I have a $2,500US budget.

[Mr Fox]

Originally posted by: Netu
Dah, I figured that. SLI is silly.

Yeah, and I will have DX10. *cheers* I just hope that, you know, it's not too bad. If I ~need~ a physics card I can always buy one sometime.

NVIDIA Chipsets Can be Quirky POS's also... Intel is the way to go

Listen to PurdueRy I agree with what he has told you.. and he has done his best to de-bunk the B.S. factor

I build a ton of Machines he has not led you in the wrong direction... But be sure to get what you want also.. Doing your homework makes for a happier camper in the end.

 

[Netu]

@Mr Fox: Lol. "B.S. factor" -- well, at any rate I am glad that it is debunked!

And yes, I love doing my homework (really), but it's hard to learn about all of this massive knowledge base when you hardly know where to start. I think I've done pretty well over the past two weeks though; I've learned quite a lot of computer stuff. However, the more know-how the better, for sure!

I'm glad to hear PurdueRy has done such a great job; I felt that he had as well. People like him should get paid more. ;-) (Unless you're like a millionaire or something Purdue. xD)

Thanks for the input. Take care, and keep the comments and help coming--the machine's not built (nor ordered *cries*) just yet. ;-)

 

[8steve8]

Piuc2020:
I have been using 64-bit vista since it launched. i have been using dual core intel and amd cpus, and its plenty fast for me. and has gotten alot faster with all the updates to the OS via windows update.


you are correct, there are virtually no 64-bit apps... except for windows media center, 3rd party builds of firefox (have you heard of it?) and IE-64 which ships with windows... oh yeah, 64-bit version of windows mail and thunderbird, but yeah, as of now there's not much.

within a year we'll have ms office 64

I'm not saying you need 64-bit now, im saying there are some benifits, and as 64-bit apps start comming in, the experience will surpass 32-bit windows.

I would agree in heavy gamming, right now, 32-bit vista will be a bit faster, but that will change with time... and quiet frankly when building a new quad core computer with an 8800gtx, a few percent is an ok price to pay,, and yes i garentee he has an idle core out of 4 almost all the time, including gamming. and cirtanly a few % of one core to spare.

32-bit vista doesn't even recognize mroe than 3GB ram...
maybe u can get the media for 64-bit vista from MS for free.. so u wanna re-install? thats real fun...

anyway i think 64-bit is a no brainer, ive used both... and on a computer of this caliber you wont notice any performance difference... but 64-bit is a bit safer from viruses and such.

 

[8steve8]

but nvidia SLI does not work on the intel P35 chipset (or any intel chipsets).

correct me if im wrong.... but as far as i know, if you want nvidia SLI, you need a Nvidia chipset.

 

[Piuc2020]

@8steve8: You said it yourself, there are no 64-bit apps and when every NEW computer on the market can run Office 2007 at full speed I don't really care about the 64-bit version. I agree, there will be benefits once we all migrate to 64-bit but its not the right time yet and for now it will only bring complications (at least thats what it brought for me).

And re-installing is not such a big deal (especially with how easy and speedy the vista install is), especially when that reinstall will probably come 2-4 years from now and it will make his computer feel like new, especially with all the 64-bit content by then and the ability to address more than 3.3GB of RAM. I wouldn't go 64-bit, I'm using 32-bit on all my computers and won't switch to 64-bit until its really worth it, Leopard is coming out with full 64-bit support and Mac OSX is a great OS. Maybe that OS will make me change my mind about 64-bit OSes but for now, 32-bit is just superior.

My vote still goes to 32-bit, it will be better today and you have 64-bit for the future, whats to lose?

@Netu: Crysis uses their own physics not the Physx SDK which means a physics card will do jack for you in Crysis a Physx card is not necessary yet, very few games utilize it and more importantly, very few games utilize it in a way that is worth an additional $200 expense. Its not like you can't buy a physics card later on anyways.

And like everyone has said, SLI is not needed nor recommended, a single 9800GTX will likely be faster than SLI 8800 GTXs so really its pointless unless you have cash to burn.

Oh and your X3220 link made me laugh.

Cheers :beer:

 

[HarvardAce]

Originally posted by: bamacre
I guess what I was saying is, to avoid that pinch, stick with an LCD that does 1680x1050.

For gaming, bigger LCD's with larger native resolutions, are not only more expensive, but also more expensive to maintain. Games just don't look as good when you are playing them at their non-native resolution.

I have a 24" Dell that runs at 1920x1200 native. I agree that running in anything but native resolution looks absolutely terrible in most circumstances (unless you're at precisely half the native resolution, but who runs at 960x600?). However, with a 24" monitor, running at 1680x1050 with black borders around it makes it equivalent to a 21" monitor. If your budget can afford it, I don't see any reason not to go with the larger monitor, and if it means you have to go to 1680x1050 at 21" a year or two down the line because your card can't keep up with the games, then you're no worse off than if you had gotten a 20" that runs at 1680x1050 in the first place.

 

[Netu]

@HarvardAce: A good point. And noted. Thus, if any "excess money" (Is there such a thing? Who am I? ) should most definitely go into a bigger monitor.

Now, I'm not saying go all the way up to like 46" or something - certainly not. However, if I can get a 24", then I might as well.

@Piuc2020: Right. So I'm fine with my physics and my graphics. > Excellent. Also, doesn't the 9800 come out in about a month or two?

Yeah, I laugh at that picture too. I don't know why...it's just so dumb, I guess. *sigh* I really need to grow up.

Thanks again guys! I love the input, keep it comin'! :-D

 

[Piuc2020]

Well yeah its probable that nvidia will release their new generation of cards this year but you have an EVGA card and you can step up to the new card if its released before November 16th (if you buy today) and it won't cost you much if you decide you do want the new card.

 

[8steve8]

i'd recommend not getting an SLI motherboard... nvidia chipsets suck

intel has by far the best motherboards... and its usually better to buy a new video card rather than a 2nd for SLI ... 2-3 yrs down the road a single card will be faster than 2 8800s... a lot faster.


i still dont see why u guys are so anti-64-bits... even if there was no benifit... which their is... whats the downside... a few % performance in some games??? who cares... with an 8800 and quad core cpu and 4gb ram... so what.
soon the performance gap will dissapear...

"The 64-bit editions of Windows Vista are for the serious computer users who have advanced high-performance needs and are running a computer system with a 64-bit processor. These editions bring together Windows Vista innovation with cutting-edge PC hardware to deliver access to vast amounts of memory, stronger security, and a new level of reliability. Security features such as Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and Microsoft's PatchGuard provide an additional layer of security against threats, while increased memory capabilities improve the performance of applications with heavy memory demands."

its more secure, due to forcing signed drivers and data execution bit prevention support...
32-bit vista simply doesnt offer this...
and as i said before you have the 4GB address space limit with 32-bit windows meaning apps have 2gb of usable memory and if they exceed that ... crash.
anandtech has 3 articles about this,,, part1/2/3. check it out.

not to mention physical ram support.. 32-bit vista recognizes as much as 3GB... 64-bit ... more htan a Terrabyte i believe.
way more than any motherboard you would buy could hold... 8GB i think is the max most current boards can sport.


yet i say again,,, even if vista64 added nothing... why not? seems dumb to be afraid of it without reason. a few percent in some games is nothing to be afraid of with a monster computer like this. and that performance difference which is due to drivers will dissapear.

x64 native apps include internet explorer,3rd party firefox, thunderbird and windows media player... soon office 64 and many others...
thoser are all increadably popular apps.


i see no intellegent reason for him not to get x64....
if he had 1gb ram, and a single core processor with and old video card... then you could make a case.... but as is... its just stupidity.

 

[8steve8]

if you dont mind waiting a month or two some better motherboards will be available...
based on the new intel x38 chipset.. specifically for high end / overclocking / enthusiasts like you want .

 

[Netu]

"Xeon's are meant for servers and work stations. Don't buy them for normal use. the 8mb L2 cache is only for L2. There is different cache for L1. For what processor I would choose the quad core because it can last longer but for now and the forseeable future the faster dual cores would be better for the average person. Although you could overclock either but the quads use more energy. It is all on what you are going to be using it for."

"Brilliant CPU and it works very well with the Asus P5M2/SAS motherboard. Highly recommended if you're building a server for yourself or small business."

Uhm... I think we made a boo-boo?

Help? I need somebody? Help? Not just anybody?

Yes, I had to break out into a Beatles song. I guess the 3220 -is- better. :-| As I was reading, I even found that the Q6600 can even be better at overclocking.

Advice, suggestions? As always, I love you for it. :-D Thanks!

 

[PurdueRy]

The Q6600 is the same as a X3220. The X3220 is considered server grade which might get you a higher binned CPU.

However, I do see that no Xeons are on the Gigabyte P35C support list. I would ask in the CPU or motherboard forum to verify that these are still drop in replacements.

 

[Piuc2020]

Whoever told you that is an idiot. A X3220 is the same as a Q6600 except its a Xeon which like Purdue said its likely you get a higher binned CPU (server grade processors need to be more reliable than consumer grade).

Any motherboard that supports quad core will support the X3220.

 

[Netu]

@Piuc2020: I love how direct you are. xD You really make me feel like you know what you're talking about, and because of that, I trust you. It makes sense that it would be of higher quality/more reliable, but I was just worried that it wasn't the best for gaming, or that it wouldn't perform at a setting needed for the 8800.

I'm glad to hear everything'll be alright, though.

Thanks again.

 

[8steve8]

for some periods in time intel has shipped better HSF with xeons than with equivolent consumer cpus...

anyway if the price is similar, get the xeon.



theres always something around the corner,, in this case you have penryn and the x38 chipset... but you'll have to wait... idunno.. realistically until november or december for those.



officemax has a 24" soyo LCD on sale tommorrow for $300. (no rebate) 1920x1200 1000:1 dvi/analog.... these monitors are a bit of a mystery at this point, but wow... $300 for 1920x1200. worth a drive to the store to check em out.

 

[Netu]

8steve8: Wow! Thanks a lot! I am mostly going to check out that 24". :-D

Also...I am going with the Xeon. But I keep hearing from many persons that I should just go with the higher powered CPU, like a 3.0ghz duo or something.

I don't think I will be disappointed, but I would like the best bang for my buck, ya know? ;-)

But the Xeon is epic. Fast. Amazing. And strong. So I see no reason to get it. So I'm going to.

One last thing: My money was pushed back a bit more...as usual...it seems I won't be ordering 'til the 21st. :'-( Disappointing, but maybe some epic new piece of equipment will come out then. :-D

 

[Piuc2020]

You can buy your PC with the greatest game of all, Bioshock which comes on the 21st

 

[Netu]

Yeah. > No kiddin'.

 

[PurdueRy]

http://www.clubit.com/product_...itemno=CA6200027&nav=3

 

[Netu]

@PurdueRy: I love you.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Netu
@PurdueRy: I love you.

Note that it is only good til Wednesday. You better get your money!

 

[asdftt123]

Netu, just wondering, what's your final build going to look like? I'm putting together my system in a couple of weeks and I'm in the same price range and considering much of the same hardware.

 

[Netu]

@PurdueRy: I know, I know! D-: *is panicking!*

@asdftt123: Stay in touch on this thread. I will post it up very soon. Maybe in a few minutes; however maybe in a few hours. (It's according to what my classes are like.)

Thanks guys, and I'll post back soon enough. :-D