New Rig ... comments welcomed :)

[Finnkc]

Hey everyone I am building a mid range Game rig for myself (old one bit the dust) and trying to keep the premium parts cost down, but its unavoidable really. So far I am 99% on these parts, but if anyone has alternative suggestions then I am all ears.

CPU
Intel Core?2 Duo Processor E6420 2.13GHz w/ 4MB Cache
(I wish to do a mild over clock to gain some FPS)

Cooling
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme

MotherBoard
Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus w/ DualDDR2 800, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, 1394, Dual PCI-E x16 SLI

Memory
Mushkin HP2-6400 High Performance DDR2 SDRAM, 2GB Dual Pack (4-5-4-11 )

Hard Drives
Seagate 160GB Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II w/ NCQ, 8MB Cache

Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 4 SE 7.1, OEM

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case

Power
OCZ 600W GameXStream Power Supply w/ Quad +12V


Now I am hung up on what video card to drop in ....

eVGA e-Geforce 8800 GTS SuperClocked 320mb PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out

or

eVGA e-GeForce 8800 GTS SuperClocked 640MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out

The difference for me is about $100 Cnd.

Is the extra 320mb of mem. worth $100 ?


thanks
Fin

 

[RussianSensation]

If you wish to have a mild overclock, why do you have one of the most expensive coolers you can get?

See if you can get cheaper ram and get the 640mb version of 8800GTS instead.

Also I personally don't care much for expensive motherboards but that's just me.

 

[theYipster]

Hi,

680i motherboards are premium components meant for SLI systems with massive overclocks. If you're not planning on running two video cards in SLI, then there is really no reason to get the P5N32E (or any other 680i board for that matter.) I suggest looking at a P-965 board instead, which can sometimes be half the price of a 680i board. Look at the Gigabyte DS3. It's easily one of the most popular moBos on this and similar forums for its quality, stability, OC potential, and cheaper price ($70 less on newegg than the P5N32-E and other 680i boards.)

Good luck,

Mark.

 

[theYipster]

[deleted]

 

[Finnkc]

The Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme is only 60 bucks and gives me much more freedom to up the clock of E6420 without having to worry about heat. I did say I wanted a mild overclock, but instead of a 40 dollar HS+F I figure I might as well spend 20 more and get a much better one.

What would be a safe OC for the E6420? I was thinking 2.8GHz - 3GHz ... is that an easy clock to hit with the current specs? Sorry for sounding like a n00b but I have been OCin Athlons for the last while and have no idea how far a C2d can go.

P5N32E = 680i or 650i ? ???

I thought it was a 650i board, and having the option for SLi in the future when the 8800s drop in price is my reason not going for a single PCI E solution.

Has anyone had experience with the OCZ GameXStream PSUs? How do they hold up?


thanks for the feed back so far.

 

[theYipster]

P5N32E is 680i, the P5N32E PLUS is 650i (which I see you had selected...) Blast ASUS for their confusing and meaningless product names.

Mark.

 

[Finnkc]

lol ok ...

 

[sjandrewbsme]

If you're not doing SLI I think a P965 based board (like the Gigabyte DS3) would be a better choice. They overclock very very well.

I have the DS3 and the P5N32-E SLI (680i version). The DS3 I bought as a backup....the P5N32-E has broken now 3 times (fried MOSFET, replacement broke with a no POST, replacement for that one is being repaired by ASUS for the same no POST). The DS3, running with the same components and case, has been trouble free.

The 680i board overclocked like mad - and the Asus BIOS is a lot better than the DS3 (way more options). But...the DS3 is running and my Asus is in Kentucky getting fixed (again).

If I had it to do all over again, I would have bought the DS3. For what *I* do, it's no worse than the 680i (I don't use SLI and the P965 overclocks very well).

My recommendation: get the DS3 and the 640MB 8800GTS. Also, get a .10 drive (not .9).

 

[Roguestar]

^^^ Agreed. SLI is a waste of money and SLI-ing mid-range cards even more so. Get a non-"superclocked" EVGA 8800GTS 640MB. Why non-"superclocked", you ask? Because only the vanilla ones are eligible for the step-up system.

In short: SLi board -> P965 board. 8800GTS OC -> 8800GTS. Mushkin Expenso-RAM -> Whatever DDR2-800 is on deal at newegg at the moment (usually around $100).

 

[sjandrewbsme]

Yeah good point - I didn't see the RAM. Mushkin is not as good as it used to be, and certainly not good enough to justify the cost.

 

[Finnkc]

what would you guys recommend then:

Crucial BallistiX 2GB PC2-6400 Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 1GB) 4-4-4-12

Kingston HyperX 2GB PC2-6400 Low Latency Dual Channel DDR2 Kit 4-4-4-12

Mushkin EM2-6400 Enhanced DDR2 SDRAM, 2GB Dual Pack (2 x 1GB) 5-5-5-12

OCZ 2GB PC2-6400 EL Platinum XTC Edition Rev. 2 Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 1GB) 4-4-4-15

All are in the same price range for me.

 

[oynaz]

That PSU is way overkill.

 

[Finnkc]

Originally posted by: oynaz
That PSU is way overkill.

think I am gona go with the
Crucial BallistiX 2GB PC2-6400 Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 1GB) 4-4-4-12

never used Crucial before but people say they are good.

 

[TBSN]

I've got a quick question: What is the current revision of the Gigabyte DS3? I'm considering that too but I want to make sure I don't get an older version...

 

[RESmonkey]

Would a DS3 + an 8800 640MB be a good combo?

 

[Finnkc]

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
Would a DS3 + an 8800 640MB be a good combo?

heh I am really not sure but some folks around here seem to think so ... from what I have read its a good budget board.

Originally posted by: oynaz
That PSU is way overkill.

right now it is but I am planning on not upgrading my PSU for a while after this build. I always like to have some overhead anyway ... plus its not that $$$$ anyway.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: TBSN
I've got a quick question: What is the current revision of the Gigabyte DS3? I'm considering that too but I want to make sure I don't get an older version...

3.3

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
Would a DS3 + an 8800 640MB be a good combo?

Yes!