Help me with this build PLZ!

[nazgarl]

Heya guys, I'm in the market for a pretty good gaming computer for myself
I don't need a monitor and that stuff.. i was wanting to spend about $2000
So heres what ive got so far if you could notify me on any compatibility problems or just stupid mistakes that would be excellent lol
(all from gamedude.com.au/) (im aussie and the prices might seem bit dif)

Video Cards - XFX 9600GT XXX EDITION 512meg GDDR3 Core Clock 700Mhz Model: PV-T94P-YHD4 (x2) -SLI

Motherboard - Mobo - MSI P7N SLi PLATINUM nForce 780i SLi FSB1333Mhz Dual Channel DDR2 800Mhz 8 Channel HD Audio = $230

CPU - CPU - INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q6700 QUAD CORE 2.66Ghz 2x4meg CACHE 1066FSB LGA 775 = = $315

RAM - RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 6400C4DHX 800mhz 2gig x 2 (4 Gig) DDR2 Matched Pair 4-4-4-12 - = $149

PSU - PSU - ANTEC TruePower QUATTRO 850watt PSU EPS SLI-Ready Model: TPQ-850 =$259 (im not sure if this is overkill or not just guessing cause of 2 cards)

Harddrive - Western Digital 750 gig 7200rpm SATAII CS 16meg Cache GREEN POWER Model: WD7500AACS = $134

DVD burner - PIONEER DVR-216BK SATA 20x DVD Burner BLACK OEM No Software = $42


Case = ANTEC NINE HUNDRED HardCore Gaming Case Black Maximum Cooling NO POWER = $170

All up thats about $1700... if ive made any bad decisions or anything really beneficial i could do for $300 more plz let me know
thanks alot!

[bug]

I'll take a shot at this, having just built a new computer myself...

SLi and CrossFire are generally regarded as being wasteful marketing gimmicks. You're much better off buying a nicer card for a little less than the two cards. In other words, buy a $350 single card rather than two $200 cards.

That being said, it does look good overall. I would change the video cards to a single eVGA GeForce 8800GT AKIMBO (512mb or 1gb, your choice) or EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB if you're looking for something that's really high-end. You'll need to check with nVidia to make sure that it will fit in your case first, though. Regardless of the model, it will most likely rest right above one set of memory clips, so put the memory in before the video card!

The power supply could be a bit overkill, but the strength may make it more future-proof.

I would change the processor as well. Instead of the Q6700, get the Q9300 (cheaper, more efficient, and supports SSE4) or the Q9450 (the "new version" of the Q6700). You could also drop down to Core 2 Duo E8400 and save ~$100.

Finally, I would switch to a pair (or more) of Seagate 32mb cache (with NCQ) drives in RAID. If you want to save money, just go with one drive, but make sure that it has a 32mb cache and NCQ. The spindle speed must also be at least 7200 RPM. Disk read access speed is a largely overlooked performance destroyer.


Hope that helps. My changes shouldn't do too much to the price -- except maybe lower it!

[RickyTick]

Hello Nazgarl, and Welcome to the MySuperPC Forums.

Its debateable, but Bug makes a good point about SLI. Is it faster? Yes. Is it worth it? Probably not.

If I were building a gaming PC today, I would probably go with a P45 motherboard like the Gigabyte GA-EP45 DS3R or the Asus P5Q Pro. However, if you want to keep SLI as an option, you could still use a Nvidia motherboard like the EVGA 780i or 750i FTW with a single video card, and add a second card later (even though thats considered a very poor upgrade path).

While the Q6700 is a very nice processor, it has reached EOL for Intel, and is being replaced by the Q9450 which is much much faster. Also, the E8600 is due out August 10th. I would recommend stepping up to newer generation processors like these.

As much as I hate to admit it, the ATI 4870 video card is currently killing Nvidia. Here's one to look at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121258 As an Nvidia fan though, I would recommend either the 8800GTS 512, the 9800GTX, or 9800GTX+. All of which are outstanding video cards. (The GTX280 is just out of my price range)

[nazgarl]

Thanks guys tips were a fantastic help, i've changed a few things around with your advice..

I've dodged away from the SLI idea and am looking at a
eVGA Geforce GTX 280 SuperClocked 1024MB = $599
or a GIGABYTE HD4870 512meg GDDR5 = $349
(will get the GTX if i can afford another $100 over my limit)

changed the motherboard to a
ASUS P5Q-PREMIUM P45 Chipset =$369

Changed CPU to
INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q9450 QUAD CORE 2.66Ghz 12MB CACHE = $369

Decided to not get such a tank PSU since i would be running 1 card
CoolerMaster 700watt Real Power - $199

Changed to a 32mb cache seagate drive as recommended
SeaGate 1TB 7200rpm SATA-2 NCQ 32meg Cache = $208

Including everything else tower etc etc that comes to
= $1854 - $2124 (providing on card) which im more than happy to pay for
http://www.gamedude.com.au/prod_show.php?art_no=casAN900
that's a link to the case im wanting to get.. does that look suitable for space/cooling and what not? thanks again

[RickyTick]

That's a great case. You'll enjoy.

[nazgarl]

Lol sry to revive the thread but i've done some thinking and decided that i'd
switch the mobo to an Asus Rampage Formula x48 Gaming series
and wait for the 4870X2 (R700) to come out.. Definetly not gonna be using crossfire anytime soon because those cards are heaps good on there own... but just thinking about the future aswell ^^

[RickyTick]

Nothing wrong with that. Its going to be a great gaming pc.

[nazgarl]

Cool as thx for all your help
if it wasn't for this forum i would have never even known what ATI was
(i thought the only big gpu company was nvidia) and would probs be SLI'ing 8800GT's for my new comp >.<
Thanks again ill let you know how it goes