I think i have my build done... some advise would be great.

[organumpenguin]

My budget is not really an issue. I plan to buy one component every couple of weeks, as to spread it out. I know its torture, but i think it would be fun, and that way i can really spend what i want on each component and take my time learning how to install it and not break anything. ( This is my first Build) Here are the components i have selected. Anything you guys would change for whatever reason?

Alright well i have already bought the case, i saw it at frys today, and it was the one that i had read so many good things about on newegg. That said here is a link to it just to give a complete picture.

Case: (already purchased) CoolerMaster Cosmos 1000

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 1333 FSB

MOBO: NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX

Power Supply: 750W ESP12V PC Power & Cooling 275QB

GPU: EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS (640mb) PCIE ( if i decide on this card i will eventually run two of them SLI)

MEMORY: 2 x 2GB 240 PIN DDR2 800 SDRAM G.SKILL

My optical drive and hard drive are just run of the mill. Once i get everything operational i will go back and add a nice 10,000 rpm and maybe a blue ray. Who knows.

I think the power supply is set, but should i go for the 790i on the motherboard. How about my GPU do you think that is good enough or will it be outdated too soon?

Thanks for the help.😎

 

[Rike]

Welcome to the AT forums.

While others may comment on other things, the video card choice must be revised so you don't waste your money. Please don't get stuck on the memory size of the video card as a mesure of graphics power.

You can get a 9800GTX for $180 w/MIR if you're stuck on Nvidia. The better buy would be an AMD 4850 for $165 w/MIR. It's about the same graphics power for less money. Unless your running resolutions beyond 1920x1200, the 4850 will likely keep you happy.

If you bump up to the $300 range for a video card it's a very close race between an AMD 4870 and an Nvidia 260. These two cards are very close in price and performance.

Edit: What ever you do, please don't buy that 8800GTS 640MB card. It might just be the worst vid card you can buy for that amount of money right now.

 

[organumpenguin]

Thanks for the reply, i am looking into the Nvidia 260 now. It is a little bit more in price but i think that it might be better to future proof my system, a 280 would be nice... but damn that is expensive, i dont think my wife would let me spend that much on something that comes in such a little box.... "you can get a whole computer from dell for less". I am just kidding, she helped pick out my case and is a supporter of the habit, but still i am afraid to even look how much it costs. Thanks again!

 

[cubby1223]

Originally posted by: organumpenguin
My budget is not really an issue. I plan to buy one component every couple of weeks, as to spread it out. I know its torture, but i think it would be fun, and that way i can really spend what i want on each component and take my time learning how to install it and not break anything.

uhhh... I don't get it?

If you buy each component one at a time, it'll be 6 weeks before it all can be put together. If the first thing you buy ends up being something you don't want, you won't be able to return it after 6 weeks. Or if it's not working, depending on the item it may be more difficult getting a return 6 weeks later.

 

[toronado97]

At this point, I can't think of a single reason not to buy an ATI Radeon 4870. If you're looking at Nvidia 260's, you really should consider the 4870. I've enjoyed my Nvidia cards the last few upgrades, but ATi is really turning some heads with the newest technology. Not only that, but Crossfire seems to be a more stable multiple graphics solution at this point, especially with the tensions mounting between Intel and Nvidia. I was diehard on the 8800 GT for my next upgrade, but it's ATi 4850 for me now. YMMV

 

[organumpenguin]

Well the whole building it a little at a time thing is so i dont have to spend a crap load of money at once, and its more like a learning process, taking my time deciding on each item and such, but i do see your point. I might save up and get the MOBO,CPU, and GPU all at the same time to make sure everything works, but we will see.

 

[organumpenguin]

The Radeon 4870 looks good, actually really good, when did that card come out? Would it still run with my nvidia motherboard? What about crossfire? seems crazy to have an Intel CPU, with a nvidia chipset and a Radeon GPU

 

[Rike]

Originally posted by: organumpenguin
The Radeon 4870 looks good, actually really good, when did that card come out? Would it still run with my nvidia motherboard? What about crossfire? seems crazy to have an Intel CPU, with a nvidia chipset and a Radeon GPU

cubby's right. Better to save up and do it all at once.

The 4870's and 4850's came out in the last two weeks. Great bang for the buck cards. If you do go with the AMD vid cards and you're thinking about dual cards at some point, it would make some sense to go with a P45 Intel chipset for your mobo as it will support Crossfire. However, the combo of manufacturers you listed above will work. I'm sure someone who might read this is using just that combo.

 

[organumpenguin]

Yea, i think i have decided on the 4870, only 300 dollars and its near the 280.. i know the 280 does a lot of non traditional GPU things, but i will mostly be playing games. And the money saved i can put it into a better processor. Speaking of that my friend and i were having a debate today and he was saying that the core 2 duo is much better than the core 2 quad because software has to be written specifically to take advantage of it. Is this true? Should i just spend my money on a better core 2 duo. I am not getting an extreme because they are $$$$ but i think the highest end non extreme would be a good choice. A higher clock speed and a higher FSB per core. What do you guys think?

 

[Rike]

Well, in a way your friend in right, but for a totally wrong reason. A quad core is basically two dual core processors. More cores means more available processing power in an absolute sense. The trouble is very, very few games are written in such a way that they can make use of the additional cores. Therefore, in almost every game, a faster dual core will have better performance than a slower quad core. However, a quad and dual core chips of the same brand and type at the same speed will have nearly I identical performance in a game.

If you go with a dual core, a E8400 Wolfdale @ 3.0GHz is an outstanding value. Don't be fooled by the price. It will be faster in games than the other CPU you listed and do it for about $140 less. Pair those with some of these ram sticks and you'll be already to go.