Need some help w/ new build

[stsai465]

Newbie here. Trying to build a new PC (replacing my 3Ghz P4 Win2000 box). Here is the info I can provide.

your budget - Around $2000 (+-$500) not including monitor

what items you need the budget to cover (see lists below) - Items listed below

any particular specs you've already decided upon (e.g. a certain CPU or GPU, or a certain amount of RAM) - Items listed below

what types of uses you want to use the computer for (e.g. gaming, office/student work, video editing, HTPC, or whatever) - Primarily gaming (WoW, LotRO, some RTS). Some office (Word processing, Excel), some web surfing.

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Core items - Here is my list of proposed items so far. My questions/issues/concerns are listed below. If people see something that looks bad, incompatible, or otherwise have suggestions for improvements, feel free to suggest.

Power supply - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Crossfire Edition) EPS12V 750W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, RoHS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817341011

Case - LIAN LI PC-60BPLUSII W Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811112116

Motherboard - ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16819115037

Heatsink/fan for the CPU - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16835186134

Memory - G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16820231145

Primary hard drive - Hitachi Deskstar 500GB SATA/7200RPM
I was given 2 of these for free, so these are the only things set in stone.

Primary optical drive - LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16827106072

Video card - VisionTek 900209 Radeon HD 3870 X2 1GB (512MB x 2) 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/...x?item=N82E16814129103

Monitor(s) ? Dell 27" UltraSharp Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
http://accessories.us.dell.com...dhs&cs=19&sku=222-7315

Mouse/keyboard - (Using previous PC version)

Operating System - Vista (uncertain on 32 bit vs 64 bit or home/ultimate versions)

Additional hard drive(s) - Identical to primary

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OK, here are my questions, concerns, etc:

I've been a supporter for Asus boards for years and generally have had good success with them. However, the more I've read about this particular model (and the similar Maximus Formula), the more concerns I have.
1) Both boards ask for DDR2-1200. The memory I've listed above is listed as DDR2-1000. Does this cause problems? Unfortunately NewEgg doesn't have any DDR2-1200 modules in 2x2GB (4GB total) kits.
2) Comments on both boards say that neither one will run the E8400 out of the box, and that a BIOS update is required. I do not have a spare Intel 775 CPU to temp-socket it for updating the BIOS. Am I stuck with going somewhere else for a MoBo?
3) I'm hearing that these MoBo are super-picky on RAM. I tried pulling Asus' website, but it was down. Is there a definitive list of which DDR2s work and which don't? (if not for Asus, then any other MoBo company's)

Overall, my experiences is that the MoBo, as much as the CPU, is the heart of the PC, so I would like to get a good one. If Asus does not work, then any other companies worth looking at (My only really bad experiences has been ECS)?

The PSU and Case were chosen based on hearing good things on PC P&CS and Lian-Li as companies that make good products. True/false?

My original CPU choice was the Q6600 2.4Ghz. The E8400 was recommended by another forum, saying that for games run better with faster dual-core vs not-so-fast quad-core.

Arctic Freezer 7 Pro was recommended by the other forum. Anyone ever try this cooler w/ a Lian-Li case (ie, problems fitting it)?

I very strongly considered the Dell 30" monitor; for only $200 more, I get the additional resolution, the IPS panel, and the extra overall size. My concerns were that to display HD/Blu-Ray DVD content at 1070P, that I would be forced to resync the resolution to 1920x1200 (this was according to a post on the Dell forums). My understanding is that LCDs do not display their non-native resolutions well. I don't use my PC for a lot of DVD viewing, but I don't want to shut myself out of the option at some point. Are my concerns legit or am I being too anal? For that matter, does my listed PC even have the horsepower to drive a 30" or 27" monitor?

The current plan is to get 1 graphic card, then eventually get a 2nd for improving graphics when the games demand that kind of graphics power. My original plan was to build an SLI platform around an Nvidia 8800GTX, but I found out later that you need the NForce chipset to use SLI. I accidentally found out that X38 works for Crossfire, so I was talked into switching to ATI. Should I consider switching to a SLI MoBo instead?

I wanted to build this setup in Vista; the plan is to use this PC for a long time, and I don't want to buy XP now, then be forced to buy/upgrade Vista later (after my PC is loaded with other junk). I found myself confused with the 32- and 64-bit options. Doing a little reading, the 32- seems to be limited to 4GB RAM, but the 64- has issues w/ compatibility of drivers. Does anyone recognize some of the hardware I list above as incompatible?

Thank you all in advance.

 

[chinaman1472]

1. The RAM will be fine, it's just saying it supports up to DDR2-1200 speeds.

Power supply is overkill, even for your system, but is a quality PSU I believe. Case is fine as well. Alternatives to that PSU would be Corsair, and alternative cases would be CoolerMaster or Antec. Take a look at what design you like, and what you're looking for, such as hard drive mounting, fans, noise, etc.

E8400 runs a bit faster for games, but it's probably not noticeable unless you want to compare benchmarks. $50 though, is noticeable.

Lian-Li case shouldn't have a problem fitting it in, but don't quote me on it. The dimensions seem fine, 8.3" is fairly wide. Mine case is definitely less than 8" and after measuring, I would've been able to fit the AF7P in my case, provided I didn't use the side panel fan.

SLi and Crossfire are not upgrade paths. Either get 2 video cards now, or get 2 videos card on your next upgrade. Spending an extra $400 months later for something outdated is stupid. You might as well just spend the $400 on a NEWER card that outperforms your current card. If yo want to run CF or SLi, don't hesitate and do it right now. If you do SLi, you'll have to get a nVidia Chipset, and run 2 8800 GT(S), which is comparable to the 3870 X2 in performance. Not sure how 3870 X2 runs CF though, if it is currently supported.

Go 64bit. Check the hardware for compatibility issues to see if drivers have been released or not, but everything for the most part looks fine.

If you don't need the extra bells and whistles that motherboard offers, save yourself some cash and get something cheaper.

 

[stsai465]

Thank you for the reply.

OK, if SLI/Crossfire are not upgrade paths, then there's no real need to be married to the X38 or NForce chipsets. Is there a "preferred" chipset for gaming or high-end PCs? A RL friend of mine suggests that the X48 chipset should be coming out very soon and to wait until those MoBos are on the market. Hopefully those (being newer) would be installed with BIOS that can run a E8400 w/o a BIOS update. As I said, I don't have a spare older Intel 775 CPU lying around to flash a new MoBo with.

The other effect it might have is to give Vista a little more time to get drivers out and test their SP1 a little more.

If the Case/PSU look OK, then I'll probably stick with them. I'd rather a PSU be "overkill" than underpowered. I've heard a lot of horror stories about how a poor PSU can quietly cripple the rest of a PC with dirty power, and not be detected until it takes down some other components. Therefore, as long as the PSU picked is a quality one (can provide clean reliable efficient power), I don't mind paying a little extra.

EDIT: OK, disregard the chipset question; I found the AnandTech Motherboard sticky thread, listing the X35 as the current high-end chipset of choice (along with cursory mentions of NForce). Currently, I'm looking at the differences (and customer comments for Gigabyte, ABit, DFI, eVGA, and Asus boards). Any personal experiences/feedback w/ these companies and X35 would be appreciated.

 

[DSF]

Do you mean X38 or P35? X38 would be considered the high-end, but if you're not running a dual-graphics card solution, or going for the absolute push-the-envelope overclock, it's not worth the money.

For most enthusiasts, the P35 chipset is all you need.

Edit: And I'm very happy with my Gigabyte P35-DS3L. It's a no-frills board, but it's very stable.

 

[imported_wired247]

I can practically guarantee that that case will give you some slight headaches even without a huge video card, and even bigger headaches with a huge video card.

I own that case. And I do love it, but it's getting outdated IMHO, and I would not buy another one.

Since you like Lian Li, check out the Lian Li (aka lancool) K7 or K10... (the k7 and k10 are essentially the same thing) it is superior in every way to that case, and the price is not much different.



try "lancool" as the search term on newegg

edit: holy crap they dropped the price on these like mad... nice

 

[stsai465]

Thanks again to the responses.

Originally posted by: DSF
Do you mean X38 or P35? X38 would be considered the high-end, but if you're not running a dual-graphics card solution, or going for the absolute push-the-envelope overclock, it's not worth the money.

For most enthusiasts, the P35 chipset is all you need.

Edit: And I'm very happy with my Gigabyte P35-DS3L. It's a no-frills board, but it's very stable.

Yes, I meant P35. The Anandtech thread recommendations that have caught my eye are the GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 (rev. 2.0) and abit IP35 Pro. I will look at the P35-DS3L very seriously and try and do a comparison. Right now, I'm seeing too many people say bad things about ASUS to be comfortable, with regard to their compatibility (or lack of) the E8400 with their current line of MoBos.

You are correct that I'm not a big OC'er or need a ton of "features". Ideally, since I have 2 identical HDs, I might want to set up a RAID 1+0 or something, but even that's just an idle thought right now.

Originally posted by: wired247
I can practically guarantee that that case will give you some slight headaches even without a huge video card, and even bigger headaches with a huge video card.

I own that case. And I do love it, but it's getting outdated IMHO, and I would not buy another one.

Since you like Lian Li, check out the Lian Li (aka lancool) K7 or K10... (the k7 and k10 are essentially the same thing) it is superior in every way to that case, and the price is not much different.



try "lancool" as the search term on newegg

edit: holy crap they dropped the price on these like mad... nice

Found them; they're listed as "New Arrivals" (they weren't there when I first built this list a few months ago). Would you consider the 3870x2 a huge video card (I've never seen one, other than pictures). What features makes the PC-60B outdated (ie, how are the PC-K10B/K7B better)? The 60B is actually bigger (same width/depth, much shorter) so it kind of surprises me to hear that it's more difficult for large cards than the K10B. It also looks like the 60B has that CPU fan duct, which the K10B doesn't; I guess I could see that duct though interfering w/ a third-party HSF like the Arctic Cool though.