Finally narrowed it down to 2 possible builds

[alimoalem]

how much does your cooling solution/case cost? $400?

you really should buy neither rig. they both look bad. even with your 7900GT, it's not worth it. how does it add up to $1391?

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: alimoalem
how much does your cooling solution/case cost? $400?

you really should buy neither rig. they both look bad. even with your 7900GT, it's not worth it. how does it add up to $1391?

The case was $320 with the cooling system on it, a little pricey, but I want it to be liquid cooled.
edit: I also figure I could reuse the same case a few years later.

 

[pkrush]

Let me guess, the Thermaltake Tai Chi? Don't bother. Just get yourself a decent Lian Li PC7 or V1000. Also, you shouldn't even bother with watercooling, it's just going to take you more time and money to get right and if you aren't overclocking the snot out of everything right away, it's kind of pointless. I'd just go for decent aircooling right now and put the extra cash in the bank until the DX10 cards come out around February, won't be any sooner because it'll have to be after Vista comes out (DX10 isn't going to run on XP so maybe add $200 for a copy of Vista later on) and games probably won't even utilize it for a few months after that. Good choice on the 7900gt though, I've just ordered one to replace my aging 6600gt after getting fed up with playing oblivion on an lcd at 800x600.

 

[pkme2]

AMD and Lian-Li cases go together.

 

[Green Man]

Originally posted by: Smartazz

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Smartazz
I just found out I have close to $1350 upstairs, I didn't count it right, should I spend it now on a better video card like the 7900GT, or save it to upgrade to a DX10 card later on when they get released?

since you are going to be gaming over the summer i would get a 7900gt now. they are excellent cards.

when are games even going to be using dx10?

This fall? I think.
But I do like your idea to spend a bit more on a 7900GT, maybe I'll SLI it eventually.

Highly doubtful dx10 games will be out this fall. AFAIK dx10 wont be out until vista which comes out in Q1 07 if we're lucky.

I wouldn't count on seeing dx10 games before NEXT fall

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: pkrush
Let me guess, the Thermaltake Tai Chi? Don't bother. Just get yourself a decent Lian Li PC7 or V1000. Also, you shouldn't even bother with watercooling, it's just going to take you more time and money to get right and if you aren't overclocking the snot out of everything right away, it's kind of pointless. I'd just go for decent aircooling right now and put the extra cash in the bank until the DX10 cards come out around February, won't be any sooner because it'll have to be after Vista comes out (DX10 isn't going to run on XP so maybe add $200 for a copy of Vista later on) and games probably won't even utilize it for a few months after that. Good choice on the 7900gt though, I've just ordered one to replace my aging 6600gt after getting fed up with playing oblivion on an lcd at 800x600.

Wrong guess, I mentioned it in the first post, it's a Lian Li.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: Green Man

Originally posted by: Smartazz

Originally posted by: bob4432

Originally posted by: Smartazz
I just found out I have close to $1350 upstairs, I didn't count it right, should I spend it now on a better video card like the 7900GT, or save it to upgrade to a DX10 card later on when they get released?

since you are going to be gaming over the summer i would get a 7900gt now. they are excellent cards.

when are games even going to be using dx10?

This fall? I think.
But I do like your idea to spend a bit more on a 7900GT, maybe I'll SLI it eventually.

Highly doubtful dx10 games will be out this fall. AFAIK dx10 wont be out until vista which comes out in Q1 07 if we're lucky.

I wouldn't count on seeing dx10 games before NEXT fall

I heard halo 2 is dx10.

 

[Smartazz]

I'm having second thoughts about the amd system, because I just read the review on Tom's Hardware about the intel 805 and apparently it could outperform top of the line cpus.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Smartazz
I'm having second thoughts about the amd system, because I just read the review on Tom's Hardware about the intel 805 and apparently it could outperform top of the line cpus.

link to article?

also, i didn't even see you had liquid cooling - get rid of it, not worth it unless you are trying to push a 3000venice to 3.5GHz, seriously. my computer room stays at ~82-85F all summer long and my rig in sig in an original lanboy that has the 80mm fan upfront with an added 60mm to blow over the hdds and the cpu stays nice and cool even with the o/c.

 

[CreepieDeCrapper]

Originally posted by: Smartazz
Wrong guess, I mentioned it in the first post, it's a Lian Li.

actually your first post mentions the Koolance case, which Lian Li did you end up going with instead?

Edit: snippet from your first post:


Intel Platform:
CPU:Intel 805
RAM:2 GB Corsair Value Select
HDD: Western Digital 320GB hard drive
GPU:7600GT
Case: Koolance PC3-426BK Plus, Black
PSU: Fortron 450
Media Drives: 1 DVD-ROM, 1 52x CD-ROM
Cooling: CPU cooling block for the liquid cooled system
Mobo: MSI 945P PLATINUM

Cost: $1108

AMD Platform:
CPU: Opteron 144
RAM:2 GB Corsair Value Select
HDD: Western Digital 320GB hard drive
GPU:7600GT
Case: Koolance PC3-426BK Plus, Black
PSU: Fortron 450 "will be replaced if I ever use SLI"
Media Drives: 1 DVD-ROM, 1 52x CD-ROM
Cooling: CPU cooling block for the liquid cooled system
Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Premium

Cost: $1165

 

[bob4432]

after reading the article i would say that it sounds good in theory but there are more than a couple ifs. the main one being that actual V that is burned into the rom in the cpu. on tom's they said there is no way to know based on any code on the box or s spec, this is where luck comes into play. they claim that they just got lucky, but honestly, do i think this was their only 805 they o/ced? i highly doubt they only had 1 laying around or access to just 1. they wouldn't have written the article unless they were able to get a 54% o/c, so them claiming they got this particular cpu is possible, but i have to think that they may have looked at others. i mean if they are writing this article which obviously took quite a bit of time they don't want to end up with a 28% o/c after all the time and work. this portion is my opinion, and i think it makes sense. if you do go the 805 route, this is where you are going to need to see what the majority of others got from their 805 o/c.

No exact information can be found on the box: only the maximum input voltage of 1.4 V is printed.

A lower CPU voltage level generally indicates a higher-quality CPU. That's because the transistors require less voltage to change states, which also substantially raises the chances of attaining high clock rates.

The voltage level you see on your Pentium D 805 must be the same or lower for you to attain the same overclocking result we achieved or do better.

and they had a 1.3375 one, but according to their spec sheet the 805's go up to 1.6V and if you get one of those your o/c will not be anywhere near what they got.

next when you look at benchmarks you will see that although the 4.1GHz 805 may be kicking a$$ over higher priced cpus, we are not talking 100fps in games. in fact much less because games are gpu limited. honestly, after 60-70fps it doesn't matter.

it seems like you are getting a little overly obsessed about this situation and i can understand that. if you go the 805 route there will be ifs and you may or may not have a uber 1337 o/c, but you will at least have ddr2-800 ram for a upgrade later. with the opty144 your are using ddr ram, but there is still a ton of upgradeability with the 939 architecture and it is very mature. even after reading the article i would still go the 144 route and take out the koolance case, just get a large chieftec server type case for ~$60 and save some more $$$. with 939 you still have the options of going a opty 165 which also usually has good o/c ability.

last and my final thought is that this build is going to last you longer than what you think, so the possiblity of stuff carrying over for you next build is questionable. i am sure ddr3 will be the next upgrade but to be honest a o/ced 165, if needed should last you quite some time with the correct gpu/s.

edit: after posting this i visted overclockers.com and they kind of feel the same way i do about certain parts of the toms article, have a look - http://www.overclockers.com/tips00971/

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: CreepieDeCrapper

Originally posted by: Smartazz
Wrong guess, I mentioned it in the first post, it's a Lian Li.

actually your first post mentions the Koolance case, which Lian Li did you end up going with instead?

Edit: snippet from your first post:


Intel Platform:
CPU:Intel 805
RAM:2 GB Corsair Value Select
HDD: Western Digital 320GB hard drive
GPU:7600GT
Case: Koolance PC3-426BK Plus, Black
PSU: Fortron 450
Media Drives: 1 DVD-ROM, 1 52x CD-ROM
Cooling: CPU cooling block for the liquid cooled system
Mobo: MSI 945P PLATINUM

Cost: $1108

AMD Platform:
CPU: Opteron 144
RAM:2 GB Corsair Value Select
HDD: Western Digital 320GB hard drive
GPU:7600GT
Case: Koolance PC3-426BK Plus, Black
PSU: Fortron 450 "will be replaced if I ever use SLI"
Media Drives: 1 DVD-ROM, 1 52x CD-ROM
Cooling: CPU cooling block for the liquid cooled system
Mobo: Asus A8N-SLI Premium

Cost: $1165

Well I learned this a few months ago actually, but Koolance cases are Lian Li cases with the system internally installed.

 

[bob4432]

liquid cooling is not worth ~$350+. you will still only be liquid cooling the cpu, have you seen how much the gpu blocks are?

you would be better off for what you want to do to put the $$$ into a 7900gtx or x1900xt over the koolance setup.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: bob4432
liquid cooling is not worth ~$350+. you will still only be liquid cooling the cpu, have you seen how much the gpu blocks are?

you would be better off for what you want to do to put the $$$ into a 7900gtx or x1900xt over the koolance setup.

well I was planning to upgrade to dual liquid cooled dx10 cards when it would make sense to, and I know blocks are expensive, but not much more then a good fan would cost, and liquid is quiet.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: bob4432
liquid cooling is not worth ~$350+. you will still only be liquid cooling the cpu, have you seen how much the gpu blocks are?

you would be better off for what you want to do to put the $$$ into a 7900gtx or x1900xt over the koolance setup.

I see no point in dropping that much money on a video card when my monitor only supports 1280 by 1024, is there? I think one 7900GT will do the job just fine and then some.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Smartazz

Originally posted by: bob4432
liquid cooling is not worth ~$350+. you will still only be liquid cooling the cpu, have you seen how much the gpu blocks are?

you would be better off for what you want to do to put the $$$ into a 7900gtx or x1900xt over the koolance setup.

well I was planning to upgrade to dual liquid cooled dx10 cards when it would make sense to, and I know blocks are expensive, but not much more then a good fan would cost, and liquid is quiet.

the gpu ones are $90-$135/ea

i am just saying that your $$$ could be put to a better use to get the desired result unless you are very stuck on the liquid. you would be well under $1000 without the liquid and be with a better gpu.

i am just not a big fan of liquid unless i was hardcore o/c stuff. i have read about too many horror stories where stuff leaked and bad things happend to components.

 

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: Smartazz

Originally posted by: bob4432
liquid cooling is not worth ~$350+. you will still only be liquid cooling the cpu, have you seen how much the gpu blocks are?

you would be better off for what you want to do to put the $$$ into a 7900gtx or x1900xt over the koolance setup.

I see no point in dropping that much money on a video card when my monitor only supports 1280 by 1024, is there? I think one 7900GT will do the job just fine and then some.

i do think you would be better off to go with a better gpu than to do liquid, that is what i am getting at. say you go a 7900gt, then add the liquid cooling block, now you are @ ~$400...see my point?

it seems like you are trying to spend x amount of $$$ and instead of spending it on liquid you may as well get some benefit, thus the higher gpu which will allow you to turn on all the eye candy even at 1280x1024 and keep you on the same card for further into the future. if you wanted to save the $$$ instead of going liquid then i would go the 7900gt, as it will be good for some time.

 

[pkrush]

I think the best setup for you may be waiting for a few weeks for the Intel Conroe-ready 775 boards to be more widely available and then getting one with a Pentium D 805, 2 gigs of DDR2-800, and a decent cooling solution (Scythe Ninja, Thermaltake Big Typhoon, Thermalright XP120). You'll be able to overclock the D805 to the limit now, and replace it with Conroe in a few months. Also, I'd recommend getting a Zalman VF700 or VF900 for the video card.

 

[gramboh]

The above suggestion with an 805 now and Core Duo later is a good idea if you think you will be upgrading around Vista/DX10. Remember that it is unlikely any/many DX10 games will be out before ~Feb07 and likely none will truly use DX10 to it's potential under fall/winter 2007/08 so there is no real point in getting a first generation DX10 video card.

Liquid cooling is a total waste of money unless you are buying top of the line stuff and OC'ing it to the limit. The systems you are talking about for $1,300 do not justify spending so much on cooling. It just doesn't make sense, don't bother with it.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: gramboh
The above suggestion with an 805 now and Core Duo later is a good idea if you think you will be upgrading around Vista/DX10. Remember that it is unlikely any/many DX10 games will be out before ~Feb07 and likely none will truly use DX10 to it's potential under fall/winter 2007/08 so there is no real point in getting a first generation DX10 video card.

Liquid cooling is a total waste of money unless you are buying top of the line stuff and OC'ing it to the limit. The systems you are talking about for $1,300 do not justify spending so much on cooling. It just doesn't make sense, don't bother with it.

Thanks, I think I'm going to get SLI, can someone recommend a good case that isn't horrible expensive, around $100 for it.

 

[Smartazz]

Does Antec make good psus?

 

[Smartazz]

Alright, I think I got it set now:
CPU: Opteron 144
GPU: 2 XFX 7900GT's
Case: Cooler master centurion 5
Media: 1 DVD drive
Cooling: Stock opteron cooling
RAM: 2GB Corsair XMS RAM
HDD: WD 250GB HDD
PSU: Antec TruepowerII TPII-480 480watt psu

 

[bob4432]

go 1 7900gtx512 over 2x7900gts, it will be ~$100 cheaper

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: bob4432
go 1 7900gtx512 over 2x7900gts, it will be ~$100 cheaper

I think I might just get 1 7900GT and get a dual core opteron with the extra money.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Smartazz

Originally posted by: bob4432
go 1 7900gtx512 over 2x7900gts, it will be ~$100 cheaper

I think I might just get 1 7900GT and get a dual core opteron with the extra money.

Definitely good choice. I say forget SLI and spend money on dual core.. It's a lot more noticeable difference.