First Self Build, Questions ABout PSU and RAM

[IMJ]

Hi everyone, another first-time builder here. I'm currently in the research stage for a gaming PC and I had a couple of questions to ask:

1) I'm currently planning to put a single 8800GTX in an Antec P180 case, with a view to getting a second GTX in SLI later on when a) they're cheaper and b) I actually need the extra power. I'm aware of the space issues with the P180 but seeing as I'm not planning on half a dozen hard drives this shouldn't be a problem. However, I believe that the current best Antec PSU is only rated at 650W and therefore will not be powerful enough for when I ultimately put in the second graphics card. What PSU would you recommend instead? I'd like to avoid too much fiddling with the case so something that fits in the P180 as it is would be preferable. I also don't want to break the bank (my overall budget is around £2000).

2) Although I like to think of myself as reasonably computer-savvy, I have to admit I haven't paid a huge amount of attention to hardware in the past few years and RAM especially seems to be a lot more complicated than it used to be! I'm not to sure what RAM I should be getting - I want 2GB of good but not ridiculously overpriced memory, compatible with an ASUS MB. Any recommendations?

In case it's relevant, I'm planning on an Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 system. I'm not necessarily planning on overclocking, although I wouldn't rule it out in the future.

Thanks in advance!

[tigerboyce]

Hi IMJ,

1. Firstly i think that running 2 GTX's is completely pointless at this stage, whatever your buget may be. A single GTX will cope well even on high resolutions. Yes you may want to in the future, but i dont think it will be in the near future. Invest the money in getting a decent 22" monitor.

As for the PSU i stick to some of the better brands, Seasonic, Corsair, TAGAN, etc etc. 600 - 700w should do nicely although you will need closer to 800 if your going for the SLI.

have a look at:

for one GTX try:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=446787

SLI is go:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=431486

or for a beastly SLI:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=446001
Its BIG though


2. Depends on how you want to go for overclocking. If your not id say some decent PC-6400 would be great. you could even go for more than 2gb if you wanted.

This is a great choice, you could even go for 4gb down the line:
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx...239,4294955840

or for alot more money: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=491422

[Clunk]

Why did it have to be an Antec PSU?

I'm not sure about your reasoning here. 8800GTX is a HUGE card and if there are ANY space restraints at all, you really should consider a different card, or a different case.

Personally, I would go for something like the Enermax Galaxy, but it may be too long for the P180, so depending on your motherboard choice, something by seasonic (750w perhaps).

You didnt say if you will be overclocking or not, so, if you arent, some corsair value select 5300 stuff will be fine, and if you are, you will need a minimum of pc2-6400 (or theres not much point). The E6700 is way overpriced, best bang for buck with 4mb cache is the E6600, and if you arent overclocking, you probably wont notice any difference in speed with the E6700.

[IMJ]

I was originally looking at the Antec PSU as I could guarantee that it would fit in the case and wouldn't have issues with cable length. Plus, it's got fairly good reviews and seems to be good value for money.

As for the case/card space reasoning, I know that I won't ever need more than 4 hard drives and as such any space problems are eliminated (as far as I can tell from my research thus far).

I was looking at another thread here about SLI setups and I'm starting to get the impression that they're never really worth the effort. Would I be more likely to get better performance out of overclocking than adding a second card (assuming that I'll need extra power at some point in the future)?

[Clunk]

Honestly mate, SLI is a large waste of money, for very little gain, and the little benefit there is, is only obvious when you have a screen with a massive resolution. Spend the money that you were going to spend on the second GTX on some watercooling and a decent overclocking motherboard and ram

[aidanjt]

I agree, SLi is a glorious waste of time and money, usually when you actually need a second card you have to buy from ebay or some other second-hand joint because they aren't on the market anymore. This is doubly so for the 8800GTX because of it's insanely absurd performance.

It's a much better idea to distribute the cash across the system overall as Clunk suggests.

[IMJ]

Cool, thanks for the advice. Thanks also for the pointer about the cheaper Core 2 CPU.

So, whilst I'm asking questions, can anyone recommend a good 22" widescreen monitor? I was originally considering either the Samsung SM225BW or the Dell E228WFP, but if I'm going to save some money on CPU and PSU (I shouldn't need more than 650W if I'm only going to have one graphics card, right?), then I can probably afford a slightly better monitor...

[Clunk]

I have the 225bw and it is great, but some people find that it has too much backlight bleed and an odd viewing angle, saying that though, the colours are crisp and bright and looking at it straight on, as you normally would, it looks great. Maybe something with a higher bit panel maybe?

[IMJ]

OK, I have yet another question (may as well make use of all the friendly advice on offer):

Should I consider replacing the thermal pad that will come with the CPU? I'm already planning to replace the stock HSFwith an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, but should I go the whole hog and try using some thermal paste as well? As yet I'm not sure that I'll be overclocking the system (I may try it at some point) - if I don't overclock, is the existing pad sufficient?

[Clunk]

Yes, some arctic silver 5 is generally better than the thermal pad. Nip over to the arctic silver website and there are full instructions on how to apply it

[DratUK]

OK, I have yet another question (may as well make use of all the friendly advice on offer):

Should I consider replacing the thermal pad that will come with the CPU? I'm already planning to replace the stock HSFwith an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro, but should I go the whole hog and try using some thermal paste as well? As yet I'm not sure that I'll be overclocking the system (I may try it at some point) - if I don't overclock, is the existing pad sufficient?

AC comes with MX-1 thermal paste pre applied. I have tried both AS and the MX-1 whilst OC'ing and couldnt see any diff. I would go with the MX-1 and after a while to allow it to "cure" see what your temps are like.