My 2nd build

Neonerdo

Junior Member
Dec 27, 2007
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I am trying to build a pretty good computer for high-end 3d games and design softwares. I am kind of new at building PC. I've build one a 3-4yrs ago.

I've done a little homework in picking my parts and now I just want to know if they are good to go and if there are anyways to make it better.
Please provide me with your feedback, good or bad. Thank you so much!
Here is what I picked:

CPU: Q6600
Heatsink: Tuniq Tower
Video Card: 8800GT x2
HD: Caviar WD7500AAKS@7200RPM &
Raptor 150GB WD1500ADFD @ 1000RPM x2 in raid 0
MB: GA-P35-DS3L
PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W
Memory: 4GB(2x2GB) G.SKILL DDR2 800
DVD: Lite-ON
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos 1000
Mouse: Razer Banshee Blue 9 Buttons
Monitor: Samsung 226BW Black 22" 2ms 300cd/m2

I want to do SLI for video cards and Raid 0 for my Raptors

my budget is $2500 USD

Thanks!!

 

cozumel

Senior member
Nov 29, 2007
337
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^^^^What is that about?^^^^

Take a look at the Cosmos 1010 as it offers improved GFX cooling and has monitoring capabilities for GFX temps / fans etc. Nvidia certified.

Not too sure whether the Raptors offer good value. They are not that much quicker than than the new Caviars and Barracudas. Poor $:GB ratio.

Most importantly: Your mobo is not capable of SLI so you'll need to find a different board for your SLI setup.
 

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
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Compatability issue first:
The GA-P35-DS3L is a fine board, but it won't run SLI. In fact, it doesn't even have two PCI-e x16 slots to fit your pair of 8800GTs. If you want to run SLI, you need a motherboard with an Nvidia chipset. (Also, it seems very odd to me that you're blowing money left and right on SLI and dual Raptors, but you aimed for one of the lowest motherboards in the series.)

The rest of my thoughts:
RAID 0 generally isn't going to produce an appreciable increase in performance. What it will increase is the chance of losing all your data and the amount of heat in your system. With the amount of money you're spending on hard drives, you could get a single Hitachi/Western Digital/Samsung 1TB drive. Not only would you nearly double your storage capacity, you'd have performance very close to or even exceeding that of the Raptor.

Since you're buying the Tuniq Tower, I'm going to make the assumption that you plan to overclock. If not, you really don't need such an expensive CPU cooler. If you are looking at overclocking, you're going to want to avoid NVidia chipsets which don't overclock quad cores very well. That would mean no SLI, so you need to do a little bit of picking and choosing here. (Personally, I'd skip SLI at this point and just upgrade to the new line of cards due out from Nvidia sometime during the new year.)
 

Neonerdo

Junior Member
Dec 27, 2007
6
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Originally posted by: DSF
Compatability issue first:
The GA-P35-DS3L is a fine board, but it won't run SLI. In fact, it doesn't even have two PCI-e x16 slots to fit your pair of 8800GTs. If you want to run SLI, you need a motherboard with an Nvidia chipset. (Also, it seems very odd to me that you're blowing money left and right on SLI and dual Raptors, but you aimed for one of the lowest motherboards in the series.)

The rest of my thoughts:
RAID 0 generally isn't going to produce an appreciable increase in performance. What it will increase is the chance of losing all your data and the amount of heat in your system. With the amount of money you're spending on hard drives, you could get a single Hitachi/Western Digital/Samsung 1TB drive. Not only would you nearly double your storage capacity, you'd have performance very close to or even exceeding that of the Raptor.

Since you're buying the Tuniq Tower, I'm going to make the assumption that you plan to overclock. If not, you really don't need such an expensive CPU cooler. If you are looking at overclocking, you're going to want to avoid NVidia chipsets which don't overclock quad cores very well. That would mean no SLI, so you need to do a little bit of picking and choosing here. (Personally, I'd skip SLI at this point and just upgrade to the new line of cards due out from Nvidia sometime during the new year.)

Thank you! I will look into compatibility issue with my mobo and SLI. What are you suggesting a good mobo for SLI?
Yes I want to overclock the q6600. and I do realize Raid 0 increase chances of loosing data that's why I have CAVIAR WD7500AAKS. I heard a lot of good things about RAPTOR in Raid 0 that's why I want to do it.

 

cozumel

Senior member
Nov 29, 2007
337
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I would also skip the SLI as it is just too buggy from all feedback I have recieved. Too many crashes.

If you do want to go RAID0 then get two 500GB WDs or Seagates SATA 3.0. And get a backup drive as there is a zero fault tolerance with RAID0

Also on the mobo front, if you decide not to go SLI then you can get yourself a mobo higher in the range. (Incidentally, the DS3L does not have RAID capability. You would need a board with a ICH9R southbridge)
 

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
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71
Originally posted by: Neonerdo
Thank you! I will look into compatibility issue with my mobo and SLI. What are you suggesting a good mobo for SLI?
Well, read what I wrote, there are two relevant points:

1) You need a motherboard with an NVidia chipset to run SLI.
2) Motherboards with Nvidia chipsets are not overclocking the Core2 Quads very well.

Which is your priority, the SLI graphics cards, or the overclocked quad?
 

Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
6,298
23
81
SLI & Raid0 are both hugely overrated and pretty much useless for most users.

Just get a solid motherboard with good overclocking performance (abit IP35 Pro, Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P or DS4 are good examples) and use a single WD7500AAKS (or two in Raid1 for backup). Go with an 8800GTS 512MB (better cooling than GT models) and you are pretty much set with the other stuff you picked out.

With the cash you save now versus buying 2xRaptors and a second video card you will easily be able to buy a next generation video card by mid 2008 that will probably have better performance than 2x8800GTS SLI would yield (especially if you sell the 8800GTS when you upgrade). Better yet, go with an EVGA card so you can potentially Step Up to the newer cards (if launched within 90 days of your purchase, you only pay price difference and shipping).
 

Neonerdo

Junior Member
Dec 27, 2007
6
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Originally posted by: Denithor
SLI & Raid0 are both hugely overrated and pretty much useless for most users.

Just get a solid motherboard with good overclocking performance (abit IP35 Pro, Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3P or DS4 are good examples) and use a single WD7500AAKS (or two in Raid1 for backup). Go with an 8800GTS 512MB (better cooling than GT models) and you are pretty much set with the other stuff you picked out.

With the cash you save now versus buying 2xRaptors and a second video card you will easily be able to buy a next generation video card by mid 2008 that will probably have better performance than 2x8800GTS SLI would yield (especially if you sell the 8800GTS when you upgrade). Better yet, go with an EVGA card so you can potentially Step Up to the newer cards (if launched within 90 days of your purchase, you only pay price difference and shipping).

Thank you Denithor for your great wisdom. I will probably follow your advise and get one DS4 mobo, a single WD7500AAKS, and upgrade to 8800GTS.
 

Neonerdo

Junior Member
Dec 27, 2007
6
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Thank you guys for given me some valuable advice.
Here is my revised buying list:

CPU: Q6600
Heatsink: Tuniq Tower
Video Card: EVGA 8800GTS 640mb
HD: Caviar WD7500AAKS@7200RPM
MB: GA-P35-DS3P REV 2.0
PSU: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W
Memory: 4GB(2x2GB) G.SKILL DDR2 800
DVD: Lite-ON
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos 1000
Mouse: Razer Banshee Blue 9 Buttons
Monitor: Samsung 226BW Black 22" 2ms 300cd/m2

with these parts are estimated less than $2000 USD : )

Here are my other thoughts:
1. I am still considering the 2 Raptors in Raid 0 for a boost of performance. However, from reading some of the posts, it seems like not worth the investment. Is it really?
2. Is the case overkill for the parts I have? I plan to overclock cpu and maybe the video card. This case aethetically looks pretty nice to me and has great airflow setup and sound-proof ability.
3. Is the PSU overkill for the parts I have? what kind of wattage do you guys recommand with the parts I have and possible adding 1 or 2 extra HD.


Thank you again guys.
 

cozumel

Senior member
Nov 29, 2007
337
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1. I personally would not be getting the Raptors. I would have if you had asked the same question a year ago but now the performance gain is small due to 7200 drives making such big strides in performance and architecture. The $ value per GB of the Raptor is appalling too.

2. The Cosmos 1000 is nice but the Cosmos 1010 has improved cooling. The airflow is not too good around HDD area but should be okay as long as you do not plan to get more than 3 HDDs or make a mod. I do not think that a case of this quality is overkill as it will set you up for the future as longs as it has everything you will need. Has super sound-proofing. Just make sure you have the room for the Cosmos as it is absolutely gigantic. I have the Cosmos and am still shocked by its sheer size every day when I look at it. It takes up more space than the Stacker.

3. The PSU, for the components you have chosen will deliver more than sufficient power although a quality 450w/500w would also do so dependant on the level of overclocks. As far as deciding what you need then you should look ahead and decide what upgrades you may make and the appropriate extra demands on the PSU.

Additionally, I strongly advise against your choise of graphics card. The 640MB 8800GTS has been superceded by the 8800GTS 512MB. The 512MB has a new G92 gpu core with more stream processors, higher core clock, higher shader clock, higher memory clock, more transistors and is a 65nm chip as opposed to 90nm. The performance is akin to the GTX in certain areas but not in all. If you want a high performance card then do not get the 640MB card and get the G92 version instead.

You sir, if you change the GFX choice, will have a great gaming and design rig with excellent all-round perfomance too.
 

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
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71
On RAID 0:

Here are some benchmarks of the performance gain offered by RAID 0 performed by AnandTech, so you can look at some facts rather than other peoples' opinions.

Using the Raptor 74GB:
http://www.anandtech.com/stora...owdoc.aspx?i=2101&p=10

Comparing the Hitachi 1TB and Raptor 150GB:
http://www.anandtech.com/stora...howdoc.aspx?i=2969&p=8

Is RAID 0 really worth it just to reduce your loading times in Battlefield from 63 seconds to 62 seconds? Note also that the 1TB keeps pace with the much smaller Raptor in gaming performance, as I recommended earlier.


On the graphics card:
In Nvidia's infinite marketing wisdom, there are at least 4 different versions of the 8800GTS. As cozumel said, the one you want to get is the newest 512MB version built on Nvidia's G92 core.
Here's an example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130312
 

cozumel

Senior member
Nov 29, 2007
337
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Just want to add something to the RAID0 discussion.

If you wanted to blow some serious money and put 6 or 8 hdds into an RAID0 array then there would be a noticeable improvement (I'll see if I can locate and link the stats for you). But then the question returns to value for money. In my book it is not worth it unless you have a multitude of disks sitting around doing nothing in your closet. But since the Cosmos does not cool the hdd area properly, even if you did have the disks in your closet, I would advise against this option.
 

Neonerdo

Junior Member
Dec 27, 2007
6
0
0
Originally posted by: DSF
On RAID 0:

Here are some benchmarks of the performance gain offered by RAID 0 performed by AnandTech, so you can look at some facts rather than other peoples' opinions.

Using the Raptor 74GB:
http://www.anandtech.com/stora...owdoc.aspx?i=2101&p=10

Comparing the Hitachi 1TB and Raptor 150GB:
http://www.anandtech.com/stora...howdoc.aspx?i=2969&p=8

Is RAID 0 really worth it just to reduce your loading times in Battlefield from 63 seconds to 62 seconds? Note also that the 1TB keeps pace with the much smaller Raptor in gaming performance, as I recommended earlier.


On the graphics card:
In Nvidia's infinite marketing wisdom, there are at least 4 different versions of the 8800GTS. As cozumel said, the one you want to get is the newest 512MB version built on Nvidia's G92 core.
Here's an example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130312

Wow what great info.. Now I am more convinced that Raid0 is overated after reading the benchmarks. This means more money for my wallet haha.

And thank you all for sharing your info about the confusing 8800GTS versions. I will follow your wisdom in choosing the newest 512MB vesion with G92 Core. Hope it's not too hard to buy.
 

Neonerdo

Junior Member
Dec 27, 2007
6
0
0
Originally posted by: cozumel


2. The Cosmos 1000 is nice but the Cosmos 1010 has improved cooling. The airflow is not too good around HDD area but should be okay as long as you do not plan to get more than 3 HDDs or make a mod. I do not think that a case of this quality is overkill as it will set you up for the future as longs as it has everything you will need. Has super sound-proofing. Just make sure you have the room for the Cosmos as it is absolutely gigantic. I have the Cosmos and am still shocked by its sheer size every day when I look at it. It takes up more space than the Stacker.


You sir, if you change the GFX choice, will have a great gaming and design rig with excellent all-round perfomance too.

Just my thought:
Is there a really a difference between Cosmos 1000 and Cosmos 1010? I know there is a significant price difference but is it worth the price? Cosmos 1000 is $180 and Cosmos 1010 is $240
Thanks