Any suggestions on my new system

[Chilli911]

Hey Guys/Gals,

So far its
CPU: Q9450
Motherboard: Asus P5n-d
Ram: 4g Corsair DDR800
HD: WD 600g SATA
Video: 512 asus 8800gt
Monitor 24" Samsung 2493 LCD
case: coolermaster 690
Im still looking for a PSU to power my system.

I might be going SLI in the future but i dont know if this means i need to spend ridiculous amounts on a PSU

I actually just saw an ad for the evga 750i FTW motherboard and it looks better and aint that much more expensive over here. Any thoughts on whether the asus or evga would be a better choice.

I'm in australia and prices here dont seem to be as good as the US or europe. DAMN living on a island.

So any recommendations would be great..oh if anyone thinks any part of my system should be changed let me know, before i order it lol.

Here is ya check list
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. Gaming and a little CAD

2. What YOUR budget is. 1800-2000 AUD including monitor

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. Australia

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. Nvidia Vid cards, and SLI

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Mostly run at Stock speeds at least until i need to overclock

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
a few weeks


Thanks in advance

 

[LOUISSSSS]

as for PSU, get the corsair 520HX or a PCPC silencer 610

don't bother going SLI... just get the next best video card in the future and sell your old one.
the latest intel chipsets (p35, x38, x48) have been ridiculously stable and overclockable. i haven't read up on nvidia chipsets but am aware that there are many problems with the 680i and that he 780i is essentially the same thing with the addition of 3rd pci-x16 slot.

everything else looks good

 

[Chilli911]

Thanks mate!!!

Yeah i know that the Nvidia chipsets arnt really as good as the intels, but I wont really be looking at overclocking for sometime. And i dont thionk the difference really shows unless you are overclocking.

I also am being stubborn and think SLI would just be a good option and I had a bad experience with ATI once and dont really wanna go to crossfire.

So does anyone know if the diffrence between the intel and nviida chipsets is really going to be a huge problem for me'

Thanks again

 

[jellyrole]

Just a word of advice, buy an EVGA graphics card so that you have the step-up program going for you.

 

[Jeff7181]

I'd go with a PC Powering & Cooling power supply. Your budget allows for the added expense of them, and they're definitely worth it. Eventually I'll be replacing the 500 watt Antec in my new Sonata III case with one from PC Power & Cooling.

 

[Chilli911]

Thanks for the input guys,

What is this step up program the EVGA motherboard has, also PC power & cooling are hard to come across in OZ, anyone have a next best choice.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Chilli911
Thanks for the input guys,

What is this step up program the EVGA motherboard has, also PC power & cooling are hard to come across in OZ, anyone have a next best choice.

I don't think EVGA does the step-up program with their motherboards, just their graphics cards. If a new graphics card comes out within 90 days of your purchase you can "step up" to the newer model by paying the difference in price. (You have to send them your old card and pay all the associated shipping costs. Expect to spend about two weeks without a graphics card from what I've heard.)

As far as the power supplies, Seasonic, Coolermaster, Antec and OCZ also make good units. PCP&C is overpriced for the average user, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Roguestar]

^ Don't forget Corsair.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Roguestar
^ Don't forget Corsair.

Ooops, I actually meant Corsair instead of Coolermaster, but Coolermaster does make some good ones as well.

 

[Chilli911]

Yeah i was thinking a corsair 520hx or 620hx, dont really know which one I will need though.

Anyone know if going Nvidia chipset is going to seriously hamper my system compared to a intel....or is it just not going to be Overclockable..this is really the one thing holding me back from buying this.

Oh and now nvidia want to release new cards...anyone know when thats happening.

 

[DSF]

If you go with SLIed 8800GTs the 620HX would give you a little more wiggle room, although the 520HX would probabaly suffice. The 520 is plenty for a single-card setup. The most up-to-date information on the new cards can be found in the Video Card forum.

 

[themisfit610]

Dont' get an nForce mobo unless you need SLI.

Unless you're getting SLI from the get-go, you don't need SLI

nForce chipsets have stability / data corruption issues that are well known. They're not the bulletproof quality platforms they used to be...

It's true that those problems only really show up when overclocking - but why would you buy into such a system in the first place, when there's such superior alternatives available from Intel? P35 FTW!

~MiSfit

 

[Chilli911]

So if i was being convinced that maybe SLI wasnt the best decision, and really will only run 1 nvidia card. What new motherboard should i be getting.

Asus and Gigabyte are the easiest to get a hold of in OZ, but are they any good. I have only done research on nvidia chipsets so i have no idea where to start with Intel. I spose the rest of my system would stay the same.

Would P45 >P35 or would it be a waste if im not using crossfire.

So lost now..damn you people for changing my MIND!!!!!!!!!

 

[djtexas]

Great post !! alot of good info, Im also in the market to buy a new PC

 

[Chilli911]

Hopefully, if anything this post will help others so they dont have to make the same mistakes as it seems I have with SLI.

 

[Nightblade]

Take a look at this thread if you haven't alreadyLink

I went with a new ASUS P5Q board.

 

[Chilli911]

So Ive been looking at some P45 boards, and they are a bit cheaper than the evga 750i FTW. But seem more suited to crossfire and i really want to stick with the Nvidia GPU.

So In closing if indeed p45 is a btter route than the 750i whats a good board. Does anyone have any feedback on a Asus P5Q series motherboard.

 

[themisfit610]

Is there any real advantage in going with a P45 chipset?

What exactly is wrong with P35? It's cheap, reliable, and has all the features you could want!

~MiSfit

 

[Sharkie13]

At the risk of being yelled at by everybody here, I say if you're looking for a system that will be SLI compatible, the EVGA 750i is a wonderful option, in fact that's the one I'm looking at myself.
It has some great features like a clear CMOS button and diagnostic LEDs in case something goes wrong. It has all solid state capacitors which is always a good thing, and it's EVGA so you get a lifetime warranty. It's a lot better than any other 750i on the market as far as features goes. In general, the 750i has PCI 2.0 slots, something I haven't seen in a P35. Also those stability issues with the 780/790, I haven't heard any complaints about the 750 in that department. The EVGA 750i is actually extremely overclockable also.

 

[Chilli911]

What we really need is a p35 vs p45 vs 750iFTW benchmark or something for a single card to see if the complaints are really that justified.

Its all so confusing.

I like the 750i FTW seems like a pretty damn good board. But if the P35/45 is better for a single GPU then since im reconsidering SLI, would i tbe better off to get one of them.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Chilli911
What we really need is a p35 vs p45 vs 750iFTW benchmark or something for a single card to see if the complaints are really that justified.

You won't see an appreciable difference in performance between the chipsets. It's just not that big a deal. The Intel chipsets generally offer better stability/fewer compatibility issues these days. There are still some bugs with Nvidia's nForce chipsets that haven't been worked out as far as I know.

Considering that a basic P45 motherboard is twice the price of a P35 motherboard, there's no compelling reason to buy P45 right now if you're intending to run a single-card setup, especially with an Nvidia card.

Go with the tried-and-true P35, put the savings in the bank, and have a computer that's just as powerful. Gigabyte and ASUS both make good P35 boards, so make your selection based on what features you need.

 

[Chilli911]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the help, ive pretty much decided to go with an intel single GPU set up.

I had a look at the P35 but couldnt find a board that had PCI express 2.0, since i want to be able to put a new card in it in a few years this is bad right?

Is there a Asus or Gigabyte card, that will handle PCI ex 2.0, DDR2 and Raid 0,I really dont want a 2nd PCI express 2 slot coz i wont use it. I dont really mind what chipset i use just want a good but not heaps expensive card to handle the rest of my set up.

Which has changed to..

CPU: Q9450
Motherboard: Arrrggghhhh11111
Ram: 4g Corsair DDR800
HD: WD 600g SATA
Video: 512 asus 8800gt
Monitor 24" Samsung 2493 LCD
case: coolermaster 690
PSU: Corsair 620-HX

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: jellyrole
Just a word of advice, buy an EVGA graphics card so that you have the step-up program going for you.

Agreed plus I am not a huge fan of SLI either.

 

[themisfit610]

PCIe 2.0 is another feature that looks awesome on paper but means nothing in real world performance. All the new cards are PCIe 2.0, but there is no performance penalty running them on a PCIe 1.0 slot.

2.0 might be better when it comes to RAID controllers, and other high bandwidth interfaces. Heck - maybe in 3-4 years we'll see it being useful for GPUs.

PCIe 2.0 isn't a big deal though Remember when AGP 8x came out back in the day? Everyone thought it would be necessary, but the extra bandwidth wasn't necessary.

~MiSfit

 

[Chilli911]

but then when you did get an AGP motherbaord you couldnt upgrade ur card in 2 years coz PCI express replaced em all.

thats why i want the PCI ex 2.0 just in case