Critique A Noob's First Build

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nisten

Junior Member
Dec 18, 2007
14
0
0
So I've been burning my eyes out for the past couple of weeks refining different gaming builds I've come up with. My obsession at the moment is whether or not I will be able to run Crysis smoothly at high settings or better (because in my mind if I can then I will be able to play anything for the next few years)...

I run at 1280x1024 so SLI is not necessary. I'm upgrading from an aging AGP system and I would like to expect MONUMENTAL differences in performance plus a bit of future-proofing in order to avoid doing this again for a while (although it is fun) :p

Here is what I've come up with so far (I'll include everything to give an accurate total):

Pioneer DVD/CD burner - $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827129018

Antec 900 case - $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021

Seagate 250gb hd - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822148262

XFX 8800 GTS 512mb - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150267

Corsair 650watt PSU - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139005

G.skill 4gb (2x2gb) DDR2 1066 ram (dual-channel) - $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231166

Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R Mobo - $144.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128082

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $214.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115017

Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit (OEM) - $94.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116204

Total so far w/shipping and taxes to Cali is $1,297.34.

I'm looking for best bang for the buck but at the same time would like to be set for the next couple of years as well as be able to upgrade. If I need to spend a little more to get something a bit better, I will, no problem.

Thanks a lot :)
 
B

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
Originally posted by: nisten
So I've been burning my eyes out for the past couple of weeks refining different gaming builds I've come up with. My obsession at the moment is whether or not I will be able to run Crysis smoothly at high settings or better (because in my mind if I can then I will be able to play anything for the next few years)...

I run at 1280x1024 so SLI is not necessary. I'm upgrading from an aging AGP system and I would like to expect MONUMENTAL differences in performance plus a bit of future-proofing in order to avoid doing this again for a while (although it is fun) :p

Here is what I've come up with so far (I'll include everything to give an accurate total):

Pioneer DVD/CD burner - $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827129018

Antec 900 case - $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021

Seagate 250gb hd - $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822148262

XFX 8800 GTS 512mb - $249.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150267

Corsair 650watt PSU - $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139005

G.skill 4gb (2x2gb) DDR2 1066 ram (dual-channel) - $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231166

Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R Mobo - $144.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128082

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $214.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115017

Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit (OEM) - $94.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116204

Total so far w/shipping and taxes to Cali is $1,297.34.

I'm looking for best bang for the buck but at the same time would like to be set for the next couple of years as well as be able to upgrade. If I need to spend a little more to get something a bit better, I will, no problem.

Thanks a lot :)
Click to expand...
* Samsung 20X > Saved you $4 and got you an SATA drive.
* WD Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS > Cost you $40 but got you a better drive and way more capacity.
* GA-EP35-DS3R > Saved you $25.
* Mushkin EM2-6400 4GB > Saved you $56 without rebate (or $66 with rebate) and got you memory rated to run at the standard of 1.8v
* CORSAIRE CMPSU-520HX > DSF and JohnnyGuru say 520W is plenty.
* OCing > E7200 > Saved you $83
* Non-OCing > Q9300 Yorkfield > Cost $60 more but got you a higher clock and FSB.


 
T

ther00kie16

Golden Member
Mar 28, 2008
1,573
0
0
Blain's got most things down.
For GPU though, go with this one for $40/$50 savings before/after rebate.
If you live in a state without Fry's, they have the q6600 for $200 (about $7 shipping).
For CPU, e7200 is a great choice as you can get up to 3.8GHz with a good heatsink like the Xigmatek S-1283. If you really want a quad, which the gaming market hasn't taken advantage of, q6600 is fine for up to 3.6GHz.
 
T

ther00kie16

Golden Member
Mar 28, 2008
1,573
0
0
Originally posted by: Blain
Originally posted by: ther00kie16
q6600 is fine for up to 3.6GHz.
Click to expand...
That's on good water, right? :shocked:
Click to expand...

It all depends on the chip. On water you can get higher (up to 4GHz). Someone at xtremesystems even got his B3 up to 3.8GHz. My friend's G0 even booted at 4GHz on air (of course it didn't load windows or anything). Only thing is that at 3.6GHz (if the chip can do it) load temps will be around 70C even with the best air cooling, which is still ok but usually too hot for people's liking.
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Blain's recommendations are on the money. (And if I came off as an ass in the other thread Blain, I might've misunderstood your tone. That's the problem with the interwebz.)

He's made all the important changes, so I'll just explain them.

HDD: There's nothing like a good hard drive to make a system feel snappy, whether it's loading game levels, opening large files, copying/transferring, etc. $40 is well worth it here to more than double your capacity and increase your speed.

Motherboard: Don't worry about DDR3. With the current generation of processors and chipsets it just doesn't do a whole lot for you. Changing from DDR2 to DDR3 later on isn't going to make your computer faster, and you'll be limited to 4GB then anyway. (Since the board only has 2 DDR3 slots.)

RAM: For a noob's first build, buying RAM that's designed to run at 1.8V will reduce instability headaches. Also, you don't need DDR2-1066. For a Q6600 DDR2-800 is just fine, and if you want overclocking headroom on a 45nm chip DDR2-1000 is all you need. DDR2-1066 is overpriced and unnecesary.

As for the PSU, don't take my word for it. I'm not an expert, but jonnyGURU is. (Also, power usage statistics are fairly easy to find. While they aren't perfectly accurate, they are in the right ballpark, and a system with an 8800GT and a 45nm chip is going to max out around 300W. That's with both parts chugging along at 100% full bore. Rare even in games like Crysis.

Lastly, the CPU. For gaming dual core is going to be just peachy. If you're willing to overclock, the E7200 is indeed a good choice. (Just FYI, I run Crysis smoothly on high settings on an "old" E4500. Overclocked to 2.93GHz, but even at stock it's fine. CPU speed isn't as important as the GPU for games like Crysis.) If you don't want to bother with overclocking, I'd recommend the E8400 over the Q9300.

 
R

Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
6,045
0
0
I bought RAM with blue heatspreaders a year and a half ago and I'll have you know all the guys down at the hair salon think I'm the best!
 
S

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
I'd stick to the beefy PSU if you're planning on upgrading to GTX280 or the like... Particularly with a quad. Also consider EVGA/BFG for step-up on the video.

EDIT: wait, 12*10? Never mind. ;)
 
N

nisten

Junior Member
Dec 18, 2007
14
0
0
Thanks for the help so far guys, here are some changes I've made:

- Samsung DVD/CD burner - $26.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151153

- WD 500gb hd - $84.99 (I really can't think of taking advantage of 640gb, but thanks for the suggestion)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136073

- G.skill 4gb (2x2gb) DDR2 800 ram - $84.99 (Will save with Newegg shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122

- Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R Mobo - $119.99 (Didn't see this board somehow)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128086

- Corsair 550watt PSU - $94.99 (I'm not gonna SLI, but worries me with next-gen cards)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139004

- Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 - $274.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115043

- MSI 8800GTS 512mb - $209.99 (Wanted CoD 4 that came with XFX card but can always pick that up later)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127325

So that makes my total (parts listed doesn't include case, OS) after shipping/tax to Cali: $1,243.52.

I have some questions though:

If the 8800GTS is PCI-E 2.0, and my mobo doesn't support 2.0, will there be a problem/will I not be using the card to its full potential?

Should I wait for the next gen of cards to come out, and if so, what would I need to change in this current set up? RAM, mobo, etc.?

Any other suggestions/changes/arguments? :)
 
B

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
"(I really can't think of taking advantage of 640gb, but thanks for the suggestion)"

Higher density platters... Faster... Cooler... Quieter... More Capacity...
Beyond that, there's no reason to get the 640GB HD. :p
 
BlueAcolyte

BlueAcolyte

Platinum Member
Nov 19, 2007
2,793
2
0
PCI-E 2.0 right now is a marketing gimmick, we haven't even maxed out AGP yet.

If you waited for the next-gen of cards, everything would still work except you might want a bigger PSU.
 
N

nisten

Junior Member
Dec 18, 2007
14
0
0
Originally posted by: Blain
"(I really can't think of taking advantage of 640gb, but thanks for the suggestion)"

Higher density platters... Faster... Cooler... Quieter... More Capacity...
Beyond that, there's no reason to get the 640GB HD. :p
Click to expand...

I apologize if I was wrong, is there a big difference between the 500gb and the 640gb you pointed out?
 
R

Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
6,045
0
0
In terms of performance, the 640GB is almost as good as a Raptor, but is of decent size.
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Originally posted by: nisten
Originally posted by: Blain
"(I really can't think of taking advantage of 640gb, but thanks for the suggestion)"

Higher density platters... Faster... Cooler... Quieter... More Capacity...
Beyond that, there's no reason to get the 640GB HD. :p
Click to expand...

I apologize if I was wrong, is there a big difference between the 500gb and the 640gb you pointed out?
Click to expand...

The 640GB drive uses two 320GB platters. That means several things - the motor doesn't have to work as hard, the drive uses less power, and since data is crammed in, the drive is higher performance. (The head doesn't have to move as far to cover a given amount of data since the density is higher.)

I think the 500GB is three or four platters, but I could be wrong.
 
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