advice on a new build

Computer Forum New Build / Upgrade Advice
1

I am new to computers and am trying to build based of reviews and some specs. I will game a little (wow, crysis) probably and will use for general use. nothin heavy duty. Can someone tell me how good this will be considering price vs performance. I already hace hard drive and OS.Thanks in advance for any help!

P450-9802 :: XFX GeForce 9800 GTX Video Card - 512MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV (3.35 lbs)
In Stock $339.99 $339.99

CP1-DUO-E8400 :: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Processor BX80570E8400 - 3.0GHz, 6MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Wolfdale, Dual-Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan (0.85 lbs)
In Stock $209.99 $209.99

E145-2034 :: EVGA nforce 780i SLI Motherboard - A1 Version, NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, Dual Gigabit LAN, S/PDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID (4.85 lbs)
In Stock $249.99 $249.99

O261-2005 :: OCZ / GameXStream / 700-Watt / ATX / 120mm Fan / SATA Ready / SLI Ready / EPS / Active PFC / Power Supply (5.6 lbs)
In Stock $129.99 $129.99

O261-7406 :: OCZ Vendetta CPU Cooler - Socket, 754, 775, 939, AM2 (1.9 lbs)
In Stock $39.99 $39.99

S167-4514 :: Sony DRU190A 20X DVD Rewritable Drive - 20x DVD±R, 8 DVD+RW, 6x DVD-R, 8x DVD±R DL, ATAPI/EIDE, Black (1.95 lbs)
In Stock $29.99 $29.99

O261-8086 :: OCZ OCZTFRZTC Freeze Thermal Extreme Conductivity Compound (0.02 lbs)
In Stock $5.99 $5.99

O261-8064 :: OCZ Dual Channel 2048MB PC8500 DDR2 1066MHz Nvidia SLI-Ready EPP Memory (2 x 1024MB) (0.25 lbs)
In Stock $99.99 $99.99

C283-2032 :: CoolerMaster CM690 ATX Mid-Tower Case (30 lbs)
In Stock $79.99 $79.99

TOTAL $1250.00 shipping included

2

Welcome to the forums

Personally i would go for a Q6600 instead of the E8400, because it’s a much better processor. But if you really want to stick to a C2D and a 45nm version then why not get a E8200 instead and then over clock that to 3GHz or even higher:P (save your self some money) why not look into this a bit more.

Why not go for 4GB of 6400 800MHz memory instead of 2GB 8500???

I don’t really like that case but i guess it’s your taste and choice but did you consider a Thermaltake???

3

I thought about the q6600 but I read that alot of applications dont even take advantage of all the cores and thats why i got the 780i mobo so i can upgrade to the quads a little later. If you suggest the q6600 I will definitely take it into consideration but how important is the fsb from 1066 to 1333. Is it that important? I also went for the e8400 because it was faster but I can over clock the q6600 also I know.
As far as the case it was cheaper and had good airflow(from what I read) but if the thermaltakes are better is there one that you could possibly recommend?
The ram…isnt pc8500 faster than pc6400? could i get 4gb of 8500 and wouldnt it be better? I heard that 2gb of fast ram is better than 4gb of slower ram.
Other than these items does everything look good?
Thanks for all your help and I will definitely take all advice into consideration!!!

4

Most programs don’t take full advantage atm but most new games being released all take advantage such as crysis. Also four cores will be more future proof then two because soon all programs and games will use all four cores.

Higher FSB means you can overclock better that’s the only real advantage of having a 1333mhz fsb rather then 1066fsb but you need a cpu with it to match.

I know an E8400 will overclock to a max of around 3.8GHz but at that speed is unstable(on air) so most probably you will get it to 3.6GHZ which is were a Q6600 comfortably runs at anyway.

what is the budget on the case???

I will attempt to explain this best way i can lol but what you got to understand is that in the DDR2 series the top end is the pc6400 which runs at 800MHz but the 8500+ (1066MHz+) are overclocked versions of the pc6400. The cas latency of a pc8500 is much higher, roughly around 5-5-5-15, yes i understand it runs at fast speeds but TBH i would rather have 4GB of pc6400 800MHZ rather then 2GB of 8500 1066MHZ. that’s like 266mhz deference not really a huge difference in performance, not like DDR3 which can run at 2000MHz. Also i would like to add is that pc8500+ memory runs at higher voltages so therefore heats up more. this is the best DDR2 you can get (pc9600) but it’s on the expensive side (around $200): Kingston HyperX 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-9600C5 1200MHz

5

I will go with q6600 !!! Thanks on that!!
pc6400…I trust you on that…memory is hard for me to understand so I will take your word for it!!! do you have a recommendation on any ram…not too expensive?
Case budget $100-$150…maybe more
and also should I go with a evga 680i mobo a1 version?
is my power supply good also?
YOU HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL!! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!!

6

No problem, but i recommend you get the 95w SLACR Edition not the normal Q6600. It’s cooler and therefor better at over clocking.

I’m don’t know a lot of American retailers only newegg :slight_smile: and I’m not sure whats expensive or not lol because to me everything is cheap as it’s $2 to £1, but i have found this perhaps you can find it cheaper if you shop around, and its PC2-8000 1000MHz so it’s not bad: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000

Forget the thermaltake because all the good ones are out of your budget so i recommend to go for the Antec 900, brilliant case with loads of features and best airflow: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel

NO NO, go for a 780i, it’s much better mobo/chipset.

Your PSU is fine, only if your going to go SLi in the future then maybe not.

NO Problem, i guess you can help me out sometime :slight_smile:

7

Thanks Again Pimp!!!

8

No problem

why haven’t you given me a thanks then??? lol :smiley:

i will give you one :wink:

9

Yep it certainly has, which is why i recommended it :smiley:

10

if you have a few extra bucks why not go for the antec nine hundred case?
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

11

I’m sure i recommended that to him.

again i agree with MercyFlush :wink:

12

woops. haha. i actually didnt even see that post. but anyways, thats a great case. i have it at home. the only problem is that its kinda loud, but if you dont mind a bit of noise, its a great case.

13

You all are so wrong about Q6600.

People just buy it because it has 4 cores. Where is it useful? Gaming? meh..

Recent games see GHZ not an amount of cores. When will you realise that?

E8400 and overclock it… it will blow away Q6600. No Q6600 can easily go up to 4 ghz.

And mobo… go for Asus Formula X38

Cooler… Zalman 9700 LED :slight_smile:

14

No offense mate but you are talking all WRONG

Are you living in the old days??? because ATM all new games being released take advantage of 4 cores and secondly I’m pretty much certain a Q6600 will not be blown away by E8400. Also having four cores is more future proof then two and you can run more programs and applications simultaneously, soon all programs and games will take advantage of four cores and soon to be released will be 8 cores, so at the end of the day you will need to upgrade again. Oh and one other thing the Q6600 has been the most successful Intel chip out of the C2D and Quad core series, now what does that tell you??? i don’t hear anyone talking about the E8400 apart from you. I have seen the Q6600 go over 3.4GHZ many times max I’ve seen it go is 3.8GHZ, i guarantee you it will go at 3.6GHZ.

It’s only a matter of time before C2D will be forgotten.

15

Are you living in the old days???

Not at all, I just choose the best available option.

ATM all new games being released take advantage of 4 cores

Can you tell me more than 3-5 games? I know Crysis, Unreal Tournament 3/7 and Supreme Commander

Also having four cores is more future proof then two and you can run more programs and applications simultaneously

Yep, having quad core is very handy for applications. But not for games. (Well, at least not now). Talking about future you are wrong too :slight_smile:

Q6600 is yet technologically old. Soon we will be able to see Nahalem. Shortly, 6xxx era is over. Want something for future? Grab Q9300 instead.

Oh and one other thing the Q6600 has been the most successful Intel chip out of the C2D and Quad core series, now what does that tell you???

It tells me it’s Intel’s marketing. Q6600 was one of the most expensive cpus in the early release. People think: the more they have, the better result they will have. But you are right, since G0 release it’s became one of the best buy.

Intel vs. AMD: Today’s generation compared - The Tech Report - Page 3
Ask Tim: Quad vs Dual Cores for Gaming - Voodoo Extreme

The reason why games run faster on dual-core processors even if they don’t have a sticker on them that says “optimised for dual-core” is because games use multiple threads, and the operating system assigns different threads to different cores.

The E6850 (3GHz Core 2 Duo) is a powerhouse of a processor. It has greater performance-per-core than the same-priced Core 2 Quad, so individual threads will be able to run faster (a thread CANNOT be split up amongst multiple cores!). You’ll find that your games will run well along with the 8x00/9x00 graphics card, plus any other single-thread tasks that you do with your computer will be noticably faster than the Q6600.

CPU calculates physics. Now have you heard about Nvidia’s move? They have bought Ageia. That means soon we will be able to buy Graphics Cards with Ageia integrated which means the impact of cpu made in gaming will be reduced significantly.

And finally… You buy Graphics Card for gaming, right? Not CPU. Try running FULL AA/AF on any modern game. You would notice that a difference between E2180 and lets say Q6600 would be minimal (running on 9800 GTX, let’s say)… maybe 1-5%. Games DONT EVEN FULLY UTILIZE dual core CPUs. So whats the point of going for Quad Core?