My big-time gaming/everything rig build...

[SirFelixCat]

Well, here I am, ready, thanks to my poker playing prowess, to finally build "THE" rig that I really really have wanted to build. But, as always, I like getting input as to the pros and cons and where I can improve my bang-for-the-buck. So I come to you, my wonderful, knowledgeable friends, for feedback.

Any and all useful and helpful critique will be greatly appreciated. Here she is:

Case - GIGABYTE 3D AURORA Full Tower

Mobo - ASUS P5W DH DELUXE

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E6600

Video Card - eVGA Geforce 7950GX2

PSU - ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT ATX12V 500W or the CORSAIR HX620w

RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800

HDD - 3 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB

Sound - Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS

1 Sony DVD-Rom and 1 NEC DVD RW.

Also and external enclosure for one of the HDD's for backup and still undecided about the speakers. But there she is.

I was torn about the video card, possibly waiting for the G80's to come out, but decided that I want to wait til the 2nd run comes out to make sure all the bugs are fixed As for the monitor, I'd love the 37" Westinghouse, but that's just too big...looking at the Dell 2405...thoughts on that as well?


So, please, fire away. Thanks, as always, y'all. This forum has been invaluable for me in the past, so thanks-in-advance


eta: forgot to add the cooling...although the tower is ideal for water cooling, I am still leaning toward just air and a Tuniq Tower...thoughts there as well please?


eta2: oops and fixed now...heh.

 

[Hyperlite]

looks like a solid build.

 

[jmcoreymv]

Thats some high powered ram you got there.

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: jmcoreymv
Thats some high powered ram you got there.

lol, definatly.

 

[Smartazz]

I think it's hard to find the Tuniq Tower.

 

[Howard]

Why the P5W?

EDIT: You forgot to put "PSU" as an item on the left-hand side of the list, thus messing up the alignment.

 

[Corporate Thug]

i would got for the corsair HX620 for the PSU, otherwise, everything looks great

 

[SirFelixCat]

Heh, sorry about that fellas. Fixed now.


Now, what about the video card...does the logic make sense as far as waiting until a little further down the road until I get a DivX10 card?

Also, if not the Tuniq Tower, what for cooling? And any more input?

Lastly, I took a look at the Corsair HX620 PSU. I see that it's made by Seasonic, so good there, but do I really need a 620? Thoughts?

As for why the P5W...when I first put this list together, back in August, the Core 2 Duo's had just come out and the P5W was one of the only ones out there that could run it. I'm all for other ideas (with good reasons behind them)...that's why I posted this thread So, please, throw ideas out there...I'm all for'em!


Thanks again, fellas!

 

[Howard]

If I was building my own, I'd go with the P5B-E.

You could get by with a 400-450W supply the way your build looks right now, but the next-gen video cards are going to suck up a lot of power.

 

[hofan41]

hey man, ive got a very similar build about to pull the trigger soon, with the same mobo/cpu/ram/gfx combo. go us!

the only difference is im getting the

Lian Li PC-S80 case

western digital 320 gb's

and PC Power & Cooling 750 W power supply.

just thought you'd like to know =)

 

[acegazda]

I think the 500w liberty is enought to run any single gfx build.
On the vid card: If you get the evga 7950gx2, you can always step up in 3 months.
The scythe mine is a top notch cooler for $35 @ newegg right now.
I agree with howard. The p5b-e/deluxe are some of the best overclocking boards available now. The p5b-e is a mere $160 compared to the $230 you would have spent.
The dell 24" is a worthwhile consideration, especially since it is the cheapest UXGA monitor now. If you can muster the $$$, go for it. It's a nice compliment to the 7950gx2.

 

[SirFelixCat]

hofan...good stuff. I'm pretty excited about this. That's a pretty insanely beefy PSU...why so big? But still, good taste

acegazda...this is the kind of thing that I love about this forum! Great call and I agree with the stepping up with the EVGA card TY and to howard about the heads up on the mobo...always looking for a better-bang-for-the-buck, not to mention a better option. And I can afford the 24" Dell, I just want to make sure it's big enough

Now, don't get me wrong, I currently have a Sony FW-900 24" CRT that I LOVE, but always looking to improve, not to mention that that rig is still going to be used as a main computer, as well as this one. The 37" just seems a wee bit too large. Is the 3007 overkill as well?


Thanks again, y'all! Keep'em coming

 

[151528]

Originally posted by: hofan41
hey man, ive got a very similar build about to pull the trigger soon, with the same mobo/cpu/ram/gfx combo. go us!

the only difference is im getting the

Lian Li PC-S80 case

western digital 320 gb's

and PC Power & Cooling 750 W power supply.

just thought you'd like to know =)

Id go with Western Digitals too if i were you.

 

[hofan41]

well, i figure if i ever decide to dump a G80 or R600 in xfire/sli 750W should be good to go. also, why not when it's the same price as a 510W pc power & cooling "continuous" model?

also, I'm planning on getting a Scythe Infinity for my HSF cause of anandtech's recommendation, a bit pricier and hopefully worth it.

if ur gonna go big time, why not go big time?! lol

anyways i just wanted to let you know i saved about $100 on my e6600/asus p5w-dh combo by purchasing at hwrebuild.com instead of newegg. i ordered last night and got an email saying it was shipped early this morning. i will let you know if i get it, but just a heads up on a moneysaver!

 

[lxskllr]

You may want to look for an Xfi deal for your sound card. I've seen them for about $70 after rebate. If not, I could sell you an Audigy2ZS for $40 shipped assuming you're in the USA.

 

[Regs]

I wonder what the difference in framerate with the G80 and 7950 in crysis would be. That's the only thing holding me back right now. As it seems like next-generation video cards look to be much more potent in the shader department.

 

[SirFelixCat]

Originally posted by: Regs
I wonder what the difference in framerate with the G80 and 7950 in crysis would be. That's the only thing holding me back right now. As it seems like next-generation video cards look to be much more potent in the shader department.

That was my original "worry" as well, but then again, with EVGA's upgrade option, you could always do that w/i 3 months

And why the WD's over the Seagate's? Aren't the Seagate's usually better w/ a longer warranty???

 

[imperium95]

Looks pretty awesome. I have a P5W and I like it very much. The only thing I would add is perhaps a change in video card to fully take advantage of some of the features of the P5W. I am sure the nvidia card is pretty sweet but perhaps you can consider a pair of ATI x1950XTX's or something similar to take advantage of the P5W's crossfire support.

Just food for thought.

Mike

 

[hofan41]

well, i chose the wd's over the seagates for two reasons

1. i got 2 seagates a year ago and both of them failed within 48 hours.
2. WD's are among the most silent operating hdd's out there, especially the 320 SE16 ones i'm getting, whereas seagate stopped worrying about acoustics a long time ago (or so ive read from anandtech's review between the two)

 

[jkellynewyork]

Nothing like a fresh built system!! -congrats man -- the system looks solid.

I would personally get the 37" westinghouse. I dont think it is that big. I have been wanting to purchase the 37", but I am waiting for the right price. I see that J&R music world has it for $1299 + $53 shipping - no tax if outside of NY. I think I will get it soon if it drops another $100. It is a bit more money, but it will probably last through my next couple of builds - and I will not feel the need to upgrade my monitor. I want to hang it on the wall and use my current 19' lcd for dual screen.

I have not hear about the Dell 2405 but the specs look good and it is almost half the price of the Westinghouse.

 

[acegazda]

The 30" dell is massive, I don't think you can jack up the eye candy with that res and only one card. It'll still look sweet though. It's also 2x the cost of the 24".... so your call.