Eagle Eye is jumping Ship

[Eagle Eye]

Correct me if I am wrong like most it has become painfully obvious that upgrading to AMD's next generation cpu and motherboards would be simply unwise. I have decided against my bad credit :rtfm: and better judgement that its finally time to upgrade and move towards something with a little more power.

I am following the guideline that was stickied in this topic so that the rest of you should find it easy to assist me finding the ideal Intel setup that I have been so painfully avoiding for the last 2 years.

My current setup:

CPU: AthlonX2 5000+ BE 2.6ghz overlocked to 3.2Ghz
Motherboard: Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe 590 SLI
Memory: Crucial Ballistix PC8500 2x1GB kit
WindowsXP MCE SP3

The reason I have only stated 3 components and operating system is simply because these are the ones that I would like to change and upgrade, the rest of my setup I intend on keeping.

What my PC will be used for:

My computer will be used for about 75% gaming and about 25% Internet,
e-mail, movies, and word proccessing.

What is my Budget for this upgrade:

My budget is $600 for this upgrade and of course is subject to change where its necessary.

What country will I be purchasing from:

Well thats a no brainer here at HWC, preferably BC where there's no PST to Ontario

What is my Brand preference:

I am not going to lie I was an AMD SLI fanboy so now I am converting to a Intel SLI fanboy. Unfortunately that leaves out any intel chipsets unless ofcourse you can convince me that its worth selling my 8800GT Akmibo SLI setup for practically nothing and move to ATI for a hell of alot more.

Currents parts I intend on using from my previous setup:

Asus DVD-RW
Asus 16X DVD-ROM
Antec P182
Antec NeoPower 550watt PSU
2 x Maxtor DiamondMAX 10 SATAII NCQ 16MB Cache
2 x EVGA 8800GT 512MB Akimbo SLI
ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme with Noctua NF P12

Have I read or searched or read similiar threads:

Yes I have searched and this what I have come up with so far, I have also included a couple of powersupplies as I would imagine some might suggest that 550watt will not be enough for the new cpu and motherboard combination.

EVGA Nforce 780I SLI Ftw LGA775 ATX 3PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 RAID Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard - DirectCanada
EVGA Nforce 750I SLI Ftw LGA775 ATX DDR2 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 2PCI SATA RAID Sound GBLAN Motherboard - DirectCanada
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 3.0GHZ Wolfdale 1333FSB 6MB Retail - DirectCanada
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box - DirectCanada
Corsair XMS2 Dominator TWIN2X2048-8500C5DF 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-1066 240PIN Dual Channel Memory W/ Fan - DirectCanada
G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-2GBPI Pi PC2-8500 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit - DirectCanada
OCZ Reaper Hpc Edition PC2-9200 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-1150 CL5-5-5-18 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit - DirectCanada
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM - DirectCanada
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32BIT DVD OEM - DirectCanada
NCIX.com - Buy Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 32BIT DVD OEM - 66R-00765 In Canada.
NCIX.com - Buy Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64BIT DVD OEM - 66R-00838 In Canada.
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W ATX V2.2 EPS12V 24PIN SLI Active PFC Power Supply Black - DirectCanada
Antec Truepower Quattro 850W Power Supply ATX V2.2 EPS12V 20/24PIN Active PFC 80PLUS Dual 8PIN PCI-E - DirectCanada
Corsair HX620W CMPSU-620HX ATX Triple 12V 50A 24PIN ATX Modular Power Supply 120MM Fan 2X PCI-E - DirectCanada

Do I plan on overclocking my new system:

Now what fun would it be if I didn't plan on overclocking I might as well get a Dell, no better yet a Lenovo .

When do I plan on building this system:

As soon as it arrives in the mail after I order it Within the next 2-3 weeks I have to do that work thing somewhere in between.

Thanks to all for their suggestions and opinions and I hope this has been an easy experience for you, although running an Intel system for the first time in 8 years will be an uneasy one for me.

Regards,

Eagle Eye

[KnSKranky]

The 750 board, the E8400, the G.Skill memory kit(get 4gb),Vista Home Premium 64 plus the PC Power and Cooling PS(better than Antec). That's my opinion but the decision is ultimately yours to make.

[Iamcanadian7]

I would suggest most of what what Skranky posted, although if you have the funds maybe move up to a 780i, I heard they will clock better than the 750's.

Lets do some quick prices: (all prices from NCIX, if you look around you can match them down)

E8400 OEM $190
G.Skill 2x2GB PC2-8000 DDR2-1000 CL5-5-5-15 $99
Asus P5N-T 780i Deluxe $247.99 after MIR.

That's a total of about $540. If you need an operating system tack on another ~$150.

If that Antec is powering your current setup, it shouldn't have any issues with these new parts.

[CMetaphor]

Jump on the bandwagon, it's time for another traitor to make an unoriginal build.

Cruelty aside, Antec power supplies are not worth it at all anymore, I second the PC Power & Cooling suggestion.

[tfran]

I have EVGA's 750 and the only really annoying thing I've found is that with a dual slot card in the bottom slot, the clear CMOS is hard to get to. You need a pencil. Also, the NB fan is somewhat retarded and I couldn't get it to go flat against the HS. It has this little tab and I couldn't get it to fit in the slot. But maybe I'm just the retarded one. Other than that I don't really have any complaints. All SATA's are 90 degrees so if you ever upgrade to long cards you'll be alright. HOWEVER, they are ridiculously hard to access in a 900 with Silencer cables everywhere. Not familiar with the P182 so I can't comment on how easy you could get to them on it.

[enaberif]

Hate to say it but the P5Q + 8400 + Mushkin + PC Power and Cooling is really the best option out right now.

Unoriginal maybe but tried, tested, and true.

[CanadaRox]

Originally Posted by enaberif

Hate to say it but the P5Q + 8400 + Mushkin + PC Power and Cooling is really the best option out right now.

Unoriginal maybe but tried, tested, and true.

I agree completely, but he already has 2 x 8800GT's that he will be using in the new system, so he has to have an SLI motherboard.

I missed the 2 nvidia cards the first read through and almost recommended a P45 as well.

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by CanadaRox

I agree completely, but he already has 2 x 8800GT's that he will be using in the new system, so he has to have an SLI motherboard.

I missed the 2 nvidia cards the first read through and almost recommended a P45 as well.

Depending on his monitor size he could just use 1 of those 8800GTs for gaming and the other for .. FOLDING!

[Eagle Eye]

Thanks guys and to be quite honest I wish I could afford an Intel chipset solution, however at current market prices I would probably barely be able to get back a mere 1/3 of what a Radeon 4870 would cost even if I did sell my 8800GT setup. While quite capable of running a 24" monitor my dual 8800GT does offer me some peace of mind if I want to throw a little AA into the mix while playing my games. I guess I am in a bit of rock and a hard place at this point and time who would of thought pairing Intel chipset with intel cpus would be the "tried tested and true method" these days. I will have to give it a little more thought over the next few days before I make my decision and do some price comparison and then I will see where I am at.