NEW SYSTEM DESIGN ADVICE

[MSeeb]

I have always purchased my computers starting with my first Tandy 3000NL. I have always tried to go with top of the line systems, even though they are quickly obsoleted. The computer I have now is almost 4 years old, and I am ready to upgrade, but I would like to build my own, which I have never done. I really think that I would enjoy it. Anyway, it seem like there is alot of great help on here, so I would like to ask that you guys look over what I have put together as what I think would be a good system, and let me know what you think. Cost is not a big issue, as long as I get something that will last awhile. System will be used primarily for gaming, with some OC'ing. Suggestions or comment are welcome.

Koolance PC4-1026BK case w/liquid cooling
ASUS M2N32-SLI mobo
Silverstone ST-ST75ZF 750w PSU
GForce 7950 GX2 card
Raptor WD 15000 ADFD 150 Gb Hard Drive 10K rpm (Primary gaming drive)
Maxtor Diamond Max II 6H500FO 500 Gb HD 7.2Krpm (data storage drive)
Samsung SH-S182D DVD-R/W drive
Mitsumi FA404M 3-1/4" floppy/card reader
Creative Labs SBX-FI Plantinum sound card
Corsair 2 Gb (2x1Gb) DDR2, SDRAM 533 PC@-4200 memory
Koolance CPU-305-V10 CPU water block
Koolance VID-400-L06 video card water block
Koolance RAM-30-V06 RAM cooloing water block
Dell 2407 WFP 24" monitor (hopefully w/rev AO3 and the bugs worked out)
Wireless keyboard & mouse (undecided)

Thanks

 

[Bobthelost]

Massive waste of money in the following areas:

Case: If you're not overclocking much then why water cooling?
XFI: Unless you've got good speakers (My rule is headphones should be of the same cost as the sound card, speakers twice to three times that) then you'd be fine with onboard sound.

Mere waste of money in the following:

M2N32SLI: You're not going to go SLI, if you were you should buy it now. M2N-E would be more economical.
PSU: You're not going to need more than a 450W PSU.
Raptor: Fast but uneconomical, you've clearly got the money but if you wanted to save a few $ this is where.

Now, why AMD, you might be out of the loop but AMD is really behind on performance at the moment, they only compete in the mid to low end because they cut the prices heavily. You missed your CPU off that list but by the looks of the rest you're going to be spending a lot. A 6600 will thrash any AMD you might be thinking about. If you are overclocking a bit then 667 low latency would be my choice of RAM.

 

[MSeeb]

Sorry forgot the processor:

AMD2 4600 X2

 

[Bobthelost]

Okay, ditch that for a 6600 and a Gigabyte 965P DS3 for the same money. Far, far better option.

 

[Bobthelost]

Core 2 Duo 6600
Gigabyte P965 DS3
2GB DDR 667
7950GX2
Raptor WD 15000 ADFD 150 Gb Hard Drive 10K rpm (Primary gaming drive)
Seagate 7200.10 500 Gb HD 7.2Krpm (data storage drive)
500W Enermax liberty PSU or Seasonic/Corsair/PCP&C/Silverstone/Enermax etc. etc.
Samsung SH-S182D DVD-R/W drive
Mitsumi FA404M 3-1/4" floppy/card reader
SI 120 (thermalright) with 120mm yate loon fan (1200rpm)
Dell 2407 WFP 24" monitor (hopefully w/rev AO3 and the bugs worked out)
Wireless keyboard & mouse (undecided)

Lian li case of your choice, 1000B or 1200B are very nice.

That's about my dream system at the moment, if you're an audiophile then by all means chuck the XFI back in, otherwise onboard is pretty decent these days. If you want to keep current then just keep changing the graphics cards for the latest and greatest. If you're going to overclock moderatly to heavily then DDR2 800 is the way forwards. Your choice.

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Core 2 Duo 6600
Gigabyte P965 DS3
Patriot 2GB DDR 667
7950GX2
Raptor WD 15000 ADFD 150 Gb Hard Drive 10K rpm (Primary gaming drive)
Seagate 7200.10 500 Gb HD 7.2Krpm (data storage drive)
500W Enermax liberty PSU or Seasonic/Corsair/PCP&C/Silverstone/Enermax etc. etc. Enhance 5150gh!
Samsung SH-S182D DVD-R/W drive
Mitsumi FA404M 3-1/4" floppy/card reader
SI 120 (thermalright) with 120mm yate loon fan (1200rpm) Scythe ninja is a good $15 cheaper...
Dell 2407 WFP 24" monitor (hopefully w/rev AO3 and the bugs worked out)
Wireless keyboard & mouse (undecided) g7 laser mouse is tops in the wireless catagory

Lian li case of your choice, 1000B:thumbsup: or 1200B are very nice.

That's about my dream system at the moment, if you're an audiophile then by all means chuck the XFI back in, otherwise onboard is pretty decent these days. If you want to keep current then just keep changing the graphics cards for the latest and greatest. If you're going to overclock moderatly to heavily then DDR2 800 is the way forwards. Your choice.

a few things...

 

[MSeeb]

Thanks for the feedback. Thats what I need. Keep in mind I have always purchased my past computers already assembled so yes this build from scratch is new to me. Don't get me wrong, the cost is important but performance & dependability is more important. Will the P965 board limit me down the road? From what I have been reading SLI is the up & coming technology? Thats why I was leaning towards the M2N32-SLI. Am I way off base on this?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: MSeeb
Thanks for the feedback. Thats what I need. Keep in mind I have always purchased my past computers already assembled so yes this build from scratch is new to me. Don't get me wrong, the cost is important but performance & dependability is more important. Will the P965 board limit me down the road? From what I have been reading SLI is the up & coming technology? Thats why I was leaning towards the M2N32-SLI. Am I way off base on this?

SLI is a waste of money unless you buy two cards right now. It will be more feasible in the future to be one new card that matches the speed of two old cards rather than trying to find(since they have to be the same card) and wasting your money on old technology.

 

[MSeeb]

Got it!!

 

[GuitarDaddy]

I agree with the others, watercooling is not worth it. High end air coolers have improved to the point that water only nets you a few degrees and its exponentially more troublesome and costly, and leaks can be catostrophic.

Nothing at all wrong with an AMD X2 system and would likely meet your needs, but the new Intel Core 2 duo is the new performance standard and beats the X2 by at least 20% and they are overclocking beasts. The new Core 2 duo motherboards are still a work in progress at this point, but they are getting better with each new bios release.

 

[Baked]

http://www.3dgameman.com/content/view/4040/40/

This guide owns.

 

[akshayt]

 

[akshayt]

 

[acegazda]

Originally posted by: akshayt

I totally agree

Baked, that guide is sweet. Probably would be more helpful to more people if he was building a midrange gaming machine. Those are all ultra high end parts, what was it like $4000?

 

[Boyo]

If having the top performing PC is most important to you than you should be looking at Intel right now. Their new chips blow AMD out of the water. But then again, nothing wrong with going with an AMD system. I have one that I built, although it's a 939 rig.

Skip the water cooling. Giant waste of money for what you are buying. Keep the Raptor for gaming. I don't care what anyone says, the 150GB is just pure speed. If you have the right speaker set up, then get the X-FI, otherwise an Audigy 2 ZS will meet your needs. Don't make the mistake of using onbaord audio. It really does suck...Go with an Enermax Liberty 650W. Your graphics card is sweet, but I don't know that you necessarily need SLI..... Nice monitor, keep it and stay with your original motherboard choice too in case you do want to go SLI soon. Nothing wrong with going SLI if you have the money. Plus it's a damn good motherboard. Great reviews.....I like you CPU too...Just a few tweaks to help you out, but it sounds like a great system, minus the water cooling....