I'm just "inherited" a second XFX 8800 Ultra. I'm contemplating a SLI setup. Here's the current setup:
Intel E6850 C2d
Gigabyte P35-DS3R (rev 1.0)
4 x 1GB 1066 Crucial Ballistix
2 x 150 GB Western Digital Raptor HD (RAID 0)
3 x 250 GB Western Digital HD (RAID 5)
2 x LiteOn DVD burners
SoundBlaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer
OCZ 700W GameXstream PSU
NO overclocking on anything!
First and foremost, I'm a little disappointed at the nVidia vs Intel chipset comparisons.
I'll need a SATA pci card for the DVD burners if I want to keep all 7 drives and still implement RAID.
Also, it seems the nVidia chipsets are mostly for 800 DDR2. Does this mean my current memory will still be usable?
I think I'll also have to get a bigger PSU...I'm thinking a decent 800w minimum (side note: computer store down the road is going out of business...1000w Antec psu for really good price. Any good?)
As far as mobo's I'm looking at right now...pretty much all of the 680i SLI. So far the eVGA and MSI look decent. However, I'm a firm believer of reading customer reviews. From the looks of it, there aren't any standout performers in this category. It seems all have problems. I'm not too particular about OC'ing, I just want a stable mobo. Any suggestions?
thx,
Jason
Intel E6850 C2d
Gigabyte P35-DS3R (rev 1.0)
4 x 1GB 1066 Crucial Ballistix
2 x 150 GB Western Digital Raptor HD (RAID 0)
3 x 250 GB Western Digital HD (RAID 5)
2 x LiteOn DVD burners
SoundBlaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer
OCZ 700W GameXstream PSU
NO overclocking on anything!
First and foremost, I'm a little disappointed at the nVidia vs Intel chipset comparisons.
I'll need a SATA pci card for the DVD burners if I want to keep all 7 drives and still implement RAID.
Also, it seems the nVidia chipsets are mostly for 800 DDR2. Does this mean my current memory will still be usable?
I think I'll also have to get a bigger PSU...I'm thinking a decent 800w minimum (side note: computer store down the road is going out of business...1000w Antec psu for really good price. Any good?)
As far as mobo's I'm looking at right now...pretty much all of the 680i SLI. So far the eVGA and MSI look decent. However, I'm a firm believer of reading customer reviews. From the looks of it, there aren't any standout performers in this category. It seems all have problems. I'm not too particular about OC'ing, I just want a stable mobo. Any suggestions?
thx,
Jason
