New Game Build

[jvwheel]

Hi?. I am building a new system but am unsure of several things as the last system I built was in 2003 and things seemed simpler then. I would appreciate anyone?s input on my thoughts for a game system. I am concerned about the Vista Ready aspect and component compatibility. I have read so much lately about memory and processor incompatibility with the newer MoBo as well as difficulty keeping the system SLI and Vista Ready. I have done some research and have an idea of the system I would like to build but would appreciate some input on value, performance, and especially compatibility. I will list my choice of the components I have narrowed down to thus far and would appreciate input from anyone that can help me with the final configuration?.. JV

MoBo: (Does anyone have experience on one of these boards or know if one is better than another? I have had good luck with ASUS on my last two builds but have read a lot of memory issues with these new boards ? is one more problematic that the other. Is there a particular board that runs cooler?)

ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX
ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium/WiFi-AP LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI ATX
ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX


Processor: (I have pretty much decided on this processor.)
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4 GHz

Memory: (Dual Channel) ( I guess this will be determined by the MoBo I end up using? Does anyone have any input on memory compatibility?)
Patriot eXtreme Performance 2 GB DDR2 800, CL 4, 4-4-4-12, 2.2V
OCZ Vista Performance Gold Ed., 4GB (2x2048), DDR2 800, CL 5, 5-5-5-18, 2.0V
OZC EL, Gold Gamer eXtreme, XTC Ed., DDR2 800, 5-5-5


Video: (Is the GTS overclocked better than the GTX? My plan is to install one now and one when the price comes down.)
EVGA 640-P2-N825-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320 Bit PCI Express x16 SuperClocked HDCP.
EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384 Bit PCI Express x16 HDCP.

HDD: (I have always had good luck with WD ? except with the Raptor.)
HD Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250 GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0 gb (x4 Mirrored Raid _ I like the idea of a Raid with a backup and I?ve read it actually runs as fast as a 0 RAID)

PSU: (Is one better than the other? Does anyone have a PSU recommendation for this general config?)
OCZ GameXstream 700W Power Supply
Thermaltake Toughpower 750 Modular Power Supply


Case: (I like the extreme venting this case appears to have ? am I OK here?)
Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Case

Floppy, DVD Room, DVD-RW, Card Reader, Etc. My budget is getting tight so I may have to go with something cheaper on these.

 

[engiNURD]

The nForce 500 intel series runs hot, on any manuf.'s board. Stick to the new 600i series if you want nForce. Do you need SLI? SLI is only really needed if you have a large LCD monitor, think 24" or larger (some might say 22" or larger). Otherwise, a single card solution will suffice.

The P5N-E SLI is a cheaper version of SLI (650i), with dual 8x pci-e instead of the full 16x per slot.
The P5N32-E SLI Plus uses the same southbridge as the 680i chipset, if I'm not mistaken. So, you get dual 16x pci-e lanes, but with the nForce 650i northrbridge.
The P5N32-E SLI is the nForce 680i for Asus, without a couple cherries on top.
The eVGA is equivalent to the P5N32-E SLI, but has a lifetime warranty.

Go with the Patriot XP LLK sticks. OCZ gold sticks have had problems on both intel and amd platforms (more on am2), so I'd stay away from their gold line, just to be safe.

No, the GTS OC'd is not better than the GTX. If you have a 20" LCD, go for the GTS. If you have a larger one, or want full high settings, go for the GTX.

RAID1 would require 2 drives... since you're running 4, you'll have two raid1 arrays? or a raid 0+1 array? why not a raid5 array instead? Go with the WDXX00YS drives, if you plan on raid. They're better optimized for the task.

GXS has ripple. There are better options out there besides the toughpower 700W, though it is a good PSU. I'd go for the Corsair 620W instead. Enough to run your system. If you plan on SLI, go for the Silverstone ST85ZF 850W.

Yah, that case is fine. Go with SATA optical drives (~$30). A card reader should only be $10, and a FDD should only be $6.

 

[jvwheel]

Thanks for your help. I especially appreciate your explanations of the main boards as I was confused with all of the choices in that price range and was equally concerned about the memory compatibility. I will be using a 22" display but will probably go larger in the future when prices drop so the SLI looks to be a good choice; one GTX video card now and possibly another later. I did plan on a 0+1 array but would appreciate it if you would explain a RAID 5 array. I like your choice for the PSU but I would like to keep it around $160.00. Thanks for the tips on the Optical drives; that is completely new to me. I appreciate your feedback and I will look into a RAID 5 Array. JV

 

[jvwheel]

So I think I have narrowed the components down to:

ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX
or
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX (Favoring this board)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4 GHz
EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384 Bit PCI Express x16 HDCP. (1) now
Patriot XP LLK sticks (1x2G or 2x2G depending on cost)
WD 2500YS 250GB drives x4 (0+1 Array)
Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Case

Have to find a good 700+ SLI PSU in the $160.00 price range.

I would appreciate it if anyone has suggestions for a PSU in my price range or any input on the final motherboard selection. Also will it work to just us one stick of 2G Memory or do two slots have to be occupied in a dual channel system. My goal is to end up with 4Gig of memory using two slots but am not sure I can afford 4 Gig immediately.
JV

 

[jvwheel]

I have located a 700W Modular PSU in my price range; does anyone have experience with this PSU?

COOLMAX CUG-700B ATX 12V( V.2.2) 700W Power Supply 115/230 V

JV

 

[yh125d]

Make sure the PSU you get has 4 pci-e connectors, each of those gtx's requires 2, so when you go SLI you need 4 total. I recommend this silverstone

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817256009

For $169. But seriously, rethink SLI GTX's. A single GTX will be able to run any game coming out in the next several years at max settings and high resolutions flawlessly. SLI is redundant. IF in a few years you are unhappy with the performance of a single GTX(I doubt it) It will be more cost effective to step up to the top end card that is out then

 

[jvwheel]

yh125td:
Thank you so much for that tip on the PSU. The two connector per 8800 card totally escaped me. I remember seeing them but it never clicked. I have put the Silverstone PSU on my list. I have pretty much decided to go with the EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX MoBo and 2Gigs of the Patriot DDR2 800 Memory PDC22G6400LLK. The reason I have chose this board over the ASUs is the Layout, the ability to Delink the OC of the CPU and Memory, It's Quad-Core Ready, it's SLI with 3 express 16 slots, and reviews by pros and users don't cite the memory conflict problems as often as the ASUS MoBo reviewers do. I don't plan on using the SLI capability immediately but expect to when I can afford a larger monitor and another 8800 card. At present I will be using a 22" LCD Display. Thank you very much for your feedback; I sincerely appreciate the help you and engiNURD have offered; I would still be very undecided if it weren't for you guy's input.
JV