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Make the pain stop!! (Need therapy?)

D

drunkgamer

Member
Hi Guys,

Well, I'm trying to build my first PC in 14 years and I swear in the last few weeks I've been reading tech. forums and NewEgg reviews far more than surfing pr0n and that...is not a good sign!

Does everyone building a new system (at least first time) drive themselves crazy trying to decide on things too or do I just need some professional help? *cry*

This all started from a very bad Dell XPS 630 experience (I know, I get what I deserve for that blunder) and after two returns and numerous issues, I thought if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself.

Sort of. My problem is that I'm a bit of a perfectionist and very analytical. So I've been enjoying all this research and _really_ learning what goes into those PC's I've been paying someone else to build for years.

The problem is that if you read enough boards and reviews, no motherboard/memory/CPU combo works, period! They are all broke! 😛 Joking aside, here is what I need:

1) I don't care about SLI as I prefer a very good/best single card
2) I have never OC'ed but never had a machine I could try it with
3) Stability and solid-functional design is all I really care about
4) I will likely be replacing most items in 1.5 years with the whole Nahalem and every new thing it brings with it since the changes are major and sexy

With the 780/790i problems and no need for SLI, I'm staying away from that.

Someone suggested the P35 (Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L) since it is stable and well-tested and cheap. The DS3L board seems to be very popular and solid so I guess why not. It lacks eSata and firewire but hey...

But since I'm upgrading for the first time in 4 years, I want some sexiness too even if it costs more. X38 seemed appropriate. But I can't find a rock solid board other than I was thinking of going with the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe board since Tom's Hardware uses it as their 2008 board for their reference machine. I know this might not mean much but I need _something_ to give me confidence.

That said, I hear about how ASUS has gone downhill and their tech support is non-existant.

So here are my questions and THANK YOU for letting me ramble as I have no one in real life to listen to me (even my fiancee says if she hears me mumble anymore about system building, im sleeping with the poodle - and god I hate poodles):

1) What is a compatable 2gb x 2 (for 4gb kit) 1066 DDR2 ram I can use with the P35 should I wimp out and go with that board? I can't find anything listed as 'approved' - I don't want 800 😛

2) For the X38, at least in my mind it would be nice with the E8400 that I get PCIE2.0 (I know it isnt the biggest deal) and DDR3 at 1333 target speed (I also know this isnt a super advantage) but I'm worried about the stability of a good X38/DDR3 board. Is the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe ok? If so, what is a good DDR3 1333 2gb x 2 (for 4gb kit) I can use with that one?

Again, I am willing to pay more for peace of mind and stability. And yet it seems paying less and going P35 is the only way to guarantee any level of stability.

Damn you Crysis! Damn you to the nether regions! Or France.

Any help for the hampsters running around in my head please?

THANKS in advnace.
 
I like your post. You've been reading too much. You want stability, simply get a simple p35 board and don't overclock; let the board select the memory settings for you. I still haven't even bought a single stick of ddr2; can't decide whether to spend now or wait for nehalem next year. My old 939 boards and cpus are more than adequate for surfing the net.
 
drunkgamer, I understand where you come from I remember my first built like way back 10 years ago. My cousin gave me a board and used cpu and that was my first one. Along the way I blew 2 CPUs and 2 PSUs. Anyhow, if you are a beginner, don't buy too expensive of parts to start with you need some time to experiment on these things. But from my experience you need to know about the following tips that experienced builders use:
1. get a good power supply as the foundation of your machine, it constitutes at least 1/2 of the stability of your system. e.g.: Corsair HX series, PC Power and cooling Silencer series.
2. try to overclock a little, that gains you a deeper understanding of your system like adjusting FSB//memory timing//voltages//dividers, very useful knowledge for many future builds.
3. You need to replace Intel's stock HSF with a good aftermarket model. They not only allow more overclock but make your cpu much cooler and stable. e.g. Tuniq 120
4. Must have a good case for air flow, cooler electronics = stable system. Need to buy extra 120mm fans if needed for the case. e.g. Antec P182, Antec 900

As for your board, I recommend you get the DS3L (or IP35-pro) with 4GB DDR2s, it works great and X38s although sounds nice doesn't offer that much more in reality. If anything, DS3L is a very mature platform. If you want some sexiness in this system, save that cash for a nice single slot video card like 8800GT or better. That's what will make the big difference in your games. Allow you to really see those eye candies.

Good luck!
 
Thanks guys.

Seriously, Sybil seems like a road scholar(ess) comapred to the things going on in my head. And yes, the more you think about it, the more you flop.

The truth is, if I had a store like Fry's that carried everything, I'd be done a week ago. My fear is buying something from newegg that cannot be returned, only exchanged, and then realizing no matter what im having memory/mobo issues and im stuck.

I have all the other components figured out:

NOTE: I went with the G.SKILL DDR2 1066 because I rather not OC memory myself and the reviews for this seem great. Unfortunately, I cannot find a similar DDR3 1333 4gb x 2 kit 🙁

PROCESSOR: Intell E8400 ($210)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115037
MOTHERBOARD: X38 ??? P35 ??? ASUS P5E3 Deluxe or GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L ?
MEMORY: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit ($145) -or- DDR3 1333 4GB kit ????
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231166
GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 ($300)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130339
HARD DRIVES (primary): Western Digital Velociraptor ($300)
Not out until may
HARD DRIVE (secondary): Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb ($110)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218
OPTICAL DRIVES: Lite-On 20x LH-20A1L 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe ($34)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827106072
POWER SUPPLY: PC Power & Cooling QUAD S75QB EPS12V 750W Power Supply ($160)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...E16817703009&Tpk=S75QB
CASE: Lian Li PC-A70 ($250)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811112141
FANS: Scyth S-Flex SFF21E (1200 RPM) - 5 or 6 of them ($75-$90)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...16835185005&Tpk=SFF21E
CPU COOLER: Zalman CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan ($50)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835118003
FAN CONTROLLER: Zalman MFC1 Plus-B Black 6 Channel Multi Fan Controller ($32)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811999171
SOUND CARD: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer ($91)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16829102006
X-Fi to FP Audio Port cable ($20)
http://www.performance-pcs.com...3ef28444982990dea9b21c
 
OMG now NewEgg is out of stock on both E8400 and the G.Skill DDR2 memory.

Someone stab me.

Even if I should make up my mind, I can't order anything.

Gives me time to find some good 4GB DDR3 kits...

I wonder if the people I see here in Santa Monica mumbling to themselves and walking around in circles, homeless and haunted, are really whispering...

"p35 or x38 or ddr2 or ddr3 or check stock or just p35 but if ddr3 goes down and then I need to check stock, does ddr2 matter with pcie2.0 or just the mice"

 
I've only been building systems a couple years but here's my suggestions.

For one, stay away from DDR3 right now I personally don't see the need for it. Get some good DDR2 800 and forget about it. Unless you have a shitpile of stuff running in the background on your PC, 2GB should be fine if not get 4GB. I just upgraded to 4GB and while I don't see any reall gains in performance, I guess it's nice to have just in case. Up until this last build I've always used Kingston or Corsair RAM, but I used Wintec on this last build. From now on, I stick with Corsair. Wintec is okay, but it doesn't overclock all that well.

Get a solid P35 board. If you don't care about overclocking go Intel, otherwise get a Gigabyte. Asus is another good choice but I had a bad Asus experience and don't use them anymore.

Depending on which team you like more, get a 9600GT or a 3870 video card. Personally, I'm an ATi fanboy so I'd say go with the 3870 but that's up to you. I'm still running an X1950PRO 512MB and even though it might not have DX10 it still works great for just about any game out there.

I'm over the whole e-penis thing of needing the latest and greatest stuff. These days I dont' care if I'm one or two steps behind the latest tech. My wallet is fatter and I still get great performance.
 
Very good points. I think it is just because I sat with a box for so long and dreamed of upgrading forever that when you finally do, you want to make it worth your while.

But I think yes, timing is crappy right now (is it ever the perfect time to upgrade?) with DDR3 so I rather spend only around $240ish to get something stable (P35 and DDR2 1066) and once DDR3 drops and gets better in next 6 months and X38 boards/BIOS smooth out, I can just swap those 2 in if it makes sense.

For me (and I'm not rich, trust me), money doesn't mean anything compared to just having a headache free, stable box.

So then I'll settle on everything I listed up top with:

LATEST BUILD
-----------------
MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX ($90)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128059
MEMORY: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit ($145)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231166

Note: Heard some problems with the X-Fi cable but if can't find another choice, I might just go with the platinum version but seems such a waste of money...though I really like plugging in headphones, having it cut the rest off, and switch to headphone mode automatically. It is worth it to me.

Also heard the LITE-ON drives can be noisy but not sure of better option. Plextor has gone into the toilet for their price compared to what they were...
 
Better yet: front page of TankGuys.com, OEM socket 775 Xeon 3110 for $187. They also accept google checkout for a few more $ off.

The world (no longer) starts and ends with newegg when you're looking for a popular part. You gotta shop around once again.
 
I would recommend a different sound card. That particular model isn't what most people think it is. It is not and X-Fi based card and probably not much better than onboard sound.
 
Better card

Cheaper after rebate too and headphones to boot. Likely not the greatest headphones but basically free. Creative rebates are dependable and quick in my experience.
 
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