Another build suggestion thread.

[happybelly]

I'll be using this build mostly for gaming. I do want to overclock.

I have no brand preference, I only care about the best performance and deal.

Budget is $1300-1400, but if I can get what I want for cheaper it would be nice.

I want to build within the next month. Here's what I have so far.

All prices are from newegg.


Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $84.99

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $109.99

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail - $66.99

EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $174.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail - $169.99

X2 PNY VCGGTX260XPB GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $499

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM - $99.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $104.99


Here are a few questions.

Is it worth upgrading to the E8600 if I'm trying to overclock? I would like to hit 4 to 4.2 GHZ ocing.

Is the RAM good enough to hit those kind of numbers or do I need to get 1066?

I don't know much about the motherboard, is it a solid choice?

I'm also undecided if the GTX 260 SLI is the way to go right now. I've also considered two 4870's or two 9800GT GX2. I'm leaning towards the 260's because of the 100 rebate on newegg right now.

I know the PSU is good, but is it enough power for 260 SLI?

Also, is the case big enough to fit an SLI system or do I need a full tower?


I'm open to changing any of these parts if there's a better option out there.

Thanks for the help.

 

[disports]

hard drive is good.
ram is fine especially if you're going to overclock a little bit.
i don't think it's worth paying $70 or whatever the difference is from the E8400 to E8600. I have the E8400 with DDR2-800 ram hitting 4.0 GHz.
You could get say the Asus P5Q Pro which is just as good for cheaper.
I honestly like Corsair for PSUs but that's your choice.
I think you'll be better off just using one card (i.e. 4870). It probably will be a tight fit but should work.

 

[Roguestar]

Motherboard is a massive waste of cash, as two mid-range cards in SLI is more power-consuming, noisy, and less likely to be supported in games than a single better card. CPU is fine but if you want to hit 4GHz, you'll need a very good cooler. G.Skill DDR2-1000 is on offer at the moment if I recall.
What resolution do you game at? You're probably better off getting a single 4870 now and saving the rest (and money not wasted on an SLI motherboard) for a year from now and upgrading to a better card then.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The 8xxx series cpu's are GREAT! For a 4Ghz + OC the choice of either the CPU or RAM will dictate which other you should choose since they (8xxx) cpu's most likely will hit 4Ghz with proper cooling. If you plan on the 8600 then DDR2 800 will do fine. I'd recommend for lower cpu options, to raise the memory speed accordingly. The reason for this is you don't want to be guessing early on if something is at its limits, what that exactly is. And, if you get the right combination of cpu/ram you might save a few extra dollars.

 

[happybelly]

I'll be gaming at 1600x1200 resolution. I understand that SLI isn't well liked by a lot of people, but the deal going on with two 260's for around the price of one 280 seems hard to beat.

I plan on this system lasting about two years and I don't really see myself upgrading any parts during that time.

I would still like to hear opinions on if the PSU is enough for 260's in SLI and if the motherboard is solid.

Any other suggestions are welcome as well.

Thanks.

 

[happybelly]

Anymore thoughts or suggestions on my build?

I would still like an opinion on the motherboard and if the PSU is enough for SLI. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I am running a 150 Raptor, 4870, 8400 clocked to 3.6 an extra storage drive, 4 or 5 fans all off a 500w Enermax Liberty that is 80% efficient and its cut the electric bill by an average of 25-30$

 

[Roguestar]

PSU says "SLI certified" in the bit that you pasted to us, didn't it? 610W is well enough.

 

[happybelly]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
PSU says "SLI certified" in the bit that you pasted to us, didn't it? 610W is well enough.

Yes it does, but that doesn't mean it will handled every type of SLI system. That PSU came out before the GTX line was even out I think.

I was hoping somebody could reply with some personal experience about the issue.

 

[Roguestar]

What you're interested in for a GTX260 SLI setup is that it has the overall wattage and the amps on the 12v rails, both of which it seems to have from the specs. You should be fine.