Brand new computer - 8800GTX etc

[jackrob]

Hi everyone, I just registered here. I have been saving for a new gaming/surfing/music computer for a long time, and I have researched all this stuff thoroughly. Its finally time to buy and I am hoping I can list what I plan to buy and hopefully some of you can look at it and tell me what you think.

I have never overclocked before, and I still need to learn more about how to do it... But eventually, I plan on OC'ing the CPU to around 3ghz or so, and in the future maybe the graphics card too. I want to get the CPU to as high as possible without changing the voltage and without causing much more heat. Anyway, please check this over and let me know what you think. I can afford what I am listing, but if you think I would get by with cheaper RAM for example, (like the Value Select stuff) please let me know and I can swap it:

CPU COOLER:
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro - P4 up to 4.4GHz - S775 Dual Core / Core2Duo Ready

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.40GHz 1066MHz Socket LGA775 'Conroe' OEM CPU 4MB Cache Dual Core 65nm

GRAPHICS CARD:
768MB PCI-E NVidia Inno3D GeForce 8800GTX GDDR3 384-Bit SLI Dual DVI, HDTV575MHz GPU 1800MHz Memory Bandwidth

RAM:
2Gb (2X1Gb) CorsairTwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC6400 (800), 240 Pins, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 4-4-4-12, EPP

THERMAL COMPOUND:
Akasa AK-TC5022 Ultimate non pressure dependent Thermal compound, 3.5G with Spreader Card

PSU:
620W Corsair HX Series Modular PSU, ATX, EPS 12V, whisper quiet, 5 year warranty

MOTHERBOARD:
Gigabyte GA 965P-DS4 iP965, S775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 533/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

CASE:
Akasa Eclipse-62 Midi Tower Case - Hi-End

CASE FANS:
120mm Sharkoon 1000 "Golf Ball" Quiet 19 dB(A) Case Fan - 36.7 CFM

HARD DISKs:
320 Gb Seagate ST3320620AS Barracuda 7200.10, SATA300, 7200 rpm, 16MB Cache, 8.5 ms, NCQ

SOUND CARD:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic? + Creative HS600 Gaming Headset worth £29

MONITOR:
20.1" NEC 20WGX2, Widescreen VGA/DVI 1680x1050, 6 ms, 700:1, 470 cd/m2, Silver/Black


Thats about it I think. Please let me know if you think it will all work well together, and if you think I will be able to do a good overclock. I also need to make sure that the case fans are good. I don't want to be spending all that money and then get a couple of crappy fans, but I read good things about the ones I listed, so I'm hoping they will be ok.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gannon]

You don't really need an X-fi, especially with the new sound chips... I am ASTOUNDED by my Asus P5W DH's onboard audio... you simply no longer need add-in PCI card.. I've ALWAYS hated on-board sound, the new chip that they use on the P5W DH deluxe had me wetting my pants at how clear the sound was since I have always used high quality headphones and could always hear pops-crackles and other bs from cheap onboard audio solutions that drove me nuts. I've used an SB Audigy (original) for what seemed like pretty much ever, since my old system used the old and crappy realteak chip for onboard audio.

The new Realtek ALC882M High Definition Audio 8-channel CODEC really impressed me

It supports:

Support Multi-streaming, Jack-sensing and Jack-retasking functions
Anti Pop Function
Coaxial, Optical S/PDIF out on back I/O port
Features Dolby Master Studio technology
- Dolby Prologic IIX
- Dolby Headphone
- Dolby Virtual Speaker
- Dolby Digital Live

I'm sure those that have used NForce boards have had very good on-board sound for a while.

As for power supplies... How much is the corsair? I own an OCZ powerstream and the thing makes absolutely no noise. You should compare prices on that one and the OCZ powerstream.

Lastly does tne 965P support nvidia SLI or no? because a new motherboard chipset from Nvidia is out for SLI if you plan on going the SLI route later, it'd always be good to have around, especially just before or around "refresh" time.

 

[themisfit610]

Nah... SLI is only really worth it if you do it from the get-go. Even so, it's not like cards get much cheaper when new ones come out. Who actually bought a 6800gt a couple years ago and then bought another one last year? Nobody. They all went out and got 7800gt's

Onboard is getting a lot better, but for some tasks like sound recording and gaming, a discrete sound card is much better.

I would suggest starting with an onboard, and switching to a discrete card if you find yourself wanting the latest EAX modes etc...

I would also say get the 8800gts and overclock it, the GTX costs so much freaking money... but if you have the cash to burn, why worry

Otherwise that looks like a sweet ass system

~MiSfit

 

[emilyek]

22" widescreen if you are gaming.

 

[Ika]

Originally posted by: emilyek
22" widescreen if you are gaming.

Why? His monitor may be smaller, but it's the same resolution, so it's sharper.

 

[JBT]

Originally posted by: Aflac

Originally posted by: emilyek
22" widescreen if you are gaming.

Why? His monitor may be smaller, but it's the same resolution, so it's sharper.

would you rather a 17" or a 19" if both are 1280x1024??? sharpness is nice but I would perfer things larger. HS's are just that much easier.

 

[weemanpow3]

thats true onboard sound is amazing now

 

[Gannon]

Originally posted by: themisfit610
Nah... SLI is only really worth it if you do it from the get-go. Even so, it's not like cards get much cheaper when new ones come out. Who actually bought a 6800gt a couple years ago and then bought another one last year? Nobody. They all went out and got 7800gt's

Dude, no offense intended... but that is a total load of crap! Right now the 8800 GTS is a whopping 549Cdn dollars, I can get TWO 7900GT's for $400cdn even, I could have saved myself over $150 going for two 7900GT's in SLI if I had purchased an SLI motherboard board.

some tasks like sound recording and gaming, a discrete sound card is much better.

A year ago I might have agreed with this statement... but again, this is mostly a load of crap, for the average gamer and user, you would definitely not notice anything. I OWN BOTH an X-Fi and the Realtek HD audio, I have them installed on the same system. Please do not misinform this fellow.... Onboard audio has been the bane of my existence, and I'm glad to say that Realtek and Asus have really impressed me with the implementation on the P5W DH deluxe.

http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/intel-hdaudio/intel-hdaudio.html

You have not even used the latest Realtek HD audio, it is something fiercely sweet... I am an audio enthusiast and a gamer and let me tell you, when it comes to anything else I can simply hear the difference between onboard audio and standalone with most other chips. But not with this one... I could not tell the difference between it and my X-fi, that's how damn good the thing is. By the way, the realtek also supports EAX.

Next in vista EAX does not work, and many game developers will either 1) Have to use Open AL or 2) simply not support EAX. Many developers are not going to even bother implementing sound in OpenAL having an X-fi for the long term is totally a complete waste unless game developers really take advantage of it.

I would suggest starting with an onboard, and switching to a discrete card if you find yourself wanting the latest EAX modes etc...

Most onboard audio has been offering EAX for a long time now, you'd know that if you actually used it.

 

[jackrob]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! I'm so glad I came here now.

I actually screwed up in my first post. It is mainly for gaming and surfing etc, but I actually record music on my PC. I am currently using a SoundBlaster Audigy (the old one, not Audigy2), so I figured seeing as I'm spending a small fortune on a new PC, I should get the slimmed down X-FI.

I just read something on the net though about some issues with it.... Tons of people getting screeching and crackling in games and Creative admitted it was their fault evidently.... So I might just stick with my Audigy.

As for the graphics card, I have found such an amazing deal on the GTX I have to buy it really. I live in the UK and I work at a computer company who can get me the hardware for trade prices, so the GTX works out at about (equivalent of) $50 usd more than a GTS... So I'm going for it. The only down side.... is that its an "Inno3d" which isn't the best brand in the world. But from what I've read its good enough and all the cards are made by Nvidia anyway.

Lastly,
I would go to 22" if anyone can suggest a good one? I am very sensitive to slow refresh rates, ghosting, and "screen door effect" etc... So its very important to me that I find one which is good for gaming. Whether its 20" or 22", I really don't mind. The 20" is big enough for me (im currently using a 17" crt...) so I just want to buy whatever is the best and has no ghosting, no "screendoor effect", no "backlight bleeding" etc...

The best I could find was the "NEC LCD20WGX2" which I researched here:
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3208

So if anyone can suggest one better than that, whether its 20" or 22", please go ahead! It will be much appreciated.

Thanks guys This is all hugely useful to me. Its an expensive PC so I need to make sure I make all the right choices and stuff.


---------edit-----------------

I missed some stuff there...

I'm not sure what the PSU would cost in the US Also, I tried to compare it with the OCZ one but the place I am buying from dont have OCZ PSUs They have a billion brands but not that one lol. I researched them all for a long time anyway, and I'm pretty confident about the one I chose. I read a few really good reviews of it on the net, and then when I asked about PSU's on another forum, someone told me they had that one and it works great with a C2D and 8800GTX similar to what I'm getting

As for the SLI, the motherboard actually has two PCI-express slots, but I'm not sure if it is fully SLI compatible. I did briefly check on the internet and I saw a forum where people where saying the firmware update enabled the second socket at 8x speed which is only kind of semi-SLI But future firmware updates may make it 16x. I don't really mind though anyway. I will never get a second video card. I always just buy the best I can afford and then use it until it either dies or no longer runs games (my current card is shader 1.4 so is having that problem at the moment). So by the time it is struggling, I would just get a new card. It would be nice to have the option of SLI atleast... but I can't really afford a super expensive motherboard. This one was already more than I wanted to spend really. I originally chose the Gigabyte DS3, but someone told me to get the DS4 instead because it has a huge heatpipe on it to cool all the components on the motherboard itself, and it was only slightly more expensive. So I went with that.

 

[bob4432]

why not go with the retail cpu? if you did that i would just use the stock hsf since even though you plan on o/cing you don't plan on raising V

never heard of that thermal compound over here in the us, i always use arctic silver 5

unless you are playing oblivion you could definately move up the monitor to really use that 8800gtx, like something with 1920x1200 or maybe a 37" 1920x1080 monitor that could double as your t.v.? or even higher on the resolution

i have never heard that nvidia makes all the cards, maybe they are mostly reference designs, but not that they make them all. any way you could back this up as i would be very interested to see this information. if that is the case then they probably all get made in korea or china with a different sticker put on them....

one last thing - make sure the case will work with the 8800 as from what i have read it is a big a$$ card, much bigger than the current gpus, and they are pretty big already

 

[Corporate Thug]

i wouldnt change a damn thing on that rig

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: Gannon

Originally posted by: themisfit610
Nah... SLI is only really worth it if you do it from the get-go. Even so, it's not like cards get much cheaper when new ones come out. Who actually bought a 6800gt a couple years ago and then bought another one last year? Nobody. They all went out and got 7800gt's

Dude, no offense intended... but that is a total load of crap! Right now the 8800 GTS is a whopping 549Cdn dollars, I can get TWO 7900GT's for $400cdn even, I could have saved myself over $150 going for two 7900GT's in SLI if I had purchased an SLI motherboard board.

The 8800 series is MUCH better than the 7900 series. It offers more than just higher FPS. I'd DEFINITELY go for a single 8800GTS or 8800GTX over anything out right now. They are just AMAZING cards. You also don't have to worry about SLI issues. If everything is equal, 1 card is better than 2.

I do agree with your sound recommendation though.

 

[Gannon]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: Gannon

Originally posted by: themisfit610
Nah... SLI is only really worth it if you do it from the get-go. Even so, it's not like cards get much cheaper when new ones come out. Who actually bought a 6800gt a couple years ago and then bought another one last year? Nobody. They all went out and got 7800gt's

Dude, no offense intended... but that is a total load of crap! Right now the 8800 GTS is a whopping 549Cdn dollars, I can get TWO 7900GT's for $400cdn even, I could have saved myself over $150 going for two 7900GT's in SLI if I had purchased an SLI motherboard board.

The 8800 series is MUCH better than the 7900 series. It offers more than just higher FPS. I'd DEFINITELY go for a single 8800GTS or 8800GTX over anything out right now. They are just AMAZING cards. You also don't have to worry about SLI issues. If everything is equal, 1 card is better than 2.

I do agree with your sound recommendation though.

I agree that's why I got an 8800, but if I went to ebay and got 2 7900GT's for cheap (say if I was on a budget) I could have saved even more money, my point is, if you're savvy you can take advantage of SLI or no!

 

[IndyJaws]

I just built my rig (see sig below). I went with the Samsung 21" WS and am very glad I went that route, even over the Dell 20". No ghosting here at all - Dark Messiah looks incredible (and free with the eVGA 8800GTX ).

 

[jackrob]

Originally posted by: bob4432
....snip...

Thanks bud

That fan I just heard was very good. And getting the OEM CPU and that fan works out at about $4 more than just getting the retail CPU So I figured I should probably just do that and it would help keep the CPU as cool as possible. Even with just a mild overclock, I'm sure the cooler the chip is, the better.

The thermal goo I just read a few reviews which compared it to other ones like the arctic stuff etc, and the review said its amazing stuff, so I'll give it a shot. It only cost about $2 more than the arctic.

As for the monitor, I already have a big TV, so its just really a monitor for gaming and surfing the web and stuff. I could go bigger I suppose, but I dont have a huge amount of room and I'm currently using a 17" CRT. So even a 20" widescreen would seem like a big upgrade. The main thing I want, is a fast one that doesn't have ghosting and stuff. And I also hate that screendoor effect I have read about and seen in photographs. Eww. If you know any super monitors though, please let me know! I could only really afford 22" max. Even that 20" one I listed costs over $600.

As for the GPUs, they are all made in the same factory using Nvidia's reference design. And yeah they all have a different sticker. The only thing I'm not sure about, is that they may have different coolers, although from looking at photos of them all, they all look the same (apart from the sticker). The main thing is that its just so cheap, and it has a two year warranty atleast so I should be ok with that.

Oh and yes, the card fits in the case Took me some time to find a suitable case.

Originally posted by: Corporate Thug
i wouldnt change a damn thing on that rig

Lol that is soooo good to hear I'm going from an ancient PC that struggles to even boot up So its really nice to know I'm getting something that seems good.

Originally posted by: IndyJaws
I just built my rig (see sig below). I went with the Samsung 21" WS and am very glad I went that route, even over the Dell 20". No ghosting here at all - Dark Messiah looks incredible (and free with the eVGA 8800GTX ).

Nice! Thank you I will have to research that monitor, it sounds good. What is the model called?


Thanks guys. This is good stuff.

 

[AdamK47]

Originally posted by: weemanpow3
thats true onboard sound is amazing now

No, no it isn't.

 

[Gannon]

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS

Originally posted by: weemanpow3
thats true onboard sound is amazing now

No, no it isn't.

It is if it's the Realtek ALC880 codec and the motherboard maker does not screw it up.

It's all in the implementation... go read here to enlighten yourself -- http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/intel-hdaudio/intel-hdaudio.html

 

[IndyJaws]

Originally posted by: jackrob

Originally posted by: IndyJaws
I just built my rig (see sig below). I went with the Samsung 21" WS and am very glad I went that route, even over the Dell 20". No ghosting here at all - Dark Messiah looks incredible (and free with the eVGA 8800GTX ).

Nice! Thank you I will have to research that monitor, it sounds good. What is the model called?


Thanks guys. This is good stuff.

Samsung 215TW $469 at ZZF with free shipping

You may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but ZipZoomFly was the cheapest when I was building (same price as Newegg but free shipping).

 

[DavidoFoo]

Originally posted by: emilyek
22" widescreen if you are gaming.

from what I've seen, the NEC is in a league of its own

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Gannon

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS

Originally posted by: weemanpow3
thats true onboard sound is amazing now

No, no it isn't.

It is if it's the Realtek ALC880 codec and the motherboard maker does not screw it up.

It's all in the implementation... go read here to enlighten yourself -- http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/intel-hdaudio/intel-hdaudio.html

Integrated High Definition Audio sounds better than a modern integrated ÀÑ'97-audio and five year old sound cards, and by the quality it stands near the three year old Creative Audigy, but it still cannot compare with modern sound cards like Audigy2 and higher.

That's what you call "amazing"?

 

[AdamK47]

Originally posted by: Gannon

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS

Originally posted by: weemanpow3
thats true onboard sound is amazing now

No, no it isn't.

It is if it's the Realtek ALC880 codec and the motherboard maker does not screw it up.

It's all in the implementation... go read here to enlighten yourself -- http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/intel-hdaudio/intel-hdaudio.html

If that's amazing then what's the ALC880 compared to the Sound Blaster X-Fi? I've tried both. For gaming there is no comparison.

 

[jackrob]

Originally posted by: IndyJaws
Samsung 215TW $469 at ZZF with free shipping

You may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but ZipZoomFly was the cheapest when I was building (same price as Newegg but free shipping).

Thank you very much I will look into that monitor now.

Originally posted by: DavidoFoo

Originally posted by: emilyek
22" widescreen if you are gaming.

from what I've seen, the NEC is in a league of its own

Thanks!! Good to know!

 

[Gannon]

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS

Originally posted by: Gannon

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS

Originally posted by: weemanpow3
thats true onboard sound is amazing now

No, no it isn't.

It is if it's the Realtek ALC880 codec and the motherboard maker does not screw it up.

It's all in the implementation... go read here to enlighten yourself -- http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/intel-hdaudio/intel-hdaudio.html

If that's amazing then what's the ALC880 compared to the Sound Blaster X-Fi? I've tried both. For gaming there is no comparison.

Lol you got to be joking, I own both and you are such a liar. No regular person is going to notice the difference, even in gaming. You'd be extremely hard pressed in a double blind test to tell the difference.

 

[ShellGuy]

did i miss something or did you not put a DVD or CD drive in that pc?



Will G.