=>> After months of waiting and research , this is what it has come down to

[wolf2009]

ok after months of waiting and research , this is what it has come down to . any changes ? dont suggest p35 instead of x38 , suggest a better 4 gb kit , if any. no change in processor nor in card . suggest a better 500w or 600w power supply . require a cooler better than arctic 7 , should be easy to install as i have never installed coolers b4.


http://i30.tinypic.com/28icnk5.jpg

[B.E.E.F.]

Pro82+ PSU or Mod82+

85-88% efficiency. lower case temp.

[Waymon3X6]

Looks good, should play games like Crysis with good frames... Although the Q9300 isn't that much of an upgrade from the Q6600, it aint the best for overclocking either because of its low multiplier.

[Polizei]

Silverstone DA650. Corsair HX620.

[wolf2009]

those psu's will cost an arm and leg to me . cant go over this budget i have now .

[B.E.E.F.]

Why are you asking for substitutions then?

better = more money

[Waymon3X6]

Silverstone DA650. Corsair HX620.

I would choose the Corsair over the Silverstone any day...

[panfist]

How about this PSU?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002

[zanzabar]

u should get a pc power and cooling instead of the ocz, pc power is oczs top tier psu brand, or go corsair

i like my 750tx

[wolf2009]

How about this PSU?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002

i'm not looking at that much power or cost , i would like a sub-100$ psu .

[Waymon3X6]

Well man, then ditch the Q9300 and get the Q6600, and use the extra money for a better PSU. It is the most important part, buying cheap power supplies is not a good idea, especially when the fail and fry your motherboard, ram, CPU, and graphics card (happened to me twice).

[Thund3rb1rd]

I would recommend a p35 mobo (to save a little), and get better HSF

[B.E.E.F.]

especially when the fail and fry your motherboard

This happened to me. Cheap PSU + cheap MOBO = carbonized connectors. :shakes:

Being cheap will cost more money.



Enermax Pro82+ 82-88% efficiency @ 525W. $160.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194034


BTW: You don't need a 600W PSU to run an 8800GTS.

[panfist]

i'm not looking at that much power or cost , i would like a sub-100$ psu .

it is sub $100...it's $95 after MIR.

[wolf2009]

it is sub $100...it's $95 after MIR.

dont want 700w as i dont intend on extreme overclocking .

i thought ocz psu's r supposed to be good ? they have good reviews and 80% + efficiency

[panfist]

Well I suppose if you never intend on using 700W then there is no point spending the extra $10. As far as I know it's a good PSU from reviews and specs. I don't have it. It's just a question of is $10 worth it if you ever want room to grow. I would probably just go with whichever one had a better warranty.

[Polizei]

I would choose the Corsair over the Silverstone any day...

A friend has the Corsair and I've got a Silverstone. They're both quality units. Don't knock the Silverstone.

Check OCZ on jonnyguru.com.

[SparkyJJO]

I would choose the Corsair over the Silverstone any day...

Both are good units. Nothing wrong with the Silverstone.

[Extelleron]

IMO:

-Replace X38 with a P35 board (biggest advantage to X38 is CF, and you are going with an nVidia card)
-Replace Q9300 w/ Q6600 or spend a bit more for the Q9450/X3350
-Get a better PSU as others have suggested

[Waymon3X6]

Wait, the X38 is a better chipset than the P35 - it's newer, and all of the P35 motherboards I have seen so far have a PCI-e 16x slot and a 8x slot I believe.

Regarding the powersupply, I would choose the Corsair because I believe they're a tad bit better... I wasn't saying Silverstone was bad or anything.

[B.E.E.F.]

Isn't the major feature on the X38 better bandwidth for Crossfire?

Otherwise it seems pointless.

[Linchpin]

There's really no need to buy an X38 mobo if you're going to go with Nvidia cards imho.

[Waymon3X6]

Ok, then why buy a board with a Intel Chipset if your not using a ATi card? Why not a 780i?

[Linchpin]

Because the 780i is a real pita compared to P35 or X38.

[wolf2009]

y i'm buying x38 board is coz of pci-e 2 . i know graphic cards dont require that much bandwidth . but things can change quickly within a year . look at this article (http://www.tcmagazine.com/articles.php?action=show&id=127&perpage=1&pagenum=11) , in 2005 pci-e bandwidth was more than enuf . but that changed within a year with the introduction of ati x1000 series and nvidia 7/8 series .

i wanted to wait for p45 boards , but that has been delayed and i really need a pc . i'm already stuck in the agp generation . if i buy a pci-e 1 board so i'll again be in a similiar situation 2-3 years down the line .not able to upgrade a graphic card coz of bandwidth limitation.

i have gone over this again and again . when p45 comes out , i would want a board with onboard firewire as main requirment. and the board would cost around $150 . if i spend $200 now, i get firewire and pci-e 2 and crossfire option . as it is i'm not buying any new pc for next 3-4 years unless i win a lottery .

[Linchpin]

Sure they might but most likely they won't but it's choice at the end of the day.

[Waymon3X6]

The 780i boards are PCI-e 2.0...

[Linchpin]

The 780i boards are PCI-e 2.0...

Still a slightly modified 680i with all of its inherent issues though.

[wolf2009]

Still a slightly modified 680i with all of its inherent issues though.

thats y i'm not going with nvidia boards . wish i had lots and lots of money . then there would be no double-mindedness . buy a skulltrail mobo and go crossfire or sli . will a corsair 520w psu be enuf for 3870 crossfire ?

[halo112358]

Fortron/FSP group GLN series power supply :-p

DFI mainboard, g.skill ram :D :D :D

Don't bother with "surface purifier" - just use denatured alcohol or acetone.

[wolf2009]

i think i'm gonna change power supply to corsair 650tx . what do u guys think ?

620 w version is too expensive .

[halo112358]

i think i'm gonna change power supply to corsair 650tx . what do u guys think ?

620 w version is too expensive .

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Description=fortron+fsp+GLN&x=0&y=0

*cough* *cough* get the FSP FX700-GLN instead.

edit: hell, just get better parts all around (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=7602432&WishListTitle=try+this+instead) - then take the leftover money and buy a thermalright ultra 120 extreme and a quiet fan.

[[XC] DragonOrta]

I'd probably go for the PCP&C 610w Silencer. It's a great PSU.

[wolf2009]

that fsp psu looks good . but question is how better is it than ocz or corsair 650tx ?

it has only 2 years warranty ,

dfi board has no backpanel firewire port , so a no go there.

gigabyte board has dualbios and 2 firewire ports .

[Waymon3X6]

Better components and more reliable, I wouldnt say it's better than the Corsair though...

Check out some reviews, google em :)

[B.E.E.F.]

y i'm buying x38 board is coz of pci-e 2

This is going to be like the nonexistent bandwidth issues back in the day. PCI-E vs AGP.

[wolf2009]

This is going to be like the nonexistent bandwidth issues back in the day. PCI-E vs AGP.

that changed within a year .

[Linchpin]

that changed within a year .

Funnily enough it didn't ;)

[B.E.E.F.]

that changed within a year .

By the time you get a graphics card that needs PCI-E 2.0, your motherboard, cpu, and ram will all be obsolete.

:rofl:

[Ethelred]

Reading your build I would say I would agree with most of what has been said so far.

I would contend however, that you are paying a premium for parts you won't use to the full potential anyways. You have stated that you have no interest in overclocking, and that the sole reason that you are buying pci 2.0 is speculation at the market. And in the event that it is anyways, that means new GPU (More money anyways). My recommendation is to just go with a really solid P35 board, save the money buy a better heatsink and higher quality PSU.


PCP&P 610W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005) $119 <- If you consider that every component is based on the stability of the psu the quality of it becomes a bigger priority. It would be easy to cut costs enough elsewhere to add to the budgeted money for the psu.
DFI X38 (http://www.motherboardpro.com/DFI-LANPARTY-DK-X38-T2R-LGA-775-Intel-X38-ATX-DFI-Motherboard-Retail-p-531.html) $187 <- If you have to go for X38, I say go with this board and with the money saved buy the PCP&P. But otherwise, go with a solid P35 and get a better heatsink, fans and psu.
As well as the benefits from the 9300 aren't that economical over the benefits of the q6600. If you are buying on the idea that it is the newest tech available in your price range, I would consider waiting till apr 20th or considering the e8400.

[B.E.E.F.]

i would want a board with onboard firewire as main requirment.

Unless you specifically plan, or already have firewire equipment then don't bother.
Firewire is on its way out. The established connection is USB, and maybe eSATA if that gets enough market.


So much for 9mo of research. :rolleyes:


the benefits from the 9300 aren't that economical over the benefits of the q6600. If you are buying on the idea that it is the newest tech available in your price range, I would consider waiting till apr 20th or considering the e8400.

What is it. Something like +2% performance increase?


+1 for the E8400, or its cheaper Xeon Branding the E3110.

[Ethelred]

Unless you specifically plan, or already have firewire equipment then don't bother.
Firewire is on its way out. The established connection is USB, and maybe eSATA if that gets enough market.


QFT

For the most part firewire barely made it out of it's first year. USB 2.0 changed every advantage that firewire had over usb. The only company that really supports it still is for the most part Apple. And even then that is changing. I can understand you may want it if you already have a bunch of peripherals that are firewire, but the idea that it is more future proof to have firewire already built in is irrelevant and flawed.


What is it. Something like +2% performance increase?

+1 for the E8400, or its cheaper Xeon Branding the E3110.

The gain is marginal at best, the multiplier is simply to low to warrant the the purchase of it over the q6600, even when keeping in mind the other benefits of the q9300 over the q6600.

[wolf2009]

alrite thx for ur comments . took ur suggestions and

changed the heatsink to Zerotherm Nirvana 120mm , power supply to Corsair 550vx or 650tx . Which will be enuf for crossfired 3870's ?

also changed graphic card to 9600gt . will upgrade later if need more power .

going quad core coz i do video editing and encoding. 45nm quads coz they run cooler , and have low power consumption . My pc is going to be on 24/7 encoding videos . So power is a major factor considering the 45nm quads.

Firewire is important coz i got a external HDD connected with Firewire and my Sony HDV camera requires firewire for capturing.

Oh and yeah q9300 offers 15% performance improvement over q6600 in some cases and 7% on average and requires 40% less power. add that up to 47% on average . that is what the cost of q9300 is over q6600 .

[panfist]

I would say you have some good choices now. If you want to crossfire 3870s I think that you should have enough power, but you'll be cutting it close. You will be pushing a 650watt pretty hard and probably shortening the life expectancy.

However, why would you upgrade to crossfired 3870s if you're starting out with a 9600GT? The 9600GT is just a bit slower and has much lower power consumption (at load. idle, the 3870 is pretty good).

You do know that most motherboards only play nice with crossfire OR sli, not both. If you're going to start off with a 9600GT, which is probably your best choice, then you need to make sure you get an SLI motherboard for adding another 9600GT later.

Or, get a crossfire motherboard and start with a 3870.

[B.E.E.F.]

What about Q9450? And forget the 9600GT, weak. Look at an 8800GT.

[adamsleath]

looking pretty good ? (your pc parts list)
corsair's have 5 year warranty. 520hx or 550vx. single graphics card.

really depends what you intend upgrading in your 3-4 years, and what your budget is now.

go round and round the mulberry bush - you could easily spend less, and easily spend a lot more.

I would recommend a p35 mobo (to save a little), and get better HSF

you could get a good p35 mobo (dfi lt t2r) for the price of that x38 ^plus a xigmatech cpu cooler (get the bolt-thru-kit)

By the time you get a graphics card that needs PCI-E 2.0, your motherboard, cpu, and ram will all be obsolete.

future proofing doesnt work m8, 2-3 years and all this current junk (mobo/cpu/ram/gpu) will be old junk.
well, maybe not entirely, there are still x2's and p4's around....socket 478? socket 939?

i got no opinion on cpu.

[wolf2009]

not intending on going crossfire with 3870's , maybe next generation of cards . depends how much of a bottleneck my processor will become in future , and will the crossfire be needed or not .

[adamsleath]

i suspect a whole new ball game next year. either that or total stagnation :p:
there will always be a bottleneck in cpu or graphics and/or both, depending on the software.
yeah well; if in doubt, get the x38, then you'll be itching for 2 x g.cards.

maybe everyone will have 4 core cpu's and dual graphics cards one day.

[wolf2009]

ya if multi core cpu's are getting popular everyday , multi core graphic cards may also be the norm in future.

[Ethelred]

ya if multi core cpu's are getting popular everyday , multi core graphic cards may also be the norm in future.

The distant future at best though. When building a computer I have always consider building the base of the computer around the parts that you buy infrequently (for the most part RAM/PSU/HDD and a argument can be made for the mobo) with the proc and gpu having the lowest lifespan out of all the parts in a computer. In that when I upgrade later this month all I will be doing is stepping up my gpu and purchasing a new proc, there by allowing me to still have a very current and viable machine for a decent amount of time, while still limiting the investment into it.

Just something to consider.

[panfist]

with the proc and gpu having the lowest lifespan

This coming from a dude who's CPU was released in mid 2006?

Your advice does make sense but who knows if you'll be able to hold onto your RAM or motherboard in the near future. Prices of ddr3 could fall at any time in the next 6 months obsoleting ddr2, and Intel socket 775 only has 6 more months to live.

[Ethelred]

This coming from a dude who's CPU was released in mid 2006?

Your advice does make sense but who knows if you'll be able to hold onto your RAM or motherboard in the near future. Prices of ddr3 could fall at any time in the next 6 months obsoleting ddr2, and Intel socket 775 only has 6 more months to live.

I purchase my set up (for the most part) in august of 07. And chose this particular proc simply on budget. And while I consistently upgrade my computer, I still plan on having my mobo for about the next year, I'm going to add another 2 gigs of ram (still DDR2) and I will certainly add another HDD before the beginning of Q3. However, I'm not starting from scratch on any of these. I don't believe that DDR3 will become the standard before Q4 and 6 months is a very long time still for lga775.