Final Build Components List

[Splatter]

This is for a computer primarily designed for gaming, but also with the potential to handle other applications like video and photo editing if I so choose. I have a budget of approximately 1750-2000USD. I will be purchasing the parts in the US, most likely from Newegg (suggestions welcome). I would like to be able to overclock a bit, although I have no experience in this area. I would like to have this PC built ASAP, so that I can have any potential flaws worked out by the time I get some freetime mid-summer.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16811103010"]
XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail[/URL]
120mm Exhaust: http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16811998121"]APEVIA CF12SL-UBL 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail[/URL]

MoBo:XFX 780i SLI Compatible Mobo

GPU:MSI 8800 GTS

PSU:Corsair TX650

CPU:http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16819115042"]Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor[/URL]

RAM: G.Skill 2x2 1000mhz Buying two sets of this stuff, so 8GBs total.

HD1:WD VelociRaptor

Opti Drive:http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16827151153"]Samsung Optical Drive[/URL]

Sound Card:http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16829102006"]Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card[/URL]

OS:http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16832116204"]Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium[/URL]

This is the first time I have built a computer and also my first delve into anything beyond pulling a computer out of a box and setting it up. Because of this limited knowledge, I am nervous about making mistakes with compatibility and, well, pretty much everything. So, any feedback you have to help me not make a royal fool of myself would be much appreciated.

My specific questions are the following:

1) Will the stock cooling be sufficient, or will I need to look for something else? (Suggestions would be great)

2) Will the case I am looking at fit everything I need, and also provide enough airflow?

3) Did I over or underestimate the power I need from the PSU in order to run the listed components?

4) Is the Q9450 a better choice than the Q6600 for the money and with the potential for OCing the Q6600 (OCing is something I have limited (read: zero, other than a little reading on the subject) experience with, but something I would like to try)

Edit: 5) Is this MoBo the right choice to go with the other components? I realize it is somewhat cheap, and I don't want to end up not being able to run anything or having to buy different components because of it (Mobos are quite confusing to me ).

Obviously, any advice that you guys feel would improve the system or corrections to any mistakes I have made would be much appreciated. I am not looking to spend much more than the value of the current parts list, but suggestions for better allocation of the money would be something I would carefully consider.

Thanks for your help!

PS: Sorry for all the URLs and /urls. Kind of a batch post I made up to get feedback from multiple sources without having to type all this over and over, didn't consider the fact that I still needed to hyperlink everything.

 

[DSF]

I'll answer your questions first, and then provide additional comments.

1) For regular operation the stock cooler is fine. If you plan to overclock, especially with a quad core chip, you should look into aftermarket cooling.

2) I don't know the nitty-gritty details of that case. Do you really want a case that looks like that?

3.) Way over. 500W is plenty, but get a good name-brand power supply. Don't skimp here.

4.) Personally I'd probably save the $150 or so and overclock the Q6600. Nothing wrong with the Q9450 on your budget though, and I think it overclocks farther than the Q6600 by a bit.

5) The motherboard is fine unless you need firewire for your video apps.

Now my other comments:
Video card - The 8800GTX is outdated and overpriced. A 512MB 8800GTS is almost as powerful (more powerful in some games), generated less heat, uses less power and costs less. Better all around.

RAM - DDR2-1066 is similarly overpriced. Even if you go with the Q9450 and want to overclock, DDR2-1000 is plenty for what you're doing and will cost less. G.Skill has a good DDR2-1000 kit on Newegg which I believe is $85.

HD: The Raptor doesn't have the speed advantage it used to over other hard drives. If you really want to be able to say you have a 10K RPM hard drive, buy the newer, faster WD 300GB Raptor. Otherwise a single WD Caviar 640GB will replace the two you've chosen there. It will provide as much space as the two combined and be almost as fast as the Raptor.

Sound Card: I've heard mixed things about X-Fis and Vista. I'd look into that a little further if I were you. Honestly though, onboard sound is pretty good nowadays. I'd give your motherboard's integrated sound a try, and if you don't like it then upgrade. If you do like it you save $70.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: DSF
Now my other comments:
Video card - The 8800GTX is outdated and overpriced. A 512MB 8800GTS is almost as powerful (more powerful in some games), generated less heat, uses less power and costs less. Better all around.

Actually you cant really say that the GTS is better unless he tells us what monitor is going to be running on.

If he's dropping a 24 the yeah, the GTS is a heck of a lot better in price/performance.

However if he's a monitor whore like some people i know and has a 30 inch dell or simular, no way the newer gen cards can beat a 8800GTX. The 8800GTX has more pipelines.

However then he'd be looking at the 9800GX2's. :T

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
However if he's a monitor whore like some people i know and has a 30 inch dell or simular, no way the newer gen cards can beat a 8800GTX. The 8800GTX has more pipelines.

And people running 30" displays are what fraction of computer users? I made a fair assumption.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: DSF

Originally posted by: aigomorla
However if he's a monitor whore like some people i know and has a 30 inch dell or simular, no way the newer gen cards can beat a 8800GTX. The 8800GTX has more pipelines.

And people running 30" displays are what fraction of computer users? I made a fair assumption.

Yes you did.

However in the OP's main post he states this

Originally posted by: Splatter
but also with the potential to handle other applications like video and photo editing if I so choose. I have a budget of approximately 1750-2000USD.

a budget that large, that fraction is actually quite larger.

 

[Ike0069]

Personally I really like that MB (I am a sucker for any MSI board with the Neo2 desigination however) and I was seriosuly looking at using it; but..... there are rumblings that complain of a dual slot vid card covering two of the five SATA ports. From looking at the pics this appears to be a legitimate concern for anyone that needs more than three SATA ports now or in the near future. This issue is the only reason I would not recommend this board, because other than that it seems great.

For the price of that GTX, you can nearly buy two 8800GTS (G92) cards ($209 ea) and run SLI. Even if you want only a single card, I think the 8800GTS is a much better buy.

 

[Splatter]

@ DSF
Thanks a bunch!

I guess I will look into some aftermarket cooling simply so that I can OC it if I so choose.

I'm not attached to the case particularly, if you have something else you would like to suggest, feel free.

If I were to SLI two of the GTS's instead of running the GTX as suggested, would I need a bigger PSU? I'm probably going to buy a 600-650 anyway, just to be on the safe side.

Jury is still out on the HD issue, still looking around at the two. Thanks for the suggestion though!

Just so you guys know, I have a 24" monitor

@Ike

I have read about that concern, although as far as I know, I won't need 3 SATA ports as I will only be plugging in an optical drive and a HD (as far as I can tell). The other issue is that I can't tell if this board will run with the SLI'd GTS's, because other SLI boards I have seen have been designated as such and this one is not. I read somewhere that you need a board with an Nvid chipset to run SLI. If thats the case I will need to search for a new MoBo anyway.

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: SplatterI have read about that concern, although as far as I know, I won't need 3 SATA ports as I will only be plugging in an optical drive and a HD (as far as I can tell). The other issue is that I can't tell if this board will run with the SLI'd GTS's, because other SLI boards I have seen have been designated as such and this one is not. I read somewhere that you need a board with an Nvid chipset to run SLI. If thats the case I will need to search for a new MoBo anyway.

Yes, you need an Nvidia chipset to run SLI. The newest SLI-capable motherboards are the 700i series (750i, 780i and 790i). The 600i boards are a generation old.

Since it's your first build I would lean away from SLI just for the simplicity of getting things up and running, but you do have a budget that would allow it if you choose.

 

[Ike0069]

Just for the record, I wasn't really trying to suggest that you should go SLI, just making a point about the price difference in the cards.

If you were to go SLI, you would definitely need to go with a different board. 750i/780i nVidia chipset boards would be my suggestion to look at.

The PSU you have listed is probably overkill even for SLI 8800GTS's, but is defintely way overkill for a single card system.

 

[Splatter]

Well, with the price of the GTS, I don't see a reason NOT to use them in SLI (They are actually 1cent cheaper for 2 than the GTX). However, I agree with your point about not making this any harder than it needs to be. I guess I will rethink my mobo purchase and look for something that will be SLI compatible so that I can upgrade to SLI down the road if I so choose.

Ok, http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813141005 --> XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Intel Motherboard

Well reviewed, seems to do the job quite well, 3 way SLI (yeah, like I'm gunna use that), seems to be a solid fit.

 

[Splatter]

Double.

 

[Splatter]

Made some changes to the original post to include my projected changes. This includes a new PSU that is well reviewed and which I saw recommended elsewhere on the forums, the Motherboard linked above, and a VelociRaptor instead of the dual HD configuration I was using before. Just so you don't need to ask, yes, 300gb is more than enough for what I use, my PC atm has an 80gb HD, and other than being poorly partitioned, I have about 30gbs of free space.

 

[Ike0069]

I think that MB is way more than you need. Save some money there and get a CPU cooler. The Zigmatek HDT-S963 is an inexpensive and (relatively) lightweight cooler that works very well for moderate OC's.

Are you still going with the GTX? I just don't see that as a good purchase considering the price of a GTS.

 

[theAnimal]

Change the PSU to Corsair VX550 or TX650.

 

[Splatter]

Whoops. Updated the GPU on my newegg list and forgot about it in the post. I am planning to purchase a pair of the 209$ GTS and run them in SLI. The setup doesn't seem to bad, another step, yeah, but I think it will be worth it in the end.

 

[Splatter]

Ok, got a question going all the way back to the case issue. Would an Antec 900 be large enough to house these components? or would I need a full tower.

 

[Ike0069]

It would be plenty big, and at $90 AR with free shipping, you should buy it today if you like the case. No telling when they will add shipping again and that will be around $20 more.

But realize you might need an extension cable for your 4 or 8 pin connector since the PSU mounts in the bottom and the CPU power connector on the MB you have listed is at the very top of the board.