Evaluate before I buy

[amaunator]

Here is what I plan to buy. I know the Quad Core isn't the best value, but I felt like getting myself a gift.

I am stumped on what PSU to get to power this so any suggestions would be great. Here is the list.

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model LH-20A1H-186 - Retail
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3400620AS 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
eVGA 768-P2-N835-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card - Retail
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-8500C5D - Retail
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562QX6700 - Retail
ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler - Retail

 

[moosey]

Just as some general advice, look for some PSUs like Seasonic, Corsair, Silverstone (the Zeus series are real good), FSP and PC Power and Cooling (if you can afford it).

Here are some examples...also should take into account if you're ever going SLI with that card
Silverstone
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817163111
Seasonic
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...it=ENE&Manufactory=1697&SubCategory=58
Corsair
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...it=ENE&Manufactory=1459&SubCategory=58
PC P&C
http://www.pcpower.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S61EPS

 

[amaunator]

Adding these to the system:

SILVERSTONE SST-ST75ZF ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V 750W Power Supplyl
SILVERSTONE TJ09-S Silver Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Ultra Beige 3.5" Floppy Drive with Built-in 6-in-1 Flash Card Reader

I am still torn though on the motherboard, the EVGA seems good, but is the Striker better because it has eSata?

 

[moosey]

Originally posted by: amaunator
I am still torn though on the motherboard, the EVGA seems good, but is the Striker better because it has eSata?

Depends...do you want eSATA? If not, the eVGA is fine and for a lot less.

You've got a real nice top-of-the-line system there.

 

[amaunator]

Yea, I was planning to spend 2 to 2.5K, but with the extreme quad and tj09, it is a bit over 3k. I buy/build a computer every four years or so. My first DIY computer I put together four years ago. 2.6 P4 northwood with a gigabyte SINXP motherboard with a 9700 pro aiw. It's been a great computer, but time to hand it down to the wife and get a new one.

I think you're right about the EVGA. Last question, the RAM with 680i motherboards. Will it work out of the box or will I need to do something special to make it work? I don't overclock so I just want things to work.

 

[moosey]

I don't see why the memory wouldn't work out of the box. Probably just have to adjust the voltage in BIOS or something like that to get it to run at the rated speed.

I have a quick question as well. Is DDR2-1066 overkill for o/c on the quad processor? I don't really know how well those o/c and was just thinking if DDR2-800 would be fine to run at a FSB of 400mhz.

 

[amaunator]

On the Quad, the FSB is 1066 so that's why I picked the 1066 ram. Hopefully, I'm not wrong about choosing based on that, but makes sense to me. Am I right?

 

[moosey]

FSB 1066 takes into account the quad-pumped. 1066FSB means 1066/4=267. Therefore, to run default, DDR2-533 will be fine (533/2=267). However, you can run the ran asynchronously. I'd just opt for DDR2-800 and run the RAM at that speed (with processor stock)...could save you $100 or so.

 

[amaunator]

Everything has arrived now except the case. Hope it comes tomorrow so I can start on the weekend.