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Final Gaming rig *$4500* opinions are welcomed

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This spreadsheet should help you budget.

I said what I did about the 45nm quad because I read many posts on this site that many people were getting a max stable overclock of 3.5GHz or so o on the 9450 (with reasonable voltages). From what I remember that was a FSB limiter, so the 9550 should get around 3.7GHz with the same FSB. The extreme chips (with unlocked multipliers) seem to be getting over 4GHz though. I am by no means an expert, I was just relaying that your goal may not be realistic. I would shoot for 3.5GHz, and if you exceed that it would be gravy. Although I suggest that you get a better "expert" than me to give you advice on overclocking your future quad core chip since I don't even have one.
 
ok ok i get it😱 I'll stick to DDR2 memory instead of DDR3 till next summer 2009, for that would be the prime time for when DDR3 is most plausible. Now that I have decided to stick with DDR2 i have chosen some possible items.

Mushkin XP Series 240-Pin DDR2-1066(XP2-8500) 4GB(2x2GB) Memory 996599, 5-5-5-15
Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

(going for 8GB) Well these are the brands that I narrowed it down to. Are thes brands and models good DDR2s? any opinions? thanks in advance.

As for CPU I am thinking of staying with an e8500 or e8600 (i heard Intel is making such a model) and OCing to 4.0ghz+
Personally i think its Dual core's time to shine this whole year and maybe I'll eventually move onto Quad by next summer when their will be games demanding it.

I just hope the Gigabyte board i will soon be getting uses DDR2..😕
 
As for PSU, i will firmly stick to a 1000w PSU, just deciding which brand to get since there are too many to chose from, singl-rail? multi-rail? which is the most safest and the most dependable? I will take to some peoples' advice and step down from 1200w+ but will be sticking to 1000w+ since i will be getting Dual GTX280s when they come out.

Regarding Monitor, the sites i order my parts from dont have Doublesight monitor, for which i actually want to get that monitor for this gaming rig. any help on other sights, other than newegg, since newegg doesnt ship to where i live. I am currently living in Guam btw and yes it is a US territory and if it was any bigger it would be a new state lol:laugh:
 
Safest? Multi-rail. The whole multi-rail vs single-rail debate is kind of silly. The only, and I repeat only, difference is that a multi-rail PSU is less likely to catch on fire in case of a short, but is also more complex to set up since you need to make sure you dont overload a single rail.

To be honest, I think you should just go with a dual socket system with a budget like this. Go to www.2cpu.com and check out all the dual harpertown builds people are making, you can even overclock them with the BSEL mod. Why go for a single quad core with 8 GBs of RAM when you could have two of them and 32 GBs of RAM? 🙂
 
You don't need 8gb of ram for a gaming rig, i really doubt you would notice any difference from 4gb of ram. I would get a Corsair 1000HX for the PSU
 
This is the lowdown of what I plan to get very soon and basically it adds up to only $3700 so its some hundred dollars cheaper than the crazy $4200-$4500 budget. I hope this is more sensible.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo e8500 (try to OC it to 4.0ghz+) $280
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-780SLI-DS5 $300+ (rather than the 780, since I'm using DDR2)
Memory: 4GB mushkin (2GB x 2) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) or if i find some better DDR2s $144
Harddrive: 150GB Raptor $170
Video Card: 2 GTX280s (for SLI) around $1000
Optical Drive: 2 Pioneer DVD burners $68
Casing: Antec 1200 full-tower $160
Power Supply: XIGMATEK NRP-HC1001 1000w $250 or if I find some better PSU
Monitor: PLANAR 26" px2611w widescreen $897 or if I find some better monitor
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit $170
Windows Office 2007 OEM $79.
Aftermarket Cooling for CPU: Tuniq $67

TOTAL: $3,585 + shipping and handling + testing fees (option at some websites) = $3700
I did not add speakers since i have some already, as well as keyboard/mouse (Im using Logitech btw.
 
You do realize that you could spend $2000 on a new system now, then $2000 on a new system in 18 months and be WAY ahead of where you'll be now, right?

Ewww, it just makes me cringe when I see these threads. 😀
 
Bamacre,

If you minus the monitor and take out 1 video card i'm left with $2300 so i guess its good enough for me. but having a really nice monitor will be somewhat of an investment for some years and to add another card to form SLI would be purely maximizing the computer's graphic potential. am i right?
 
Originally posted by: MrAK
Bamacre,

If you minus the monitor and take out 1 video card i'm left with $2300 so i guess its good enough for me. but having a really nice monitor will be somewhat of an investment for some years and to add another card to form SLI would be purely maximizing the computer's graphic potential. am i right?
Click to expand...

I didn't notice the LCD. 😀

You sure you want a 26in LCD? That's huge! I'm sure it's nice, but depending how close you'll be sitting from it, it could be too big. The big problem though, for gaming, you gotta have and keep GPU power to game at the native resolution. While SLI can help, it's expensive, and can be a headache. It also forces you to use an Nvidia chipset, which IMO, is a little inferior to Intel's chipsets.

You can save a LOT of money here.

CPU
Drop down to Q9540 @ $340+ship.
http://shop3.frys.com/product/5539940

Motherboard:
Just killing your wallet here.

Memory:
OCZ Platinum 4GB kit (2GB x 2) 1600mhz 7-6-6-24

Overkill, bigtime. I mean, the Q9550 has a 1333mhz FSB, so it would need 667mhz memory to hit its stock speed (8.5 x 333mhz).

DDR2-1000 would be plenty to get that Q9550 up to 4Ghz, as your FSB would be roughly 470Mhz, and DDR2-1000 would be enough to get it up to 4.25Ghz.

So, a Q9450 could probably hit close to 4Ghz using DDR2-1000 memory. Ok, if not, ask yourself, do you really need a 4Ghz quad core cpu? :laugh:

I mean, look at what you're missing out on...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231145

As for Blu-ray reader, ask yourself, are you going to use it? If so, fine. But if not, wait. That stuff will only get cheaper.

PSU, overkill, bigtime. 1250W? Please.

My big problem here is, just in regards to your motherboard, processor, and memory, you literally spending double (if not more) for maybe a 10% performance gain, if that. It's just foolishness.
 
if you read the new setup for my gaming rig, its abit more sensible. Take a look, right above your first post. As you can see i was thinking of maximizing an e8400 or e8500 to over 4.0ghz+ and now i'm sticking to DDR2s and im going to get the 780 from Gigabyte rather than the 790. and im sticking to 1000w, ill probaly save 100 bucks tht way and as for SLI, yes i will be getting Dual GTX280s just so i could be prepared for the upcoming games this fall and early next year. As you could look its down to $3700 with everything.
 
For those of you who have suggested other parts (brands), its actually hard to get them, since there are only very few websites that ship to where i live, that is Guam. Although its a US territory, its almost impossible to send junk here from the states, the only places i know that i order from, that ship to Guam is MWAVE.COM and DIRECTRON.COM.

Does anyone know of other websites that can ship to Guam, if so, that will dramatically increase my variety of choices to pick from. I just want to have a kick-ass gaming rig so I'm trying to get as much help as I can. Heck if any of you know of another place that would ship to Guam (for those who dont know, its an island 4 hours north of Australia and 9-10 hours west of Hawaii, in the Pacific.) please let me know THANKS!
 
I also see that your prices are quite a bit higher than whats available in the states. Your revised build looks fine, except for the prices🙁

Have you thought about getting a friend in the states to order the stuff for you then repack and ship it to you in Guam? Seems you would save alot of $'s and have a better selection on parts
 
*sigh*

okey let me say this for the record.


There is no gaurentee for 4ghz. Even tho most wolfdales do 4ghz, it doesnt mean its a gaurentee 4ghz.

Same goes with yorkfield. There is no gaurentee 4ghz. Ive seen even QX's where most have no issues getting 4ghz, not do it.

The chip is in YOUR LUCKY of the draw.


Also some warning. NEVER Build a machine expecting X overclock. Unless the X overclock is stock with no overclock. You'll get disapointed really fast if your system cant do it.
 
Completely off topic, but I noticed in Aigomorla's sig his mulling over a feminine name for his forthcoming Spider platform. I'd think the obvious candidate (since he favours mythological names) is 'Arachne'. Slightly less obvious is 'Ariadne', though her spun thread was used for escape rather than entrapment. Both Arachne and Ariadne may have been weaving goddesses, though Ariadne has no direct association with spiders.

The other candidate (not classical mythology but Gary Gygax's): Lolth.

Edited: probably should have private-messaged that, but I'm sceptical that I'd be considered worthy. 😀
 
Originally posted by: aigomorla
okey let me say this for the record.

There is no gaurentee for 4ghz. Even tho most wolfdales do 4ghz, it doesnt mean its a gaurentee 4ghz.

Same goes with yorkfield. There is no gaurentee 4ghz. Ive seen even QX's where most have no issues getting 4ghz, not do it.

The chip is in YOUR LUCKY of the draw.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I've been saying that for years, but maybe people will believe you more than me. :brokenheart:
 
GuitarDaddy,

well actually the sites, I order from are US based, both Mwave.com(California) and Directron.com(Texas) are both in the US, I'm just assuming that with all these parts being sent at the same time, would be shelling out $70-$110 for shipping, because of the weight and/or size of the box all this is coming in. To me spending that much for shipping is worth it. I found out also that using UPS and Fedex, I would be paying close to $300, which is totally to much for me. I have some friends and even relatives (yet not of them know much about computers let alone the parts lol) but sometimes you gotta do things yourself. Regarding a more selection of parts, would you happen to know of a site where they could ship to Guam?

aigomorla,

hmmmm ok. I just thought of the idea of reaching 4.0ghz+ since so many people, I've read about, have reached of that speed with an e8400 and e8500, heck even with a q9550. When you talk in terms of X, i was actually suprised my current rig's cpu, e6600 reached 3.4ghz (1Ghz more than stock) and i actually got it to 3.7ghz at some point, but decided to keep it alittle lower and it wasn't even an X processor. I understand you point that you getting to, but if so many other people could reach over 4.0ghz with an e8400 or e8500 or q9550, wouldn't it narrow down to what motherboard and memory, as well as a good aftermarket cooler, to reach 4.0ghz+? just saying based on what i have read and theory.

Winterpool,

of topic (hmmmm do i notice the words of a Dungeons and Dragons player??) just curious, coz I'm one lol
 
Originally posted by: MrAKI understand you point that you getting to, but if so many other people could reach over 4.0ghz with an e8400 or e8500 or q9550, wouldn't it narrow down to what motherboard and memory, as well as a good aftermarket cooler, to reach 4.0ghz+?
Click to expand...

No, because not every chip that rolls off the assembly line is identical.
 
The only reason i could not get a 300GB raptor is because Mwave.com and Directron.com dont have it for sale as well as Tigersdirect.com does not seem to have it also. I am aware of the 300GB version being somewhat better for the bang for the buck over the 150GB, but do you know of any other sites where i could get it and that that site ships to Guam??

Thanks in advance.🙂
 
I am ready to build my new gaming rig, this is what follows. please tell me any last minute adjustments before I make a lasting mistake, thanks to all of you who have given me advice in the past.

here goes

CPU: E8500
MB: DFI LANPARTY UT X48-T3R LGA 775 Intel X48
RAM:Patriot Extreme Performance Viper Series DDR3 4GB (2 x 2GB) PVS34G1333LLK DDR3 1333
HD: (1) Raptor 10k 80GB *for OS* (1) 300GB 10k Fujitsu
VC: temporarily will be using my old 8800GTX until 4870x2 becomes available will be getting 2 for crossfire
CPU fan: ASUS TRITON 79
DVD Burners: 2 Pioneer 20X SATA DVD ReWriters Model: DVR-215DBK
PSU: Corsair 1000W
Casing: Antec 1200 full tower
Monitor: Dell Ultrasharp 3008WFP 30? wide screen LCD
OS: Windows Vista 64-bit Home

Knowing that the price for the monitor will be the most expensive part of my rig, i treat it as the investment to last me awhile, as for my budget I know this is above my range but it so happend that my Fiance is willing to shell out some bucks to help me get the monitor

Hope to hear from your professional criticisms guys:thumbsup:
 
I know in the review from the gtx280s in SLI that they were huge power hogs, and they couldn't run it on anything other than a 1200w PSU or greater. Dunno if the4870's will be the same, but it might be something to consider.
 
Originally posted by: jgigz
I know in the review from the gtx280s in SLI that they were huge power hogs, and they couldn't run it on anything other than a 1200w PSU or greater. Dunno if the4870's will be the same, but it might be something to consider.
Click to expand...

Where's that review?

In Anandtech's review, the power consumption of the entire system at load with with 2 GTX280s in SLI was 509W.

Edit: And I still say DDR3 is a completely unnecessary waste of money.
 
Originally posted by: DSF
Originally posted by: jgigz
I know in the review from the gtx280s in SLI that they were huge power hogs, and they couldn't run it on anything other than a 1200w PSU or greater. Dunno if the4870's will be the same, but it might be something to consider.
Click to expand...

Where's that review?

In Anandtech's review, the power consumption of the entire system at load with with 2 GTX280s in SLI was 509W.

Edit: And I still say DDR3 is a completely unnecessary waste of money.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know it was the entire system, but I initially misread the wattage of his PSU, my fault.

/agree with your edit btw.
 
Originally posted by: DSF


Edit: And I still say DDR3 is a completely unnecessary waste of money.
Click to expand...

I had to get DDR3 memory because of the MB, but I only got the cheapes high performance DDR3 1333s so that down the line i could upgrade to 2000s sometime next year. Could you recommend a X48 board thats a better match for my system that would take DDR2? *because I dont know of any other X48 board, plus this DFI board looks very promising* Its just I have read of many reviews from people/sites/magazines/etc that DDR3 is just as ok as DDR2, if configured right.
 
Originally posted by: DSF


In Anandtech's review, the power consumption of the entire system at load with with 2 GTX280s in SLI was 509W.q]

So if your saying that 509W is enough for an entire system + 2 GTX280s, then why do alot of people say that in order to utilize this you need at least 1000W?

Could you give me the link to that sight or give me some solid facts that support your claim? thanks again in advance
Click to expand...
 
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