My new computer - what parts to buy?

[gatsten303]

Hey people!

I'm about to build a new pc and thought that I perhaps could lend your expertise on what to buy.

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6. I've read quite a few reviews and this is the one I think is the best. The other one I thought about was Asus Maximus Formula SE. They cost about the same but I understand The one from gigabyte is easier to overclock, which is something I'd like to do
I tried to get reviews of x38 vs 680i but came up with nothing. Is x38 better than 680i? If not, could u please tell me why? And which 680i motherboard you would recommend?

CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 - Not much to say abouth this one... Quadcore is warmer and harder to overclock well?

Memory - Corsair XMS2 Xtreme 4x1024Mb DDR2 PC6400 800MHz CL4 with timing 4.4.4.12. I know nothing about memory. A friend of mine said that this was a good brand/model. Is it ok to use with Gigabyte GA-X38-DQ6 and the CPU? I don't know if I should chose more expensive ram or if this is ok. Please keep in mind that I'm going to overclock the computer

Graphic - Asus Extreme GeForce 8800GT 512MB DDR3 TV-out HDTV. In 2008 I'm going to get a 30" screen so this is more of a temporary solution until faster cards get out.

So.. Do you think the components I've chosen is ok or should I exchange anything? Grateful for any help on the matter.

With kind regards
Peter Andersson

 

[dmroeder]

If I were going to use 4 gigs of RAM, I would select 2x2gig modules. Corsair does make good RAM.

Also, have you thought about a power supply? This can be just as important as the rest of your components. If you buy a undersized or poor brand, it could ruin the experience of building a PC yourself. A lot of people have been recommending Corsair also for power supply's.

 

[gatsten303]

Thx dmroeder for such a fast reply.

Why would you select 2x2 instead? Are they available with the same timings? If I have understood things correctly that is of some importance?

I have an Antec Phantom, 500 watts now. Is that going to be enough?

/Peter

 

[dmroeder]

Peter,

You know, 2 gig modules are probably not available with the same timings. But if you don't plan on overclocking, then it won't really matter. Better timings only show up in benchmarks and are not really visible in real world performance. Better timings would suit you if you were overclocking though.

Edit: 500W could be pushing it. If it were me, I would be willing to give it a shot. But what you have to think of is if it doesn't work, what is the availability of another power supply (how long can you afford to wait to get one).

 

[gatsten303]

Hi agin

Well, I am thinking about it and would like to do it. What do you think about the PSU? I think it would be suffiecient for that computer, but perhaps not for next gen graphics card?

Any ideas regarding my choice of Motherboard?

 

[dmroeder]

As long as the board has the features that you require, then go for it. I think a lot of people get boards with features that they will never use, and all you end up doing is paying more for it.

As far as the power supply, I don't have enough experience with these next gen machines to offer you good advice. If it were me, I would just try using it. Someone may come along with better advice here...

 

[gatsten303]

Ok, thx for your input

Anyone else out there with any suggestions for me before I order?

Kind regards
Peter

 

[lockdownx1x]

Well I got one for the PSU
Looking at the parts you selected and since you are gonna OC this thing, you absolutely cannot go cheap in this area:
I would sggest the Corsair 520HX since I own one and its really quiet(The reason I bought it) and its above 80% efficient so it wont get hot and it will also save you on your electric bill.

CORSAIR HX CMPSU-520HX- $98.80($10 MIR)
http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=CA6200026

 

[gatsten303]

Thx lockdownx1 x

I think I will give it at try with the one I have first. After all it cost me something me like 230$ (sucks to live in Sweden, but I will have it in mind, if not before then when I get the next Graphics card

I keep on asking you for the motherboard issue. which one would you chose? Come on now

/Peter

 

[johnyeah]

I would recommend getting the p35 other than the x38.
As for why? Check out the article on http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/10/31/x38_comparison_part_1/ and just go to the performance summary and read the charts for yourself.

For 1/3 less price from the x38, the p35 chipset supplies pretty much the exact same functionality and stability (even for overclocking).

As for the memory, the corsair choice is pretty solid. However, if you're not running an 64 bit OS and you're planning to OC quite a bit on your system, then get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145043 . Most motherboards have a memory support list on their product page, but their list is relatively narrow. Unless the memory you're planning to get is clearly not standard (i.e. ddr2 1300 at 2.1V), most RAM's work.

 

[aevm]

Do yourself a favor and get an eVGA 680 A1 or P5N32-E SLI motherboard. The GA-X38-DQ6 is a great motherboard but will not support two nVidia video cards. Your 30" monitor will require two video cards. That is, you will have to add a second 8800GT and if you buy the X38 now you will have to throw it out and buy a SLI motherboard. Even if faster video cards arrive, you will still want two cards because games will become more demanding too. Keep in mind that 30" means 2560x1600 i.e. more than twice the pixels on a 1680x1050 monitor.

Also, get a powerful PSU that can handle two 8800 GT cards. The Corsair 520HX is great but it's wrong for this sort of thing. Get a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W Quad, or a Thermaltake ToughPower 750W.

If you're not in a hurry wait for January. You'd be able to get a Q9450 which will totally beat the E6850 and the Q6600, and the new G92 8800GTS (a die-shrink of the 8800GTX, basically), and a 780i motherboard (just in case you want to have 3 video cards in SLI).

 

[gatsten303]

Thx johnyeah!
I think more and more that you're totally right. I keep on staring myself blind on numbers. The test you linked to, which I had seen already but I concentrated on the x38:s, shows that there is vitually no difference at all between them. A difference you might notice in testprograms but not in real life...

Thx to you as well aevm
Now I have so many to chose between I'm beginning to feel that my choice was easier before I posted here on Tom's
No, not really, I'm really grateful and will check up more on the other motherboards tomorrow.
Have a nice day

/Peter

 

[einstein4pres]

Also, get a powerful PSU that can handle two 8800 GT cards. The Corsair 520HX is great but it's wrong for this sort of thing. Get a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W Quad, or a Thermaltake ToughPower 750W.

Care to support this statement?

Corsair 520HX: http://www.jonnyguru.com/review_details.php?id=28
It has 2 PCIe connectors, and 40A on the 12V line. Each 8800gt will require around 10A on the 12V line, which should leave plenty of power for the rest of the system.

Anandtech's review reports total power consumption of the reference system plus 8800gt system at load to be 209 Watts. Double that is still way under 520W, and includes an extra HD, mobo, RAM, etc.
Setup: http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3140&p=6
Power: http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3140&p=13

The wattage most consumers think they need has been blown completely out of proportion. The beefiest systems that get tested often draw less than 400 or 500W *from the wall*, which means at an 80% efficiency, that's more like 300 to 400W of delivered power. With units that actually supply the correct amount of power (not cheap psus), you don't need to inflate your numbers.

Edit: here's a total power consumption for a Crossfire 2900XT system which takes 471W under load:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/11/12/six_graphics_cards_with_luxury_trimmings/page17.html#power_consumption_in_watts
That's sufficiently under the 520 that the HX *continuously* provides, and the 2900XTs are lambasted for drawing immense amounts of power, while the 8800gt is much more power friendly.

 

[aevm]

Also, get a powerful PSU that can handle two 8800 GT cards. The Corsair 520HX is great but it's wrong for this sort of thing. Get a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750W Quad, or a Thermaltake ToughPower 750W.

Care to support this statement?

Sure. I got 551W using the calculator here
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
with no overclocking, a single hard disk, and the usual RAM/PCI/USB/fan/aging options.
Add a bit for safety and to allow room for upgrades, such as more disks, and it gets to 600W or more.

Also, with a system like that expect higher temps in the case. PSU efficiency is affected by this.

Besides, if the OP can afford X38 mobos and 30" monitors, I think he should buy a Tier 1 PSU too, even if it's $50 more. Think of it as insurance for the expensive PC.

OK, let me rephrase that: the 520HX is not "wrong" for that system. It's just not among my top 10 choices. It will (most likely) work, but still there are other PSUs I'd rather buy for the job.

 

[lunyone]

My general rule of thumb is to spend about 10% of the total build on the PSU. Yes, I'm sure the 520hx would do the job, but it might not support further upgrades later. Yes the OP could get a new PSU on the next upgrade, but I think what Aevm is stating, is that he likes to leave upgrade room on the PSU. Thus he's recommending a PCP&C 750w quad. Yes this might be $50 more than the 520hx, but if the OP has to replace the 520hx later, because the system requirements go up, than the OP would have to spend probably another $100 on a newer PSU. Aevm has a good idea to try and future proof the PSU, if possible, and buy something that can handle just about any configuration. Now if $ was tight, which doesn't seem to be the case with this build, than a 520hx would make more sense. I'm not taking any sides here, just trying to point out all sides on this. I'm sure the OP could run his setup on a 380w Antec Earthwatts, since a 8800gt consumes less than an 8800gtx, but that wouldn't be the smartest decision he could make. Yes it would run the system, but for how long and how would the rest of the system handle the stress that it would be under? I also agree that there is alot of myths about how much PSU one needs to run a nice computer setup. There are alot of people buying very expensive PSU's that don't necessarially even use them, but if they are running in the 70% power range, they are probably running in a more efficient range than if they are in the 90-99% power range. Well I think I ranted enough. Here's a link that can show what a 380w Antec EW can do with a e6600 OC'd and a 8800gtx!
http://www.overclockers.com/articles1452/

 

[aevm]

Yeah, I prefer to err on the side of too much PSU than on the other side. Maybe I'm a scaredy cat, I dunno, but so far this strategy worked well for me :lol:

eVGA says 450W minimum for 8800GT SLI.
http://www.evga.com/products/moreinfo.asp?pn=512-P3-N805-A1&family=19
I assume overclocked E6850 is more than "minimum", especially if you add a few disks and so on.
520W may be enough, but I'm not comfortable with it.

I liked the article, by the way. I should buy myself a Kill-A-Watt gadget

 

[lunyone]

I pull out that link just about the time when someone says that you need a 750w quad to power a system with a 7600gt installed!!!

 

[gatsten303]

Hehe lunyone
I've been trying to read up on the different motherboards you all suggested. Its not that easy. At the moment I'm a student so the money is kind of an issue but I'd rather pay more and end up with a computer that will last a little longer. With that being said I think I'm leaning towards the Asus x38 although I might go with one of the cheaper ones.
I thank everybody for their contribution. Will probably be back when I start to overclock the poor little thing

Have a great day!

/Peter