PC upgrade feedback

[imported_salsa]

Hello all,

I'm new here, and I'd like advice/thoughts from the collective about my new PC build. The main focus of this PC build is gaming, with a bit multitasking thrown in (hence the need for a Quad core). I don't upgrade often, so I tend to lean towards future proofing. My maximum gaming resolution would be 1600x1200. The pieces are as follows.

New:
Enermax Infiniti 720W Power Supply NZ$358.04 or US$247.05
Asustek Core 2 Duo P5K-E / WiFi-AP, ATX, Intel LGA775, DDR2 NZ$294.98 or US$203.54
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5D 2GB XMS2 DOMINATORTM DDR2 Performance Memory NZ$368.71 or US$254.41
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 2x4Mb 1066MHZ Quad Core NZ$442.46 or US$305.30
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Intel + AMD CPU cooler 120mm fan NZ$115.42 or US$79.64
EVGA Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS 640MB 2DVI/HDCP PCI Express NZ$656.21 or US$452.78
Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Silver Thermal Compound 3.5g NZ$28.86 or US$19.91
Total NZ$2,264.68 or US$1562.63
Exchange rate used 0.69 US = 1 NZ
I understand that the prices might not be quite what you expect but they're there to give you an idea of my budget. The maximum I'm willing to spend is ~NZ$2500.

Re-using:
Coolermaster Praetorian PAC-T01 (4 years old and it's legacy now - see http://www.coolermaster.com/su...=detail&tbcate=&id=47).
SATA Seagate 200GB
SATA Seagate 300GB
IDE Maxtor 20GB
IDE LG DVD writer
22inch Philips 202P4 and 17inch Velta.

My doubts:
1) Should I bother getting the P5K Premium or is there another mobo I should consider?
2) Should I use the Arctic Freezer Pro 7 instead of the Thermalright Ultra-120?
3) Should I just get a cheap pci-e video card and wait for the 9800 GTX to land? My old setup had AGP card, so no possibility of re-using that.
4) Will my machine sound like a jet engine?
5) Ditch the case?

This PC build is gonna be my first foray into overclocking and I'm hoping you'll be able to provide feedback on the parts given my situation. I'm not looking to break records with this setup, just a nice stable 24/7 overclock. Any help much appreciated, thanks.

 

[JPB]

Originally posted by: salsa
Hello all,

I'm new here, and I'd like advice/thoughts from the collective about my new PC build. The main focus of this PC build is gaming, with a bit multitasking thrown in (hence the need for a Quad core). I don't upgrade often, so I tend to lean towards future proofing. My maximum gaming resolution would be 1600x1200. The pieces are as follows.

New:
Enermax Infiniti 720W Power Supply NZ$358.04 or US$247.05
Asustek Core 2 Duo P5K-E / WiFi-AP, ATX, Intel LGA775, DDR2 NZ$294.98 or US$203.54
Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5D 2GB XMS2 DOMINATORTM DDR2 Performance Memory NZ$368.71 or US$254.41
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 2x4Mb 1066MHZ Quad Core NZ$442.46 or US$305.30
Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Intel + AMD CPU cooler 120mm fan NZ$115.42 or US$79.64
EVGA Nvidia Geforce 8800GTS 640MB 2DVI/HDCP PCI Express NZ$656.21 or US$452.78
Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Silver Thermal Compound 3.5g NZ$28.86 or US$19.91
Total NZ$2,264.68 or US$1562.63
Exchange rate used 0.69 US = 1 NZ
I understand that the prices might not be quite what you expect but they're there to give you an idea of my budget. The maximum I'm willing to spend is ~NZ$2500.

Re-using:
Coolermaster Praetorian PAC-T01 (4 years old and it's legacy now - see http://www.coolermaster.com/su...=detail&tbcate=&id=47).
SATA Seagate 200GB
SATA Seagate 300GB
IDE Maxtor 20GB
IDE LG DVD writer
22inch Philips 202P4 and 17inch Velta.

My doubts:
1) Should I bother getting the P5K Premium or is there another mobo I should consider?
2) Should I use the Arctic Freezer Pro 7 instead of the Thermalright Ultra-120?
3) Should I just get a cheap pci-e video card and wait for the 9800 GTX to land? My old setup had AGP card, so no possibility of re-using that.
4) Will my machine sound like a jet engine?
5) Ditch the case?

This PC build is gonna be my first foray into overclocking and I'm hoping you'll be able to provide feedback on the parts given my situation. I'm not looking to break records with this setup, just a nice stable 24/7 overclock. Any help much appreciated, thanks.

Instead of the Core 2 Quad, I would go with this

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz

That is what I would recommend. It was recommended to me also, and after looking through benchmarks, its a bit faster, and quite a bit cheaper.

 

[LightningRider]

I'd keep the quad. If gaming is your thing, more games will be using quads in the months to come. It also gives you great multitasking capabilities.

4GB of RAM might be useful in coming games but you can always buy that later.

I don't know if you're getting Vista but if you do, make sure you get at least Home Premium and the 64 bit edition.

The P5K Deluxe is fine, though I hear that the regular P5K's run a little hot, especially if you are OCing a quad.

As for the video card... I would probably wait for the 9800GTX. It's supposedly only a few months away in November. Get a X1950XTX until then. They can be had for around $160 USD. Though it seems the US conversions for these products are a little high. Maybe you can find a better deal somewhere else?

 

[engiNURD]

1) No, the P5K-E is a good choice. The only other boards I'd suggest checking out are the Abit IP35-Pro or the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R.
2) Quads run hot, so I'd stick with the TR U120e. The only other cooler's I'd recommend are the Scythe Ninja/Infinity or the Tuniq Tower.
3) Yes, I'd wait. Get a cheap X1550 ($35USD) or similarly priced card for now.
4) The only sources of noise that would concern me are your case fans, since they're all 80mm.
5) I would ditch the case by saving on the RAM. Dominators are a waste of money, as is high speed ram with a quadcore unless you want to break records. Since you mentioned you weren't trying to break records, I'd suggest getting some cheaper RAM. 2GB of DDR2-800 should be around $90USD, but I'm not sure what the markup would be for NZ.

You don't need DDR2-1066 with a Q6600:
(CPU Multiplier) x [Base FSB speed] = CPU Clock speed
2 x [Base FSB speed] = RAM speed
4 x [Base FSB speed] = Effective FSB speed

On Intel platforms, running the RAM higher than a 1:1 ratio with the CPU is useless. Keep it linked at 1:1...
Q6600: 9 * 266 = 2.4Ghz, DDR2-533 << STOCK speeds
Q6600: 9 * 333 = 3.0Ghz, DDR2-667 << Nice OC
Q6600: 9 * 400 = 3.6Ghz, DDR2-800 << Great OC, near max on good air with a G0 stepping
Q6600: 9 * 533 = 4.5Ghz, DDR2-1066 << you'll need phase change. I dont think WC is enough for this. You'll need more luck than anything, though, lol.

With the money saved on RAM, pickup a P180 or whatever you like. Just be sure to get a case that uses 120mm fans, for a quieter computing environment. The Cooler Master Centurion 532/534 are great budget cases, if you don't mind them (they're usually $50USD).

 

[bamacre]

Whats up with the 720W power supply?

 

[imported_salsa]

Firstly, thanks again for all your input.

JPB: I really like the Quad core thing, kinda non-negotiable

LightningRider: I hear the P5K Premium has a couple of improvements, which allows it to run cooler, thus the reason I'm considering getting it. Also, I'm planning to stay with Windows XP for quite sometime so 2 GB should hold 'til I jump to Vista. As to what you suggested about getting a better deal, I'm currently looking for a second hand pci-e card as an option.

engiNURD: Good point about the RAM, looking at Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2 x 1024Mb 4-4-4-12 With E.P.P Tech now for about NZ$205.20 or US$ 141.59. Now about the case, other than the noise factor would something like Antec p180 be much better at providing airflow than my current case? I understand that this might be difficult to ascertain.

bamacre: I thought it would be plenty for my setup and anything I add-on afterwards, maybe I should go with the Corsair HX620, for about NZ$250 or US$173, instead?

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: salsa
bamacre: I thought it would be plenty for my setup and anything I add-on afterwards, maybe I should go with the Corsair HX620, for about NZ$250 or US$173, instead?

That would be a better idea.

The system in your OP is going to hit maybe 300w at load. You could get the Corsair 520w and still add another GTS card.

 

[imported_salsa]

I just realised, that my case width will not be able to fit the CPU cooler I've chosen, ugh. Oh well, time to do some case research starting with the Antec's P182.