So, what do you think of this? Motherboard Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R, iP35 Express, S775, PCI-E(x16), DDR2 & DDR3 1066/1333/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 RAM Corsair 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 1066MHz/PC2-8500 XMS2 Dominator Memory Non-ECC Unbuffered CL5(5-5-5-15) E.P.P. DHX Technology Lifetime Warranty Graphics BFG 8800GTX OC version 600MHz 768MB 2xDVI GDDR3 PCI-E HDD Seagate ST3500630AS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 16MB Cache 7200RPM CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS9500 N.B. I have a 250GB SATA drive to use as a boot drive and a Seasonic M12 600 which will power the Nvidia card as it has 2 PCI-e connectors. 1. Having found a couple of reviews on the ATi 2900 XT 1GB, I've decided to stick with the Nvidia GTX as the ATi does not appear to be as good. Has anyone found any information to the contrary? The ATi card is cheaper but is disappointing in benchmarks by comparison to a standard Nvidia GTX. 2. Any opinions on the motherboard? I found 1 review so far which says it's good. Are there any others with the IP35 chipset worth looking at. I like this one as it has support for Quad Core CPUs, DDR3 and 1333 FSB so is a bit future proof. 3. Is it possible to purchase the OEM version of Vista for home use? I have seen it says it is 'for system builders only' but still not 100% sure. Thanks all!
IP35 chipset is newer, faster but it's still buggy. System is allright if you ganna overclock it. Otherwise you need to change all components except GPU. 2900XT looks still not good because it's drivers. But this GPU is worth more than it costs now. GTX is better option if you have money. Get CORSAIR PSU 620W 120MM FAN ATX EPS12V to ensure your system gets enough power when it's under load.
Looks good overall, I'd have preferred to have seen a Hitachi Deskstar in place of the hdd quoted, but thats more personal preference than anything. HSF is ok, but costly and heavy. You'll get better temps, won't exceed the mobo's limit's and save some money if you go for the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7. Thing is with the 1gb version of the XT you're paying for the extra DDR4 ram, I don't know of any game, at any of the usual resolutions (1280x1024, 1680x1050, 1920x1200) that will require that amount of ram. So it's basically just a selling point, so don't waste your money. Also, that card isn't strictly capable of faming at 1920x1200 with any decent detail setting or frame rate. (I consider a minimum of 25fps, 2xAA, 4xAF as a benchmark). The XT also uses more power than a 8800GTX. If you are gaming at 1920x1200 good choice on the GTX, but change or oc the cpu, especially if you play RTS games, as the A.I in games is still performed by the cpu. You'll not get the full benefit from the card at that res with that cpu. If you're gaming at a lower res (belatedly: I assume you're a gamer from the spec?) such as 1680x1050 or lower then that card is overkill. Differences between the GTS and GTX generally only shine through at much higher resolutions. If it's 1680x1050 stick with a 640mb GTS, if its 1280x1024 then go for the 320mb. I'd like to see a slightly higher rated psu, maybe a 650w for peak-draw. Enermax's infiniti's are a good buy, they've just released a 650w. I won't buy any other brand of psu. Modular's the way to go regardless, less clutter.
How is the IP35 chipset buggy? No doubt issues will be resolved with drivers but what are the current potential problems with it? I will probably overclock the CPU to 3GHz as I hear it's easy enough. As for the graphics, the benchmarks I've seen tell the story. The Nvidia is clearly the superior card. See review links below: GotFrag Hardware - Hardware Home News Story - Radeon HD 2900XT 1GB – R600 Done Right? FiringSquad: Home of the Hardcore Gamer - A word from our sponsors On paper the ATi card should win but it just doesn't. It's strange and I don't know why! I bought the Seasonic M12 recently as my PSU died so wont be changing it. It's highly rated in reviews and is very efficient. Also, I've read that a PC doesn't even require that amount of wattage to run and the PSU is certified to run a GTX and the 1GB ATi 2900 according to their website.
I'll use the Seagate 500GB for games mainly. Seems like a good enough drive and the Hitachi is over £30 more. I read reviews on the HSF which said it was the best out there (other than possibly a Tuniq Tower which isn't quite as readily available). It appears to run well even at a low voltage. It wont break the bank at £30 either. I agree that 1GB DDR4 on a graphics card is just a selling point as the card doesn't outperform the 8800GTX. At most resolutions, the GTX gives a higher frame rate in just about every game tested. My PSU has PCIe power connectors so I'm aware that a GTX will be simple to connect without any power adapters. At the moment I'd probably be running 1600x1200 on a 17" TFT and 1280x1024 or 1360x768 on my widescreen TV. May well upgrade to a widescreen TFT at some point so will be nice to have the GTX which can run higher resolutions if required and still work well with games in say 3 years time! (hopefully). I'll also be trying to overclock the CPU to about 3GHz as I hear it's simple enough and works well even with the stock Intel HSF. My Seasonic replaced my 350w PSU that died recently and should do the job according to the ATi website so should work with the GTX ok.
Buggy, because it's a new chipset. You will gain more performance if you grab one 74 Gig WD Raptor 10000 RPM HDD. ---On paper the ATi card should win but it just doesn't. It's strange and I don't know why!--- Because its drivers are not completed yet.
74GB just isn't very large in my view for the cost. Would be nice to use as boot drive I guess. Is that what you would use it for? Do you think once the drivers are perfected the ATi card will outperform the 8800 GTX? BTW, I have verified that I can buy Vista OEM if purchased with an item of hardware. I have also used a website to calculate my power draw and it should be just under 450w at peak load.
For a little extra kick on certain apps (games, large photos, video editing) or for a boot drive, the Raptor could be argued as a good move. A fast hard drive does wonders, but Seagate's perpendicular recording seems to also help with producing zippier drives. Right now, it's hard to say how the drivers will do down the line. nVidia already has a head-start on ATi given that their cards have been out longer, and for better or worse, more problems have been dealt with. If nVidia sits and does nothing, AMD might produce better drivers, but we don't know. The 2900's don't seem nearly as abysmal as reviews have pointed out. However, they ask a good chunk of cash and don't offer up as good of performance coupled with their higher power draw. If one of these factors were eliminated, I think we'd see more positive reviews. Maybe we'll see a new silicon revision that addresses the power consumption issue, but only time will tell.
When it comes to the 8800 GTX, is there any difference between vendors? XFX, BFG and MSI all have over clocked versions though prices are slightly different between them. Which vendor is best?
I'm not sure about MSI off-hand, but BFG and XFX have some pretty good warranties. They're all good brands, so look at what they offer in the accessories, warranty, clockspeeds, etc for the money.
So which OS? Vista 32 or Vista 64 ? I'm sure most things will be compatible on Vista 32 but if I get more memory in future I'll need a 64 bit OS to address it. I think I read somewhere that the Nvidia drivers aren't so great at the moment for Vista 64? Anyone have any experience with games on Vista 64? How about dual booting with XP Pro? Good/bad idea?
