Proposed Build

[dtl77]

I'll start by saying that I'm a hardware novice, but I'm gonna attempt to build my own PC. My primary goal is gaming (world of warcraft (yes, you can laugh)). I'm fairly confident that this build will run the game just fine....my primary concern is whether anyone sees any technical issues with these components all working together (space, cooling, power, compatability, etc), and whether there are some obvious upgrades (like is quad-core HIGHLY recommended over dual-core?). Am I missing anything (other than software)? Also - can someone point me to a good website/forum with good instructions for putting such a system together?

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Power Supply: Antec NeoPower 650 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

Video Card: EVGA 512-P3-N980-AR GeForce 9800 GT Hybrid Power 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Optical Drive: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner

Thanks in advance!

 

[Blain]

All that fancy hardware and you pick an old school HD to run?
A better choice would be either a WD 640GB 16MB cache "Blue" or the 32MB cache "Black".

Are you going for the 9800GT for it's price or what?

You won't need PC2-1000... Just get the good solid 1.8v Mushkin 996587.

 

[dtl77]

Originally posted by: Blain
All that fancy hardware and you pick an old school HD to run?
A better choice would be either a WD 640GB 16MB cache "Blue" or the 32MB cache "Black".

This one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136320 I definitely believe you, but what advantage does this have over the one I posted?

Originally posted by: Blain
Are you going for the 9800GT for it's price or what?

I just wanted a solid video card which'll run my game with no problem. What would you suggest instead?

Originally posted by: Blain
You won't need PC2-1000... Just get the good solid 1.8v Mushkin 996587.

Okay, good to know.

Thanks very much for this info!

 

[jeffw2767602]

Go for a q6600, its $179 and one of the best values in CPUs. It will be overkill most definitely, but it will be better equipped to handle future workloads. These CPUs will overclock to 3GHz without a voltage adjustment most of the time.

The WD drive has many advantages over that Seagate drive you have chosen. Bigger platters make for a faster drive. Just google reviews of the WD Caviar 640GB drive. At $75 the 16mb cache version is a fantastic value and one of the 3 fastest drives out there.

The motherboard you have chosen is a fantastic overclocker and one of the best value boards as well. Great choice.

The 9800GT is a good choice at that price. IMO good choice. Maybe step it up to an ATI 4850 for around $130AR, but again this is not necessary at all.

 

[Blain]

1. Yes, you've got the "Black" linked.
1a. "Platter density", speed, power consumption.

2. HD 4850 512MB

 

[dtl77]

Originally posted by: jeffw2767602
Go for a q6600, its $179 and one of the best values in CPUs. It will be overkill most definitely, but it will be better equipped to handle future workloads. These CPUs will overclock to 3GHz without a voltage adjustment most of the time.

This one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115018

So you're saying the 2.4 GHz (compared to the 3.16GHz) shouldn't affect performance?

 

[Blain]

Stick with the E8500 or save a few bucks and get the E8400.
The E8XXX lines are faster, cooler running and consume less power than the older 65nm processors.
In gaming it's about clock speed not number of cores. :laugh:


BTW, If you really want to get down & dirty and save some $$... Buy an E7200, dial the FSB up to 333MHz and BINGO... You've got a great 3.16GHz gaming CPU for $120 (or less at Fry's).

 

[jeffw2767602]

Originally posted by: dtl77

Originally posted by: jeffw2767602
Go for a q6600, its $179 and one of the best values in CPUs. It will be overkill most definitely, but it will be better equipped to handle future workloads. These CPUs will overclock to 3GHz without a voltage adjustment most of the time.

This one? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115018

So you're saying the 2.4 GHz (compared to the 3.16GHz) shouldn't affect performance?

That is why you overclock it . These chips are really good for overclocking but if you aren't going to overclock you should go for a faster dual core chip. Quads IMO offer far more pros than cons but they are expensive and the performance increases arent linear. That is why you buy the cheapest one and overclock that bad boy . I personally have a Q6600 G0 stepping running at 3.6GHz which would easily beat an e8500 at stock speeds at gaming, and destroy it at anything else. My chip is a pretty decent overclocking chip and I spent $50 on the aftermarket cooling, so that is something to think about since it adds to total cost. Don't expect all Q6600s to hit 3.6GHz, that is the upper limit for most of these chips. If you want to stick to the stock cooling solution you can overclock a Q6600 to 3GHz in most cases without a voltage adjustment. Even if you do have to increase the voltage it won't be by much. To give you an idea of how well some of these chips run, my VID (stock voltage) for 2.4GHz is 1.300v. I can get to 3GHz at 1.165v, thats right, undervolted (results not typical )! I would be willing to say that 3GHz on the stock cooler is close to a guarantee.

If you want to go a different route and overclock a dual core you might want to drop down to an e5200 or an e7200 and overclock it to or above the speeds of an e8500.

I definitely recommend overclocking, even if you are a first timer. This was my first overclocking experience and it was a great success and I am very happy with the results. One year and counting and the system is rock solid stable, and I am not pumping enough voltage through my chip to damage it, nor it is getting too hot. It is somewhat challenging, mainly in the terminology used, but is also very rewarding and once you get the hang of it, it is very easy. In addition to all of that, it saves you money!

As for 65nm vs 45nm, 45nm tech is only about 3-5% faster clock for clock, so my 3.6GHz 65nm Q6600 is roughly equivalent to the $1500 3.2GHz Q9770 45nm cpu out now. 45nm does use less energy and does produce less heat.

Have fun and good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[dtl77]

Again, thanks alot for all the great info.....it's really appreciated!

Does anyone know of a good site (or forum post) with step-by-step instructions on putting the pieces together? Like I said at the beginning, this is my first attempt and I know next to nothing about hardware.

 

[DSF]

Look at mechbgon's sticky. A simple google search will provide you with more guides than you care to read.

Have you done any simple tasks with a computer? Changing RAM or a video card? Opening up the case to blow out the dust?

 

[dtl77]

The most complicated thing I've done is put in a new video card. But I'll have someone helping me who has a bit more experience.