New system build (2 full computers!) mid-October 2008

[bklanecky]

Hi everybody. I'm new to the forums, been lurking for a while. I've always built my own PCs, and it's getting to be that time again. This time, however, I'm going to go a little more high-end than before, and I also plan on overclocking. I hope you keep that in mind and offer advice based on that after you check out my build.

I won't be building this until the middle of October. My little brother is currently in BCT/AIT for the Army National Guard, and we are going to build 2 identical computers once he graduates from Military Police School in early October. Just in time for Fallout 3! My reasoning for the identical computers is that we can overclock very slowly and one PC at a time. Basically, having two computers exactly alike is going to allow us to test everything and give us the ability to diagnose any problems very quickly.

Most of my information has been gleaned from the Attention System Builders thread. This has been an incredible resource and is serving to help me get my feet wet in the PC world again after not having built a computer for two years. I've still got six weeks to get re-acclimated to the entire world of user-built PCs, so some of my choices in components may change over that time.

One of my biggest concerns at this point is whether or not there's anything new on the horizon that would be worth waiting for - anything due out Q4 2008 that would be worth delaying our builds?

Anyways, here we go:

PSU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/...%2btruepower%2bquattro"> Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, C-tick, CCC, CB - Retail</a>
Case:http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129043"> Antec Twelve Hundred Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail</a>
(These two are nice because you can get both for $300 right now on newegg.)
Mobohttp://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128336"> GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail</a>
Processorhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/...6&Tpk=e8500%2bwolfdale"> Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail</a>
Video Cardhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814125233"> GIGABYTE GV-R487X2-2GH-B Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail</a>
Sound:http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16829102003"> Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - OEM</a>
RAM:http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231145"> G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail</a>x2 (8GB total)
OS:http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16832116488"> Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM</a>
HDD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/...218&Tpk=caviar%2b640gb"> Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM</a>
CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retailhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/...233003&Tpk=hdt%2bs1283

Alright, now a couple notes:

I'm choosing the 4870x2 card because down the road I'd like to add another one. It would be cool to have 2 Crossfired 4870s, essentially having 4 video cards. Or am I just stupid?

I'm using this rig for gaming, and that's about it.

I'll be re-using my DVD-ROM, DVD-RW, mouse, keyboard, monitor (Samsung SyncMaster 930B 19"), speakers (Klipsch ProMedia 2.1) for now - I could see the monitor getting a significant upgrade in the near future, though.

Opinions/comments/suggestions? The final cost is looking to be right in the neighborhood of $1700.

If this looks good, I'll probably buy the PSU and case right away because of the fact that the deal is only until 08/31.

edit - woah, WTF happened to my links? I had it all nice and neat for you guys, and it blew up. Doh!

 

[Blain]

Why such a beast of a case?

 

[DSF]

Nehalem (Intel's new processor, which will officially be named Core i7) is due out Q4 2008, but it's unclear whether or not it will come at an affordable price point. There's also the question of how compatible motherboards and DDR3 will be priced.

The 4870x2 is serious overkill for a 19" monitor, and probably would be even if you upgraded to 22". If you really want to make the 4870x2 a worthwhile purchase you may want to look at a 24" display for your upgrade. I would keep an eye on 4870x2 benchmarks as you get closer and closer to build time. Right now Crossfire scaling with these cards looks very poor in some games and OK in others. That's the sort of thing that may change with driver tweaks over time, but going past two graphics cards (which is essentially what a 4870x2 is) is an exercise in diminishing returns. You get less out of the second than you do out of the first, and you get successfully less out of the third and fourth with no reduction in price.

If you decide not to go Crossfire I would step the PSU, motherboard and case down a notch. (I'd step the case down a notch anyhow, but that's just me.)

 

[bklanecky]

Originally posted by: Blain
Why such a beast of a case?

The reason I was getting that particular case is because you can get the combo of case/PSU for $300 total, which seems like a decent deal.

 

[bklanecky]

Originally posted by: DSF
Nehalem (Intel's new processor, which will officially be named Core i7) is due out Q4 2008, but it's unclear whether or not it will come at an affordable price point. There's also the question of how compatible motherboards and DDR3 will be priced.

The 4870x2 is serious overkill for a 19" monitor, and probably would be even if you upgraded to 22". If you really want to make the 4870x2 a worthwhile purchase you may want to look at a 24" display for your upgrade. I would keep an eye on 4870x2 benchmarks as you get closer and closer to build time. Right now Crossfire scaling with these cards looks very poor in some games and OK in others. That's the sort of thing that may change with driver tweaks over time, but going past two graphics cards (which is essentially what a 4870x2 is) is an exercise in diminishing returns. You get less out of the second than you do out of the first, and you get successfully less out of the third and fourth with no reduction in price.

If you decide not to go Crossfire I would step the PSU, motherboard and case down a notch. (I'd step the case down a notch anyhow, but that's just me.)

In your opinion, would I be better with just one normal 4870, maybe going Crossfire at a later date with a second? That would certainly shave some cost off of the rig.

 

[DSF]

With the size of your monitor a 4870 is plenty right now and would cover you up to 22" at least. The problem with planning on a second GPU later is that two last-gen graphics cards are never as good as one current-gen card. Unless you're planning to add that second 4870 within six months (in which case you may as well just buy the 4870x2) it's best not to bother.

Personally, in your situation I'd buy a 4850 or 4870 with a P45 motherboard and call it a day, unless the upgrade to a 24" or larger display is imminent.

 

[bklanecky]

You don't think that the X48 is worthwhile?

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: bklanecky
You don't think that the X48 is worthwhile?

When I said P45 it was assuming that you stick to a single graphics card, which would be my approach unless the monitor is going to be larger than 22". (Even with a 24" monitor I'd probably run a single 4870x2.)

The main advantage of X48 is full Crossfire capability. If you're not taking advantage of that you may as well go for the less expensive P45. There won't be any real performance loss.