Advice on new build...

[Spamdini]

1. The PC im building will be used for a lot of gaming, a solid amount of video editing/after effects, as well as some mapping for games (might get into modelling too), and then the simple stuff obviously (word processing, browsing, music, dvd watching).

2. My budget is 1300$CAD, i can go as far as 1400$ but i would rather not.

3. I will be buying my parts from Canada, specifically NCIX.com

4. I'm not a fanboy per say but i have had good experiences with Seagate (2 drives never failed on me) and ATi (cause they used to be Canadian).

5. I intend on keeping my keyboard, mouse, monitor, sound system and headphones. All i need is the box.

6. I have been reading pretty constantly for the past long while. Even when im not in the market i try to keep my knowledge up to date.

7. I will overclock if its easy, but have never done it before and am not big on it (dont like voiding warranties and taking risks with things i spend money on and wont have the means to buy again in the near future )

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What ive put together so far is this:

-Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box...268.88

-Visiontek Radeon HD 3870 512MB GDDR4 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDMI HDTV Out...239.99

-G.SKILL F2-6400CL4D-4GBPK PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit...129.99

-Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64BIT DVD OEM...212.25

-Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 2PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard...203.49

-Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive...144.16

-Antec Sonata III Black ATX 16IN Mid Tower Quiet Case 3X5.25 2X3.5 4X3.5IN 500W 120MM Fan...124.80

this comes to *at the moment* 1323.56$CAD (not including tax and shipping etc...), i say at the moment because ill be waiting for the boxing day week at NCIX where some things should prove to be cheaper etc...

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My questions are:

Whats the deal with Penryn (Q1 2008), ie should i wait for it cause i know that if i wait ill always be waiting for the next thing.

Is there any reason for me to push for a mobo with pci-e 2.0 since the GPU is?

What do u think about my choice of memory, i dont know all that much about timings or memory brands ive always gone with Kingston but it doesnt seem to be an option this time.

Should i be thinking about SSE4 or any new developments similar to it? I know i need a mobo AND a CPU to support it.

Anyway thats it so far if i think of anything else, i think ive covered all my bases though ill fill u guys in.

critique away!

 

[DSF]

The latest I've heard is that some kind of technical issue has delayed the Yorkfield quads. I don't know if that means 1 month, 2 months or more, but I don't think they're coming out in January if that influences your decision.

The bandwidth on PCI-e x16 hasn't even been fully saturated yet, so you don't really need a 2.0 mobo. By the way, I don't see a DVD drive.

As far as overclocking, Core2 chips overclock ridiculously easily. I'm typing this from an E4500 rig I just put together two days ago. It's my first time overclocking, and I've got a 2.2GHz chip undervolted and running stable at 2.9 Ghz. You may want to consider it.

 

[Spamdini]

oh snap i did forget an optical drive. thanks.

 

[cozumel]

Very nice piece of kit you've got there. I would stick the Q6600 for your gaming and especially if your video-editing software supports multi-core.

You listed the gaming first and video editing second but I'm not sure if that is your priority. If video-editing is your priority then you have chosen a good GFX as it should perform better than Nvidia but if gaming is your priority then you should get an Nvidia 8800GT or GTS imo.

Don't forget to order some MX-2 thermal paste at the same time as the optical.

And merry christmas.

 

[Spamdini]

thanks, the 8800gt are just more than i want to spend. anyone else have any insight on the whole penryn question? or anything else period?

 

[Spamdini]

bump

 

[Spamdini]

again, any advice i can get about waiting for penryn and the RAM i chose?

 

[Spamdini]

hey guys so i have another question. how important are ram timings. i can get a 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400 set of OCZ Platinum XTC for 109.99 with timings of 5-4-4-15 or a set of Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2X2GB) PC2-6400 with timings of CL4-4-4-12 for 134.99. what would u go for?

 

[DSF]

Originally posted by: Spamdini
hey guys so i have another question. how important are ram timings. i can get a 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-6400 set of OCZ Platinum XTC for 109.99 with timings of 5-4-4-15 or a set of Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2X2GB) PC2-6400 with timings of CL4-4-4-12 for 134.99. what would u go for?

Timings aren't that important.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: Spamdini
again, any advice i can get about waiting for penryn and the RAM i chose?

from the looks of it, it might be worth it if your current hardware isnt aching for an upgrade.

It draws less power, produces less heat. Smaller DIE, performance to performance its a tad bit greater then Q6600. However its nothing compared to what neha will bring.

Also i highly doubt you'll see any ram problems. The case and also the fact you left out a cpu cooler tells me your not going to see any special overclocks. Expecially with that cramped up case. No super high overclocks = low fsb = your ram is fine...

My Recomendations:
The 8800GT is really worth it expecially if you watch HD movies. Hardware HD playback is very nice. Also it should be plenty fast for what you need or intend on getting into.

Get a better case. Budget limited, id grab a CM690 or centurion. As for PSU's id grab a Corsair VX430, or even possibly the HX520 if you can fit it in your budget.

Get a cpu cooler...

 

[AntecCSR]

Your EA-500 PSU that comes included with the Sonata III case will handle that system easily. You'll notice it's also lightweight. It use to be that you should buy a PSU by the pound. Now, modern components and efficient designs mean that the heat sinks don't have to be as big and the fan can be small and quiet. The high efficiency will save you money in the long term on your power bill.

 

[Spamdini]

i would like to learn to overclock a bit. not to extreme measures, but ive never done it before and supposedly the Q6600's overclock well. nehalem isnt scheduled to come out for another 6months atleast will i be able to upgrade at that point with the mobo im getting? what if i were to get an x38 mobo?

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: AntecCSR
Your EA-500 PSU that comes included with the Sonata III case will handle that system easily. You'll notice it's also lightweight. It use to be that you should buy a PSU by the pound. Now, modern components and efficient designs mean that the heat sinks don't have to be as big and the fan can be small and quiet. The high efficiency will save you money in the long term on your power bill.

as much as i love some of your cases, the sonota is NOT an overclocking case.

Silence + overclocking only has harmony in watercooling. I would of recomend the OP one of your PSU's the Antec Quattro 850W that being one of my favorate PSU's right with the PCnC Silencer, however i knew members here would flame me for recomending a honking big PSU. But i have to PASS on that recomendation to that case.


The sonotaIII is not the overclocking case of choice. Its very cramped in there, and it will be hard as hell to keep a quadcore + 8800GT fully in check. Only has 1 rear exhaust and 1 front intake?, no side intake, and no top or bottom intake. Theres a front mesh kind of grill that is a filter, so im guessing the wind tunnel effect using negitive airflow. Uhhhh.... thats after the air's been touched by the board + Hard drives + ram -> CPU?

Sorry, the sonota sucks hardcore if your planning on overclocking.

The Antec900 would be a much better case recomendation, but i think the op is looking for mid tower, which would mean a CoolerMaster RC690 is a much better case then the sonota.


So OP, my recomendation still stands.... Trash that case, and pick up a CM RC690 /w a corsair VX430 PSU. Antec Trupower series is fairly good too.



@ OP, the quadcore truely becomes a scary monster once you pass 3.2ghz thats = to 400fsb x 8. And yes its not very hard to get 3.2ghz on a G0 with proper cooling, and good airflow.

And yes the difference IS NOTICEABLE.

 

[Denithor]

The Penryn quads are supposed to launch sometime in Q1-2008 so it could be up to 3 months before we see them on the market. If you are just dying to get a new system go for the Q6600, however if you can wait the Penryns will actually be quite a bit better (lower power draw, better overclocking, SSE4 for video encoding, better general use & gaming performance).

Another option, especially if you are in a hurry for this build, would be to get an e2160, OC to 3GHz (or higher), and use that until the Penryn quads launch. You should be able to sell the e2160 fairly easily or just keep it as a backup. You might be surprised at how fast a system like this runs (may not need to upgrade to Penryn quad until the prices become reasonable).

 

[Spamdini]

cool thanks for the input. with a p35 or x38 board will i be able to upgrade to a penryn or nehalem later or would i need a new board?

 

[Spamdini]

bump just cause i wanna buy tonight.