About to checkout, final build review!

[Rise]

I'm about to press the order button for my new rig... It's intended for some video game playing (nothing cutting edge) and video editing work. I plan to watercool it after about a month of running it. What do you guys think??

CD/DVD Drives:
2x LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136144 - $30

Hard Drives:
1x Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136260 - $300
1x Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136178 - $80

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042 - $340

Mobo:
GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128336 - $235

Memory:
2x OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289 - $100

Case:
LIAN LI PC-65B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112040 - $130

Video Card:
EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130319 - $170

Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002 - $95

CPU Heatsink: Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001 - $50

Monitor: Dell ULTRASHARP 2408WFP 24-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-6272#tn1 - $620

my budget is $3k

Thanks!

[jcool]

Good overall choices there, I'd just change the 500GB HDD for a WD6400AAKS. Faster and shouldn't cost more. Or if you want absolute reliability I'd get a WD5001ABYS (a tad more expensive but well worth it, especially if you want to run 24/7).

[Rise]

how is that hard drive faster? i checked it and it has the same seek/write times as well as bandwidth rating. am i missing something??

[jcool]

Few things I'd change myself.

Raptor, $300? That's a joke, get two HDD 250GB each for half the price and much better, faster, more space for half the price.


The VR's 7ms random access just kills two 250GB HDDs performance-wise, it makes no difference if the drives are in raid 0 or not. What matters for 90% of applications is access and IOPS, and the VR rocks both.



Get the P45 chipset, incorporates the newly ICH10-R south-bridge, get the ASUS P5Q-Deluxe, it's got great reviews all over and also runs cooler compared to others and uses less power, cost it's $200.

Might be a good idea, even though P45 might have some bugs left.




Finally, the memory, I'd suggest getting something better like G.Skill RAM.


These Reapers are excellent Value, they may not be the best overclockers out there but they are reliable and always well-cooled. Plus G.Skill isn't any better than OCZ..



$620 for a 24" monitor? You must have book-marked some sort of ol'ass page, I saw a 24" monitor at the local Staples for $349 and it was Dell, as I see Stapes is starting to carry Dell products.

But hell, if you got $600 for a budget on a monitor? Why not a 28" monitor for $500: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254026


And that's what I'd go for........instead of what you have originally chosen, with that budget that is.......save here and there w/o sacrificing performance but getting something more reliable (G.Skill RAM) and a bigger screen, by 4 more inches.

Good luck.

Nothing like a high quality fullHD display. Sure you can get bigger screens for less price, but what good is that if you want a good panel? TN panels are fine for gaming and watching movies, but if you were ever to do something more serious you won't get far with a TN panel. I have an LG 24" featuring a P-MVA panel, and it's just another league entirely when compared to TN's.
The new Dell should be even greater.

[jcool]

how is that hard drive faster? i checked it and it has the same seek/write times as well as bandwidth rating. am i missing something??

The WD6400AAKS features 334GB platters, which makes it around 20-30% faster when it comes to read/write operations.

[Rise]

Few things I'd change myself.

Raptor, $300? That's a joke, get two HDD 250GB each for half the price and much better, faster, more space for half the price.

Get the P45 chipset, incorporates the newly ICH10-R south-bridge, get the ASUS P5Q-Deluxe, it's got great reviews all over and also runs cooler compared to others and uses less power, cost it's $200.

Get the BFG 8800GT for $150: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143118

Power Supply, definitely an OCZ is not what I'd use nor recommend, probably a PC Power & Cooling 610W would be much better IMO but if you think the OCZ is what you'd like? Go for it.

Finally, the memory, I'd suggest getting something better like G.Skill RAM.
Thanks for the suggestions, but i have a couple of questions...

What makes that mobo better? and does it support 8GB of ram? I don't see it in the product specs....

I think I will change my vid card for the one you suggested, thanks!

As for the hard drive, I can't find the hard drive you mention on newegg when I search for it.

What is the difference in PSUs?

And what's wrong with the memory I chose?


$620 for a 24" monitor? You must have book-marked some sort of ol'ass page, I saw a 24" monitor at the local Staples for $349 and it was Dell, as I see Stapes is starting to carry Dell products.

But hell, if you got $600 for a budget on a monitor? Why not a 28" monitor for $500: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254026


And that's what I'd go for........instead of what you have originally chosen, with that budget that is.......save here and there w/o sacrificing performance but getting something more reliable (G.Skill RAM) and a bigger screen, by 4 more inches.

Good luck.
The dell monitor is the best reviewed 24" monitor I found with much better spec's all around. I considered going bigger but the 24" will do the job nicely and again, is very well reviewed. Thanks again for taking time to look through my post and thanks for the suggestions! :)

[Rise]

The WD6400AAKS features 334GB platters, which makes it around 20-30% faster when it comes to read/write operations.
Gotcha, I never woulda figured that one out :p:

suggestion accepted!:D

[zanzabar]

ghange your MB to the dfi DK x48, adn ram to gskill and your good

i hate that and teh x38 gigabyte boards they arnt worth the money get the dfi, its even cheaper

[XtremeBawls]

I agree, go for the Seagates.

I'd maybe look into one of those sticks of Mushkin. 5-5-5-18 is some ugly timing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010170147&Manufactory=11103%2C1504&PropertyCodeValue=523%3A15794%2C524%3A26639%2C524% 3A29084%2C524%3A27322%2C524%3A20643%2C524%3A23284% 2C524%3A23288%2C524%3A25727&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16820146785%2CN82E16820146789

Lian Li case's are amazing :)

PC P&C 610W is a good choice, I have one myself and you cant go wrong with one of there PSU's.

Nothing wrong with your heatsink choice but ive always liked thermaltakes big typhoon cooler.

Also Dell monitors are quite nice but Samsung has a nice line of monitors out also.

Just my thoughts.

[Rise]

from the storage FAQ:

7b. When Not To use RAID-0
1. You care that your data will be lost if any drive fails
2. You're just an average desktop wanderer - most desktop work involves very small files
3. You like to do video or other large file manipulation from and to the same source

[Rise]

ghange your MB to the dfi DK x48, adn ram to gskill and your good

i hate that and teh x38 gigabyte boards they arnt worth the money get the dfi, its even cheaper

DFI DK doesn't have any onboard 1394 ports :( other than that... it seems about the same to me?

[Rise]

I agree, go for the Seagates.

I'd maybe look into one of those sticks of Mushkin. 5-5-5-18 is some ugly timing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010170147&Manufactory=11103%2C1504&PropertyCodeValue=523%3A15794%2C524%3A26639%2C524% 3A29084%2C524%3A27322%2C524%3A20643%2C524%3A23284% 2C524%3A23288%2C524%3A25727&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16820146785%2CN82E16820146789


a guy who left a review on newegg said he up'd the mem voltage to 2.1 and set the timings to 5-5-5-15... that's exactly the same as the mushkins stock. i've owned mushkin and like it a lot, but not sure its worth the extra dough in this case if I can do the same for less. :shrug:

[Rise]

PC P&C 610W is a good choice, I have one myself and you cant go wrong with one of there PSU's.

Nothing wrong with your heatsink choice but ive always liked thermaltakes big typhoon cooler.

Also Dell monitors are quite nice but Samsung has a nice line of monitors out also.

Just my thoughts.

I ended up adding the 750W PSU instead of the 610 because the recommended wattage for my system was over 610 with a mild overclock and I plan to add a watercooling system with a DCC pump... I think it should work just as well as the 610, just costs a bit more.

Yeah the typhoon cooler looks good too, both had similiar results.

thanks for the comments!

[zanzabar]

DFI DK doesn't have any onboard 1394 ports :( other than that... it seems about the same to me?

then fo dfi LT x48 or asus maximus/rampage, gigabyte makes garbage it dosnt have dual phase ram power and there is the stupid +voltage and not fixed values in the GB bios

dfi is much better, and if u cant do that then asus is better than the GB as well

[TouGe]

If you are still looking then may I also suggest you look into the P5Q-Deluxe. Right now its clocking QC's like crazy and with less voltage than the x38/48 chipsets that I have used. Don't get me wrong, DFI x48 is a great chipset but I'm hooked on the P45 and its only been out for a little more than a week or two. Check out the posts in the Intel section.
As for memory I'd proabaly go with Mushkin 2x2GB PC2 8000.

[XtremeBawls]

Memory is preference to a certain extent, I have just been a fan of Mushkin for performance, reliability, etc.

Any PC P&C PSU is good imo, i just happen to have the 610 right now, but am thinking about upping to the 750 for the little price difference and am thinking about adding water. BTW, OCZ bought out PC P&C if you didn't know, still shouldn't change the quality of them.

I would also go with an Asus board. The Asus name itself pretty much ends the discussion on why imo.

OH, and have fun with your build.:D

[Rise]

I think I'm going to go with the ASUS P5Q-Deluxe after all of the reviews... I'm still just wondering 1 thing - does it support 8GB ram? I don't see it on the spec sheet. i suppose I could just google it :p:

edit: looks like it's actually 16GB max... so that answers that!

[Rise]

The order has officially been placed!! :eek:

Thanks everyone for your input, I really appreciate it and I've made some changes based on it. Thanks!!! :up:

[TouGe]

The order has officially been placed!! :eek:

Thanks everyone for your input, I really appreciate it and I've made some changes based on it. Thanks!!! :up:

When you get it head over to the Intel section and join the P5Q-d discussion. I am sure all those posts plus the guys over there will be able to help you get 8GB's running if you run into issues.

[zanzabar]

The only two brands I'll ever use for an Intel system are: ASUS, being the #1 choice because when it comes to support for Intel? No other can't beat it.
And GIGABYTE, because they have an excellent support as well and their products have improved over the last 3 years, except I don't like their colors but nevertheless, I'd chose them as #2 and for #3? ECS, they're great and cheap.

Brands I'll avoid like the plague: MSI, because their products are in my book: cheese and cheap built.
DFI being that as well, they waited for C2D to start spitting out Intel based boards, therefore their support is basically none for when it comes to Intel and will never beat ASUS or GIGABYTE, ECS for that matter as well.
And why that dfi street went down? Because they sux!

ASUS or GIGABYTE (don't want to OC but get a nice build for your kids? ECS).

u appear to not understand dfi or gigabyte, dfi waited becouse before the c2d they made server intel and amd boards and ocing 939 their consumer boards are for ocing and not normal use per say, and gigabyte was purchased by asus then removed and now they are stuck with their broken bios system and they have all of their boards made by foxconn (but not like foxconns top tier. gigabyte dosnt even use duel phase ram power. abd ecs is never good, frys gives them away with their cpus and they typically are responsible for dead cpus and ram


but the p5q deluxe is a great board

[Rise]

but the p5q deluxe is a great board

Good, 'cause that's what I got!! :clap::clap::clap:

[zsamz_]

The only two brands I'll ever use for an Intel system are: ASUS, being the #1 choice because when it comes to support for Intel? No other can't beat it.
And GIGABYTE, because they have an excellent support as well and their products have improved over the last 3 years, except I don't like their colors but nevertheless, I'd chose them as #2 and for #3? ECS, they're great and cheap.

Brands I'll avoid like the plague: MSI, because their products are in my book: cheese and cheap built.
DFI being that as well, they waited for C2D to start spitting out Intel based boards, therefore their support is basically none for when it comes to Intel and will never beat ASUS or GIGABYTE, ECS for that matter as well.
And why that dfi street went down? Because they sux!

ASUS or GIGABYTE (don't want to OC but get a nice build for your kids? ECS).


if you think ecs is good enough for kids:rofl::rofl: i wouldnt put one in a htpc
i think gigabyte suks
msi is much better than esc lol
ya looks like you know your stuff :rofl: