What do you think of this build - Need Advice!

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KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
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Motherboard: ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 Conroe 2.13GHz 4M
RAM: GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Case: Antec Performance One P180B
PSU: Antec TruePowerTrio 550W
Video: GIGABYTE GV-NX86T256D GeForce 8600GT 256MB GDDR3
Sound: On Motherboard
HDD: HITACHI Deskstar T7K500 (320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0)
DVD: LITE-ON Black 20X DVD-RW

Kybrd/mouse: Logitech LX 710 Laser Black
Monitor: Samsung 226BW 22" WideScreen LCD
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker

TOTAL (After S&H and rebates) = $1,250

These are my issues:

1. How good is the onboard sound on nForce motherboards? I heard that it is almost as good as SB Audigy when it comes to framerates in games, is that true. Is the onboard sound BY nvidia or is it some other manufacture?

2. Do nForce chipsets have any known problems with this configuration?

3. I chose an SLI motherboard because I figured that he will use one video card for now, and in a few years when the games begin to stutter he'll throw in a second one which should cost about $40 by then. I chose a video card that supports Direct X 10 and has 256 MB (enough for most games?). Is this a good idea? The PSU is compatible for SLI, is there anything else I may be overlooking?

4. What do you think of the hard drive? I read the AnandTech review of the 1TB model it seems faster and quieter than the Seagate drives. Is this a good choice?

5. Is the LCD I chose good for gaming i heard samsung a-si TFT/TN panels suck but the reviews seem great for this LCD? Is there a better choice for $300?

6. What is the difference between the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 and the newer Promedia GMX A-2.1? The GMX are $20 cheaper but the pro-media seem like much better speakers, did I make a good choice? How do the Logitech Z-2300 compare? My first choice were the Swan m200's but they are out of stock.

Your advice is greatly appreciated, I will order tomorrow before the rebate offers expire.
 
bamacre

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81
If this is for gaming, he's going to have problems running games at that LCD's native resolution. I would try to squeeze at least a 320MB 8800 GTS in there.

If this is NOT for gaming, I would definitely go for a board with an Intel chipset. As well, the PSU is a bit much, I'd look at an Enermax Liberty or Seasonic at ~ 400W.
 
K

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
I'm actually looking into that right now, digging through 8500GT benchmarks. Not running at native resolution would kill image quality. How is wide screen for gaming anyway? Can the setting be adjusted so that the game actually runs in wide screen as opposed to taking a 4:3 game and stretching the enviornment to fit wide screen?
 
L

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2005
8,771
58
91
Originally posted by: KurskKnyaz
I'm actually looking into that right now, digging through 8500GT benchmarks. Not running at native resolution would kill image quality. How is wide screen for gaming anyway? Can the setting be adjusted so that the game actually runs in wide screen as opposed to taking a 4:3 game and stretching the enviornment to fit wide screen?
Click to expand...

why would u want to do that, stretching WS to 4:3 would look horrible...
and maxtor hdd's have been known to fail
there r better PSU's... corsair 520 for one.
theres better and cheaper ram... check hot deals
the logitech z-2300 speakers suck. boomy annoying bass for music, squeaky highs, no mids
8500gt won't do the job, even gaming @ 1280x1024 resolution
 
K

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
Almost made a huge mistake and got a 8500. You guys are awsome, thanks! I found a 8600GT for only +$30 AR and it is WAY faster. It can run Quake for at 1600x1200 at ~40FPS so there should be no problem at 1680 x 1050 native.
 
K

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
why would u want to do that, stretching WS to 4:3 would look horrible...
Click to expand...

I don't. What I am asking is if there are a significant amount of games that are designed to be compatible with wide screen, meaning they will not take a 4:3 image and just stretch it (i.e making your Elder Scrolls Oblivion characters look fat)

and maxtor hdd's have been known to fail
Click to expand...

The drive is a Hitachi, I wouldn't buy anything other than Hitachi or Samsung

there r better PSU's... corsair 520 for one.
Click to expand...

This PSU only cost $60 The 520's go for more.

theres better and cheaper ram... check hot deals
Click to expand...

I actually looked into this and seen theat I could get the same amount of ram for -$20 cheaper. I stuck with GeIL because of CAS 4, the cheaper RAM you are reffering to is all CAS 5 and not DDR800. Does it really make a difference though? I know there is an insignificant difference between CAS 2 and 3 what about between 4 and 5?

the logitech z-2300 speakers suck. boomy annoying bass for music, squeaky highs, no mids
8500gt won't do the job, even gaming @ 1280x1024 resolution
Click to expand...

Got it. Thanks for your reply.
 
S

strafejumper

Junior Member
Jun 7, 2007
24
0
0
im making a wishlist right now too, my system more budget than yours so i won't comment on the rest but i have an idea for the video card

if you look at the numbers from anandtech you see that the nvidia GeForce 7950 gt actually is faster than the 8600's such as here: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2970&p=7

i found a bfg 7950 on the eggy place for 199 with 40 rebate so 159.99 AR and then add a few dollars for shipping. For me i am also deciding b/w the 8600 and this 7950, so far im leaning towards the 7950.
 
K

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
The problem is that the7950's do not support DX10. The 8600 may be slower but they are more future-proof.
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: KurskKnyaz
The problem is that the7950's do not support DX10. The 8600 may be slower but they are more future-proof.
Click to expand...

The 8600 will suck horribly in DX10 too, go with speed.

Nforce chipset motherboards have problems with vista (both the audio and the PCI bus management drivers), id go with an Intel Chipset.

I would go with a cheaper Intel Chipset mobo like the gigabyte 965P-DS3, and spend the extra on a better power supply.

Other than that, i would try to talk him into a 8800GTS 320 or 640.
 
K

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
whats wrong with the PSU I have now? Antec makes great PSU's and 550 is more than enough. According to the Antec page I need need 340W at most in SLI
 
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Originally posted by: KurskKnyaz
whats wrong with the PSU I have now? Antec makes great PSU's and 550 is more than enough. According to the Antec page I need need 340W at most in SLI
Click to expand...

Antecs quality has crashed in the last couple of years, they have begun outsourcing some of their PSU production to OEMs that make junk, yet they still charge a premium price for the brand name.

I speak from experience as an ax-antec fan who RMAd his TP2.0 500w 3 times before giving up and getting a thermaltake that was $35 cheaper and having it run like a champ long-term. My business has since switched over to thermaltake PSUs and stopped selling Antecs. (after seeing this pattern crop up over a large number of machines)
 
K

KurskKnyaz

Senior member
Dec 1, 2003
880
1
81
BTW how is winXP 64bit for gaming assuming all my hardware has 64bit drivers, compared to 32 bit?
 
N

Noema

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2005
2,974
0
0
Originally posted by: KurskKnyaz
The problem is that the7950's do not support DX10. The 8600 may be slower but they are more future-proof.
Click to expand...

Future proof? By the time DX10 is the standard, that 8600 will be as useless for those games as a doorstop. At least with a good DX9 card you can play today's games (all DX9) decently.

Don't get that card. No one buys the g80 series for DX10, but for DX9. And in that department, both the 7950GT and the X1950Pro smoke the 8600.

 
S

Syran

Golden Member
Dec 4, 2000
1,493
0
76
I'd also go with the 8800GTS 320MB for the video card.
I've also been liking Corsair Power supplies lately. Just built 3 machines with them, top notch so far.
 
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