Need input on a new gaming system

[linnaete]

I've been planning this out for a few days now, and while I have ideas of what I want & what I want to spend, putting it all together with compatible parts is the hard part. I'm trying to build a system for mainly gaming (WoW, yeah yeah I know...) and would appreciate some input:

MB: Thinking of going with Asus, not sure which though I hear the Intel P965 chipset is the best with core2? There seems to be controversy on the 680i chipset so I'm weary to go that route. Haven't decided if I need the 16x SLI or not...thoughts?

CPU: Definately the Core2 E6600
RAM: Either Crucial or Kingston 2GB dual channel. I was looking at corsair (nice deal on it) but it seems they have been having bad luck lately in the quality dept.
Vid Card: I'm not sure that buying a GeForce 8 series is the best idea right now, so I am planning on going with the 7950 GT. If you guys think there's a good reason to go 8, I'm all ears!
PSU: Got a 600W from a friend to use for now


The parts I've been playing around with are at around $1K and I'd like to stay in that range. Thanks!

 

[jpeyton]

You're about 1 month away from Nvidia launching the 8600 and ATi launching the R600.

That doesn't necessarily mean you need to buy the latest and greatest; new product launches also means lower prices on previous generation products (like the 7950GT).

If you can't wait that long, the 8800GTS 320MB should be released in less than 2 weeks at an MSRP of $299. A single 8800GTS should be plenty for WOW at high-settings.

MB: Asus P5B-E or Deluxe
RAM: I'm not sure if you wanted value RAM or the fast/expensive kind. Kingston makes great, cheap value RAM ($65/GB). If you want something you can overclock with, check out this list and grab something that has green colored Micron D9G in the right-most column.

 

[linnaete]

That MB looks like a go... and thanks for the link for the RAM. I haven't heard of some of those companies. I would like to go for quality in RAM dept, what are the top brands for that?
ddr2 800 is the choice for this CPU/MB, no?

As for the vid card, I may try to wait it out and see what kind of deals I can get, although it's a difficult thing for someone so determined

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: linnaete
That MB looks like a go... and thanks for the link for the RAM. I haven't heard of some of those companies. I would like to go for quality in RAM dept, what are the top brands for that?
ddr2 800 is the choice for this CPU/MB, no?

As for the vid card, I may try to wait it out and see what kind of deals I can get, although it's a difficult thing for someone so determined

You'll be fine with any company on that list; just pick the brand based on price and availability. Brands like Corsair/OCZ/Crucial are premium brands, but I've used less expensive brands like Patriot with the same results. The ICs (RAM chips) are the most important factor, not the brand.

 

[moosey]

This Patriot memory should be great (check the RAM list) and has a nice price after rebate. Jpeyton is right about getting quality ICs. Having the same Micron ICs, check the price difference with the Crucial RAM.

Also, I agree with either the Asus P5B-E or P5B-Deluxe if you're going with Asus.

Are you buying a PSU eventually? I don't understand if the one you have is a "temp" or something on loan and if you'll need to buy one or not.

 

[linnaete]

I think I may need to upgrade PSU eventually, I have a coolmax AP-600X. I think that it should do for now anyhow, until my next batch order of parts.

I like the price of that patriot. Stupid question though, for that list earlier of the RAM IC's, are all "versions" of that brand & particular item number the same IC? I notice that some of the ones listed (including the patriot one) have more than one listing for it. Just not sure if I should be checking some sort of specs at retail stores (i.e. newegg) or if I just order the same name as is on that list and that's all?

 

[Roguestar]

Asus and Gigabyte are highly praised lately for their P965 boards.
Seriously consider waiting two months for the graphics card market to become saturated with high and mid-end D3D10 cards.
Anything on the ramlist is good, except it doesn't seem to be updated very often; we've heard that buffalo and corsair have both pulled a fast one and switched out their ICs from Micron to cheaper inferior chips.

 

[linnaete]

I'll def. stick with the board you guys praise, I was completely lost on that one! I'm also going to try my best to hold off on that vid card..

As for the switcheroo, it would make sense of all the sudden complaints about corsair lately - the recent negative feedback surprised me, last time I bought corsair it was nothing but praise!

But once I do go for the PSU, any ideas on brand and wattage? Should 600 be enough or do I need more? I think I saw something about fortron (sp?) being a good choice.

 

[InlineFive]

Drop the memory to 1GB. Pick up a new Fortron or Seasonic PSU, I think 500w should be plenty.

 

[magreen]

Do you need RAID or Firewire? If not, there's good cheaper motherboards out there than the Asus.

Are you overclocking? If not, there's much cheaper decent motherboards out there, and you can get inexpensive decent DDR2 533 ram also, which is what your CPU and motherboard need to run at stock settings.

All the links about RAM chip manufacturers and DDR2 800 etc. are only useful if you're overclocking.

 

[linnaete]

I don't need raid or firewire, however I would like the option of overclocking. Even though it's not a priority, I do plan on it.

I haven't had any problems with asus in the past and have dealt mostly with them, so what would be my other options for a MB?

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: linnaete
I don't need raid or firewire, however I would like the option of overclocking. Even though it's not a priority, I do plan on it.

I haven't had any problems with asus in the past and have dealt mostly with them, so what would be my other options for a MB?

Gigabyte or Biostar.

 

[athfbum]

Abit AB9 QuadGT mobo.
It's a great OCer, although I have heard from a few people that there have been problems with RAID

 

[magreen]

Originally posted by: linnaete
I don't need raid or firewire, however I would like the option of overclocking. Even though it's not a priority, I do plan on it.

I haven't had any problems with asus in the past and have dealt mostly with them, so what would be my other options for a MB?

BIOSTAR TForce965PT for $105.
Alternatively, GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 for $119. I'd recommend the Biostar but the Gigabyte is popular, too. They both overclock like banshees.

And your E6600 has a 9x multiplier so you don't need DDR2 800 memory unless you're doing serious overclocking -- if your FSB were 400 to match DDR2 800 memory speeds, you'd be running your CPU at 3.6 GHz which requires an aftermarket heatsink (about $45).

If you're doing modest overclocking on the stock cooler (3.0Ghz - 3.2 GHz max) get some decent CAS4 DDR2-675 like CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 675 Dual Channel for $179 ($149 after MIR)
or CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 675 Dual Channel for $83.

Since you're overclocking, you could also consider lowering your CPU to an E4300 with 2MB cache for $175 (soon to drop in price)... if you don't have your heart set on 4MB cache, it'll do everything else the E6600 will do, and the 4MB cache only makes a significant difference in a few select applications. The E4300 also has the 9x multiplier and you can pretty much OC it to the same 3.0-3.2 GHz speed on the stock cooler.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

The ICs (RAM chips) are the most important factor, not the brand.

Ouch ! :shocked:

ALL RAM modules are not created equal ... some of these co's can screw up even the best of IC's. El-cheapo PCB's, crappy traces, etc etc ...



P.S. - You DEFINITELY need to add a high quality power supply to your build list too. It is worth it in (troubleshooting) time saved alone, just went down that route with (2) builds for people who initially didn't want to spend decent $ on their PS.

 

[linnaete]

magreen,

I'm not too terribly worried about the price, but I am interested in your comments about the E4300. If it can essentially reach the same modest OC potential (3.0-3.2) as the E6600, I would be interested. Is there any OC reviews to back this up you can point me to? Is it stable at those speeds? And what do you mean by "a few select applications"? The only application I'm really worried about is WoW. Thanks!

Also, I didn't know that about the 675 RAM. Where's a reliable site can I find out more about CPUs and multipliers and such (archive/FAQ etc format)?

 

[miniMUNCH]

Originally posted by: athfbum
Abit AB9 QuadGT mobo.
It's a great OCer, although I have heard from a few people that there have been problems with RAID

And it is more expensive.

Another vote for the Asus P5B... I have the p5B deluxe.

Edit: I also have the E4300 with a Tuniq Tower (which is cooling overkill)... easily, easily clocks to 1066 FSB. Temps would be fine with stock cooling... with the Tuniq tower, bumping up 33% change the temps 2-4 degree C.

 

[magreen]

Originally posted by: linnaete
magreen,

I'm not too terribly worried about the price, but I am interested in your comments about the E4300. If it can essentially reach the same modest OC potential (3.0-3.2) as the E6600, I would be interested. Is there any OC reviews to back this up you can point me to? Is it stable at those speeds? And what do you mean by "a few select applications"? The only application I'm really worried about is WoW. Thanks!

Also, I didn't know that about the 675 RAM. Where's a reliable site can I find out more about CPUs and multipliers and such (archive/FAQ etc format)?

This article has all the E4300 info you need. You can see how high it overclocks stably on the stock cooler, and you can also see it overclocked to 3.38 Ghz and compared to the 4MB cache X6800 at 2.93 GHz speed... sometimes the E4300 wins and sometimes the X6800 wins, so you can see which apps the 4MB cache is important for.

I'll keep an eye out for links to cpu and ram and multipliers... basically, the CPU and RAM speed are a function of the FSB. Most Core 2 Duos run 266 FSB at stock, which translates to DDR2 533 memory speed (DDR and DDR2 memory are double-pumped, which means they transfer info twice per cycle. That's why the memory speed is double the FSB speed). The CPU runs at a fixed multiplier of the FSB... e.g. the E4300 and E6600 have a 9x multi so at 266 FSB it's 2.4 GHz. Overclock by raising the FSB to 333 to get 9 * 333 = 3.0 GHz with RAM running at DDR2 667 speeds. That's why you only need DDR2 667 memory to OC to that speed.