Need Review

UpstartXT

Senior member
Apr 3, 2008
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Hey, I have been thoroughly researching and spending a lot of time on this site looking at suggestions for other people's builds, as well as going to the manufacturer's forums for each individual part. I have had a really really hard time deciding whether or not to go with SLI or not, I still can't really make up my mind.

Anyway keep in mind here that I will be gaming on a 1080P 40" LCD tv (Sony KDLV2500)

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Gaming at 1080P resolution on a 40" LCD TV (including crysis)

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$1800

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.

Nope

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Mouse, Keyboard, Sony KDLV2500 40" LCDTV, External Digital Receiver with Klipsch Reference Series Speakers (5.1 system)

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Yes

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Overclocking with goal being best gaming performance (getting as high settings as possible while maintaining playable FPS)

8. WHEN do you plan to build it

May 7, 2008 (sorry if this is too far in the future, I figured nothing would change between now and then)



Anyway I made my own list if you would like to preview it, I went SLI figuring it would help play at good settings at the 1080 resolution especially in games like Crysis. I am not very good at finding good prices/sketched out by a lot of shady online merchants so I just am linking to a newegg wishlist:

SLI GPU Wishlist

I also do not currently have a Blu-Ray player, as well as not being entirely sure SLI is worth it, therefore I have made an alternate, single GPU setup, with an included PS3 to hookup to the LCD TV.

Single GPU Rig Wishlist

Both of these are over my budget, but that's okay I can fudge it a bit. In that second config, you will notice my PSU is overkill, but I did that because I figured I would be futureproofing for any future processors and graphics cards. This model is a good one for that purpose, correct?

If that's stupid, let me know. As a matter of fact, if anything here is stupid, let me know about that as well.

Went with the Scythe fans to reduce noise since this case tends to be loud. Went with the expensive case because I am in love with the looks plus hear that airflow is good and has a large amount of space, but I realize not a great bang for buck option necessarily.

Finally, I had some questions about building:

-which way should I mount the Tuniq?

-should I only put in 2GB of RAM until I have totally updated vista?

-I heard that on the 750i board I need to manually adjust not only the memory timings to manufacturer recommended, but the memory subtimings, but I don't know where to find those

-should I flash the bios before I even install vista?

-Edit: Before anyone suggests it, I will be moving the TV around while keeping the rig where it is, so going with a LG Blu-Ray internal drive is not something I would want

-Edit 2: Went with two HD's for purpose of RAID 0
 

chinaman1472

Senior member
Nov 20, 2007
614
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I'm assuming you just like that case. It's rather a bit expensive for my tastes, but it's totally subjective. Personally, I dig the Antec P182 (and will pick one up myself when I scrounge up the money for it).

Not sure how good that power supply is, but you're definitely overpaying. I think a 750W power supply from Cooler Master, Silverthorne, or PC Power and Cooling would be better (in either rig). It's about $100 cheaper, and would still be plenty of power for 8800GTS in SLi. For a single card solution, a Corsair 520/620HX would be plenty.

8800GTS should also be in the single card setup as well. Save the cash and upgrade again in a year or so. The 8800GTS is banging for the buck right now, and the 9800GTX doesn't really deliver for that price imo. I'd consider an ATi 3870 X2 or 9800GX2 since it's probably within your budget, equivalent to an SLi setup (in terms of price).

Not sure if you need a sound card. Onboard sound is pretty decent these days and supports 7.1 setups.

Just stick your 4GB of RAM in and go. It shouldn't affect the performance whether you put 2GB or 4GB from the beginning.

I can't comment on the memory timings, but you shouldn't need to flash your BIOS.

I don't see much reason to go RAID 0. IIRC, you risk twice the chance of losing your data running RAID 0 for negligent speed increases.

I believe the Tuniq should mounted so the fan sucks air from the front of the case and exhausts air to the back of the case.
 

Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
6,045
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You mean 1920x1080 resolution. Graphics cards don't output TV broadcasts.

Get 4GB of RAM. With the ludicrous amount of cash you're spending there's no reason not to.

RAID-0 will grant you no real-world performance benefit. Enjoy your halved mean time before failure.

Memory subtimings will make no difference to you if you don't know what they are. You'll get massively more performance from adding another 2GB than from tweaking your tRAS timing.

Update to the latest BIOS after you finish putting it all together.
 
Oct 4, 2004
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That's a lot of money for a Thermaltake PSU. I know they have been making great PSUs of late but I'd feel a lot more confident with a different brand that also brought along significant savings.

Check out these two 750W units:
Corsair 750TX, $129.99 + $10 MIR
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 $159.99

I'd just get the Corsair because their reputation and build quality is right up there at the very top and that's a great price

Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Heatsink, $36.99 - Arguably the best solution on the market. One of the highest rated heatsinks, slightly better than the Tuniq Tower and only weighs 600g (with the fan) compared to the two-pound Tuniq.

Keep the two hard drives if you need the space but RAID 0 will not improve your gaming experience by any appreciable amount.

The case is nice but $250 is a lot of money for a case. Are you sure something cheaper (like the Cooler Master 690 or the 590) wouldn't fly? I say this because your rig is already pushing your budget and your wishlist is lacking a very critical component - the CPU! :p

Ed: I can't believe EVGA actually named a motherboard FTW! LMAO!
 

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
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I don't have much to add to what's been said, because the recommendations have been spot-on.

- Install all 4GB.

- 850W is more than you need, even for two graphics cards. If you want a high-wattage PSU just to be on the safe side, I'd recommend the Corsair 750TX for considerably less money. It should also be quieter than the PCP&C Silencer from what I've heard.

- Don't forget that you need a processor. I assume you're looking at an E8400?

- Before you spend $200 on a sound card, my advice would be to try the onboard sound. Integrated audio has improved quite a bit from a few years ago, and since you're over budget that's the first place I'd look to cut costs.

- I'd also echo the sentiment that RAID 0, especially with only two drives and on an integrated controller, isn't worth your time.
 

UpstartXT

Senior member
Apr 3, 2008
209
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LOL you all must think I'm an idiot! I forgot to add the processor! I already have an e8400 sitting in the box at home, I assumed that would be the processor everyone would recommend for gaming because of its high overclock and no quad-core utilizing games. I don't do video encoding or anything like that.

Okay, so I think I am going to ditch the RAID 0 if you really think it won't give me better load times and reduce stuttering. I heard that from several places, though, that this is what it does. Anyone able to confirm or deny this?

Roguestar- I am going with 4GB of RAM I was just asking if when I first turn on the computer after building if I should only put in 2GB until I get Vista completely updated, but DSF says that is not necessary. Also, I am going to run a DVI-HDMI cable from the DVI out on my video card to the HDMI in on my TV.

DSF- is there a modular option for the PSU?

Also, does everyone also suggest I go with the xigmatek instead of the Tuniq like theprodigalrebel says?
 

Roguestar

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
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It's not the case that no games utilizes quad-core; Supreme Commander eats up all the cores it can get, UT3 apparently uses them (though it scales well enough to not be bottlenecked by two), Crysis apparently "runs best on quad-core" according to Crytek devs. It's that most games aren't programmed to take advantage. Dual-core is simply enough for 90% most games, and the dual-core CPUs tend to overclock better. There's not no point in getting a quad-core, it just makes sense to get dual gaming in general.

Originally posted by: UpstartXT
Roguestar- I am going with 4GB of RAM I was just asking if when I first turn on the computer after building if I should only put in 2GB until I get Vista completely updated, but DSF says that is not necessary.

Ah, I see. Yeah, 4GB is fine straight away.
 

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
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Originally posted by: UpstartXT
Roguestar- I am going with 4GB of RAM I was just asking if when I first turn on the computer after building if I should only put in 2GB until I get Vista completely updated, but DSF says that is not necessary. Also, I am going to run a DVI-HDMI cable from the DVI out on my video card to the HDMI in on my TV.

DSF- is there a modular option for the PSU?
Oh, I see what you mean about the RAM. Now that you mention it, I do recall people saying something about installing two gigs and then updating, but I don't know much about it. I've also heard people saying that that whole mess isn't necessary. I don't have a computer running Vista, so I'd ask around a little more, maybe in the Memory or Windows forums.

As far as modular PSU's, the fact of the matter is that you have your PSU way over-specced. A Corsair 620HX is modular, could easily run two 8800GTSs, and should have headroom for future expansion. As far as the modular offerings from other manufacturers I'm not sure. They're out there, I'm just not as familiar with them.
 

chinaman1472

Senior member
Nov 20, 2007
614
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Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is a great choice especially at the price. Roughly the same performance for less price and weight. It's all up to you.

 

UpstartXT

Senior member
Apr 3, 2008
209
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Okay so I am making the following changes:

Going with a xigmatek HDT-S1283 heatsink instead of the Tuniq

Going with a Corsair 620HX instead of the TT

Going with 1 HD instead of 2 since I will not be using RAID 0 and don't need 1.5 TB (thanks for the heads up on this guys, I did some researching after your advice about not going RAID 0, and that would have been a big mistake to go with it!)

This cut down my total cost considerably! I am very happy! I think I will use the extra budget room to buy an S-Flex F for my Heatsink and also a fan controller for my fans (was thinking of the Scythe Model

I think I'm definitely going to go with the SLI and just wait on the PS3 idea, I don't own any Blu-Ray movies yet anyway