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Advice on a new build Hi hardware Canucks, my MB has recently died and I'm thinking of buying a new system. Since I had a A8N-e S939 with an Opteron 175 and I wan't to build an Intel system using DDR3, I think I have to pretty much start from scratch. I will only keep my old harddrives (seagate .7s). This computer will serve mainly for gaming and some multitasking work involving Photoshop and othe work-related software. I live in Montreal and usually buy my parts at ncix.com. This would be my third homebuilt system. My budget is around 2000 $. I usually prefer NVIDIA video cards because of the better and frequently updated drivers although I could be tempted by the new ATI/AMD offerings. I am interested in moderate overclocking if it is not too much of an hassle (my current system is overclocked). Here is the initial list of parts I am thinking of:
Thank you in advance for you help! |
Em the onllly thing i see your missing is some thermal paste??? May i suggest some Artic cooling or AS5 watever you prefer. I went with the Asus P5Q-E but again thats because im most familair with Asus boards. Now i dont know if i should say this but do you really wanna go DDR3 so early i mean DDR2 prices are soo cheap... i hope someone else with more expertise can put their two cents in. Im glad you choose the Seagate 7200.11 great series of hard drives but im sure a lot of members will sugest you to get 2 640gb hard drives or 2 500gb hard drives. And that card is kick ass well anyways basicially if you can go DDR2 instead you can save the money and buy the GTX280 |
i wuold get a evga 750i or a evga 780i mobo. and get a 9800gx2 instead of the gtx 260. for the price of a gtx 260, u could get a 9800gx2, which matches if not beat the gtx 280. and going for nvidia chipset give u headroom to go sli in the future. but if u dont wanna go sli, get the gigabyte board, p45 is a great chipset. |
Don't get Nvidia motherboards if you don't plan on going SLI. That motherboard should be great, but the P5Q Pro is just as good, as you can see by the review that Hardware Canucks did. There's no need to go DDR3 so just stick with some good quality DDR2 RAM. You might be interested in the newer Western Digital 640GB hard drive. I believe it's faster and quieter as well. You might want to switch the cooler out for a OCZ Vendetta 2 or a Xigmatek HDT S-1283. You can also take a look at the Corsair HX620. It's an excellent power supply. |
I would agree with recommending the Western Digital Caviar 640GB HD or pick up two of them for raid. From my research I did based on the expert advice from others on this forum, the only drive you will find that may be better than that one is the Western Digital Velociraptor which is quite expensive. I was originally wanting the same drive you have picked out but it's not holding up so well in benchmarks etc. The tb technology just hasn't been as refined yet I guess. If you get two 640GB caviars I believe it's cheaper than the 1tb and you end up with more space in the end :thumb: For the RAM, if you realy want DDR3 I believe Mushkin has some DDR3 out now too (Mushkin XP PC3-14400 DDR3-1800). You get the expert advice of Mushkin Greg who could give you help with proper timings etc. if you're overclocking. It's a little more expensive though than the OCZ you picked but higher quality and better support I imagine. I would change your PSU to a Silverstone Strider 750W modular. Having the modular really helps with cleaning up your case for better airflow by getting rid of all the unnecessary cables you won't be using and will make it look :clap:with the clear side panel and blue led on your case. If you're going to overclock you should also check out the new direct contact OCZ Vendetta 2 heatsink and pick up a Noctua PF-12 fan to put on it. You'll lower your temps drastically especially with having the antec 900 case you have. The Noctua fan is silent which is nice because the antec 900 is apparently quite noisy with all the fans going (especially the 200mm beast top mounted). Looking good though, I'm no exper though so hopefully other people can add to what I've said. Have fun building! :biggrin: |
CPU heatsink...OCZ Vendetta 2 with Thermalright 775 thro-bolt backplate for sturdier heatsink mount. Don't like the pushpin mounts on the heatsink! Paphman910 |
Thanks for your advice! I'm now quite interested in the dual WD HD combo. Is this what you guys are talking about?: Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB I'm also considering the Silverstone Strider 750 W modular. I do hate those supplementary tangled wires. However, isn't that last year's model? Finally, considering the case, I've picked the Antec 900 because it seemed a nice gaming case. I thought that with a 200 mm fan, it would be silent (bigger fans don,t need to turn at such high speeds). Maybe I should go for the Antec P182 as I've read that the 900 had problems with cable management. I curently use a P180 and I like it a lot except for its weight and size. Any other suggestions? I also see that I could save money by going for DDR2. Any suggestions for good quality 4 GB DDR2? Also, I could go for a motherboard that has DDR2 and DDR3 support like the Gigabyte GA-EP45C-DS3R . |
I have an Antec 900 on the way right now, and also have a friend who built his similar rig into it without a modular PSU. Cable management in there is a little time consuming though it can be done quite well, even if you're not the type to dremel holes. Zip ties are your friend, and with the power supply on the bottom of the case it makes it slightly easier to help conceal since you don't end up with random ziptied spider legs dangling. |
If you go DDR2 chances are most people on here will suggest you go with the Mushkin Redlines or the Mushkin Ascent DDR2. They're both heavily in demand right now due to how good they are so they might not be in stock. It just seems to be the best bang for the buck. High quality and excellent support and you get access to Mushkin Greg on these forums for setting the timings with whatever mobo you choose to get the best results out of your overlocking. P182 and antec 900 are both great cases. You could also go antec 1200 if you wanted more space and better cable management just have to make sure your psu cables are long enough to reach the mobo. Call me crazy but I also like the look of the NZXT LEXA, the black one with the red led. I don't have any experience with it though. I like the idea of getting a mobo with both ddr2/ddr3 that way when prices come down and you feel the need to upgrade, that option is available to you later. All I know is to make sure you get one of the new chipsets, either x48 or P45 I believe? |
u relize 9800gx2 sells for $300 right? |
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