New Build opinion

[Knytestorme]

Hey guys, looking to build a new pc to take over as my main development, DAW and gaming pc as well as perhaps fileserver but thinking that running up a second box (or 6th as will be the case really) running WHS could be a better option...but guess with the current system spec I am posting, if I go away and want to take my desktop rather than laptop it's easier to have everything with me.

Anyway, am buying in australia and am trying to keep to a $5k budget but that will probably go to around $6k if I replace the monitor I list with a dell 30". As said it will be mainly used for gaming and game development running Vista Ultimate along with Visual Studio 2008, CS3 suite, Reason and Sonar. I'd also like it to be running as my media server for the rest of the rooms in the house and streaming to the 360 and XBMC'd xboxs as needed (hence why I think this may be better than running WHS).

My main concerns with the build are if the power supply will be enough and the timings on the memory (since I've never really understood those too much). I'm not looking to overclock really but if it would be possible than I'm not adverse to pushing it if I can. Any advice on possibly more cost-effective parts to swap out, or parts that are markedly better to replace any dodgy parts I have chosen are also welcome.

Total cost of this build from the parts is $4805Aus

* Asus P5N32-E-SLI: nForce 680i, 1333MHz FSB, 4xDDR2/800(2x), 1xATA/133, 6xSATA/300, SLIx16xPCI-E, 2xGigaLAN, 7.1 Sound, Firewire, ATX
* Intel Core 2 Quad 'Q6600' CPU - LGA775, 4x2.40GHz, 2x4Mb, 1066MHz
* 2 x Corsair 2Gb XMS2-6400 800MHz 4-4-4-12 DDR2 Memory Kit (2 x 1Gb)
* 6 x 500Gb Samsung 7200rpm Hard Drive - S/ATA-II, 16Mb - 3Y
* Sony 1.44Mb Floppy Drive - Black
* LG GSA-H55NBBK Internal DVD Writer - P/ATA, Drive + Software - Black
* 2 x Gainward GeForce 8800 GTS 512Mb 16xPCI-E Video Card - 650MHz/1.94GHz - 2xDVI, HDTV Out
* FusionHDTV DVB-T Dual Digital 4 TV Tuner - 1xPCI-E
* Antec Nine Hundred ATX Medi-tower Case w/ *NO PSU* - Black
* Antec 850 Watt "TruePower Quattro" ATX 2.0 Power Supply - 80mm Fan, 2xPCI-E8, 2xPCI-E6
* Benq FP241W: 24" Widescreen LCD (1920x1200, 6ms) Monitor - D-Sub/DVI/S-Video/Composite/Component/HDMI
* Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard - USB - Silver/Black
* Razer Lachesis 4000dpi Optical Mouse - USB - Black w/ Blue LEDs
* Zalman ZM-RS6F+M 5.1 Channel Headphones + Microphone Bundle

The reason for the drive configuration I have is purely preference, I don't see the value in something like raid 0 raptor's when for less money I can get 1Tb of space and deal with a few ms less speed, but everything else is fair game...even model of drives, etc

Thanks in advance.

 

[Knytestorme]

hmmm, didn't realize this build was so perfect straight off the bat

 

[jkresh]

if you go to a 30inch go with gateways display not dells (as gateway has the first 30inch with built in scaling, so if you have to run at 1900x1200 for a video or a specific game it can accept that input while the dell cant).
680i boards have issues with overclocking quad cores, since yo are spending so much money you may want to wait till january and get penryn and maybe a 780i (680i's successor) also its possible that new high end gpu's will be out in january/february (though I could be mistaken) so you may again want to wait to at least get an idea about that before picking up any cards in sli (unless you go with evga and can use there step up program).

 

[newschool]

1. Penryn are coming very soon, exceptional processors.

2. New generation from nvidia (grforce 9 : d9e & d9p) and ati coming in the beginning of 2008.

3. ddr3 getting more available

4. my heatsink is zalman. you expect the same company to make quality headphones? cmon.
best are sennheiser 600 & 650 but the audio technica ad700 are very good for the price.

conclusion : wait and dont waste your money.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: newschool
1. Penryn are coming very soon, exceptional processors.

2. New generation from nvidia (grforce 9 : d9e & d9p) and ati coming in the beginning of 2008.

3. ddr3 getting more available

4. my heatsink is zalman. you expect the same company to make quality headphones? cmon.
best are sennheiser 600 & 650 but the audio technica ad700 are very good for the price.

conclusion : wait and dont waste your money.

Good advice.

(Seriously though, Zalman headphones? :laugh: I've got one of their coolers but I'm sticking to audio companies for sound equipment )

Don't SLI mid-range cards. It's usually a waste of money and harder to upgrade. Get an 8800GTX now, then add one later if you need to (or use a company with a step-up program such as evga).

 

[Denithor]

You really might want to re-think your choice in motherboard chipset.

680i motherboards will not support Penryn quads

You will have to wait for 780i if you plan to upgrade that Q6600 at some point.

I'm not sure why you would SLI 8800GTS 512 cards when the next big thing is around the corner from nVidia but that's entirely your call. I would personally suggest an EVGA 8800GTS 512 for now (if available in your country) and use their step-up program in February to whatever the top card is then.

 

[Nurn]

At the risk of starting a flame war....

I agree, SLI is a risky proposition with iffy performance benefits. If you have your heart set on a dual GPU setup, go with Crossfire solution. An X38 board like the ASUS Maximus Formula gives you Crossfire (e.g. two 3870's) potential or will handle a single Nvidia card, PLUS ability to upgrade to a Penryn processor in the future PLUS uses cheaper (than DDR3) DDR2 memory. If you go single card, the 512MB 8800GT or GTS are great choices.

While I have never owned a 680 board, when I was in your boat a month ago (planning my new rig) I read too many negative comments about 680's and decided on the X38.

The Q6600 is a good choice. It will overclock with minimal fuss, I suggest coupling it with an Ultima90 cooler and a 90mm fan.