Inherited a CPU, need building advice

[czarnybaran5150]

First and foremost I would like to thank you for looking at this thread. Using many of the helpful reviews on this site I am building a CPU from scratch. It would mean a great deal to me if you guys could take a look at my list of parts and render an opinion on my setup. I've got to get my order into newegg by 7/20 to get in on some discounts. If you have recommendations I would love to hear them

I am currently building a system based around this CPU:

Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad Core QX9750

Specifications:

* Quad-core

* 45nm

* 3.16Ghz

* 1333Mhz FSB

* 12MB L2 Cache

* Socket-775

This CPU was never released to the public as it is an engineering sample from Intel. For me, it was free (I have a family member who works at Intel). I will NOT sell it to get something else. I know the chip is a little older and the current Nehalem's rule the roost, but I'm hoping I'm not dumping too much money around this CPU to build a system.

MOTHERBOARD

ASUS Rampage Extreme LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131334

$209.99 w/ rebate

HEATSINK FAN

Cooler Master V8

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835103055

$59.47

CASE & POWER SUPPLY

Antec Signature 850

Antec P183

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.208554

$310.94 (Combo saves $40) only until 7/20

RAM:

Patriot Viper x2 for 8 gigs

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820220344

$260.00 after rebate

VIDEO CARD:

ASUS ATI Radeon 4890

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121308

$190.00 after rebate

WINDOWS VISTA BUSINESS 64

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116676
$150.00

DVD DRIVE

Sony DVD CD Burner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827118030

$32.00

HARD DRIVE

Western Digital Velociraptor 300 Gig

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136296


$230.00

Rough Est of Total Damage: $1442.40

Thank you for your time!

 

[brblx]

pricey stuff. you could easily spend half that much on 8gb of memory-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231189

ddr3 2000 isn't going to net you any real performance increase. you also don't need to spend $200 on a PSU for a single GPU setup. even if you want to way overbuild, you'd save almost a hundred dollars by switching to the CP850-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.208555

if budget is any kind of issue, you could trim that setup to under a grand for a negligibly little performance decrease.

 

[Lunyone]

I agree with brblx that you are picking very expensive stuff. Nothing looks like a decently priced part that you have picked. Here is what I'd consider:
* p45 based mobo ~$100-125
* DDR2 800 mHz CAS4 stuff (4-4-4-12 timings) will do just fine, especially if it runs at the stock voltage of 1.8v.
* Any DVD burner will do $30, but if you want Blu Ray that is another story.
* I like the Cooler Master 690 case with a Corsair 650tx. This combo will handle any single GPU solution out on the market.
* I like the 640 gb or 1 TB HD's, because of the value and pretty good performance that they have for the $. Velociraptors are just too spendy in my book.
* Why do you have Vista Business?? Why not just Vista Home Premium for $100 or even just download Windows 7 RC for free and upgrade later.
* I like the Xigmatek s1283 cooler over your selection. It's cheaper and performs really well for the $!!
* I do like the 4890 selection!!

 

[elconejito]

If I were in your shoes I'd get a different motherboard/RAM at least. Look at the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R or UD3P for about $120-130. They are arguably the best boards for overclocking a Core2Quad. Then that lets you get DDR2 RAM, of which you can get 4GB for ~$50.

I agree with brblx, that PSU is probably overkill. The Antec CP850 is more than you need, and it will fit nicely into that P183.

Are you going to be overclocking this? If so, you'd probably want a better cooler to take advantage of the high multiplier on this chip. TRUE & Megahalems come to mind, there are others.

The hard drive is up to you, but you can easily get multiple drives for the same cost and get some redundancy or backups in the process. Like a superfast RAID10 setup with 4 640GB Western Digitals would cost about the same and offer some redundancy. Or get 2 WD 1TB drives, one to use and the other for backup & still save some $$$.

 

[swanysto]

MB - 115.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128359

PSU - 110.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817139006

Case - Your choice, personal preference.

Memory - 100.00
2 x http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231166


Everything else you picked is fine. but these changes should save you about $315. I don't think the setup you have will get you anymore performance than this.

 

[bruceb]

I agreee Vista Business is not a good choice. Either Vista Ultimate which comes with both 32 or 64 bits versions (key can only be used on one or the other at any one time) or wait for Windows 7 final to be out. I would also pick a DVD burner that can do Dual Layer or you can get one that does Blu Ray burning now for around $200 or so

 

[czarnybaran5150]

Elconejito, lunyone, and brblx, thank you very much for taking the time to give me your feedback. I sincerely appreciate it.

This computer was built with the idea of being a digital audio workstation to write music using Cubase + adding several USB peripherals (hence the power supply). However, I enjoy playing games so it will serve a dual purpose Since the CPU is free, (and from what I?ve been told it?s a good one), I want to give it a good supporting cast. I do want to get quality components (hence the stuff I?ve picked) however I?m not knowledgeable enough to determine a good deal versus getting ripped off.

I do plan on doing some overclocking. Also, I intend on crossfiring the 4890 with another one in the future when the price drops (another reason for the power supply). So in building this PC, I?m also looking to the future a little bit.

Brblx, it?s good to know that the DDR 2000 won?t net me that much of a gain. If you had this CPU, how would you set up the system?

Many thanks!

 

[gdextreme]

PLease post some benchmarks when you finish this build. I sure would like to see how the CPU compares with QX9650, etc.

 

[brblx]

the advantage of the x48 mobo is that it has full 16x/16x crossfire support. a p45 and ddr2 will save you some cash. you may get better performance out of two 4890's on an x48, though it won't be huge over a 16x/8x board. you also get more memory capacity on a p45, x48's are maxxed at 8gb.

the performance of ddr3 in games is negligibly different from ddr2, though it will eventually become the standard and prices are fairly reasonable. you're still looking at a $40-60 difference for 8gb of ram, though, in addition to the extra mobo cost. as far as speed, the true fsb of your processor is 333mhz. 1333 ram can support all the way up to a 667 bus. running your ram at a higher clock than your processor's bus speed does pretty much nothing outside of synthetic memory benchmarks.

personally, i'd probably get a p45 and ddr2 and save ~$150. if you like that antec case, go with the cp850 combo, it's a really good deal on a super beefy power supply, though you could save a bit by going with a cheaper case (antec 300 is little more than a third the price of the p183 and would fit the same components while cooling just as well).

i'd maybe go for this-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128359
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231166
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.208538

that brings the cost of your case, psu, mobo, and memory down from about $800 to $400.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

Originally posted by: brblx
the advantage of the x48 mobo is that it has full 16x/16x crossfire support. a p45 and ddr2 will save you some cash. you may get better performance out of two 4890's on an x48, though it won't be huge over a 16x/8x board. you also get more memory capacity on a p45, x48's are maxxed at 8gb.

the performance of ddr3 in games is negligibly different from ddr2, though it will eventually become the standard and prices are fairly reasonable. you're still looking at a $40-60 difference for 8gb of ram, though, in addition to the extra mobo cost. as far as speed, the true fsb of your processor is 333mhz. 1333 ram can support all the way up to a 667 bus. running your ram at a higher clock than your processor's bus speed does pretty much nothing outside of synthetic memory benchmarks.

personally, i'd probably get a p45 and ddr2 and save ~$150. if you like that antec case, go with the cp850 combo, it's a really good deal on a super beefy power supply, though you could save a bit by going with a cheaper case (antec 300 is little more than a third the price of the p183 and would fit the same components while cooling just as well).

i'd maybe go for this-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128359
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231166
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.208538

that brings the cost of your case, psu, mobo, and memory down from about $800 to $400.

Thank you very much for the input. I'll defintely look into all of this. I do like the P183 quite a bit. I forgot to mention that another reason I chose all the components is that they're very quiet which is essential to me since I will be using this compuer to record music.

 

[elconejito]

Originally posted by: czarnybaran5150
Elconejito, lunyone, and brblx, thank you very much for taking the time to give me your feedback. I sincerely appreciate it.

This computer was built with the idea of being a digital audio workstation to write music using Cubase + adding several USB peripherals (hence the power supply). However, I enjoy playing games so it will serve a dual purpose Since the CPU is free, (and from what I?ve been told it?s a good one), I want to give it a good supporting cast. I do want to get quality components (hence the stuff I?ve picked) however I?m not knowledgeable enough to determine a good deal versus getting ripped off.

I do plan on doing some overclocking. Also, I intend on crossfiring the 4890 with another one in the future when the price drops (another reason for the power supply). So in building this PC, I?m also looking to the future a little bit.

Brblx, it?s good to know that the DDR 2000 won?t net me that much of a gain. If you had this CPU, how would you set up the system?

Many thanks!

The parts we've laid out are (I think) much cheaper and will get you the pretty much the same performance.

The Antec CP850 is the same wattage as the Signature you chose, and offers *very* similar performance as far as efficiency, voltage stability, etc at a much lower price. It will fit perfectly in the P183 (the form factor is not standard). The larger size allows it to run a bit cooler and quieter, which are things you are looking for.

You can attach as many USB peripherals as you want, it won't be affected by the power supply. Each USB header sends something like 500milli-amps (?) sent via the motherboard. If you have too many devices drawing power from the USB header it just plain won't work. You would have to add a powered USB hub. Whether the PSU was a 300w or 1000w would not make any difference.

That PSU will handle overclocking and dual video cards with room to spare.

If quiet is a concern, definitely stick with the P183. The Antec 300 is a nice case too, but it's much more "open" and you'll hear more noise.

If you want to go Crossfire, then definitely stick with the GA-EP45-UD3P which is the crossfire version. You "might" get a little better performance from an X48 based motherboard, but it's also more $$$ and it might not overclock as high as the UD3P anyway. The UD3R/UD3P are pretty much the king of the hill for overclocking Core2Quads right now.

Definitely budget for an aftermarket CPU cooler. TRUE or Megahalems are your best bet for heavy overclocking. If you will only do modest overclocking there are other options, some quieter than others.

One thing I'd highly recommend is looking for the specific models used against your recording hardware/software. I've seen many cases where the hardware/software is very picky about what it will run on. You might spend all this money, put the whole thing together, have a great system, and then your recording software crashes every 5 mins.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

UD3R or P - trust me

Don't be fooled by the price. I unfortunately know how overpriced my Asus Maximus II Formula board was after I bought my current Gigabyte UD3R board.

If you want more features that the UD3R or P board doesn't have to offer, spend your $$$ wisely.

Even today if I had that Quad with an unlocked Multi, I still would not buy that Asus board. I am loving my Q9650 running 500fsb x 8 without a single error in over 9hrs of prime95 on my UD3R.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

Guys, thank you very much for the detailed and informative responses.

elconejito, I built a computer about 5 years ago using a Gigabyte Board (8knxp) and I wasn't terribly impressed with it (noisy, onbaord fans buzzed). But I see that you have one and I suspect you're happy with it? I see that people also dig the P45 board. Could anyone give me their thoughts on it?

As far as an after market fan, I was pretty sold on the Cooler Master V8. I've used Zalman before and thought it was average (My CPU would still overheat and shut down occassionally, I wasn't even overclocking it). I'm not familiar TRUE or Megahalems, could you recommend a few with a newegg link pls?

Just for the sake of discussion, could anyone recommend a X48 mobo?

Again, you guys are great and I really appreciate the advice.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

X48 overpriced failure

UD3R & P did to the 775lga quad core motherboard market what the X25-M SSD did to the HD market but at a way lower price.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

BTRY B 529th FA BN, thank you for jumping in with the knowledge.

Do you have a preference between the gigabyte board or the Asus p45?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I owned an Asus Maximus II Formula board. My interest was high fsb along with pushing my Q9650 as far as I could go on h20. There are alot of things on the MIIF board that are not up to par with a board that cost 270$ at the time. Asus is shipping them with the pull-ins still not working, the south bridge controller was a very old revision that could of been updated in their bios updates from the start but they never did (as far as I know until the 19xx bios but i sold it shortly there after) my highest stable fsb was 480 with a quad. They are good with dualies (wolfdales) but quads you can forget about it. Very few have achieved stability in the 500 range (quad) and im talking in the single digit amount of people numbers that I've heard. They burned me as a customer. And I was putting up with their horrible website for 8yrs. 8yrs I was an Asus loyalist. My first board was a 423 socket Asus board. Im so glad I came to my senses, literally, and tried the Gigabyte UD3R series board.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

BTRY B 529th FA BN,

Spoken with some serious conviction there. I appreciate the feedback from your experience. So this is pretty much no brainer and I get the Gigabyte board?

What type of RAM would you recommend with my CPU and the Gigabyte board?

How fast do think I can get this CPU on air?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Thanks but first lets discuss what your intended use is with the machine? My personal experience with it is it was strictly a gaming machine. I never put it in sleep mode.

There are some issues about coming out of sleep mode that you might want to check in about. They may have been fixed may not have. I've heard about them but it really didn't apply to me cause the machine was either on or off. Now the machine will be running as a Hackintosh for Final Cut Express and or PP4.1 - still, no need for sleep mode.

RAM and Air are sort of a combined question because you might not be able to run it ~ 3.8Ghz without keeping an eye on the heat from both the cpu and motherboard (Northbirdge) In your case you really don't have to have the fastest ram because you are running a chip with an unlocked multiplier. So you can basically change your cpu multi to 10 with DDR2 800 (400fsb) and run it @ 4Ghz Basically alot of options open up for you with an unlocked multi. I had an FX60 and it was nice but I always found myself playing with overclocking the ram. Breaking it down a little more, DDR2 is cheap and you can get a 2x2 kit for ~ 50-60$ I'd suggest 1066 if you think you'd like to try running 533fsb - which may be tough, but I'm just painting a picture here.

You see, there are many options with an unlocked multi but what is really limiting you is your temps and the higher the vcore you go, the worse heat output you'll have. Even with an expensive cooler with your room temps (ambients) at 70* I mean you can run it at 4Ghz with maybe a 1.25vcore but if you run Prime95 for stability tests, you are going to shoot beyond the safe limit... ...its why I never ran my Q9650 on air - Aigo can help you if you want to water cool it; or you can ask me for some tips...

 

[czarnybaran5150]

This computer is to built with the idea of being a digital audio workstation to write music using Cubase. However, I enjoy playing games so it will serve a dual purpose. Since the CPU is free, (and from what I?ve been told it?s a good one), I want to give it a good supporting cast. I do want to get quality components however I?m not knowledgeable enough to determine a good deal versus getting ripped off.

I'd feel silly if I didn't plan on doing some overclocked gaming due to the nature and rarity of the chip. But I'm not sure if I'd go to the point of water cooling. I know nothing about water cooling. Is it a hassle?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Hassle? Yes. Was the experience worth it? I thought it was perplexing at first. I can't believe how easy it is now & fun. I built a custom h20 cooling setup. They are better than store bought kits that may have mixed materials in them. And good old fashion distilled water is a good anti-algae solution. The hardest part is being creative on where to put the parts, mainly the radiator. A good setup can cost around 350$

If sleep mode isn't a concern. The UD3R or P are phenomenal motherboards, which then is negate because of your unlocked multiplier. Personally, I would buy a UD3R again. It is a tank on the battlefield of the movie 300.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

Now, when you say sleep mode are talking about when my screensaver comes on for hours at a time?

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What I mean by phenomenal boards is performance by overclocking quads. Infact they are THEE best overclocking quad motherboards in the 775 lga market.

Not when the screen saver comes on but when it goes into standby/sleep mode.

 

[elconejito]

Originally posted by: czarnybaran5150
Guys, thank you very much for the detailed and informative responses.

elconejito, I built a computer about 5 years ago using a Gigabyte Board (8knxp) and I wasn't terribly impressed with it (noisy, onbaord fans buzzed). But I see that you have one and I suspect you're happy with it? I see that people also dig the P45 board. Could anyone give me their thoughts on it?

Gigabyte has come a looooong way since then. I am not particularly set on any brand, since they all go through their ups and downs. In addition to the UD3R I also have several other boards like an older GA-EP35-DS3L (one overclocking a Q6600, the other non-overclocked e7300), and then i have an Asus M3N78 microATX with an AMD 4050e, and another old favorite Asus P5B Deluxe with an e6300 in it.

But for someone looking to overclock a Core2Quad the UD3R or UD3P is right now without equal. If it was a Core2Duo, then there are many other options.

Originally posted by: czarnybaran5150
As far as an after market fan, I was pretty sold on the Cooler Master V8. I've used Zalman before and thought it was average (My CPU would still overheat and shut down occassionally, I wasn't even overclocking it). I'm not familiar TRUE or Megahalems, could you recommend a few with a newegg link pls?

Funny that you mention the Zalman. My thread here. I had a Zalman 9700 which did a good job on an older Q6600, but couldn't cool my Q9650 @4Ghz. My post towards the end has pics of the Megahalems which I replaced it with. It brought my temps down about 5-10c.

I'm going to send you on a bit of a journey here... go to Madshrimps CPU Cooler roundup, which has a list of 23 coolers and compares them. In the conlcusion of that article is a link where you can compare *all* of the coolers they've tested which is very handy.

The best ones are a little hard to find, but worth the effort. TRUE is Thermalright Ultra Extreme, the Prolimatech Megahalems (goofiest name ever...), Thermalright IFX-14. Those are the top of the class. There are others that are good too and some have a better mix of noise/performance than others so it's good to read the full review of any that you are interested in. Newegg does not carry many of the better ones.

Originally posted by: czarnybaran5150
How fast do think I can get this CPU on air?

I don't know the performance of that particular chip, but the Q9650 that I have is very, very easy to get to 3.8Ghz. 4Ghz requires a little bit of tweaking, and 4.25 requires a bit of luck (or skill). Mine is currently air-cooled at 4Ghz and I am fairly certain I can take it to 4.25 but I just haven't had the time to test it fully.

BTRY B 529th FA BN was referring to an (sorta) known issue with this board that it doesn't like going to sleep. I also don't use that feature it is either on... or off. So it doesn't bother me. This is different from the screensaver, which I've had go on for hours at a time.

 

[czarnybaran5150]

Are you going to be overclocking this? If so, you'd probably want a better cooler to take advantage of the high multiplier on this chip. TRUE & Megahalems come to mind, there are others.

You really think that the TRUE or the Megahalems will be cooler than the Cooler Master V8?

UPDATE: I just saw that this thread went to page 2 and I didn't see your very detailed response until now. Sorry! And thanks!

 

[czarnybaran5150]

You guys are incredible with the information.

elconejito you dropped some serious knowledge on me with the heatsinks and I'm sold. The V8 would have been a mistake. The Madshrimps article was killer, thanks for pointing it out.

SO! Here is a revised computer build based on everyone's input. I have NO CLUE on what I should do for RAM. I would like to get 8 gigs. I don't mind spending a little extra on RAM so long as it's good. Also, I don't know if I made a good selection on the harddrive. I'm a little leary of the Antec 850-CP powersupply based on the newegg reviews. Seems a little dodgey which is why I keep leaning to the Signature.

Computer Build V 2.0

MOTHERBOARD

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128358
$134.99
$114.99 after rebate

HEATSINK + FANS

Prolimatech Megahalems + Noctua NF S12B FLX Fan

http://www.heatsinkfactory.com...halems-cpu-cooler.html

$83.98

CASE & POWER SUPPLY

Antec Signature CP-850

Antec P183

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.208555

$225.45

RAM:

No Clue!

VIDEO CARD:

ASUS ATI Radeon 4890

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121308

$190.00 after rebate

WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM 64

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116677

$109.99


DVD DRIVE

Sony DVD CD Burner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827118030

$32.00

HARD DRIVE
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drives - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136284

$99.00

Current Total Minus RAM = $765.42