Gaming pc ideas.

[Grey.Fox]

ok. have $$ to spend on a new rig. now just need to select the components. i do know that i want to run the 9800 gtx, i do want to run sli in the future. i would like to run 3 hard drive (op system, games, movies, music,pic). but i still need to decide on a board, processor , etc... anyway help is welcomed. also if ur in the same situation post up here too.

[boogle]

You have a choice of these chipset / processor / DRAM combos:

NV 780a / Phenom / DDR2
NV 780i / Intel Core 2 Quad / DDR2
NV 790i / Intel Core 2 Quad / DDR3

Intel is probably the fastest. To get any real advantage from SLI you need a CPU running at 3Ghz+ tbh, that's either Intel or AMD. DDR3 is more expensive than DDR2, and not much faster by any stretch.

As for which you go for - that's entirely your choice. In this forum, most people would recommend AMD. In the Intel forum, everyone would recommend Intel. In a neutral forum, the majority would still favour Intel, especially since it overclocks so easily for nice boosts with SLI.

Do note that the 780a chipset is the only one that will let you power down the graphics cards when not in use. If you go for a 9800GTX, that's a 54W saving, with SLI that increases to 108W.

[Rammsteiner]

Do you plan on overclocking?

[crowncobra]

Get asus amd mobo and phenom with 2x 3870 2x2gb 1066 ram and you should be fine

[Jowy Atreides]

ok. have $$ to spend on a new rig. now just need to select the components. i do know that i want to run the 9800 gtx, i do want to run sli in the future. i would like to run 3 hard drive (op system, games, movies, music,pic). but i still need to decide on a board, processor , etc... anyway help is welcomed. also if ur in the same situation post up here too.

stick with intel and get one of the new cards,
a 4870 or gtx260 instead of a 9800

maybe an abit ip35, 2gb of ballistix, e8400 and a 4870 = good midrange gaming pc

[techguy2k5]

stick with intel and get one of the new cards,
a 4870 or gtx260 instead of a 9800

Right.

maybe an abit ip35, 2gb of ballistix, e8400 and a 4870 = good midrange gaming pc

ROFLMAO! Mid-range! I've got an E8400 + 8800 GT on an IP35 w/4GB (there's zero reason to recommend less than 4GB RAM to a prospective desktop PC buyer with prices as low as they are) and it's anything but mid-range. Oblivion @ 1080P w/all settings maxed, HDR & 4x AA & 16x AF enabled looks and plays great.

[Sparky]

You have a choice of these chipset / processor / DRAM combos:

NV 780a / Phenom / DDR2
NV 780i / Intel Core 2 Quad / DDR2
NV 790i / Intel Core 2 Quad / DDR3

There are other options too, he doesn't have to have a quad core if he wants to save a few bones.

Get asus amd mobo and phenom with 2x 3870 2x2gb 1066 ram and you should be fine

He said he wants a 9800gtx, possibly SLI, so no, 2x 3870 isn't a good recommendation for him since he has that decided already.

[Particle]

Oblivion @ 1080P w/all settings maxed, HDR & 4x AA & 16x AF enabled looks and plays great.

Let's be realistic here. I could do that with my Radeon 2900 Pro. Oblivion is still a great game, but its crown as "system-killing game" hasn't been true for a while.

[boogle]

There are other options too, he doesn't have to have a quad core if he wants to save a few bones.

He's looking at SLI, which means more than budget CPUs. Both the Phenom and Q6600 are easily within price range, and very important with newer multithreaded games.

[generics_user]

He's looking at SLI, which means more than budget CPUs. Both the Phenom and Q6600 are easily within price range, and very important with newer multithreaded games.

actually my old opteron 170 was enough to feed my 3870s, no big gain with my new e8400 and min pfs are the same

dual cores are better for gaming as you can clock them higher (4+ghz easy with intel, 3.5+ possible on amd) and no games are multithreaded, additionally quad cores use 2 times more power than duals for no obvious benefit...

[boogle]

dual cores are better for gaming as you can clock them higher (4+ghz easy with intel, 3.5+ possible on amd) and no games are multithreaded, additionally quad cores use 2 times more power than duals for no obvious benefit...

Crysis, Lost Planet, Alan Wake, Mass Effect, Supreme Commander, Assassins Creed, etc. etc.

There's plenty that use more than 2 active threads. A 3.5Ghz Athlon64 X2 isn't as fast as a 3Ghz Phenom, and that's with 2 or less threads. With Intel it's closer, but in lots of recent benchies the Intel quads are faster than their dual-core siblings. Otherwise the Q6600 wouldn't be as popular as it is would it? That clocks to 3.5-3.8 pretty easily.

[Power5]

I have been away for a while. Does any other game need SLI 9800GTX besides Crysis now? I would say buy both cards when building the system, or dont plan on it. By the time you are ready for the next card, the newer cards will be on the market. I would be building with a 9850 and dual 3870 if I was building right now. If not, I would be building on a 9850 and 4870.

[Grey.Fox]

ok. i'll refine my perameters some.
-I want to experiment with oc ing the future.
-I am looking into sli when the gpu's get cheaper, and just maybe if i'm stupid enough tri-sli.
-The monitor i wish to run it on is a 10890p 32+ inch television.
-Quad core compatibility is a must so it can be somewhat "future proof"
-Dual core is a option if the board can support quad and duak core tech.
-I dont think i'll do anytype of watercooling, but that may change.
-Yes this computer will be running crysis.
will post more info later when i can think striaght

[Devil's Prophet]

Why SLI when you can go for an Intel cpu + Intel chipset solution and some nice dual GPU ATI card? Let's all just admit that for stability and compatibility's sake it's better to go for a chipset that is designed by the cpu producer.

[Grey.Fox]

thought ati was owned by amd?
ati dosent do all to much for me. personal perference

[Devil's Prophet]

thought ati was owned by amd?
ati dosent do all to much for me. personal perference

ATI is owned by AMD now indeed, the more reason to go for an all AMD platform. But keep in mind that CF is supported by intel chipsets, while SLI isn't. Booyah at that, really. And due to NF4 and some really bad experiences I do not want nvidia chipset based mobo's again. Also a personal preference.

[Extelleron]

First you need to decide whether you want an AMD or Intel processor.... then you can expand on the platform.

For video card I would go either HD 4850 Crossfire ($400) or a single HD 4870 ($300). They will be out on June 25th. HD 4850 Crossfire looks like it will trade blows with nVidia's GTX 280 ($500 or $649, not known yet).

For CPU, going AMD I'd probably recommend you go with an AMD board that supports crossfire (790FX) and for CPU at this point I'd say a 5000+ BE. It's not the fastest, but it will overclock to 3GHz+ and it has better price-performance than the Phenoms. When 45nm Phenoms come out, you can upgrade to them.

Going Intel, the best thing you can get bang-buck wise is the E7200 for ~$130 along with a P35 motherboard (non-CF) or X38 motherboard (if you are going CF). It will hit around 4GHz with a decent cooler and at those speeds there is no game that needs more CPU power.

[Grey.Fox]

First you need to decide whether you want an AMD or Intel processor.... then you can expand on the platform.

For video card I would go either HD 4850 Crossfire ($400) or a single HD 4870 ($300). They will be out on June 25th. HD 4850 Crossfire looks like it will trade blows with nVidia's GTX 280 ($500 or $649, not known yet).

For CPU, going AMD I'd probably recommend you go with an AMD board that supports crossfire (790FX) and for CPU at this point I'd say a 5000+ BE. It's not the fastest, but it will overclock to 3GHz+ and it has better price-performance than the Phenoms. When 45nm Phenoms come out, you can upgrade to them.

Going Intel, the best thing you can get bang-buck wise is the E7200 for ~$130 along with a P35 motherboard (non-CF) or X38 motherboard (if you are going CF). It will hit around 4GHz with a decent cooler and at those speeds there is no game that needs more CPU power.

that sounds tempting..

[Glow9]

ok. i'll refine my perameters some.
-I want to experiment with oc ing the future.
-I am looking into sli when the gpu's get cheaper, and just maybe if i'm stupid enough tri-sli.
-The monitor i wish to run it on is a 10890p 32+ inch television.
-Quad core compatibility is a must so it can be somewhat "future proof"
-Dual core is a option if the board can support quad and duak core tech.
-I dont think i'll do anytype of watercooling, but that may change.
-Yes this computer will be running crysis.
will post more info later when i can think striaght

Future-proof and AMD haha don't count on much of that. I think AM2+ isn't going to be going too much longer I mean really how much more can they do with the AM2 socket. AM2+ is just a way so they don't get bulldozed by Intel seems like a semi pergitory for AMD.
I'd personally just go for the gold and get a Phenom. You can get a quad for $165ish, So think about it if you get a black edition now your dishing out $89. Later your dishing out X amount of dollars for a quad. Why not skip the wasting of the $89 and just get the Phenom?
On that note I see you say "experiment" with OCing. If your contemplating a black edition why not just dish out $20 5600+ Brisbane? It's at 2.9Ghz already so right off the bat if your not confident or ready you already have a solid speed. Everything else will just be a bonus.

[Power5]

My setup has been going for close to 2 years now. The CPU is still able to do anything at all that I need. I have just been wishing that I had not gone with an NV chipset as I would have CF by now. I will just wait till the 4850 and 4870 come out and maybe throw one in until my next full build in another year or so.

[i found nemo]

ATI is owned by AMD now indeed, the more reason to go for an all AMD platform. But keep in mind that CF is supported by intel chipsets, while SLI isn't. Booyah at that, really..

prolly something to do with intel and nvidia always trying to get one up on the other.

[Devil's Prophet]

prolly something to do with intel and nvidia always trying to get one up on the other.

The sad part of that story is that we, the people that buy their things, bear the consequences of their quarrels.

The same is true in other branches of the computer industry, take Linux for example. I don't feel 100% comfortable with it because I miss certain functionality/programs that I do have in Windows. Linux isn't really to blame, but that's besides the point.

The same is true for Intel chipsets and SLI. Looking for someone to blame is here too besides the point. The only thing that matters is that it is or it isn't possible. And today SLI isn't possible on an Intel chipset. That makes ATI the WINNAR in the battle of multi-gpu setups for Intel cpu's. That is IF you consider Intel chipsets to be superior to nVidia chipsets. But my guess is that a lot of people second this opinion. It's been long since I want for the fastest thing out there. Now I want a stable and thrustworthy platform that won't let me down. nVidia failed me on that. Now it's time to move on. Yes I know, own experiences and emotions mixed together to form a "general conscensus", not a very great way to get one. But yeah.

[Grey.Fox]

okay, after looking into things more deeply came up with

Amd x2 6400+ : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...03228&Tpk=6400

mobo:
Asus crosshair II formula

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131292

or

Msi K9N2 Diamond

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130160

for ram i would get either 4 sticks of 1gb, or 4 sticks of 2gb.