Ok, tell me what is wrong with my choice of stuff.

[ricleo2]

COOLER MASTER cosmos S RC-1100-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: RC-1100-KKN1-GP
$249.99

ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: Rampage Formula
$299.99 -$10.00 Instant $289.99

EVGA 01G-P3-N897-AR GeForce 9800 GX2 SSC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 01G-P3-N897-AR
Mail-in Rebate
$609.99 -$30.00 Instant $579.99

Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
Model #: TPQ-850
$249.99 -$50.00 Instant $199.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9450 - Retail
Model #: BX80569Q9450
$349.99

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA1065 - Retail
Model #: BL2KIT12864AA1065
$90.99 -$15.00 Instant $75.99

Subtotal: $1,745.94


This will be a gaming machine. I have no brand preference. I will buy a different video card if the new ones do come out later on this month as promised. Nivdia or AMD whichever I feel is the best. I will not overclock. All the other stuff I need to complete a computer will be reused from my current computer. Thanks for any response.

 

[AmberClad]

- If you're not heavily overclocking, then it's sort of pointless to be spending $290 on a motherboard. You could get the same done with a far cheaper one.
- Both NV and ATI are coming out with new video cards in a few weeks.
- PSU is quite a bit more than you would need.
- The Q9300 is far cheaper with only a minor drop in speed.
- That's kind of a small amount of RAM. Again, since you're not overclocking, there's no point in getting DDR2-1066 and you'd be better of with more RAM (4GB).

 

[ricleo2]

Originally posted by: AmberClad
- If you're not heavily overclocking, then it's sort of pointless to be spending $290 on a motherboard. You could get the same done with a far cheaper one.
- Both NV and ATI are coming out with new video cards in a few weeks.
- PSU is quite a bit more than you would need.
- The Q9300 is far cheaper with only a minor drop in speed.
- That's kind of a small amount of RAM. Again, since you're not overclocking, there's no point in getting DDR2-1066 and you'd be better of with more RAM (4GB).

As much as I would like to disagree with you, I can't find any reasons too. So how about this:

COOLER MASTER cosmos S RC-1100-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119150
$249.99

EVGA 01G-P3-N897-A3 GeForce 9800 GX2 SSC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$584.99

OCZ Vista Upgrade 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2VU8002GK - Retail
($46.99 each) Will order two of these.

Foxconn X38A LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$219.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9300 - Retail
$274.99
Subtotal: $1,423.94

I will get the latest high end video card if they come out later on this month. If not I will stick with the GX2. If you think 750Watt PSU is enough I will just use my existing one.

 

[AmberClad]

750W is more than enough, so you're good to go. Case is fine - that's more of a personal choice than anything else, assuming the cooling is good, which it is in this case.

- I personally would go with 2x2GB instead of 2 separate kits of 2x1GB. Here's the 4GB kit version of the OCZ kit you selected. I'm not sure what the rebate policy for OCZ is, but if you buy 2 kits during the same rebate period, oftentimes, they only let you do one rebate. I also prefer to leave 2 slots open for future expansion (you'll probably never need 8GB, but just in case...)

- I would go with a P35 board (these normally go for around $100-$150) or wait for P45 instead of going with X38. Maybe ask about this in the Motherboards subforum, to see what's right for you, and if X38 offers something you actually need.

Everything else is looking good .

 

[ricleo2]

Thank you for the great help.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Amber has got you right on track with some excellent advice, the only thing I would add is if this is truly a gaming rig you might consider the E8400 or E8500 cpu's rather than a quad as they will be faster in 95% of games and would be cheaper. About the only games that can truly benefit from a quad are Supreme comander and MS flightsim X, a few others show a tiny improvement with a quad.

If you upgrade every couple of years like most of us the E8XX's would definately be the way to go. If you want to keep the machine 3+ years and/or you plan on heavy multitasking or video encoding stick with the quad

 

[Lvis]

Did you check the reviews of that ram? If its the set I'm thinking of, it has a huge failure rate.

 

[jdkick]

I would suggest this Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 2x2GB kit for $86. I've had really good success with the XMS2 line and have 10GB running between three C2D systems.

 

[unas667]

Me too. Get the CL4 version of DDR2-800, Corsair XMS2 DHX, it will be significantly cheaper than DDR2-1066 while not being significantly slower. The normal XMS2 is CL5, which means 25% longer waiting time with each memory access and sacrificing 5-10% of performance for only very few $$$.

The Q9300 does not have as much L2 cache as the Q9450, but the performance impact is negligible compared to the price difference.

My case of choice is the Antec Twelve Hundred. It is a case with a LOT of space inside, 12 5,25" bays in front, a lot of cooling possibilities with 5 120mm fans and one 200mm fan preinstalled. It may not be as silent as the Cosmos, but the cooling is a lot better.

And while we're at it, get a decent CPU cooler like the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme or the Noctua NH-U12P. The boxed cooler is loud, and the Noctua fans are famous for being nearly inaudible.

Get a few more Noctua fans for the Antec case, and you're set with cooling as long as there are ATX mainboards while not going deaf from too much fan noise. And don't forget fan control, because a silent winter setting may let the CPU run too hot in summer.

A few dollars spent on a case with good ventilation and good CPU cooling is always well invested, and if you become interested in liquid cooling solutions later, the case is already prepared for everything you might throw at it.

By the way, the X38 mainboard, too, overclocks very well. If you take an E8400 or E8500, as GuitarDaddy suggested, you can try your hands at mild overclocking, especially with the CPU coolers I recommended earlier. The coolers should be good for 4+ GHz with both CPUs, as well as the case, and on standard settings everything should be good for near-silent operation even under 100% load.

Have fun with your new rig!

---
Athlon 700 MHz on MSI KT133A with 384 MB of SDR-133 RAM | GeForce FX 5200 128 MB | IBM P76 17" CRT | Windows XP (now)
C2Q 6600 2,4 GHz G0 @3,2 w/ Noctua NH-U12P | 8 GB Corsair XMS2 DHX DDR2-800-444 | Asus Maximus Formula | GeForce 9800 GTX | Antec Twelve Hundred | Samsung 24" TFT | Vista Ultimate 64

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: unas667
Me too. Get the CL4 version of DDR2-800, Corsair XMS2 DHX, it will be significantly cheaper than DDR2-1066 while not being significantly slower. The normal XMS2 is CL5, which means 25% longer waiting time with each memory access and sacrificing 5-10% of performance for only very few $$$.

Don't be fooled. The performance difference between CAS latency 4 and 5 is nowhere near 5-10% in the real world.

 

[jdkick]

^ Agreed.

 

[ricleo2]

Sure appreciate all the advice.

 

[DarkRogue]

As said, the difference between CAS4 and CAS5 is hardly noticeable in real world applications - I'm certain lowering my RAM's CAS from 5 to 4 won't net me an extra 10fps anywhere.

If I'm not mistaken though, cache DOES make more of a difference, but I'm not sure by how much exactly.
As far as CPU coolers go, if the TRUE is only "decent" I'm not sure what to say. TRUE is usually heralded as one of the highest end air coolers. You should not skimp on this if you go quad-core though, as they generate a lot of heat. The Scythe Ninja is also a good option, as is the Xigmatek S1283.
While the X38 is a great board by any means, unless you seriously plan on doing CrossFire (no SLI with X38) it's just tossing money into a black hole. A P35 board will be every bit just as good as the X38, minus PCI-e 2.0. And if you really wanted it, you could grab a P45, but I'm not sure what the prices on those are.

If it's going to be a serious gaming machine though, I'd echo a dual core for at least the short term. If you're going to slug it out on it for a while, go for a quad core to help out down the road.

I will agree though, that the case should be given a bit of thought. Unless you like to buy new cases every time, you'll likely be re-using it over and over for several years, so make sure it can handle whatever you may throw at (or in) it, and that you won't think it looks ugly after a while.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA1065 - Retail
Model #: BL2KIT12864AA1065
$90.99 -$15.00 Instant $75.99

-Crucial has quality problems for the past year. if you do a search, many people have had to RMA their modules leading to a lot of downtime.

Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail
Model #: TPQ-850
$249.99 -$50.00 Instant $199.99

- a bit overkill, i'd go for the Corsair 620HX or a PCPC Silencer 750 (at most)


EVGA 01G-P3-N897-AR GeForce 9800 GX2 SSC 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 01G-P3-N897-AR
Mail-in Rebate
$609.99 -$30.00 Instant $579.99

-WHAT size is your monitor?? i hope its a 24 or 30 inch. other than that, it'd be a waste. if its less than that i'd go with an 8800gt or 8800gts


ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: Rampage Formula
$299.99 -$10.00 Instant $289.99

- way overpriced for a mb. get something cheaper in the $100-200 range. you'll get nearly identical features and performance. (p35/x38)

 

[angry hampster]

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you won't overclock? Frankly I don't see any reason not to.

 

[ricleo2]

Originally posted by: angry hampster
Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you won't overclock? Frankly I don't see any reason not to.

My impression is that overclocking voids the warranty. With my luck I will probably damage something.
By the way I will be using a Dell 24" wide screen. Since I am limited to 1920 X 1200 resolution, are the newer video cards coming out overkill?

 

[boomhower]

In all my years of OCing I have yet to kill anything. As long as you don't go crazy with voltage and keep your temps in check you'll be fine. If you are really paranoid just leave your voltage stock and take whatever "free OC" you can get.

 

[ricleo2]

Originally posted by: boomhower
In all my years of OCing I have yet to kill anything. As long as you don't go crazy with voltage and keep your temps in check you'll be fine. If you are really paranoid just leave your voltage stock and take whatever "free OC" you can get.

So, all I have to do is raise the FSB? If that is so, what Intel CPU would you suggest I get that overclocks easily to a more expensive chip?

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: ricleo2

Originally posted by: boomhower
In all my years of OCing I have yet to kill anything. As long as you don't go crazy with voltage and keep your temps in check you'll be fine. If you are really paranoid just leave your voltage stock and take whatever "free OC" you can get.

So, all I have to do is raise the FSB? If that is so, what Intel CPU would you suggest I get that overclocks easily to a more expensive chip?

The E7200 is a very good value when overclocked (3.5-3.8 GHz for $135 sounds good to me.)

If you're set on four cores, then the Q6600 is still a good choice for overclocking because of its 9x multiplier.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: unas667
Get the CL4 version of DDR2-800, Corsair XMS2 DHX, it will be significantly cheaper than DDR2-1066 while not being significantly slower. The normal XMS2 is CL5, which means 25% longer waiting time with each memory access and sacrificing 5-10% of performance for only very few $$$.

Please dear sir... Are you simply joking about 5-10% performance boost? :shocked:
Please link us up with a single review which show even a 5% performance boost from lower latency...
PLEASE! :laugh:

The reason I ask for a link is because you make such a bold assertion.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Ok, DO NOT GET THE 9800GX2, especially when the HD 4870 is coming out soon. Even if you were to get a current card, I would recommend SLIing 8800GTs as thats about half the price.
Also, CAS4 and CAS5 barely make any difference. Oh no, your 3dmark score is 200 points lower, your EPeen is shrinking to nothing!

 

[Imyourzero]

I second BlueAcolyte's motion regarding the 9800GX2. I briefly thought about buying one, but I could only find a limited number of benches where it was much superior to a 9800GTX or even an 8800GT/GTS.

It just doesn't make sense to buy one at current prices when we are on the verge of the release of newer, faster cards. I'd either wait a bit and buy one of those, or wait for them to come out and buy a 9800GX2 since they will surely drive its price down drastically. Anyone who remembers what happened to the 7950GX2 should agree.

 

[angry hampster]

However, if he does get the GX2 from EVGA or BFG, he could step-up next month to a GT280 card probably without dropping a dollar.

 

[boomhower]

If you do intend to get one of the new generation cards I would pick up a 9600GT for ~$130AR and keep it as a back-up. It is good enough to get you buy until both the G280/4870 are out to see which card suits you better.

I will add another vote for an E7200. The price/performance is tough to argue. If you have the cash don't feel bad about getting an E8400 for the increased cache. It will help performance, enough to justify the price difference? Only you can answer that question.