PROLE and SMOOTH GROOVE: Theoretical new PC inside

[TVC15]

GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor
OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Antec Nine Hundred Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
COOLMAX CUQ-1350B 1350W Power Supply
Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler 120mm Cooling Fan and Fan Controller/Heatsink
LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech Black SATA Model GH20NS15
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 750GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Currently tracking at 1200 beans, my budget is about ~2000, so we have some wiggle room.  I do not need a GPU.

My questions:

1) Is that mobo as good as it could possibly be?
2) Is that processor as good as it possibly can be (note: if the next better processor costs like 500 bucks more for negligible gains, I will probably stick with this one)?
3) Also mobo related:  Is it a mistake to go with a DDR2 RAM mobo over a DDR3 RAM mobo?  I am not so schooled in teh RAMz.
4) Also looking for other tower recommendations.  I kinda like the one I have listed.  Also note I do not want to break the bank over a tower.



My keyboard and mouse glows blue, why not the whole fucking machine?

[MrAngryFace]

Hahaha, keepin up with the MAFes'

[TVC15]

Hahaha, keepin up with the MAFes'

Yeah, I'm thinking of grabbing the machine you just got, as the important parts are similar.

[Smooth Groove]

Read my previous post in the buy thread yesterday.  I really believe that a GPU upgrade will net you more benefits than the CPU/MOBO upgrade.  The 8800GT simply isn't adequate for 1920x1200 gaming.  Also, like I said, new processors are coming out very soon from Intel so you might want to wait.  

1) Depends on if you want to do Crossfire or SLI?  If you want SLI, then go with the EVGA 750 SLI FTW.  It's cheap and fast.  I personally would recommend SLI over Crossfire.  It's just easier to config SLI to work with a game.  

If you want the fastest board regardless of cost, then go with the EVGA 790i FTW.  It's only compatible with DDR3 though, which is a bit more expensive.  

2) Yeah, it's good enough unless you want to get a 6 core Xeon but I don't know what kinda mobo you would need for that.  

3) DDR3 is faster and more expensive but it's also more likely to be compatible with future mobos.  All the new chipsets are going to use DDR3 instead of DDr2.

4) I think this case is better than the Antec 900.  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

[MrAngryFace]

Of the three of us I am definitely the baseline for where or PCs should be, as I upgrade only a few times every few years.

[Smooth Groove]

I'd pat myself on the back if I only upgraded once per year.  Btw, MAF, you might want to return your 512mb 4870 and get the newly released 1gb version.  The extra ram makes a difference at 1920x1200. 

[TVC15]

Smooth:  you're missing the point.  I want an all new machine because I want my Mac Pro back.  A simple mobo upgrade is not possible.  And the Mac Pro has inadequate PSU options for a card more powerful than the 4870.  In true Apple fashion, the Mac Pro really isn't very upgradeable.

I found a mobo that is identical except it is DDR3 and has more USB ports and mobo PCIe power slots.  It's 80 bucks more, so I will probably go with that and upgrade the RAM to DDR3 1800.

Also, Prole sez the new intel processors are likely to still be using socket 775, so I'd be safe.

[MrAngryFace]

I dont run that res since my monitor maxes at 1650 I think it is, im not a performance freak, I just wanted crysis to run and look nice

[Smooth Groove]

I'm pretty sure the new I7 will require the new X58 chipset.  Another thing to consider is that X58 mobos can be both SLI and Crossfire compatible although that's dependent on the mobo manufacturer.  If you really need a new high performing rig now, then go with the 790I FTW.  It is highly stable and extremely overclockable.  

I dont run that res since my monitor maxes at 1650 I think it is, im not a performance freak, I just wanted crysis to run and look nice

My bad.  I thought that you had upgraded to a 24 incher along with Prole, Patel and TVC.  512mb of Vram should be enough for your rez. 

[MrAngryFace]

I upgraded to a 22 inch its something close, but yeah it maxes at 1650.

[Smooth Groove]

TVC, I forgot to mention that you should consider getting a 300gb WD Velociraptor.  Since your PC will be so fast, you don't want to be limited by a slow hard drive.  

[TVC15]

Alright, aside from the DDR3, what makes the 790I FTW better than the mobo I have in my first post?

TVC, I forgot to mention that you should consider getting a 300gb WD Velociraptor.  Since your PC will be so fast, you don't want to be limited by a slow hard drive. 

Yeah, prole told me I should probably get 2 300gig Raptors and RAID them.

[Smooth Groove]

Alright, aside from the DDR3, what makes the 790I FTW better than the mobo I have in my first post?

TVC, I forgot to mention that you should consider getting a 300gb WD Velociraptor.  Since your PC will be so fast, you don't want to be limited by a slow hard drive. 

Yeah, prole told me I should probably get 2 300gig Raptors and RAID them.

SLI support?  Currently SLI's only possible with Nvidia boards, aside from the Intel Skulltrail mobo (which might be the one in your Mac). 

Also, the FTW uses much better parts than standard boards so that it can handle much higher FSBs than anything out there.  Increasing FSB is the easiest way to overclock. 

Even if you don't care about overclocking, Intel has steadily been raising the FSB of its processors so the FTW would be handy if you ever decide to upgrade the CPU again. 

How long do you think your new rig will last?  If it's only going to be for a year or so, then just go with the 750I FTW and DDR2 ram. 

[TVC15]

Hmmm, according to Wiki, it is confirmed that the I7 is using the new socket type, and they are (as of now) scheduled to ship in October.  I think I will just save my pennies for the next month and see what happens.

[Smooth Groove]

That's a good idea.  According to Wiki, the low end I7 will only be about $300.  Intel's 45nm manufacturing is pretty mature so there should be quite a bit of headroom with overclocking.  Also, the multi-threading should make a pretty big difference with multi-tasking and video editing. 

[TVC15]

But there's also this on i7:

"Many early articles suggest that i7's design is not ideal for gaming performance. In a test done on leaked hardware, a Core i7 940 compared to a QX9770 shows the Core i7 is slower than Yorkfield clock for clock in 2 games while being faster in the other two. Difference in all cases are small."

[Smooth Groove]

yeah, I've seen those benchmarks but the inferior graphical performance was most likely due to video drivers not being optimized for the new chipset and CPU.  The most important thing to consider is that the I7 did have a higher CPU score in 3DMARK than the current quad-core, which means that it possess more computational power. 

[Phoenix Dark]

how much did all that cost?

[TVC15]

how much did all that cost?

Like 1230.  I'm going to wait a month and see how the Intel Core i7s do when they launch.  It will cost a bit more, but it might be worth it.

[Phoenix Dark]

i'm getting that processor, just about everything else is over my budget ($400 or so)

[TVC15]

i'm getting that processor, just about everything else is over my budget ($400 or so)

You're not getting that kit from the other day, then?

[Phoenix Dark]

i'm getting that processor, just about everything else is over my budget ($400 or so)

You're not getting that kit from the other day, then?

I'm either getting that or just building something:

MSI P43 Neo3-F LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
RAIDMAX ARES ATX-801WBP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450W Power Supply - Retail
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3750640AS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E2180 (think I'll switch)
(and a GeForce 8600)

[TVC15]

Yeah, I was going to say, you probably don't need a quad core, and going dual would save youa  bit of money.

[Phoenix Dark]

Yea, and for what I'll be using it for it makes sense.