Ye Olde High Performance PC Build

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CreepieDeCrapper

Senior member
May 22, 2006
295
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First of all, many thanks to anyone reading through this and offering assistance!

I've been doing my research since March of this year hoping to build by May... that never happened. In short, I'm probably more confused now than ever before.

Objective
Build a high-performance PC to be used for web development and gaming for an out-the-door cost of $1,900. I work from home so the computer will be in use upwards of 10-15 hours per day (8-10 hrs. working plus extra hours for gaming). Mild overclocking is planned, but I have no experience with it.

Existing Hardware & Software (not to be replaced)
Dell 24" LCD
Roland micro monitors (L & R speakers only, I don't want/like surround)
Keyboard & mouse
Windows XP Pro (SP2)

Other Considerations
I live in California so MANY online merchants will charge me sales tax. Please feel free to offer alternative merchants who do not charge sales tax to CA shipments.

I will spend 70%+ of my gaming time playing Oblivion, so I feel strongly about going with ATI. It may be possible to convince me if you feel strongly enough towards Nvidia.

Since I'm using the 24" LCD, and since I'm playing Oblivion primarily, this has lead me to try and get a CrossFire setup in this budget. Ideally, a single x1950xtx would be sufficient but from what I've read it doesn't look like it can adaquately handle Oblivion at a high resolution on its own. So I'm now thinking about an x1900xt paired with an x1900 CrossFire Edition to accommodate my high resolution (1920x1200).

Due to the upcoming Vista and DirectX 10 release, however, I'm also skeptical to put so much money into a CrossFire setup only to have it useless to me by next Spring. So maybe the x1950xtx is a better idea afterall. (Are you getting confused yet? Welcome to my world :) )

I really want a full tower case, black, with great cooling (no A/C in my apartment), and a streamlined design.

I am not partial to AMD or Intel, but I happen to be more familiar with the AMD product line. I will ultimately go with what makes more sense for my situation overall.

I currently have a CyberPower surge protector/suppressor. Ideally, I would like to get a decent UPS because I realize that solid, stable, clean power is imperative to a long-lasting PC, but I have no idea which one would make sense for my new system. It also may fall out of my current budget range and so may have to wait for a later upgrade.

Suggested Hardware
Seasonic S12 600w PSU
AM2 X2 3800+ or 4200+
MSI K9A Platinum Xpress 3200
2 gigs of DDR2 memory (very unsure about brand and speed)
Zalman CNPS9500 HSF
Seagate SATA 3.0gb/s 320gb, 16mb cache
BenQ DVD/CD reader/writer
Antec P180b or Silverstone TJ-06 (black)
ATI x1900xt and x1900 CF Edition OR ATI x1950xtx (unsure about brand... Sapphire? Asus?)

Overall, I am very open to suggestions for any of the items listed above. Your help is greatly appreciated!

PS - In case anyone cares, my current 'rig' is a Compaq Presario 2100 laptop with a Mobile Athlon XP 1800+, 768mb of memory, and a 30gb hard drive. So anything is an upgrade for me at this point ;)



 
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Ayah

Platinum Member
Jan 1, 2006
2,512
1
81
Antec P180, Core2Duo, Thermalright U-120, 4 Yale Loon 120mms, Plexter dvd-writer, 2GB of Corsair PC2-5400, prolly Gigabyte DS type board, 1950xtx.
 
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CreepieDeCrapper

Senior member
May 22, 2006
295
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0
Originally posted by: Ayah
Antec P180, Core2Duo, Thermalright U-120, 4 Yale Loon 120mms, Plexter dvd-writer, 2GB of Corsair PC2-5400, prolly Gigabyte DS type board, 1950xtx.
Click to expand...

I'll start pricing the C2D setups, but am mostly unsure about mobo options, especially if I go CrossFire. Do you think the x1950xtx will handle 1920x1200 on Oblivion by itself?
 
DrMrLordX

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
22,972
13,067
136
It should, though it'll do better in a Crossfire setup. Also keep in mind that Oblivion likes a fast CPU, so Core 2 Duo is a must. You're going to need something like the Asus P5W DH Deluxe if you go Crossfire.
 
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CreepieDeCrapper

Senior member
May 22, 2006
295
0
0
Thanks for all the advice so far! I'm busy pricing and searching for more non-CA merchants so keep the ideas rolling... will an E6300 slightly OC'd be sufficient for my needs?
 
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Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
0
0
Case: Lian Li V1100B; the P180 uses too much plastic in it's construction to be considered a high-end case. I personally don't care for it's looks, though the black version is alright.

PSU: Seasonic S12 500-600 if you intend on going SLi or Crossfire, otherwise the 380 or 430 watt version is plenty.

Optical drive: Plextor, or Samsung.

Cooling: 2x 120mm Yate Loons for the V1100, Zalman CNPS-9500, VF-900 for the graphics card.

RAM: Crucial, Corsair, Mushkin, or Kingston DDR2 800, 667 maybe ok also.
 
Baked

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,052
17
81
If you're new to Intel and/or Intel overclocking, I recommend getting Gigabyte's DQ6 or DS3 motherboard. The BIOS menu and options are much easier to configure and understand than Asus motherboards.

You don't need to buy the super expensive CPU heatsink. Artic Cooling Freezer Pro 7 can be purchased for $22-$25 and cools just as good as the $50 heatsinks.

If you wanna get the low end C2D, get the E6400 instead of E6300. It's a lot easier OC due to the higher multiplier.
 
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CreepieDeCrapper

Senior member
May 22, 2006
295
0
0
Originally posted by: Baked
If you're new to Intel and/or Intel overclocking, I recommend getting Gigabyte's DQ6 or DS3 motherboard. The BIOS menu and options are much easier to configure and understand than Asus motherboards.
Click to expand...
What about the Intel D975XBX mobo?

EDIT: Also, please keep in mind that I would like a CrossFire mobo as well. Not sure if those Gigabytes that Baked suggested are CF compatible, I'm looking it up now.
 
Baked

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,052
17
81
The Intel "bad axe" D975XBX mobo is an older board. Most people don't buy that mobo now.

Hmm... I missed the part about you needing crossfire. Well, I guess you'll have to buy the Asus P5W DH then. The 2 Gigabyte mobos I recommended are not multi-GPU compatible, must be a 965P chipset limitation.
 
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Pabster

Lifer
Apr 15, 2001
16,986
1
0
I don't recommend the CrossFire setup personally, but if you must, you'll need the ASUS P5W-DH.

You'd be better off with a single X1950XTX than some CF setup, IMHO, but it is your money.
 
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CreepieDeCrapper

Senior member
May 22, 2006
295
0
0
Originally posted by: Pabster
I don't recommend the CrossFire setup personally, but if you must, you'll need the ASUS P5W-DH.

You'd be better off with a single X1950XTX than some CF setup, IMHO, but it is your money.
Click to expand...

This is honestly my main area of stress for this build. I'm really on the fence about whether or not to go CrossFire. What are your main points for NOT going that route?

The only reason I see to go CF is to play Oblivion fairly smooth at 1920x1200 with pretty high settings. But if the x1950xtx can honestly do that by itself then I'll be happy with it instead of a CF config.
 
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Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,500
375
126
Two quick notes on hard drives:
1. IF you go Seagate, make sure it is the 7200.9 OR 7200.10 series. 7200.8 was the first SATA at 150 GB/s. 7200.9 was their SATA II line at 300 GB/s. And the newest 7200.10 is the SATA II with new vertical recording technology iside. And get the models that end in "...AS" - the "...NS" models are optimized for large-scale server non-continuous use.
2. Consider buying on eBay. Recently I noticed that 400 GB drives retail on-line for more than 320 GB (no surprise!), but you often can see the 400GB units actually sell on eBay (including shipping - important!) at prices very like the retail 320GB units. If you do this, make sure you deal with reliable sellers, and be sure you get brand new (NOT refurbished) with valid maufacturer warranty coverage. And KNOW whether you are buying OEM (bare drive with nothing else!) or Retail package (includes drive, cable, info and software).
 
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CreepieDeCrapper

Senior member
May 22, 2006
295
0
0
Originally posted by: Baked
The Intel "bad axe" D975XBX mobo is an older board. Most people don't buy that mobo now.

Hmm... I missed the part about you needing crossfire. Well, I guess you'll have to buy the Asus P5W DH then. The 2 Gigabyte mobos I recommended are not multi-GPU compatible, must be a 965P chipset limitation.
Click to expand...

Looks like it has 2 PCIe slots, wouldn't that make it CF compatible?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128323
 
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CreepieDeCrapper

Senior member
May 22, 2006
295
0
0
Originally posted by: Paperdoc
Two quick notes on hard drives:
1. IF you go Seagate, make sure it is the 7200.9 OR 7200.10 series. 7200.8 was the first SATA at 150 GB/s. 7200.9 was their SATA II line at 300 GB/s. And the newest 7200.10 is the SATA II with new vertical recording technology iside. And get the models that end in "...AS" - the "...NS" models are optimized for large-scale server non-continuous use.
2. Consider buying on eBay. Recently I noticed that 400 GB drives retail on-line for more than 320 GB (no surprise!), but you often can see the 400GB units actually sell on eBay (including shipping - important!) at prices very like the retail 320GB units. If you do this, make sure you deal with reliable sellers, and be sure you get brand new (NOT refurbished) with valid maufacturer warranty coverage. And KNOW whether you are buying OEM (bare drive with nothing else!) or Retail package (includes drive, cable, info and software).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the HD advice! Here's the Seagate I have 'bookmarked' on Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148140

Looks like it matches your suggested criteria. Good eBay tips as well. I'll waste yet another 2 hours and continue my shopping there ;)

BTW, I should be ordering everything within the next 5-7 days. Just an FYI in case anyone knows of a new item that may pertain to me coming out within that time frame.
 
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Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,500
375
126
Right on! I just bought two of these for a system I'll build this month. Also bought a 500GB Seagate on eBay to put into an external AZio enclosure - it will be my backup system! I figure if I do it right the machine can even boot directly from the backup external drive in the event of internal drive failure.
Now all I need is the discipline to keep the backup unit updated!
 
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