^^i had an E8400 & G80 320MB, got rid of the G80 and upgraded to 8800GX2, it flies!

i think your setup is fine, just upgrade the video card.

i don't think you'd need to upgrade for another 1-2 years with that setup, i'd aim for mid-way through the i7, that's when most price drops happen

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 12:02 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2008 12:00:59 PM

Quote :

"ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard"

Make that another recommendation for this mobo. I have it running my OC'd Q6600 at 3.2GHz.

8/28/2008 7:03:51 PM

^ Yeah it's a good mobo, just be sure to update the firmware. Mine had problems with the ethernet before I flashed it. You can use a flash drive or FAT partition on an internal hard drive (or a CD or DVD for that matter) to update the bios though so it's really easy.

8/28/2008 7:57:06 PM

Of the three ASUS mobos I've had so far, I've been able to OC all of them very easily. Two of them though, the ethernet on them starts to fail as speed goes up. Everything else can be stable, but it will not get an IP address until the clockspeed is reduced. Granted, they were ~$80 boards, but still. Seeing how the P5Q Pro is popular here, has anyone had this happen yet? Mine will be here tomorrow.

[Edited on August 28, 2008 at 11:37 PM. Reason : posted before ready]

8/28/2008 11:36:49 PM

Well since everyone is showing off their goodies here are mine.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036
HIS Hightech H487X2F2GP Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161242
ASUS P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131218
CORSAIR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail ( x2 for 4GB total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145182
Thermaltake Toughpower W0133RU 1200W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153054
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

I just need to settle on an optical drive which won't be too hard and then I need to figure how I want to do my HDD setup. Either I am going to get a "smaller" 10,000rpm raptor for the OS and then have a huge 7,200rpm drive for storage or I spend $Texas and get two 10,000rpm drives and connect them with stripe.

Also, I need a good LCD recommendation. Something in the 22" to 24" range.

8/29/2008 1:04:31 AM

^very nice setup, but 1200W is gross overkill for that setup, 600-700W would do you just fine

Quote :

"10,000rpm raptor for the OS and then have a huge 7,200rpm drive for storage"

i HIGHLY recommend this.

in terms of LCD's i love my Samsung 22" 226BW
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001096

i think this is the latest version of it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001268

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 1:28 AM. Reason : .]

8/29/2008 1:27:22 AM

yea that PSU is ridiculous overkill, and you need to buy at least a 24" LCD or that card will pretty much be a waste.

edit: unless you just want absolute ridonkeykongulous framerates at 1680*1050 I guess

edit2: here's an amazing deal on an amazing single 12v rail PSU, it's not modular if that's a con to you though.

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 1:48 AM. Reason : .]

8/29/2008 1:40:43 AM

The omgwtfbbq PSU is more for the future than the present. The PSU is arguably the most important choice one can make when building a new system. And at some point I may decide to sell my girlfriend and buy a second 4780 X2 which will need some serious juice.

8/29/2008 1:48:50 AM

in that case, why don't you also go ahead and get a pretty good quad that will probably not bottleneck your 4870x2 (and possibly quadfire). There was a recent price drop on the Q9550, don't really know if it's in your budget/interest though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
I don't really know how high you were planning on clocking the e8500, but this would probably be the better bet in the long run :shrug:

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 1:52 AM. Reason : wrong link]

8/29/2008 1:52:33 AM

I went with the E8500 because of the previous discussion about the i7 being right around the corner. I know it will take about a year or so for those to get out and get stable so when the time comes I can easily switch out the MoBo and CPU without feeling as though I wasted money now. If I am incorrect in this assumption then by all means say so. It's one of the reasons I have been asking n00b builders questions here on TWW. I was going to go with a quad core until I read up on the exceptional performance of the E8500 for the price.

8/29/2008 2:04:43 AM

i think i'm going to get a 300gb velociraptor too

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
CORSAIR DOMINATOR with DHX Technology TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF 4GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory Retail ***Free Shipping***
ASUS EN9800GTX+/HTDP/512M GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

in addition, i have 2 optical IDE drives, and a Creative X-Fi PCI sound card, and 3 other hard SATA hard drives (in addition to the velociraptor)

will my antec truepower 430W power this system still?

8/29/2008 2:05:30 AM

^^ yea, I mean, it'll take nothing at all to get that e8500 to ~4 GHz, which will be fucking blazing in games.

8/29/2008 2:23:35 AM

dFshadow, I think you'll probably want some with more amperage/wattage just for safe measures. I'd recommend that PSU I linked to up this page, or I can find you something if you give a price range.

edit: I'm retarded, here's the link I forgot to post earlier on this page
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=corsair%20750
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 2:40 AM. Reason : oops double post]

8/29/2008 2:29:58 AM

Alright, I've decided I'm going to begin doing a complete upgrade on my system, but I'm going to do it a piece or two at a time and just save up from side work.

What do you suggest for a higher range gaming rig that is not on the bleeding edge? I'm guessing probably going quad-core, new HD, getting an HDMI widescreen monitor, new vidcard, mobo, etc. Still will run it with XP Pro though. What do you suggest? Obviously I'll probably start with the mobo/proc and go from there. Just toss out some suggestions, kkthxu.

8/29/2008 7:34:22 AM

^

Quad cores don't really do much for gaming at the moment. You will see more of a benefit from a higher clocked C2D.

8/29/2008 9:32:29 AM

^

Quad cores don't really do much for gaming at the moment. You will see more of a benefit from a higher clocked C2D.

8/29/2008 9:32:29 AM

FYI, the eVGA 9800GTX+ doesn't come with a DVI to HDMI adapter like the website and some reviews say. The box clearly states that it includes two DVI to VGA adapters. Thank you Newegg for crediting me $25 to go buy one.

8/29/2008 10:12:45 AM

Wow thats almost like a $25 discount if your not going to use that feature anyways

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 10:25 AM. Reason : ]

8/29/2008 10:17:30 AM

ordered

Corsair TX 750W ATX 12V Power Supply - CMPSU-750TX
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=206178325&loc=0
$83.03 after $20 MIR

WD VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS - hard drive - 300 GB - SATA-300
http://www.nowdirect.com/exec/partInfo/part_detail.tsb?prcpart=WDCWD3000GLFS#top
$279.99

8/29/2008 12:25:32 PM

^those are two VERY nice parts

8/29/2008 1:32:13 PM

Ordered all my parts wednesday night with 3 day shipping.

Got a tracking email this morning, shits in Texas.

Estimated Arrival:

Next Wednesday....

I hate shipping companies. Hoping it will just be at the hub on monday and i'll pick it up during work.

8/29/2008 2:50:14 PM

what's the cheapest readymade system with good parts for multimedia editing? i've got to get one for a co-worker - looking to be around the $600 budget with a good vid card and dual core proc and lots of RAM

edit
i tried making one at cyberpowerpc.com and it came out over budget--

$713.00
(before all applicable rebates)


CASE: ATX MEDIUM TOWER CASE 350 WATT (BLACK COLOR)
CPU: (Sckt775)Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E8400 CPU @ 3.0GHz 1333FSB 6MB L2 Cache 64-bit
MOTHERBOARD: MSI G31M-F Intel G31 Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)3GB (3x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Memory (Corsair or Major Brand)
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 1GB 16X PCI Express (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 2: NONE
VIDEO CARD 3: NONE
LCD Monitor: NONE
HARD DRIVE: Single Hard Drive (80GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: NONE
Optical Drive: (Special Price) LG 20X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: NONE
SOUND: 3D WAVE ON-BOARD 5.1 SOUND CARD

what do you suggest?

another option is buying him a barebone kit and giving him my 7600gt vid card - any barebone systems you recommend?

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 3:24 PM. Reason : .]

8/29/2008 3:03:44 PM

i was looking at this--

http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4083495&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs

AMD Phenom 9600 Quad-Core @ 2.6GHz; 3GB RAM; 1TB (2x500GB) HDD; Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player & DVD burner; Vista Home Premium; Radeon HD 2400XT; ATSC/NTSC TV tuner; keyboard/mouse/speakers/remote included; 90-day warranty

vid card is the only bad thing in this it seems - think it's worth it to spend the $660 and then upgrade the vid card separately? or just going with the $713 system above?

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 3:40 PM. Reason : .]

8/29/2008 3:40:24 PM

you can build a pc for under $600 using slickdeals and newegg. Thats the easiest way to get what you want.

8/29/2008 4:12:24 PM

i can't haha - i always want to get the nice parts and won't skimp on any component so i am horrible at making systems on a budget

8/29/2008 4:15:24 PM

And the truth shall set you free. I do the same thing. But for multimedia any quadcore is the better deal.

8/29/2008 4:19:34 PM

buy a Dell 530 - $550, add a dedicated graphics card / add more storage.

Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1
No Monitor
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
Dell USB Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
Dell 19 in 1 Media Card Reader
IEEE 1394a Adapter

8/29/2008 4:29:43 PM

or build it:



just need to add keyboard/mouse/speakers/mediacard reader, should be able to get all that for <$50

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 4:46 PM. Reason : .]

8/29/2008 4:44:24 PM

<3

8/29/2008 4:51:02 PM

ran into a little prob

the motherboard is AM2 and the proc is AM2+ - it'll play nice but it'll only let the FSB be 1000MHz HyperTransport instead of what the proc was made to do - 3.6GHz

there aren't any good AM2+ barebone systems on newegg apparently

should i go intel?

8/29/2008 5:28:03 PM

well if you can find a good intel barebone, the Q6600 would be a heckuvalot better than the phenom

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856167030 (Intel)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856110092 (AM2+)

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 5:53 PM. Reason : just go intel]

8/29/2008 5:50:45 PM

trying to build a system with this one now:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856167030

8/29/2008 5:51:14 PM

yea, that'd actually be better w/ a Q6600

8/29/2008 5:53:00 PM

how's this?

8/29/2008 5:57:33 PM

you need the retail version of the cpu or else you'll need an aftermarket cpu cooler

also you forgot Vista & a hard drive, and anything over an 8800GT is overkill for multimedia work, unless of course they are playing video games.

and this is a better 9800GTX+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130376

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 6:01 PM. Reason : .]

8/29/2008 5:59:10 PM

good catch on the retail cpu, thanks

i think i'm pretty much set on the system - will install the OS and put in a spare drive or two

8/29/2008 6:09:31 PM

i just totaled how much i spent on my PC
1114.39 and i'm still using parts that i already own like a case, hard drives, and optical drives

fuck i didn't want to spend that much haha

anyone want to buy a 7600gt or abit kn8 ultra or amd athlon64 x2 3800+ or antec truepower 430w? should i part it out on craigslist / ebay or make it into a pc and sell it?

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 8:27 PM. Reason : /]

8/29/2008 8:27:01 PM

In keeping with what was said to be a good idea earlier:

Quote :

"10,000rpm raptor for the OS and then have a huge 7,200rpm drive for storage"

How does this look?
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136131
Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136033
Some quick feedback would be awesome because I would like to order all of this either today or tomorrow. I am sick of Assassin's Creed mocking me that I can't play it!

9/1/2008 11:39:09 AM

[Edited on September 1, 2008 at 11:40 AM. Reason : wtf. Thanks RR for the double post. . .]

9/1/2008 11:40:12 AM

this is the 2 platter version of that drive (i.e. faster) ^^ and it's MUCH less expensive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

if you want more storage, buy the 1TB ($5 more than the 750GB you posted)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007017

you might as well pay $20 more to get the 150GB raptor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136012

i know some of this is out of stock, but if you can find them elsewhere...

[Edited on September 1, 2008 at 12:04 PM. Reason : .]

9/1/2008 12:04:00 PM

I thought about the 150GB drive but since I am using it for the OS I wasn't sure if it would justify the additional cost. Also, I am not 100% sure if this is right but I am thinking when I build this monster that C: drive will be the 10,000 rpm drive with the OS installed as well as system drivers? And then the D: drive will be the slower but bigger drive where I will stash everything else. Honestly, I am not entirely sure how to set that up. If someone has a better recommendation then I am all ears (well, eyes).

9/1/2008 12:24:17 PM

set that drive as your my documents root - and then don't be lazy in moving shit and organizing it on that second drive

9/1/2008 6:35:00 PM

But in terms of games and programs which drive to I put them on to maximize space/efficiency?

Also, does this CPU fan get the approval of the tech talk gods?
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

It will be going on the MoBo and CPU listed above on this page.



[Edited on September 1, 2008 at 6:47 PM. Reason : .]

9/1/2008 6:37:43 PM

you should install everything to the same drive the OS is on

9/1/2008 6:42:31 PM

Hmm then maybe I need to rethink this HDD configuration because I don't have a lot of pictures/music/movies to eat up space. It's mostly the 10+GB games that take up the most room

9/1/2008 6:52:34 PM

^ agreed, put the OS and programs on your fastest drive, then keep your storage and data on a higher volume drive.

9/1/2008 6:53:07 PM

fuck i couldn't resist

OCZ OCZ2RPR10664GK 4GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory $96.80 http://www.digitaldeals.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=70542

8gb of RAM is so totally overkill lol

9/1/2008 6:58:59 PM

1066 no less

9/1/2008 7:28:50 PM

Quote :

"http://blxstar.com/intel.jpg"

why are you buying a quadcore? just buy a dual core like the E8400 if all you're doing is gaming. having the quadcore isn't going to benefit anything and by the time that games/programs start to use the quadcore it will be underpowered in comparison to what would currently be on the market. i think when they benchmarked quadcores it turned out that they only helped at resolutions at or below (don't remember which) 1024x768. anything after that it depends more on the videocard



[Edited on September 1, 2008 at 7:39 PM. Reason : aefae]

9/1/2008 7:38:53 PM

the quadcore was for the co-worker who does multimedia editing and stuff

for my gaming and graphics system i bought the e8500

9/1/2008 8:04:24 PM