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Ruin's PC Build


Ruin

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Well, here I am... again.

So I found out I'm getting my signing bonus on Friday (yes!) - took 10 days from when the paperwork was filed... awesome! So I can finally buy a nice new PC that I've needed for a few years now.

Here's my thought process. I hope you all can follow, because there's a lot. I'm dropping a decent chunk of change, everything needs to be right.

My current desktop, well, that last one I played games on had an Athalon... something. 6400+ I think? And a Radeon 9500Pro. Yeah, it's an old ass beast. The one I'm on now is a budget PC from Wal-Mart that once belonged to my kid sister. My current laptop is drunk. No joke. That's a whole other story. So... really, anything is an improvement. But... I want to get something kick ass that will last me a while... at least a couple years. What I use my PC for: Everything. Gaming (duh), Photoshop - I have a Nikon D80 camera, I take A LOT of digital pics that I edit and work with, teh interwebs, listening to music - read: blasting the speakers during parties, and soon some light video work as I buy a new video camera. So really, I'm looking for a well rounded machine to last me a while.

Here's what I've got so far:

Thermaltake Armor Series Full ATX Case

ASUS Maximus Formula Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.0GHz

G.SKILL 2GB DDR2 @ PC2 6400

EVGA 768MB GeFroce 8800GTX

Hiper 880w PSU

Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA HD

Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA HD x2

Samsung 20x DVD+R DVD Burner SATA x2

Thermaltake Blue Orb II

Samsung 226Bw 22" WS LCD Monitor

Windows XP Home

Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit

+Games

+Mouse/Pad

+Case Accessories (lights, fans, etc.)

== $2650~

To answer some of the obvious questions...

Q. Why 3 Hard-drives?

A. I've had bad luck in the past with frying HDs. I want to put each OS on a separate physical HD so if something goes wrong, I won't lose my data. The two smaller HDs are for each OS and core programs I'll be running. The larger 500GB HD is for my data, music, pictures, games, etc. This way if I have to reformat a HD, lose one to fire or acts of God, whatever, I keep all my data.

Q. Why the E6850, why not another one? Like the Q6600 you said you wanted a few months ago?

A. This was a tough one to be honest. The E8XXX series is out, but out of stock. The Q6600 and the E6850 are the exact same price. But, when I looked at comparison charts the Dual Core kicked the ass of the Quad Core in nearly everything, every time. Really, I felt like the Quad core doesn't offer the immediate performance it may offer. I'm going to get more, at least for the next year or two, out of a dual core. Not to mention, they've been out longer, have a broader support and are easy to OC. Lots of help on the web for it. As far as the Wolfdale cores, I don't know enough about them. It seems they offer improved performance (E8400 vs. E6850), but not too much. I also read somewhere that supplies on these are limited for some crazy marketing/business reason known to Intel. NewEgg doesn't have any in stock, and has no expected date of receiving more. So, unless Wolfdale is SO much better and worth me going to another place to find, I'm not going to. Please, do help me with this. Is it worth it? Will I be kicking myself once I do this build for not picking the Wolfdale? This is the one place I'm really stuck and open to most advice.suggestions. I'm not dead set on one or the other... my mind can be changed. :)

Q. Why the EVGA GeForce 8800GTX? Why not save a couple hundred bucks and go with a GT or something?

A. Bottom line... because I can. I've suffered from poor graphics, low performance, and not being able to keep up with the rest of the gaming world for way too long. I've read damn near every review I could find on this card. I keep reading the same thing... it smokes games. They're gorgeous in high-res, with AA, everything on high, and you get superb FPS. Good enough for me. This is the most important part of a PC for me. I'm willing to dish out the cash for something high-end that will give me lots of use over the coming years.

Q. Why Vista 64? Save the money man!

A. This took a lot of thought also. It's a combination of want and need. I've wanted Vista since I laid eyes on it. My mom and sister just bought a nice Toshiba Laptop with Vista on it, and I love the new OS. There's lots of argument over compatibility issues, 64bit, DX10, etc etc. That's why I'm also getting XP Home. It seems like extra work I know. Use XP for some things and Vista for the others. But really, to me, it's worth it. Vista offers more room for growth performance wise, and XP offers current games etc. Right now, I don't feel there's one that's better than the other - the only right answer is to have both.

Q. Do you plan on overclocking?

A. Yes. I do. To be 100% honest, I've never tried it before. Mainly because I've never had a system that was easy/medium to work with. I feel there's a lot of support for the E6850 and OCing, so much so my mobo has built in OCing profiles in it's BIOS. So, I'm a newbie to it, but I figure it's worth trying - hence the large PSU, lots of fans, and big heatsink.

Q. That's an expensive motherboard. Are you sure?

A. Yeah, I am. Lots of cool features, and has the X84 chipset which is getting great reviews. Will also allow for future upgrades once CPU prices drop. The sound card coming with it is a huge plus. Well... here, watch

Again, this is one I agonized over and am VERY open to suggestions based on my other hardware.

What I'm looking for is any last minute things you guys might notice with my build. Parts that are incompatible (given the hours/days I've spent researching this, there shouldn't be any... but who knows), parts that are known to be junk, recommendations for different parts of the same value etc. I'm going to place my order this weekend, as soon as I see the money in my account. I'm trying to work out any last minute quirks before it's too late. If I'm completely dead wrong on something, please let me know! :) I want to know!

I appreciate it the help in advance. You guys are the best. I'm just excited to get back into things and to be off a PC that I want to throw out the window every 10 seconds.

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Nice choice... but...

ASUS Maximus Formula Motherboard

Doesn't do SLI, Meaning that 8800GTX won't ever become 2.

It's a crossfire board... and i myself do not like ATI.

Here would be the SLI board to get...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131255

Nforce intel versions rock as i have a 680i version. Definaltly better then the nforce amds.

As for quad vs core 2, you may want to recheck the benchmarks

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel...?i=3038&p=8

Some things yes, lots of things no. Up to you though.

Change the samsung burner for an asus.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827135156

The Samsung is OEM so it comes with no software nor lightscribe apps. The asus comes with Nero basic and a lightscribe labeling app built into nero + has Nero7 which is vista compatible.

I have no experience with the ram you chose. Just check the warranty. Kingston and Crucial have lifetime. If they match go for it.

With 64 bit vista and a NEW pc... your system will rock. I get 90fps everything maxed in cod4 and 130 in GRAW2 (post effects down only cuz i don't like it) and even good old GR1 works great

Oh one final thing on the q6600. It will overclock highet then the core 2

Great system though mano... Only thing that really could be a showstopper is the crossfire board with an nvidia card in it. Oh... the 9000 series of the nvidia cards should be coming soon if you could wait a few months... up to you though as the 8800GTX rocks (i have one)

You didn't mention sound... you thinking an audigy?

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Thanks Roco.

I'm still looking at the motherboard. I didn't realize the Maximus was a crossfire-board... dumb me. $350 is a big chunk for a mobo. I'm still not 100% on this. How is it for future proofing? Is it going to support the new 45nm CPUs before the LGA775 is discontinued? Any idea how my Orb II is going to fit with this?

Switched to the Q6600 and the ASUS drives (thanks!).

As far as sound... I figured I'd go with the card that came with the Maximus board, it gets good reviews. So does the sound on the Striker II though. I figure both will be sufficient for my use.

I checked the RAM - Lifetime warranty also.

I'm not willing to wait, I've been waiting for years. I also need a new PC ASAP, because my two are pretty much useless. I'll go with the 8800GTX rather than wait for the 9000 series... that will come later.

I appreciate the help Roco! Still looking for guidance on this mobo. :unsure:

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I have the same GPU and it runs like a champ. No complaints.

I'll echo in on Rocos' MoBo advice and suggest you go with an nForce SLI certified board...you never know, there might come a time when 2 are better than 1.

Good chassis, lots of room, but be aware, that thing is heavy (I have a VA8003BWS). Just checked newegg for a listing for a VA8000SWA (Alum/Alum=½/weight), but they don't seem to have it in stock.

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Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm not too concerned with case size/weight. It's a desktop, it's only gonna sit in one place. :)

This isn't exactly a budget build. I'm trying to keep it reasonable, but I definitely prefer new over refurbished. I appreciate the link, but I'll feel much better dropping this kind of money on new parts.

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I would go for the quad core if this is a gaming PC

However, if you want to o/c, I have a friend who o/c'd the E8400 to 3.6GHz with the stock cooler. The Wolfdale CPU runs <30C at stock clocks

You shouldn't have too much prob hitting 3GHz with the Q6600

Can't go too wrong with any ASUS mobo. If you want SLI, then go with an Nvidia chipset. Otherwise, the Intel P35 is very stable.

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I have the same GPU and it runs like a champ. No complaints.

I'll echo in on Rocos' MoBo advice and suggest you go with an nForce SLI certified board...you never know, there might come a time when 2 are better than 1.

Good chassis, lots of room, but be aware, that thing is heavy (I have a VA8003BWS). Just checked newegg for a listing for a VA8000SWA (Alum/Alum=½/weight), but they don't seem to have it in stock.

I have the same case also... I love it... but it is BIG!... also makes great bragging rights lol. The BWS has a huge 250mm fan on the side.

Currently the board i am using is the P5N32E-SLI 680i and it rocks with the quad but since you were looking new and the best i suggested the 780I chipset.

OMG i didn't realize how big that orb2 was

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware.../ttgoldenorbII/

It's as round as a freaken CD. Not sure on that as it has to sit high enough to clear all the Heat pipes.

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I have the same GPU and it runs like a champ. No complaints.

I'll echo in on Rocos' MoBo advice and suggest you go with an nForce SLI certified board...you never know, there might come a time when 2 are better than 1.

Good chassis, lots of room, but be aware, that thing is heavy (I have a VA8003BWS). Just checked newegg for a listing for a VA8000SWA (Alum/Alum=½/weight), but they don't seem to have it in stock.

I have the same case also... I love it... but it is BIG!... also makes great bragging rights lol. The BWS has a huge 250mm fan on the side.

Currently the board i am using is the P5N32E-SLI 680i and it rocks with the quad but since you were looking new and the best i suggested the 780I chipset.

OMG i didn't realize how big that orb2 was

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware.../ttgoldenorbII/

It's as round as a freaken CD. Not sure on that as it has to sit high enough to clear all the Heat pipes.

Maybe it's better to start with the stock fan as with the new q6600 you will sit at 26C Celicius at idle and during gaming hit around 35C. These quad cores run cool. When your ready to overclock then you will know the dimensions your cooling will have to be.

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After all your help... thanks guys! :) I made some changes...

Moved to an ASUS P5K Motherboard. I read some reviews on the 780i chipset and saw that one of the biggest bonuses with it is the support for 45nm CPUs. The thing is, by the time I'm ready for an upgrade, the LGA775 socket will be obsolete and replaced with something else. So, I figured I'd go with something tried and true like the P5K; cheaper, stable, lots of support, has pretty much the same core features I want from something like the Striker II. Same for SLI, I'm not too concerned about it, because when I'm ready for an upgrade, newer and better things will be out.

I switched from the Orb II to a different Thermaltake HS. Thinner and taller, has good reviews and will reduce clearance issues with mobo chips etc.

I added the Creative SB X-Fi XtremeGamer sound-card. I figured that by dropping my mobo price by $150, I could afford the $80 sound-card to get dedicated sound processing for better performance.

As far as the GPU, I'm staying with the EVGA 8800GTX. It seems the 9800 will offer little gains over the 8800GTX, so there's not much sense in me wasting time waiting on it.

I'm still tweaking and fine tuning. If you all think I'm crazy for going with the P35, please let me know! :) I don't need any of my performance to be bottlenecked by my NB chip!

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After all your help... thanks guys! :) I made some changes...

Moved to an ASUS P5K Motherboard. I read some reviews on the 780i chipset and saw that one of the biggest bonuses with it is the support for 45nm CPUs. The thing is, by the time I'm ready for an upgrade, the LGA775 socket will be obsolete and replaced with something else. So, I figured I'd go with something tried and true like the P5K; cheaper, stable, lots of support, has pretty much the same core features I want from something like the Striker II. Same for SLI, I'm not too concerned about it, because when I'm ready for an upgrade, newer and better things will be out.

I switched from the Orb II to a different Thermaltake HS. Thinner and taller, has good reviews and will reduce clearance issues with mobo chips etc.

I added the Creative SB X-Fi XtremeGamer sound-card. I figured that by dropping my mobo price by $150, I could afford the $80 sound-card to get dedicated sound processing for better performance.

As far as the GPU, I'm staying with the EVGA 8800GTX. It seems the 9800 will offer little gains over the 8800GTX, so there's not much sense in me wasting time waiting on it.

I'm still tweaking and fine tuning. If you all think I'm crazy for going with the P35, please let me know! :) I don't need any of my performance to be bottlenecked by my NB chip!

For stability wise... you could use my board and still get SLI and great overclocking... P5N32E-SLI

I know a few who visit here that are using it and it's completely stable. It uses the 680I chipset.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....ion=P5N32-E+SLI

Here is a review

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Sp...ArticleId=19557

Note it has 3 Video card slots... 2 for SLI and 1 to make a video card into a physics card.

Do not get the plus version though as it is the previous chipset.

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Top 5 heatsinks from Frostytech

accdg to some forums, the usage on some fan on the Thermalright Ultra was mis-matched...who knows, but a good read indeed.

I got the Xigmatek HDT-RS1283---basically the same except the---supposed to be red LED---but its more orange :wall: ---I wanted a red glow...oh well.

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Thanks for the help, both of you. :)

Roco, I'm going to stick with the P5K. Both have pretty much the same specs, but the P5K has more ports, better expansion etc. SLI isn't a big deal for me, because like I said, by the time I'm ready to consider upgrading my GPU there will be different/better options out there.

CPL, great link! Thanks! A big help. I'm still on the fence on what to do for cooling. Given that I want to OC, part of me is strongly considering water-cooling (it's gotta be like cooling a car's engine... right?), but it's rather pricey. But, allows for far greater options on OCing, and... a big plus... is quieter - it's also pretty cool looking too.

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Thanks for the help, both of you. :)

Roco, I'm going to stick with the P5K. Both have pretty much the same specs, but the P5K has more ports, better expansion etc. SLI isn't a big deal for me, because like I said, by the time I'm ready to consider upgrading my GPU there will be different/better options out there.

CPL, great link! Thanks! A big help. I'm still on the fence on what to do for cooling. Given that I want to OC, part of me is strongly considering water-cooling (it's gotta be like cooling a car's engine... right?), but it's rather pricey. But, allows for far greater options on OCing, and... a big plus... is quieter - it's also pretty cool looking too.

You may want to look at the armor liquid cooling kit

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Chas...s/ve2000bws.asp

;) Might as well make it all match.

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I guess Athena won't be getting any love. :nono:

j/k keep us posted, maybe I'll learn watercooling from you :thumbsup:

She's probably going to see twice as much as I put into this PC. :wub: Trust me, you're going to like the revival of that topic. That's probably going to wait until June-ish. I'll probably get her fixed in May, but then I've got annual training from May 10 - 30, ukh.

Don't worry, once I get all the parts (and my camera back from the cleaners, hehe) I'll take pictures from what's put on my door-step, all the way to my final build. It will be quite comprehensive.

Roco, I've not seen that before... NewEgg doesn't carry that and it makes me mad. No big deal though, I've rather enjoyed doing the research and coming up with my own loop and my own parts list. Very cool case, neat idea. I like having full control over the WC system by picking each individual part... Athena's given me practice with radiators/cooling/piping/fluid etc... :hehe:

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I guess Athena won't be getting any love. :nono:

j/k keep us posted, maybe I'll learn watercooling from you :thumbsup:

She's probably going to see twice as much as I put into this PC. :wub: Trust me, you're going to like the revival of that topic. That's probably going to wait until June-ish. I'll probably get her fixed in May, but then I've got annual training from May 10 - 30, ukh.

Don't worry, once I get all the parts (and my camera back from the cleaners, hehe) I'll take pictures from what's put on my door-step, all the way to my final build. It will be quite comprehensive.

Roco, I've not seen that before... NewEgg doesn't carry that and it makes me mad. No big deal though, I've rather enjoyed doing the research and coming up with my own loop and my own parts list. Very cool case, neat idea. I like having full control over the WC system by picking each individual part... Athena's given me practice with radiators/cooling/piping/fluid etc... :hehe:

Let the teaser begin...

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/cases/m/...00BWS/st=query/

;)

Note it comes with a 3 year warranty.

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just a little inspiration for you P5K watercooling.

some more

enjoy

41yr5.th.jpg

Petra's supposed to be good at helping with watercooling too....they can mix-match too

I've been looking at that thread over at XtremeSystems for a while now. Lots of cool stuff. I've started on page 150 and am just now on 190, after a few hours of viewing. There's a LOT of information and inspiration. Some of this stuff is like art, it's amazing. I'm thinking about redesigning my case and layout, since I think I'm finally set on the core pieces.

Let the teaser begin...

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/cases/m/...00BWS/st=query/

;)

Note it comes with a 3 year warranty.

Thanks Roco! I'm going to look at this and the possibility of adding in a GPU block also.

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just a little inspiration for you P5K watercooling.

some more

enjoy

41yr5.th.jpg

Petra's supposed to be good at helping with watercooling too....they can mix-match too

I've been looking at that thread over at XtremeSystems for a while now. Lots of cool stuff. I've started on page 150 and am just now on 190, after a few hours of viewing. There's a LOT of information and inspiration. Some of this stuff is like art, it's amazing. I'm thinking about redesigning my case and layout, since I think I'm finally set on the core pieces.

Let the teaser begin...

http://computers.pricegrabber.com/cases/m/...00BWS/st=query/

;)

Note it comes with a 3 year warranty.

Thanks Roco! I'm going to look at this and the possibility of adding in a GPU block also.

Check at thermaltakes homepage. There is a block for a gpu for that system as an add on.

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Liguid/...88/cl-w0088.asp

I only see it at one vendor though

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getoffe...search=CL-w0088

Since the case and cooler is designed for each other i figured buying it as a kit may save you some time so you can start playing. You get this and i'll have case envy lol as the only thing i don't have is water cooling ... that you are getting and my board is SLI

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