1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Online Poker & Video Games.
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
3k-4k with 30" Gateway Monitor, looking for good performance with fast database load times for poker.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA - primarily Newegg
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy,
ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.
Intel - X38 Chipset. Wish it had SLI. Very torn about ATI vs. nVidia for graphics.
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I have 2 20" Samsung 204B Monitors that I will be using. I'll probably use a PCI nVidia mx400 or whatever it is for running the 3rd monitor.
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
Yup.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Overclocking as fast as I reasonably can without hurting system. Q6600 at > 3.2 would be great, at 3.0 would still be acceptable.
Hi guys. I'm almost ready to pull the trigger. This will be used for gaming and poker. I will overclock it and am looking for solid value but am willing to spend a bit extra for performance.
OS: Windows XP 32-bit pro with possibly going to Vista 64 (dual boot) later for games (though I hear 64 sucks for games, but don't feel like upgrading to vista without really adding something new, like 64 bit)
CPU: Intel Quad Q6600
Monitor 1: Gateway 30" when prices drop I'll pick one up for around $1300 (currently like $1700).
Monitors 2 & 3: Existing 2 Samsung 204B's (3rd one broke) - probably in portrait
Motherboard: Asus Maximus Formula X38 - $259
Heatsink: Arctiv Cooling Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler- $22 - I'm open to suggestions
Case: Cooler Master Stacker 830 - $99 after Rebate - again, open to suggestions
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W - $169 - Expensive but Solid, I'm willing to switch to a reliable cheaper model - may need to support up to 6 hdds and 2 high power graphics cards in crossfire at some point.
Fans for case: Need recommendations for good 120 mm fans here (don't need LEDs)
Graphics Card: EVGA 8800GT $232 - how I wish this chipset had SLI
Graphics Card Cooler: Accelero S1 with Turbo Module Add on Fan
2nd Graphics Card: nVidia MX400 (salvaged from old computer) for 3rd monitor
Memory (Ram): NEED HELP HERE!!!
2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC6400 (DDR2 800) $50 after rebate
or: 2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC8500(DDR2 1066) $110
or: 2x2GB G.SKILL 2x2GB DDR21000 (which is really just DDR2 800 guaranteed to reach at least 1000 mhz) $114.99
Memory Cooler: OCZ CoolerOptional - I've heard Crucial 8500 gets real hot -$17ish
or: Cheaper Thermaltake Cyclo Ram Fan Thermaltake Ram Cooler -$8.99
Hard Disks: 2 Raptor 150GB 10,000 rpm HDDs in Raid 0 for OS(s), Games, & Pokertracker Database - 2x$170
Hard Disks (media): Hitachi 750GB 7K1000 7200 RPM (1 or 2x$200) - 1 or 2 of these, maybe in raid 0
External hard Disk: USB 400GB (2) for backing up OS drive weekly (already own)
DVD Burner: Any rec's appreciated. Don't need Blu-Ray or HD-DVD at this time.
Card Reader: Suggestions appreciated.
ESata PCI or PCI-E Card: Suggestions appreciated (probably will pick this up in the future)
Memory: Really confused on which set of memory sticks to buy. I'd love to reach 3.2 ghz, 3.6 would be even sweeter. I'm in XP-32 for now, so I'd only be able to see 3gb if I get the G.Skill 4gb package.
Hard Disks: I really want fast PokerTracker (poker database) Load times. I'd love for everything to work fast. Hitachi drives are supposedly faster than the Raptors in some tests. I'm willing to spend a little extra $$$ here to get great results. I've considered 4 of the Hitachi Drives in Raid 10 also if speeds are fast and redundancy is always good. Or 3 drives in Raid 5, etc. I want Pokertracker databases to fly. Maybe if I go with 2 raptors in 0 and 2 hitachis, I don't need the hitachi's raided. Really confused here. Mostly holding movies, but i record guitar & add effects too.
Graphics Cards: I sure wish the ATI Radeon 3870 was a little better, easily available, and cheaper. Just doesn't seem worth it to buy 2 for Crossfire when crossfire still has some probs (e.g., Crysis). Maybe I'll sell my EVGA card with the 3870x2's come out and crossfire those. Or maybe EVGA will let me step up to a better single card solution when the 9800's come out.
I'd love to hear a few thoughts and I'd like to pull the trigger on this in the next day or two.
If I bought it all (including the gateway 30" monitor) my system would total about $3779 (after tax) + whatever shipping is. Ouch. I'm willing to spend $$$ for solid performance, but I'd love to save a few bucks here and there as I'm not loaded. However, I will use this computer ALL THE TIME, so I want it to be nice.
Online Poker & Video Games.
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
3k-4k with 30" Gateway Monitor, looking for good performance with fast database load times for poker.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA - primarily Newegg
4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy,
ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.
Intel - X38 Chipset. Wish it had SLI. Very torn about ATI vs. nVidia for graphics.
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I have 2 20" Samsung 204B Monitors that I will be using. I'll probably use a PCI nVidia mx400 or whatever it is for running the 3rd monitor.
6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
Yup.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Overclocking as fast as I reasonably can without hurting system. Q6600 at > 3.2 would be great, at 3.0 would still be acceptable.
Hi guys. I'm almost ready to pull the trigger. This will be used for gaming and poker. I will overclock it and am looking for solid value but am willing to spend a bit extra for performance.
OS: Windows XP 32-bit pro with possibly going to Vista 64 (dual boot) later for games (though I hear 64 sucks for games, but don't feel like upgrading to vista without really adding something new, like 64 bit)
CPU: Intel Quad Q6600
Monitor 1: Gateway 30" when prices drop I'll pick one up for around $1300 (currently like $1700).
Monitors 2 & 3: Existing 2 Samsung 204B's (3rd one broke) - probably in portrait
Motherboard: Asus Maximus Formula X38 - $259
Heatsink: Arctiv Cooling Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler- $22 - I'm open to suggestions
Case: Cooler Master Stacker 830 - $99 after Rebate - again, open to suggestions
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W - $169 - Expensive but Solid, I'm willing to switch to a reliable cheaper model - may need to support up to 6 hdds and 2 high power graphics cards in crossfire at some point.
Fans for case: Need recommendations for good 120 mm fans here (don't need LEDs)
Graphics Card: EVGA 8800GT $232 - how I wish this chipset had SLI
Graphics Card Cooler: Accelero S1 with Turbo Module Add on Fan
2nd Graphics Card: nVidia MX400 (salvaged from old computer) for 3rd monitor
Memory (Ram): NEED HELP HERE!!!
2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC6400 (DDR2 800) $50 after rebate
or: 2x1GB Crucial Ballistix PC8500(DDR2 1066) $110
or: 2x2GB G.SKILL 2x2GB DDR21000 (which is really just DDR2 800 guaranteed to reach at least 1000 mhz) $114.99
Memory Cooler: OCZ CoolerOptional - I've heard Crucial 8500 gets real hot -$17ish
or: Cheaper Thermaltake Cyclo Ram Fan Thermaltake Ram Cooler -$8.99
Hard Disks: 2 Raptor 150GB 10,000 rpm HDDs in Raid 0 for OS(s), Games, & Pokertracker Database - 2x$170
Hard Disks (media): Hitachi 750GB 7K1000 7200 RPM (1 or 2x$200) - 1 or 2 of these, maybe in raid 0
External hard Disk: USB 400GB (2) for backing up OS drive weekly (already own)
DVD Burner: Any rec's appreciated. Don't need Blu-Ray or HD-DVD at this time.
Card Reader: Suggestions appreciated.
ESata PCI or PCI-E Card: Suggestions appreciated (probably will pick this up in the future)
Memory: Really confused on which set of memory sticks to buy. I'd love to reach 3.2 ghz, 3.6 would be even sweeter. I'm in XP-32 for now, so I'd only be able to see 3gb if I get the G.Skill 4gb package.
Hard Disks: I really want fast PokerTracker (poker database) Load times. I'd love for everything to work fast. Hitachi drives are supposedly faster than the Raptors in some tests. I'm willing to spend a little extra $$$ here to get great results. I've considered 4 of the Hitachi Drives in Raid 10 also if speeds are fast and redundancy is always good. Or 3 drives in Raid 5, etc. I want Pokertracker databases to fly. Maybe if I go with 2 raptors in 0 and 2 hitachis, I don't need the hitachi's raided. Really confused here. Mostly holding movies, but i record guitar & add effects too.
Graphics Cards: I sure wish the ATI Radeon 3870 was a little better, easily available, and cheaper. Just doesn't seem worth it to buy 2 for Crossfire when crossfire still has some probs (e.g., Crysis). Maybe I'll sell my EVGA card with the 3870x2's come out and crossfire those. Or maybe EVGA will let me step up to a better single card solution when the 9800's come out.
I'd love to hear a few thoughts and I'd like to pull the trigger on this in the next day or two.
If I bought it all (including the gateway 30" monitor) my system would total about $3779 (after tax) + whatever shipping is. Ouch. I'm willing to spend $$$ for solid performance, but I'd love to save a few bucks here and there as I'm not loaded. However, I will use this computer ALL THE TIME, so I want it to be nice.
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