E6700 SLI Gaming Build

[Natalia]

I am rebuilding my computer and switching out a few components and switchin in some fresh ones. Here's what's on the agenda to purchase. Mind you this will be a computer used for gaming (Oblivion atm is my love ). Also I don't have any real budget, but saving money here and there never hurt anyone.

Purchased:

Asus P5WDG2-WS PRO

Core 2 Duo E6600

G.Skill DDR2-800 RAM

Coolermaster Stacker 830

2x Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache

Scythe Infinity 5 Heat Pipe CPU Cooler

2x Panaflo 120x38mm Fan

5x Vantec Stealth 120mm Fan


Stuff that I am keeping:

2x XFX GeForce 7900 GTX @ 690MHz / 875Mhz Memory in SLI Mode

PC Power and Cooling Turbo-Cool 510 Express / SLI

Soundblaster Audigy 4

2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST380817AS 80GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer



I think that about covers it. Just didn't know if there were any better choices out there.

[Rare1]

The board is nforce4 not 5.

[vapb400]

the links didnt work and i didnt feel like copy and pasting

However,
ASUS P5N32-SLi SE - nForce 590 SLi - ATX
is actually nforce4.
http://anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=2797&p=6
their nf590 is due in August

[tardbus2]

The board is nforce4 not 5.

Pretty sure I remember seeing somewhere that the "SE" version of the board is in fact the 590 chipset, while the "non-SE" version is the Nforce4 chipset, which should be avoided like the plague if you intend on doing any sort of OC.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=109039

[andyisc00l]

E6600 can overclock roughly the same as an E6700 (3.7-4ghz)..so you can save about $220 there..just have to get a board that can hit 400-450 fsb which shouldn't be THAT hard..

buy the thermaltake armor from newegg.. it's about $80 cheaper..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133154

Buy some G.Skill ddr2-800 ram..with 2.5v it can hit up to 1150 4-4-4-8 depending on how lucky you are
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=101762
...plus you'll save $150..ddr2-1066 is not worth it, big waste of money, like buying an e6700 when the e6600 is practically the same thing..
actually bachus bought some of these and hit 1140 4-4-4-8 2.5v
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065


Buy one single 7950gx2 -- $520 -- overclock it a little bit..its not much worse then 2 7900gtxs in SLI, the price to performance ratio of $520 compared to over $900 is insane with the 7950gx2..you'll save $400...also once the G80/R600 comes out in the next month or two the 7900gtx/7950gx2 will be old techhnology and you'll have spent $900 only to be beaten by something that will cost $500..I'd say at least just buy a 7950gx2 and then sell it off and by a nice SLI setup when the g80/r600 comes out..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127212

Buy an OCZ GamersXtreme 700w PSU--$140 and 72A on 4-12v rails..much better then the pc&p 510..that doesn't have enough amps on the 12v rails for everything that you want anyways, too little power, like 36a on single 12v rail or something...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341002


also for heatsinks you might wanna try a scythe ninja, big typhoon, or tuniq tower...all of them are better then the zalman and are cheaper..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185001

and last but not least, the creative audigy4...not worth $70...if your gonna get something get the new x-fi card, it might cost $120, but why would you want to buy a pentium D when conroe just came out?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102188

again this will be roughly exactly the same performance for $900 less...of course 2 7900gtxs in SLI are faster then a 7950gx2, but 7950gx2 still owns a single 7900gtx and can keep up with 2 in sli, gotta consider price to performance ratio as well...plus you can always get a second 7950gx2 for quad SLI, beta drivers out now but soon there will be better ones, even with beta they own 7900gtx SLI...plus it just doesn't seem right spending over $900 on graphics cards alone when you know the g80/r600 is not to far away...

[[XC] hipno650]

natalia allready has the two 7900's and the psu. but it all looks good to me accept for if you have the money get the 6700 because the board does not oc well so every multi counts! and to save money get ddr800. good case but with all those fans it will be so loud!!!!

[Variable]

looks like a pretty crazy build you got goin there im thinking of buying an nforce 590 motherboard as well, and the one thing i wanted to check on is will the intel nforce 5 boards support ddr2 1000/800 ram, cause the specs ive seen here http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce5_specs_intel.html make it seem as if it only supports ddr2 667, or am i just interpreting this wrong?

[Shift]

Second the getting the Armor at newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133154
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999812

Much cheaper solution.

[Natalia]

Second the getting the Armor at newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133154
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999812

Much cheaper solution.

That is a different case. The one linked to ZipZoomFly has a 25cm Fan on the side... the ones you linked at newegg don't. And if you add the two items together, add in cost of shipping (ZipZoomFly is free shipping btw) it comes out to be more expensive.

Buy one single 7950gx2 -- $520 -- overclock it a little bit..its not much worse then 2 7900gtxs in SLI, the price to performance ratio of $520 compared to over $900 is insane with the 7950gx2..you'll save $400...also once the G80/R600 comes out in the next month or two the 7900gtx/7950gx2 will be old techhnology and you'll have spent $900 only to be beaten by something that will cost $500..I'd say at least just buy a 7950gx2 and then sell it off and by a nice SLI setup when the g80/r600 comes out..

Yeah, already have the two GeForce 7900GTX's, hopefully in 6 months when the second edition of the new 8000 series will be out and I can get a semi-reasonable price for these old ones

also for heatsinks you might wanna try a scythe ninja, big typhoon, or tuniq tower...all of them are better then the zalman and are cheaper..

Fanless better eh? Would never have guessed.

...plus you'll save $150..ddr2-1066 is not worth it, big waste of money, like buying an e6700 when the e6600 is practically the same thing..
actually bachus bought some of these and hit 1140 4-4-4-8 2.5v

Yeah, seems like that's the third time I have heard that. I think I will go for the 800 RAM. G-Skill huh? I always thought Corsair was the leader in RAM.

Buy an OCZ GamersXtreme 700w PSU--$140 and 72A on 4-12v rails..much better then the pc&p 510..that doesn't have enough amps on the 12v rails for everything that you want anyways, too little power, like 36a on single 12v rail or something...

Is my PSU really going to be a problem? Makes me sad, since it was a $160 investment. Any second thoughts on this?

good case but with all those fans it will be so loud!!!!

You should hear my PSU now! This PC Power and Cooling has been reliable, but it sure is noisy. Don't care too much since I use headphones most of the time.

[Shift]

It's the same case. The second link I posted up is the side panel with the 25cm fan. Just buy both products and swap out the side panel. You save more money.

[Natalia]

I have the hardest time shopping for memory... they all look the same to me but vary in price soo much! I can never tell why....

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...ductCode=85229

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...ductCode=85237

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=85025-20

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=85025-21

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065

Looks the same as:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231087

Then this one is almost 2x as much!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231089

It's the same case. The second link I posted up is the side panel with the 25cm fan. Just buy both products and swap out the side panel. You save more money.

Once you add in shipping of both items, isn't it about $20 more, or am I missing something?

[smith_6079]

Hey Natalia, that case isn't so cool. I've helped a friend piece his system in that exact same one and hated it. Now he even dislikes the wierd drive bay wannabe doors. If you can get it, the Silverstone TJ-07 is a sweet case.

[RangerXLT8]

I have the hardest time shopping for memory... they all look the same to me but vary in price soo much! I can never tell why....

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...ductCode=85229

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...ductCode=85237

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=85025-20

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=85025-21

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065

Looks the same as:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231087

Then this one is almost 2x as much!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231089



Once you add in shipping of both items, isn't it about $20 more, or am I missing something?

The 449.99 GSkill are the most expensive because they are rated CL3. They are among the cream of the crop of DDR2.

[Natalia]

Hey Natalia, that case isn't so cool. I've helped a friend piece his system in that exact same one and hated it. Now he even dislikes the wierd drive bay wannabe doors. If you can get it, the Silverstone TJ-07 is a sweet case.

What about overall cooling? I am quite concerned about ventalatoin for my 2 GTX cards, they seemed to cook really easily.

[Natalia]

OK, I did some searching around in the Case Forum of this site. Seems to be that peoples favorite case is the "Stackers" from Cool Master.

Then I thought I would search NewEgg to see how much the would run. The Result? This case that looks out of control! It's Crazy! And after the mail in rebate, only a little more than what I was planning to spend on the Thermaltake. This case looks like it could be the answer to my cooling issue, especially for my graphics cards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119103


I Also updated my first post to change to the Tuniq Tower 120 Cooler.

http://www.tuniq.com.tw/Cooler%20Info/Tower-120.htm

[Gun_Strife]

the stacker looks good
i have the armor case and love it its really big though which you might not want in case its in a desk or something
and the new side panel looks to be really great too

your psu should be more than ok as conore uses less power and i assume thats whats been running ur old setup with 2x 79gtxs

also u might wanna stay away from those tornados the are really really loud

[smith_6079]

What about overall cooling? I am quite concerned about ventalatoin for my 2 GTX cards, they seemed to cook really easily.

The TJ-07 vents great. Two 120mm fans at the top of the case allow any rising heat to easily pass through. Your hard drives have an air path of their own as well so as not to mess up your flow of your video cards either. It is, I think, the best cooling case while keeping a sleek and professional look. All alum. and very flexible in what you want to do with it, easily modible if you want to.

The Stacker was one that I seriously thought about buying. It is pretty nice, but I liked the room that the silverstone offered, the configuration of the dual PSU's if I needed them, the look (it didn't appear to cyborgish or "I'm an extreme gamer so I've got this weird ### looking computer" feel), and the fact that it was black (I'm partial to all black cases). One thing to keep in mind though is that it is NOT a tooless case. Be prepared to have a screwdriver in hand for everything if you decide to get it.

Which ever one you decide to get is of course up to you. Personally, if you get anything other than that TT case you'll be fine. ThermalTake is pretty much the Wal-Mart brand for gamers. Both the stacker and the TJ-07 are alumn. which looks nicer, easy to cut (mods), and theorectically helps with temps.

[Gun_Strife]

why u hate tt so much i think the armor is a great case, not saying its the best
could you give a link to this case u like as i have no idea what it looks like

[Natalia]

I now also updated to case to the new Stacker, I really like it and it matches some of the modern metal accents I have in my Condo, plus I like the features it has.

I also pulled those tornado's off the list, for two reason. One, the case I am looking at now is all 120 mm fans I think... and two, you are right! I missed how loud those are!

Here's a question though, how many fans should I go with. It supports up to 9, but that just sounds crazy to have 9 fans on a case! the available slots are: Front x 3,Top x 1, Rear x 1, Side x 4

[smith_6079]

why u hate tt so much i think the armor is a great case, not saying its the best
could you give a link to this case u like as i have no idea what it looks like

I don't hate them. I don't care what they make or sell, it's just that I don't think that their quality is very good. They do try to offer a good amount of things and have a diverse market from vga heatsinks to cases, but as far as the quality in their products.........I prefer other companies.

Here is the case I'm talking about: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163060

I know that it is way more than the ThermalTake, but it is a ton better IMO.

Here is a review of it explaining its build with better pictures. They used a white case as an example though:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article...MidTower+Case/

Just a suggestion. She doesn't have to take my advice if she doesn't want to, I'm just trying to help.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see made her choice. You'll like the stacker Natalia.

[metro.cl]

I now also updated to case to the new Stacker, I really like it and it matches some of the modern metal accents I have in my Condo, plus I like the features it has.

I also pulled those tornado's off the list, for two reason. One, the case I am looking at now is all 120 mm fans I think... and two, you are right! I missed how loud those are!

Here's a question though, how many fans should I go with. It supports up to 9, but that just sounds crazy to have 9 fans on a case! the available slots are: Front x 3,Top x 1, Rear x 1, Side x 4

front are a must as well as the back one.

you could get really low db 120mm fans an get 9 of them and they wont sound much.

check this fans really quiet and move decent air:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999099
p.d. get a fan controller so when you arent gaming you can turn of several fans and when gaming you can turn them on

[JH_man]

A couple comments:
I would get a 6600, cheaper and there is just a very small difference in real life speed.

Consider Scythe Ninja CPU cooler.

JH_man

[Shift]

I don't hate them. I don't care what they make or sell, it's just that I don't think that their quality is very good. They do try to offer a good amount of things and have a diverse market from vga heatsinks to cases, but as far as the quality in their products.........I prefer other companies.

Here is the case I'm talking about: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163060

I know that it is way more than the ThermalTake, but it is a ton better IMO.

Here is a review of it explaining its build with better pictures. They used a white case as an example though:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article...MidTower+Case/

Just a suggestion. She doesn't have to take my advice if she doesn't want to, I'm just trying to help.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see made her choice. You'll like the stacker Natalia.

Dude, the white Armor is made with Aluminum. People complained the Aluminum was too thin on the Armor/Kandalf. The black steel Armor is built like a tank. And also changing to a Stacker is a very smart idea. I'm going to get one too.

I also agree getting a E6600. Not much difference in gaming between the two.

This is a pretty solid case if you are looking to save some money
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119042

[Teratism]

I agree that the E6600 would be a better investment even though it drops 1 multi to the E6700, in real life use and over clocking they have generally been even, an extra $200 for a few hundred Mhz isn't a smart move.

To answer your question on the RAM, they are set into categories, Cas latency, OC'ing ability and the like. If you are going for G.skill try and get the HZ's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065
They so far have the best overclock ability and don't cost a fortune compared to the orange Cas 3 sticks.

You can put all 9 fans into your case without worrying about too much sound by getting lower DBA fans with decent air output or on the otherhand you can soundproof your case.

The Tuniq Tower 120 is the best cooler, but unfortunately they are out of stock and the machine that makes them supposedly broke so none will be coming out for sale until around late august or so. That is what I heard. If you are building the computer now then you may have to go for the second best choice the Big typhoon.

[Natalia]

I agree that the E6600 would be a better investment even though it drops 1 multi to the E6700, in real life use and over clocking they have generally been even, an extra $200 for a few hundred Mhz isn't a smart move.

To answer your question on the RAM, they are set into categories, Cas latency, OC'ing ability and the like. If you are going for G.skill try and get the HZ's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231065
They so far have the best overclock ability and don't cost a fortune compared to the orange Cas 3 sticks.

So is G.Skill the brand of choice here? For some reason I always thought Corsair was the Cadillac of memory... but then again you have all proven me worng on numerous areas already