New rig...come give your feedback

[Fjive]

My current pc is 3 years old and I cant wait to get a new one ;-)

Old rig :
Sempron 2600+
512mb ram x 2
Seagate 120gb SATA
Gigabyte Radeon 9550 128mb
Abit NF7S Mobo

I'll be mostly using the new pc for Internet, mp3s, watch some movies, gaming (crysis, COH) and linux (virtual machine).
Would like to use it for at least 2 years, and wouldnt be overclocking.

New Rig :
E8200 or E8400
1gb DDR 667 X 2
Gigabyte P35-DS3
Seagate 320gb SATA 16mb
Sapphire 3870 512mb or Gigabyte 8800gt 512mb w/zalman cooler
Dell 19" (from old pc)
CM centurion 5 + Corsair 460w

Should I take E8200 + 8800gt or E8400 + 3870 ?
Is the PSU good enough for this build ?
I might upgrade to a 20" or 22" LCD in a year's time. But for now, I'll be gaming at 1280x1024. I'd like to game with some AA as well.

What do you think ?


Update 01/04/08:

Finally got the new rig, got delayed by the shortage (E8400) and price gouging (E8400 & 8800GT)

This is what I've got...

E8400
Gigabyte EP35-DS3
Corsair Value Ram 667mhz 2GB x 1 (Getting another stick soon)
Asus 8800GT 512mb (Glaciator fan)
Western Digital 320gb 16mb(The new single platter !!! )
Cooler Master Centurion 5
Corsair HX 520 (First choice was Gigabyte Odin Pro 550w, but no stock)

I have to say I'm very happy, able to find the new 320gb single platter WD, but find it weird its still as thick as the older versions...

Coming from an old sempron 2600, the new rig is very good with multi-tasking with everything i throw at it !
Ran prime for 5 hours, seems ok. Played C&C3 at 1280x 1024 max settings, smooth.

the 8800gt seems to idle around 53-55C, is this ok ? Room temp is around 30C...
CPU temp hovers around 36C-42C between idle and load...normal ?

3dmark 06 : 11566 <----isnt this a bit low ? i see non oc systems with 12k+

 

[bob4432]

i would keep an eye out for a antec earthwatts 380 or 430W rebate deal - you should be able to pick on up for $20/$30 or so

for me i would go the better gpu, which if i remember correctly was the 8800gt

 

[DSF]

For gaming, you'll be better served by the slightly slower CPU and slightly better graphics card.

 

[silverpig]

I'll give you the same advice I give everyone: Get a really great case. It'll last you through the next 3 upgrades and you'll always be happy with it.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: DSF
For gaming, you'll be better served by the slightly slower CPU and slightly better graphics card.

8800GT is plenty.

I think the build looks good, assuming the PSU can take it. What's the 12v rail rating?

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Originally posted by: DSF
For gaming, you'll be better served by the slightly slower CPU and slightly better graphics card.

8800GT is plenty.

I think the build looks good, assuming the PSU can take it. What's the 12v rail rating?

I know. He asked whether he should go with an E8200 and 8800GT, or E8400 and HD3870.

I said go with the 8800GT.

 

[Fjive]

The PSU (VX450w) has 33A on its +12V rail...good enough for a 8800gt/3870 ?

PSU

I read somewhere that the zalman cooler on gigabyte's 8800gt really make a difference to the temp...anyone using it ?

I'm planning to buy the new pc in about 2 weeks time, so there are still time to decide

 

[bob4432]

you don't need that much power, even a decent 380W unit would fit the bill - http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3151&p=11

 

[BlueBirdTS]

I would get more than 380W of power. It might be enough, but I still recommend 450W or more, just to be on the safe side of things (plus for futureproofing).

 

[Andvari]

Originally posted by: silverpig
I'll give you the same advice I give everyone: Get a really great case. It'll last you through the next 3 upgrades and you'll always be happy with it.

This is true. I just got an antec p182 case, and I can't imagine ever buying another case for the rest of my life. If ATX ever changes or BTX becomes the norm, I'll cry. =(

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: Fjive
The PSU (VX450w) has 33A on its +12V rail...good enough for a 8800gt/3870 ?

PSU

I read somewhere that the zalman cooler on gigabyte's 8800gt really make a difference to the temp...anyone using it ?

I'm planning to buy the new pc in about 2 weeks time, so there are still time to decide

Yes it's enough.
I have VX450w with 8800GT/e6750 (OCed to 3.2 ghz)/4gb ram/2 HDD/1 DVD and probably use ~240 watt at peak

 

[Fjive]

Is it recommended if I get 1 stick of 2gb ddr667 and add another stick sometime next year ? Instead of having 2 x 1gb ddr667 right now...

Any impact on the performance ?

 

[MegaVovaN]

Originally posted by: Fjive
Is it recommended if I get 1 stick of 2gb ddr667 and add another stick sometime next year ? Instead of having 2 x 1gb ddr667 right now...

Any impact on the performance ?

not recommended. Get two 2gb sticks of DDR2 now. Next year DDR3 will come out and prices on DDR2 will rise just like prices on DDR1 are high now.

Here's inexpensive DDR2 that I am using (bought 2 of these for $70+shipping). OCed my e6750 to 3.2 ghz.
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T8UB2GC5

edit: I say get 2 sticks because dual channel is good.

 

[Fjive]

Thanks for all the feedback, I'm probably leaning towards E8200 + 8800gt 512mb

Its kind of overkill since I only game at 1280 x 1024, but I'll be upgrading to a 20/22" LCD in a year...so I guess I'll be able to get more out of the card then

How is the Gigabyte 8800gt with zalman cooler ? Recommended ?

 

[Roguestar]

I'm with MegaVovaN, get 2x2GB of RAM, it's hella hella cheap.

The 8800GT with Zalman cooler is pretty much just a fancy add-on for those who'll be overclocking the card. Just get a vanilla 512MB one and you'll be good.

 

[bob4432]

or 4 of these for $12AR - http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/HP/PX976AT/L49299

 

[Fjive]

Got the rig and post updated

 

[chinaman1472]

My 8800GT idles at about 50°C with the fan at 60%; CPU idles at about 22°C, 52°C under prime95, though it's an E2160 and not an E8400. I'd say if it's breaking 55°C under full load you might want to look really look into it. 42°C seems okay, but someone else will have to put their 2c in that actually has one. Or check the CPU/OC forum and see what others' temps are.