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Another HELP with my New Build

C

CrimsonChaos

Senior member
If you can reply to ANY part of this, I'd appreciate it -- I know it's a long post but I'm buying the system THIS weekend.

I know there's a lot of these, and I've gone through some of them and done some research but am still not sure on some aspects. I'm not overclocking at all and so was wanting some advice on this build.

Budget: $2,000 - $2,500 : But I dont' want to senselessly spend money. I like the best bang-for-buck.

Uses: General uses plus gaming. Most importantly, I'd like this to be as future-proof and stable as possible. I don't care about noise -- I just want performance and stability.

CASE:
I don't want a flashy fancy case. I want one that is sturdy, spacious, and has good cooling. Should I get a normal Desktop case, or a Server case -- or maybe you have a good recommendation?

[$110] IStarUSA Black Aluminum ATX Full-Tower
-OR-
[$120] Just PC Black Steel Server Case

FANS/COOLING:
I know nothing about this. I tried doing research but it seems every fan has some type of issue. Do I need to get 120mm case fans? If so, any recommendations?

Also, do I need to get any special heatsink/fan combos for the processor if I'm NOT overclocking? If so, any suggestions?

POWER SUPPLY:
I am only running 1 video card now, but wanted a Power Supply that can deal with possible SLI and/or Crossfire later. I was considering this one, but it has 49A on one 12V rail. I thought they had started splitting up the rails?

[$170] PC Power & Cooling 610W (3.3@24A, 5V@30A, 12V@49A)

MOTHERBOARD:
Again, I am not overclocking. I just need a good stable board that can handle SLI and/or Crossfire in the future. I was thinking of this one, but it's out of stock. Is this overkill if I'm not overclocking? Any other suggestions? (I prefer ASUS or GIGABYTE).

[$270] ASUS P5W DH Deluxe

PROCESSOR:
I'm pretty dead-set on getting this processor.

[$360] Intel Core 2 Duo 6600

VIDEO CARD:
I wanted the ATI Radeon x1900xt but couldn't find it (only found xtx). Is this the same card, or is it the GT version? Should I just buy the x1900xtx?

[$380] ATI Radeon X1900 Crossfire Edition

RAM:
Is it better to get higher clock-speed but with higher latency, or lower clock-speeds with tighter timings? Remember, I'm NOT overclocking.

[$292] Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800 ? 2GB (2x1GB) ? 5, 5-5-5-12

HARD-DRIVES:
I was thinking of installing OS and Programs on the Raptor, storing files on the Seagate. But if you guys tell me the performance difference is barely noticeable, I'll just buy the seagate.

[$160] Western Digital Raptor 74GB (10K RPM)
[$100] Seagate Barracuda/Perpendicular 7200.10 ? 320GB

OPTICAL-DRIVES:
Any good suggestions?? I'm looking for one DVD-ROM, and one DVD+/-RW. A lot of the reviews I've read were of drives that had problems reading CD's and DVD's. I don't care about noise -- I just want good performance.

MONITOR:
[$259] ViewSonic VX922 19? 2ms, 650:1 ratio, 0.294mm pitch


 
I've been out of the loop for a while, but last I checked, Crossfire wasn't cheap. I would just stick with SLI and go with dual 7900GTs or something.

For your power supply you're going to need dual 12v rails for SLI, so go take a look at some GOOD power supplies like those from Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, Antec, etcetera. You DO NOT want to cheap out on the PSU and wind up getting a crappy one that could take out your whole system. You listed a 610W PCP&C unit, however it does not have dual 12v and 610W seems a little overkill. A 500W in a GOOD brand should suffice.

As for your mobo and processor combo, I give you a pat on the back, great combo, the P5W DH Deluxes is a great motherboard and the E6600 is.... well, a great processor.

Cases: You can do whatever you want here, but keep in mind that expensive does not always mean better. It's all up to personal preference, but just keep that in mind.

Hard drives: Good job, looks like you've got the idea. OS/Programs on the Raptor, everything else on the larger drive.

Monitor: Good choce, Viewsonic makes some excellent monitors.

Optical Drives: Go check out the NEC 3550a.
 
Originally posted by: Xanis
I've been out of the loop for a while, but last I checked, Crossfire wasn't cheap. I would just stick with SLI and go with dual 7900GTs or something.

For your power supply you're going to need dual 12v rails for SLI, so go take a look at some GOOD power supplies like those from Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, Antec, etcetera. You DO NOT want to cheap out on the PSU and wind up getting a crappy one that could take out your whole system. You listed a 610W PCP&C unit, however it does not have dual 12v and 610W seems a little overkill. A 500W in a GOOD brand should suffice.

As for your mobo and processor combo, I give you a pat on the back, great combo, the P5W DH Deluxes is a great motherboard and the E6600 is.... well, a great processor.

Cases: You can do whatever you want here, but keep in mind that expensive does not always mean better. It's all up to personal preference, but just keep that in mind.

Hard drives: Good job, looks like you've got the idea. OS/Programs on the Raptor, everything else on the larger drive.

Monitor: Good choce, Viewsonic makes some excellent monitors.

Optical Drives: Go check out the NEC 3550a.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Xanis.

Re: PSU -- When I chose the PCP&C Power Supply it was because it said "SLI Certified". But you're saying it won't actually run SLI cause it doesn't have dual 12V rails? What does this SLI certification mean exactly? I just want to be clear, cause that would indeed be a major problem if it won't run SLI.

Re: Motherboard -- Thanks. Unfortunately the one I want is out of stock right now. Any other good motherboards I can get (NOT for overclocking) that's good for the E6600?

Re: Optical Drives -- Thanks, I'll check those out!

Any other advice anyone? What about case-fans and fan/heatsink combos? Necessary or over-kill if not overclocking?
 
Just because the psu dosen't have dual 12v rails doesn't mean it can't run dual gfx cards. It can b/c it has 49amps on the single 12v rail. This is more than enough for most if not all systems (save quad sli). It's a good psu, you're choice wether you want to spend a little less and get something like a seasonic s12 or enermax liberty. Perhaps you should look into the nforce 4 sli board for c2d. For fans, yate loons or scythe s-flex are the way to go. Check out jab-tech.com. You don't need an aftermarket cpu cooler.
 
Originally posted by: acegazda
Just because the psu dosen't have dual 12v rails doesn't mean it can't run dual gfx cards. It can b/c it has 49amps on the single 12v rail. This is more than enough for most if not all systems (save quad sli). It's a good psu, you're choice wether you want to spend a little less and get something like a seasonic s12 or enermax liberty. Perhaps you should look into the nforce 4 sli board for c2d. For fans, yate loons or scythe s-flex are the way to go. Check out jab-tech.com. You don't need an aftermarket cpu cooler.
Click to expand...

Oh Ok, I was just going based off of what Xanis said regarding the Power Supply.

Any thoughts on the case? Should I go the server-case route or the normal desktop full-tower route?
 
Motherboard = Very, very expensive. Get a cheap Asus P5W (forget the deluxe bit) or the gigabyte 965P DS3.

RAM = Very, very expensive. If you're not overclocking then you want DDR2 533 RAM with the tightest timings you can get. Then again since timings make only a tiny difference i'd just get some 533 value.

HDs: There is a performance difference, and it probably is noticable, however it's not economical in the slightest. If saving 2 seconds on your BF2 loads matters to you that much then go for it.

DVD drive : BenQ 1650 (aka Phillips 1660) is my drive of choice. All the bells and whistles as well as excellent read/write performance. I have a 3550 and a 1650, the 1650 doesn't need a firmware flash to let you set the book type.

Case: Normal tower case, server cases will be a waste of money for you. Look at the Lian li 1000B, very nice case, very pretty too.
 
Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Motherboard = Very, very expensive. Get a cheap Asus P5W (forget the deluxe bit) or the gigabyte 965P DS3.

RAM = Very, very expensive. If you're not overclocking then you want DDR2 533 RAM with the tightest timings you can get. Then again since timings make only a tiny difference i'd just get some 533 value.

HDs: There is a performance difference, and it probably is noticable, however it's not economical in the slightest. If saving 2 seconds on your BF2 loads matters to you that much then go for it.

DVD drive : BenQ 1650 (aka Phillips 1660) is my drive of choice. All the bells and whistles as well as excellent read/write performance. I have a 3550 and a 1650, the 1650 doesn't need a firmware flash to let you set the book type.

Case: Normal tower case, server cases will be a waste of money for you. Look at the Lian li 1000B, very nice case, very pretty too.
Click to expand...

Bobthelost, thanks for the great breakdown!

Motherboard: I couldn't find the Asus P5W without the deluxe on Newegg. (I'm trying to buy everything from one source). Am I looking in the wrong place? Should I maybe try a different website than newegg to make all my purchases? I also checked out the Gigabyte 965P DS3, but it looks like you need specific RAM-voltages for it?

RAM: Great thanks. I was wondering if the 800 MHz was overkill since I am not overclocking. Apparently it is!

DVD drive: The only BenQ's I can find on Newegg are not DVD RW. Can you link me to them??

Case: I looked through some of the Lian-LI's and they do seem pretty nice. Is this the one you are talking about? If so, it seems kind of expensive...

 
The gigabyte is not a perfect board, it's a good one, but apparently you do have to check which RAM you use with it. There's a thread on it in the motherboard forum, a browse through that should either confirm your fears or allay them.

Huh, newegg doesn't stock BenQ DVD burners, bit ****** that. Just go for the 3550, it's not a bad drive at all (just the BenQ is a little bit better).

Yep, that's the case i meant, but you're right you do pay through the nose for it. Other more reasonable cases to look at are the TT offerings (not too bad but tend to be flashy), anything by coolermaster like this perhaps : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119106
I like the P150 and P180 from antec, but the P180 is a pain in the arse to work in and the P150 is a bit small as well as coming with a PSU that's ok, but not great.
 
I've been looking for that zippy gaming power everywhere! I want it!
As for the case, a lian li mid tower, gigabyte aurora, or silverstone temjin would be awesome. I'll post later, I have to go.
 
The raptor is definetly not bang for buck. Stick with the 7200.10. Start off with a regular x1900xt and buy the xfire edition later, it costs more. If you're not overclocking, $300 for RAM is ludicrus. I would get $180 patriot ddr2-667 @ newegg.com. Maybe a asus p5b for the MoBo? Or taht intel one that costs $100... solid, but definetly not for ocing.
 
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