PC spec help

[OsmosisJones]

Hi,

I am currently looking at buying a new PC for gaming and have done a bit of research, but I have been out of the scene for so long now it is very confusing as to what would be a good buy or not given my needs/wants and budget.

Just as a little bit of info I am living in Australia, have a $5000AU budget (2,022.97 GBP) and as I stated above am pretty out of the scene but overclocking slightly shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Here is what I have chosen so far:


VIDEO PCI-e (nV) 8800GTX 768MB
VIDEO PCI-e (nV) 8800GTX 768MB
CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz/1066FSB) g0 Stepping (SLACR)
RAM Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4, XMS2 6400, DDR2 800, 2GB kit, Cas 4
RAM Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4, XMS2 6400, DDR2 800, 2GB kit, Cas 4
POWER SUPPLY Thermaltake Toughpower 1200W Power Supply (W0133)
CASE Gaming CASE Antec Nine Hundred (200mm fan/no PSU)
FANS 120mmx2 CoolerMaster Blue LED Silent 120 SI3
CPU FAN Tuniq Tower 120
MOTHERBOARD GA-N680SLI-DQ6
HDD 3.5" HDD SATA-300 500GB 16MB Western Digital (WD5000KS)
DVD ASUS Light Scribe DRW-1814BLT Retail/Black
MONITOR ViewSonic VX2835wm 28"
MOUSE Razer Copperhead
KEYBOARD Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard

What I was mainly interested in is this system going to run (compatible) and should I swap out some parts for others, granted I am leaving room for upgrading the system (hence the overly abusive PSU), as it is, it all fits in to my budget barely.

I have been told I should just get a single 8800GTS and wait for the new 9 series from Nvidia, but I am a rather impatient person and granted my GPU's together will cost around $1400-1500 that would be the price I would pay for a GTS & then replacing it with a new 9 series(if the price of the ULTRA is anything to go by that is, could be more). Also I have searched and searched and found no official word from Nvidia that their 9 series cards will be released around November (only speculation) and the specs on the Nvidia card are suppose to be twice that of the 8800ULTRA (once again only speculation).

So basically is this system ok, will it all run smooth and should I replace anything that might seem a bit off.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[explicitlyrics]

I dont know a huge amount about top spec PCs or graphics cards, but will comment on the things I do know:

If you are looking at overclocking then I would definitely look at faster RAM for starters as otherwise it will definitely place a limit on the system.

The Antec 900 has plenty of cooling already (1x 200mm and 3x 120mm Antec Tricool fans) and its certainly quiet so I dont think you will need the Coolermaster fans.

Despite your system being a top spec model, you still wont need that amount of wattage in the power supply (there are better makes aswell). My system is a Q6600 with 2gb of RAM, 8600GT graphics, DVDRW and 6 SATA drives; it uses 320VA (287W) on 100% CPU load.

Whilst I am perfectly happy with my Gigabyte motherboard, apparently the Abit/Asus ones do better in the bencharks (IP35/P5K/..).

Hope some of that is helpful

[OsmosisJones]

I dont know a huge amount about top spec PCs or graphics cards, but will comment on the things I do know:

If you are looking at overclocking then I would definitely look at faster RAM for starters as otherwise it will definitely place a limit on the system.

By faster do you mean I should go with 1066mhz ram instead of 800mhz, or do you mean a better brand/model... from what I have read the ram I have chosen isn't exactly the greatest but it is reliable and apparently good for overclocking (then again I have read so many reviews on different parts I might have gotten confused along the way and stuffed up somewhere...I really don't know much myself as to what is good and what isn't.) I will do some more RAM research and hopefully will be able to come up with something, also the MB I have chosen only supports 800mhz RAM I think anyway.... my 2nd choice for ram was the "Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 PC2-6400 2GB (1GBx2) DDR2 Kit ".

The Antec 900 has plenty of cooling already (1x 200mm and 3x 120mm Antec Tricool fans) and its certainly quiet so I dont think you will need the Coolermaster fans.

I only added them in as they are $22 for the both and that then utilizes all of the fan slots available, if there is a spacing requirement problem I might come into I will drop them, but other than that I guess $22 isn't much to throw in or away.

Despite your system being a top spec model, you still wont need that amount of wattage in the power supply (there are better makes aswell). My system is a Q6600 with 2gb of RAM, 8600GT graphics, DVDRW and 6 SATA drives; it uses 320VA (287W) on 100% CPU load.

This is where I have come into a lot of trouble, deciding on a PSU, a lot of reviews on SLI 8800GTX state that they use a 1000w PSU, but then again a lot of people on forums etc have stated that they use single 650w PSU's or so, according to the SLIzone website I think it said that 850w was recommended so I have totally lost myself and just gone with something a little overboard (I was looking at the Antec Quattro 850w TruePower but was unable to determine if this would be good for an SLI set up.)

Ty for your reply I will take what you have said and see what I can find out but wont make any changes until I get a few more replies on what I should do.

[mroz]

If you are looking at overclocking then I would definitely look at faster RAM for starters as otherwise it will definitely place a limit on the system.

Really? Aiui that ram will overclock reasonably & in any case for a Q6600 overclock on air, is one likely to need faster RAM?

Can you give any examples of likely overclocks where this RAM's speed would be a problem? I'm an OC newbie with a Q6600 & the same RAM so would find this personally useful.

[WannaPiEcE]

I would so advise getting a mobo that supports DDR2 1066-1200

[NightshadowUK]

PC6400 memory is fine as you won't be getting any higher than 3.6GHz on the Q6600.

As others have said, the PSU is overkill - you were right to be looking at the Antec Quattro 850W.

That monitor gets pretty poor reviews, spend your money on a quality 24" display.

Spending so much on graphics cards is insane at the moment, they don't do very well in DX10 and SLi in general is pants. Get a single GTX (it'll still run games amazingly) and swap the motherboard for something in the P35 range (they tend to be more stable). That way when something new and shiny comes along, you can sell the GTX.

[Martin87]

Whilst I am perfectly happy with my Gigabyte motherboard, apparently the Abit/Asus ones do better in the bencharks (IP35/P5K/..).

I can highly recomend the ASUS P5K Deluxe, its a fantastic board and extremely easy to overclock.

Also as has already been said those viewsonic screens are C***. Get yourself a nice 24" one.

[not_my_ip]

Just to add a little. PSU 1200W is good for welding, sure will do no harm, but increase electricity bills a lot. Lots of website recommending such a powerful PSU thing abour really cheap PSU aswell. I found very often a PSU branded as colorsIT , codegen or similar with tag 500W, and it barely gave 400 in reality. Good 800W should do job nicely for GF8800 in SLI. Another point is - is there any sense to have such powerful Graphic system. Games with DX10 just start to come out and it will take another 1-2 years to become standard. And 1-2 years is a quite a lot of time and there might be new GPUs than (like 8900 or 9000 whatever). I don't thing there would be a game where GF 8800GTX 768MB would not cope. So maybe safe some money for later upgrades.
Anyway whatever you choose, you sure will be happy with so high end spec.

[Pob255]

Well if you check the nvidia web site for what PSU's are certified for 8800GTX in SLi the lowest wattage is from SliverStone at 750w
the TT toughpower 850w is certfied for 8800GTX SLi (oh and the Toughpower is the good model from tt)

[-N!CK-]

Well if you check the nvidia web site for what PSU's are certified for 8800GTX in SLi the lowest wattage is from SliverStone at 750w
the TT toughpower 850w is certfied for 8800GTX SLi (oh and the Toughpower is the good model from tt)

i think you'll find the corsair 620W psu was proven to be able to power SLi GTX's

[OsmosisJones]

I have posted this on numerous boards as I am trying to get as much information as possible and I have been coaxed out of getting the 8800GTX SLI, most have said to get a single GTS or GTX and it should do fine... instead I have opted to go for the XFX 8800ULTRA xXx Version... as to saving a little dosh for later I might spend more later on a few slight upgrades, but as is I will be keeping my original budget of $5000 and trying to squeeze every last penny out of that (tax wise it works out better this way at the moment... rather complicated).

As to games not needing anything higher than a GTX, Bioshock has proven on max settings to really chop through a good system (not as much as was expected though) and Bioshock is one game I have been really looking forward to getting the most out of.

The monitor I have chosen has received a lot of negative reviews but mainly on the side of aesthetics and ergonomics (something I care little about), granted it isn't the greatest of LCD's but for its price of just under $900 it isn't all too bad (given any good 24" LCD I have found are all round the $1,100 mark and 30" is around $2000). The main gripes about this monitor as far as quality goes is brightness etc. another small detail I don't care all too much about (as long as there isn't too much motion blur and the visual quality is there). As a final note I use my current 21" CRT doubled as a movie screen/HDTV monitor from my futon in my room and it really is a bit of a strain on the eye's im hoping that with a 28" this problem should be a thing of the past.

I have left the STRIKER EXTREME MB as I might plan on upgrading to dual ULTRA's in future, which would mean a PSU change as I have once again opted for the Antec 850w Quattro... anyway here is what I have come up with in budget....



VIDEO
XFX PCI-E 8800 ULTRA 768MB XXX
$1,100.00

CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (2.4GHz/1066FSB) g0 Stepping (SLACR)
$367.00

RAM
Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB
$245.00

RAM 2
Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4 2GB
$245.00

POWER SUPPLY
Antec Quattro 850w TruePower
$282.00

CASE
Gaming CASE Antec Nine Hundred (200mm fan/no PSU)
$164.00

FANS
120mmx2 CoolerMaster Blue LED Silent 120 SI3
$20.00

CPU FAN
ASUS Silent Square Pro CPU Fan
$75.00

MOTHERBOARD
ASUS STRIKER EXTREME, 680i SLI, 1333MHz FSB, DDR2-800
$428.00

HDD
WD Caviar SE16 SATA 300 MB/s 500GB
$172.00

DVD
ASUS Light Scribe DRW-1814BLT Retail/Black
$50.00

LIGHTING
Thermaltake Blue Cold Cathode Light Kit
$20.00

RAM COOLING
Thermaltake Cyclo Memory Cooling
$25.00

MONITOR
ViewSonic VX2835wm 28"
$890.00

MOUSE
Razer Copperhead
$70.00

KEYBOARD
Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard
$99.00

OS
MS Windows Vista Ultimate DVD. 64-bit (OEM)
$250.00

HEADPHONE
Zalman ZM-RS6F+M Real Surround Sound with MIC
$67.00

SOUND
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
$350.00
TOTAL $4,916.00

I have left the extra 84 for parts and labor (which is usually around $75), I would put it all together myself, but I would rather someone who has put together a machine like this do it for me (last system I put together was my 3.2g P4 I am using now and that was a while back).

All in all I think this system is a little better in some ways than my original as it has a very nice sound card (I currently have Logitech 5500-D speaker system I use but don't get full performance out of), and GFX wise I am trailing my SLI set up but only by a little.

[-N!CK-]

i guess you just picekd the most expensive components you could.

first of the gtx ultra is a waste of money
that size of screen is pointless, get a good quality 24" - i suggest a dell 2407wfp
you don't need ram cooling - they come with ram sinks, all you need is good case cooling like
ram, with that price get 2x2gb ocz or get crucial ballistix is is a good choice for 2gig kit
cpu cooler get the thermalright 120-ultra
get a proper set of speakers instead of headphones

and saying you have soooo much money to burn, why not go water cooling

[OsmosisJones]

i guess you just picekd the most expensive components you could.

first of the gtx ultra is a waste of money

Not really, just picked parts that had good reviews and were capable of handling more than what I could dish out.
Could you tell me why it would be a waste of money to get a ULTRA (sorry but I have been out of the scene and have been told so many different things and read so many different reviews and benchmarks I dont know where I am half the time), I know that I can overclock a GTX but it still wont come as close to the U from what I can tell...

that size of screen is pointless, get a good quality 24" - i suggest a dell 2407wfp

Actually I use my screen doubled as a HDTV screen and movie screen from afar (im sure I said that) so the size isn't really pointless and a good 24" like the one you stated costs around $1000-1300, which is more dosh for less size (better quality though I know), but in terms of quality why would it be a better option than the 28" ... do you think that I will notice some motion blur on it or is there something that I have missed.

you don't need ram cooling - they come with ram sinks, all you need is good case cooling like
ram, with that price get 2x2gb ocz or get crucial ballistix is is a good choice for 2gig kit

I couldn't agree with you more, but the store I have gotten a good quote from doesn't stock crucual ram or OCZ (I know a joke and a half) and the ram cooling is rather pointless but its only $20 or so which isn't that much.. just a stocking filler.

cpu cooler get the thermalright 120-ultra

performance wise the 120 ultra doesn't go that much better than the artic or silent square (I think) the only reason I have found that it gets rave reviews is that it is an affordable yet decent cooler in the US (from what I have found in Aus, it is roughly the same price as the silent square pro), but I will look into it a little more.

get a proper set of speakers instead of headphones

(I know I did type a lot didn't I) I have a set of Logi 5500-D's the headset is so I'm not waking the neighbors while playing games at night (I said that earlier too).

and saying you have soooo much money to burn, why not go water cooling

I wasn't saying I have soooooo much money to burn, I was simply stating I have set a budget that I plant to stick to, water cooling has been on my mind but I wont be pushing my Q6600 past 3.2 (max 3.4) which air cooling should do fine for, plus I can upgrade to water cooling at a later date and only lose $75 on my CPU cooler.


When it comes down to it I plan on spending the $5000 (2,022.97 GBP) outright on my PC no matter what, if you think that the ULTRA is a waste of money what do you suggest I replace it with to the same value or upping other parts of my system while spending less on my GFX etc. So say I drop the ULTRA get a GTS or GTX and go with water cooling, for my gaming needs I don't think I would need more than 3.2g on a Q6600 but I might need more when it comes to GFX... I have tried my best to balance out the system while keeping future upgrade possibilities open.

[tehsucks]

Can I first just say "holy F****** crap that's a lot of money!"

Secondly I also live in Aus and am wanting to build a new comp, and I was just wandering where you are getting these parts from.

Lastly, I am sorry I can't help you out as you already seem to know more than me.

[OsmosisJones]

Can I first just say "holy F****** crap that's a lot of money!"

Secondly I also live in Aus and am wanting to build a new comp, and I was just wandering where you are getting these parts from.

Lastly, I am sorry I can't help you out as you already seem to know more than me.

I have received a few different quotes, but for the most part Xpmicro seems to be shuttling along the process nicely.

http://www.xpmicro.com.au/

I am still yet to receive a quote on the new setup though (its Sunday and farter's day so I wouldn't expect all too much from them at this point.)

[tehsucks]

rightio, have you also tried itestate.com.au and umart.com.au ?