniq Tower but I can’t remember the model number.

[mrmouth]

http://www.akasa.co.uk/

Some guys I know over at overclockers like akasa very much. They have some sharp cases too. They are never really seen here in the US.

I always used OEM versions of XP. However with the price of Vista it just doesnt make sense.

Agreed about the vidcard. You can find the 600mb GTX for close to $300 now.

[Vanquisher]

Better quality memory, that is terrible and won't overclock or give you high benchies..i know OCZ and G.Skil are good choices (also 2gb is more than enough for anything atm). 2hdd in raid instead and a good 700watt plus PSU... don't skimp on that, it's more important than anything or it WILL blow up lol, especially with an Ultra. And yes, a TT is the best cooler to go for unless you want water. Are you looking to overclock the GPU card too? Not sure what cooling is available for those tbh.

BTW, there are price cuts on the Quad cores soon so keep an eye out and don't rush.

Look here for a PSU in your price range:
http://www.overclock.net/power-suppl...-supplies.html

an Ultra will be needing 700 watts at least but it's more important to have a good amp rating on the 12v line. 650watts will do a GTX fine i should think, but i'm not an expert with these GPU's. Spend at least $200 on a PSU though or your overclock could turn nasty lol.

[mrmouth]

Depending on the manufacturer, most Ultras will need 34A on the 12v rail.

Just go with the GTX.

Here is my PSU recommendation, server grade, 5yr warranty, PFC, combined 50A on x3 rails, modular cables, incredibly quiet and efficient. Tested with a quad core two GTX's in sli and a ton of HDD's. Its taken anything Corsair has thrown at it thus far. The warranty and the current price make it a no brainer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139002

[Freddie]

He might as well get 4 Gb’s he’s getting a 64 bit OS which can handle 4 Gb’s plus ram is so cheap at the moment he might as well snap it up, but I agree he should look at getting better memory (faster) for better o/c results.

Also if he is serious about overclocking a quad Core - Core 2 Duo I wouldn’t use anything less a decent water cooling system.

[OTZ]

It you want to overclock, then get DDR2 1066, and definitley a P35 mobo...

[crazymofo16321]

So I'll go for 2gigs of CorsairX xms2 dominator ram which i think is at 4-4-4-12. Instead of 4gigs of slower Ram, ok i suppose that'll save me cash anyway and i can always add a couple more dominator sticks later. I would go for the GTX but i can get the XFX Ultra for like £20 more than the GTX. I'm pretty set on that. The cooler is the only one i could find that was specifically for quad core as far as i could tell. I'f i set my PSU budget for £100 what should I get, remember im only using 1 ultra. what are the pro's and con's of getting a 64bit OS because im looking at 32bit now and its cheaper. If I spent £40 on a high end cpu cooler what sort of overclock could i expect to see on my Q6600? (I'm a noob at overclocking...) I dont think im going to get a better mobo, I want to keep the price under £1800 for everything (monitor n all).

[Freddie]

Do you mind asking how much you are spending on the 8800 Ultra and where are you sourcing your parts from?

[crazymofo16321]

I'm going to buy everything from scan.co.uk, ive dealt with them many times and they deliver quickly and everything is as cheap as it can be. The ultra im looking at is http://www.scan.co.uk/products/produ...oductID=587943
so thats £412. There are GTX's on the same page more expensive than that.
Besides, im moving up from a athlon xp 2800 radeon800xl system so my lust for the big black beast as ive grown to call my soon to be PC is strong and I want the best of everything. (to an extent, im not spending £700 on a QX6800 CPU when it'll give me only virtually no difference in performance.)

This whole set up is going to be a major enlargement for my e-penis.

p.s: what about this PSU: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=539645

It looks pretty good, I want a modular PSU.

[Freddie]

p.s: what about this PSU: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=539645

It looks pretty good, I want a modular PSU.

I don’t modular PSU’s sure they are convenient but the hit on efficiency doesn’t make them worth the extra money, besides I don't like Enermax. The only two PSU manufactures I would buy from are Tagan and Seasonic such as this one from Tagan.

Be sure to read the Buyers guide thats stickyed at the top of the forum.

Perhaps I'll get a p35 board then, but i want one with a nice layout and problems with ram compatability etc. My mobo budget is £160, what would you recommend?

I recommend you read this.

[Rush Limbaugh]

Perhaps I'll get a p35 board then, but i want one with a nice layout and no problems with ram compatability etc. My mobo budget is £160, what would you recommend?

Id go with what I have an P5W DH Deluxe

Also, will i be able to get a decent overclock on this system?

look no further

First we have Doom 3... and here the P5W DH shines; the maximum overclocked result at 3.64GHz (yes, you read right) beat all the other tests.

Thats with an E6400

The Asus P5W DH totally dominated the WinRAR tests done with E6400 processors...

And the Sandra tests were also won by the P5W DH when overclocked!

The P5D WH comes alive when overclocked. It wins the Write benchmark too.

Once overclocked, the P5W DH also had the best latency numbers.

The E6400 is an amazing overclocker; and we managed to set a new record on this motherboard... are you ready for this?We reached 3.60GHz stable on air cooling!

Conclusion


I enjoyed working with the P5W DH - it was definitely made with an eye towards enthusiasts.

Personally, the WiFi and remote control did not make much difference to me - for HTPC's I tend to use smaller, more integrated boards with lower power processors to allow me to keep the noise level down - but the motherboard DEFINITELY was feature full.

What I did not like about the board:

* performance at stock settings was a bit sub-par; but I am sure a BIOS revision will take care of this
* using one of the four primary ports for the eSATA connection - makes running a four drive RAID5 array more difficult

What I liked about the board:

* the flexibility for setting voltages (cpu core, cpu fsb, dram, north bridge, south bridge)
* the EXCELLENT overclockability
* more I/O on the back panel than you can shake a stick at
o PS/2 keyboard/mouse, audio including SPDIFF and optical out, TWO gigabit ethernet, firewire, eSata, serial, four USB, WiFi antenna

If it were not for the eSATA connector issue, I'd give this board a "Highly Recommended" award - but even with that isse, I'll give the Asus P5W DH Deluxe a well deserved "Overclocker's Choice" award!

If you want to overclock the heck out of your Conroe, you can't go wrong with this board.

I have an E6600 and a 8800GTS320 and I play MTW2 online at max settings and no lag. I havent even tried to overclock it yet. No need as far as I can see.

Asus P5W DH Deluxe Review

Its around $225 here. I dont know if thats in your budget but its a great mobo.

[King Edward I]

Im going to now shoot a LOT of holes in this build.

Firstly DO NOT GET A QUAD (KENTSFIELD)
1. For a start; currently you will not really notice a large difference
2. They produce horrible amounts of heat; and to overclock you wont get anywhere more than 300Mhz out of it with safe temps on air; even with a top 5 heatsink
3. Their Bang4Buck Is absolutely terrible for most things (other than videoencoding)

Therefore go with a dual core like the e6420/6600/6700, you can overclock it past 3Ghz and get a new one in a year or so when the quads are less dodgy (believe me I have a bunch).

Then Go with a decent cooler; if you want to go for air cooling setup then go with a Sunbeam Tuniq Tower 120 (I have a couple), or an Thermalright Ultra 120 (or extreme edition 120).

If you get a half alrite chip you should be able to do 3.4Ghz easily on that cooling and it will work out cheaper, quieter and better for your pocket.

For the Mobo Id go with a P5K (Deluxe Version if you want), which I have and it overclocks like a monster - its the only board ive seen do 8x525fsb on a quad (extreme cooling) - which will be useful for when you do decide to go quad...)

For the Ram, Get 2x 2gb Sticks - Id recommend ballistix or dominator and get a ram fan (if you arent planning on OCing much then get some 2gb OCZ 800 Sticks). It leaves ya more room to upgrade in the future.

Dont Get an 8800Ultra, I have tested some and they are a waste of money for the persformance gain over a GTX, you can pick up a GTX for £300 now, but Id go with a good brand such as EVGA (avaible from scan), as you can always stepup to the ultra at a little later date if you have the inclination.

Also what resultion will you be playing at?

If its 1680x1050 or under you can get away with a GTS 640 with ease, but if you want go for the GTX


HDD Wise Id go for the new 750GB caviar as you have saved a bundle by chaging to these components, its a blisterinly fast drive. Or if not a 1TB Hitachi (32MB cache) is just as good.

PSU wise Id got with a Corsair HX620W, it seems to power dual 8800GTX's and a loada other stuff no problem, and is quiet to.

Antec 900 Case is OK, but 1 an ULTRA definately wont fit without some surgery to the case, it is a little tight for a GTX. I would recommend; if you can stretch to it a SilverStone Temjin 09 (TJ09), I have one and it is a dream to work with.

Just my 2 Pence

Ed

[Rush Limbaugh]

m going to now shoot a LOT of holes in this build.

Firstly DO NOT GET A QUAD (KENTSFIELD)
1. For a start; currently you will not really notice a large difference
2. They produce horrible amounts of heat; and to overclock you wont get anywhere more than 300Mhz out of it with safe temps on air; even with a top 5 heatsink
3. Their Bang4Buck Is absolutely terrible for most things (other than videoencoding)

Therefore go with a dual core like the e6420/6600/6700, you can overclock it past 3Ghz and get a new one in a year or so when the quads are less dodgy (believe me I have a bunch).

Then Go with a decent cooler; if you want to go for air cooling setup then go with a Sunbeam Tuniq Tower 120 (I have a couple), or an Thermalright Ultra 120 (or extreme edition 120).

If you get a half alrite chip you should be able to do 3.4Ghz easily on that cooling and it will work out cheaper, quieter and better for your pocket.

For the Mobo Id go with a P5K (Deluxe Version if you want), which I have and it overclocks like a monster - its the only board ive seen do 8x525fsb on a quad (extreme cooling) - which will be useful for when you do decide to go quad...)

For the Ram, Get 2x 2gb Sticks - Id recommend ballistix or dominator and get a ram fan (if you arent planning on OCing much then get some 2gb OCZ 800 Sticks). It leaves ya more room to upgrade in the future.

Dont Get an 8800Ultra, I have tested some and they are a waste of money for the persformance gain over a GTX, you can pick up a GTX for £300 now, but Id go with a good brand such as EVGA (avaible from scan), as you can always stepup to the ultra at a little later date if you have the inclination.

Also what resultion will you be playing at?

If its 1680x1050 or under you can get away with a GTS 640 with ease, but if you want go for the GTX


HDD Wise Id go for the new 750GB caviar as you have saved a bundle by chaging to these components, its a blisterinly fast drive. Or if not a 1TB Hitachi (32MB cache) is just as good.

PSU wise Id got with a Corsair HX620W, it seems to power dual 8800GTX's and a loada other stuff no problem, and is quiet to.

I didnt notice he was getting a quad. But you are pretty much spot on. I did a lot of research before buying this pc. Actually I had bought a new one 2 months prior but it got stolen. That one was an E6400 with a 7950GT512 2 gig of ram a 250 sata II and a Raidmax tower with 500w psu and a P5E mobo. Cost $1100

I did more research this time as I had an extra $200, if only I had waited


This time I went with an E6600 the P5W deluxe, same tower and psu and the evga 8800GTS320 had just come out so I grabbed that.You can get a regular GTS now for about the same price I belive. It wont play VI however. I got the same two gig of ram as well. he MoBo makes a huge difference IMO. The sound card built into it is fantastic as is the Wifi. Ive always wanted to OC it but have no idea where to begin. Will it really make that much difference? I play mostly MTW2 and Oblivion. I run both at max settings with pretty much no problems already. I cant imagine much better. How do you know your fps by the way?

This cost me $1300 and I dont think you really need more than this at this point. Its pretty much all you need for now. And again with that mobo you can get a E6400 to run at 3.6 without any extra cooling. Though I would add some.

[mrmouth]

I don’t modular PSU’s sure they are convenient but the hit on efficiency doesn’t make them worth the extra money, besides I don't like Enermax. The only two PSU manufactures I would buy from are Tagan and Seasonic such as this one from Tagan.

.
I consider myself a bit of a PSU aficionado, and from what I have read over the years the modular PSU and the efficiency hit is insignificant and blown out of proportion. The argument was why spend a bit more to go modular and take a hit, but with the prices these days that argument really isn't applicable.

Heres a nice article on that:
http://www.motherboards.org/articles/guides/1488_4.html

Enermax is a high quality PSU manufacturer. However I have only heard good things about their Galaxy and Liberty product line. The Infiniti line is between the Liberty and Galaxy, Galaxy being the top of the line from Enermax. I believe Infiniti is relatively new. No idea about warranty though.

This page lists the specs for the Infiniti 720w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817194021

For that money though I would recommend looking at PC Power and Cooling, widely regarded as the best PSU manufacturer on the planet.

Here is a breakdown from johnnyguru:

Tier 1:
PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool product line
Built like a server PSU, but with the home user also in mind.
Louder than most, but not as loud as other "server grade" PSU's like SuperMicro or Zippy.
1kW is 8800GTX SLI certified
1kW is Crossfire X1900/X1950 Crossfire certified
850W is 7800 and 7900GTX SLI certified
5 year warranty

Etasis Gaming Power product line
Server grade
Fairly quiet for PSU's with 80MM fans
ET-750 and ET-850 are both 8800GTX SLI certified
3 year warranty

Silverstone Zeus and Nightjar product line
Based on Etasis units, a company known for server grade PSU's
Not very loud, even when outfitted with 80MM fans.
Often sleeved cables, etc. Geared more towards the enthusiast than other server grade PSU's.
ST85ZF is Crossfire X1900/X1950 Crossfire certified
ST75ZF is 8800GTX SLI certified
ST56ZF is 7800 and 7900GTX SLI certified
3 year warranty

Silverstone Olympia product line
Uses SevenTeam 1kW server platform
Very stable power
80A continuous power on a single 12V rail
Single, rear mounted 80MM fan is loud
8800GTX SLI certified
3 year warranty

Zippy GSM and PSL product line
Typically server power supplies and can be loud
PSL model has 40MM fan which has a high pitched sound when running
There is a "gaming" product line that offers all of the necessary connectors for almost any high end gaming rig, a nicer finish and has a much quieter fan than the server models.
Crossfire X1900/X1950 Crossfire certified
PSL-6850P(G1) is 8800GTX SLI certified
3 year warranty


Tier 2:

Enermax Galaxy product line
Lots of power
Semi-Modular
Very quiet
Very efficient
Crossfire X1900/X1950 Crossfire certified
3 years

Enermax Liberty 620W
Excellent voltage regulation
Modular
Very quiet
Crossfire X1900/X1950 Crossfire certified
Only 1 year warranty

Seasonic S12 and M12 product lines
Very good voltage regulation
Very efficient
Very quiet
M12 series is modular
Crossfire X1900/X1950 Crossfire certified
S12 650W is 7950 GX2 Quad SLI certified
3 year warranty

Corsair product line
Based on same platform and component quality as Seasonic S/M12
Very efficient
Very quiet
Modular
HX620W is 7800 and 7900GTX SLI certified
5 year warranty

PC Power and Cooling Silencer product line
Based on same platform and component quality as Seasonic S/M12
750W is 7950 GX2 Quad SLI certified
3 year warranty

Coolmax Greenpower product line
Based on ATNG server platform
A little on the loud side
X1900/X1950 Crossfire certified
3 year warranty
SevenTeam SSI EPS 12V 2.91 Series and "Fanless" product lines
Strong regulation
Efficient and quiet, despite being based on a server platform
Good price, but rarely available in the U.S.
2 year warranty

MGE/XG Duro and Magnum
Based on SevenTeam's higher end units
Lifetime Warranty
Enhance products
Efficient and quiet
Very affordable
Often does not come with sleeved cables
Only 1 year warranty

Silverstone Element and Strider product lines
Based on Enhance's higher end products
3 year warranty on PSU's > 500W. All others are only 1 year warranty

Xclio Stablepower product line
Based on Enhance's ENP 850W and 1000W products
Cooled by quieter 140MM fan (as opposed to pair of 80's)
2 year warranty

Andyson's server line (recognized by dual 80MM fans) and high-efficiency line (recognized by single 130MM fan.)
Extremely affordable
Solid performance and quality components
High efficiency models are 84% typical and very quiet
Not commonly found in U.S. or E.U. Andyson doesn't even have a website
Warranty unknown

Hiper Type-M 670 and 730W and Type-R 730W
Based on server grade Andyson units
3 year warranty
Ultra X-Finity and X-Pro 800W
Based on server grade Andyson units
3 year warranty/Lifetime with product registration

Ultra X-Pro/X-Finity/X3 600W and 700W ("EE" for "Energy Efficient") APFC (not non-APFC)
Based on high-efficiency Andyson units
Quiet and efficient
3 year warranty/Lifetime with product registration

[Freddie]

.
I consider myself a bit of a PSU aficionado, and from what I have read over the years the modular PSU and the efficiency hit is insignificant and blown out of proportion. The argument was why spend a bit more to go modular and take a hit, but with the prices these days that argument really isn't applicable.

I think were going to have to agree to disagree with regards to module PSU's. But your right with regrads to PC Power and Cooling they do make the best PSU's, however their not easy to get a hold of in the UK hence why I picked Seasonic and Tagan.

[Vanquisher]

i'd save the £20 and get a better motherboard, the GTX is more than good enough and you can overclock it to an Ultra easily. The motherboard is the most important thing to choose when overclocking you CPU, (it's the thing that does that actual work and gives you the settings), so you want a good one.

[Freddie]

I've just saved you £60.

[boboftl]

Get a P35 board instead of a 680i.

[crazymofo16321]

Perhaps I'll get a p35 board then, but i want one with a nice layout and no problems with ram compatability etc. My mobo budget is £160, what would you recommend?