semi-final build plan (with some issues) help is appreciated
 

Get ready this is a long post...
Hi. I am building a gaming PC and this is what I've got so far. I'm not 100% set on some of the components so there may be may be two there. I would appreciate if you could tell me which one is better for my needs. I would also like to be sure that all the parts will work together so any input you can offer will be great.

Case: Antec 900 ATX Mid-tower: I like the 4 fans on this case. It's great for cooling and I also like how it looks.

CPU: Q6600: I am fairly sure this will be my proc.

PSU: Coolermaster 850W (165$) or OCZ GameXtreme 700W (140$)- This is one of my big question marks. I am looking to possibly get a 8800GTS 640 or 8800GTX and SLI it later without a future PSU upgrade. I've heard that the GameXtreme happily runs 2 GTX's and it is cheaper.

Mobo: ASUS P5N32-E SLI: This was (strongly) reccomended to me as a cheaper version of the Striker Extreme board. I want to be sure this will work with my RAM. I've checked out the QVL list on ASUS's website but I'm not sure if it's on there or not. I've also read reviews on Newegg that are a little disturbing
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Customer Reviews Of ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
. I'm not sure about this mobo and I would really appreciate help on this part.

Video Card: 8600GT OC SLI or 8800GTS 640MB (future SLI) or 8800GTX (future SLI): I am looking for playing new games at max settings with smooth gameplay at a resolution of 1680x1050. The only reason the SLI 8600GT's are on here is because they were recommended to me but quite frankly, they just dont satisfy my needs. I am wondering what is the better option, 8800GTS 640 for 100$ less than the 8800GTX? I also want whatever vid. card I get to be supported by my PSU for future SLI.

Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800: My big question here is will my memory work with my mobo?? Here's the link to the product page for exact info.

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Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
I REALLY want to make sure it will work with my mobo ESPECIALLY after reading some of those reviews. This is probably my biggest concern of my entire build. Please help on this part!! About the memory itself, it has a good value and the 2GB modules run at 800MHz which is fine for my needs.

Hard Drive: I am planning on getting two drives, Raptor 10000RPM 150GB Drive (200$) and a cheap 2nd drive, Seagate 7200RPM 250GB Drive (65$): I will use the fast drive for my OS and games and the other for standard stuff. I was considering getting JUST the 150GB drive but my current 250GB drive is getting full and 150GB is not enough room. I like the idea of the fast drive. I know it is expensive but I am willing to pay for it.

DVD Drives: 2 20x DVDRW w/lightscribe (100$): I like the idea of lightscribe and it is not that expensive. Also, after getting my first comp. with two drives I will not settle for just one. I frequently use both drives and it is not that expensive to get 2.

Operating System: XP Pro or Vista Home Premium???: Ahhh... the question that has been plagueing me forever. I know I want GOOD graphics and GOOD gameplay. I love having top of the line graphics as in DX10 and I've seen screenshot comparisons of Crysis in DX9 vs. DX10 and DX10 looks better. HOWEVER, I've been told that Vista SIGNIFICANTLY affects game perfomance (like 10-30%)?? I want Vista for its sparkle but I am NOT willing to give up 30% performance in games like Oblivion, Crysis, etc. I NEED HELP ON THIS DECISION plz...

My overall build is coming together but I need help mostly on the PSU, mobo, video card (between GTS and GTX), and OS. I would really like this to be a sucessful build and I will REALLY appreciate and help you guys can offer.

I would stick with the OCZ PS, or at around $180 the PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad. I didn't read through the scads of reviews on the MB, but trust me, most complaints about ANY ASUS MB are concerning first batch runs and/or user error, even ASUS will tell you that. It's been out a while so you shouldn't have to worry about the bugs being worked out.

Corsair is one of the most common brands of memory used and very good. I wouldn't worry about it either. You'll probably want to add 2 more gigs of RAM if you go to Vista though, but I think that MB does have 4 DIMMS, so you should still be able to go dual channel. On the video, if you wait until Nvidia's next cards come out, which will happen fairly soon, you'll be able to get a 8800GTX much cheaper.

You'll love the Raptor, I have two 74 GB ones, and paid over $175 apiece for them nearly 3 yrs ago. They are very ruggedly built. Seagates are also good but another good option on the high capacity drives are the Hitachi Deskstars. Personally I would not get Vista yet, wait until at least SP1 if you are the type that does not like inconsistent performance. It does OK with some games in the 32 bit version, but others not so good.

Just use XP for now if you have a copy and do an upgrade later to Vista Home Premium 32 bit retail version. Or, if you have the money to spend now you could get VHP and set up a dual boot. There's really no point to that unless you crave Aero for a desktop though.

If you have no OS currently then it's a tough call but I would say Vista Home Premium 32 bit wouldn't be bad as many of the more popular games are now working OK on it and it probably won't be much longer before SP1

Heres what I'm gonna suggest..

I'm not convinced by Quad-Cores ATM. They provide little to no performance gain over Core 2 Duo's. The more powerful Quad-Cores will be coming out late 2008 but right now Quad-Cores are Core 2 Duo's with 2 more cores slapped on and aren't even used.

I would try going for a E6750 for less than a Q6600 bust same, if not better performance.

I'd go for the OCZ. I had a CoolerMaster PSU and it died after only a year of use. 700W is still plenty for SLI.

You should be fine with the P5N, if your willing to pay that much for a motherboard.

The 8600GT in SLI would be a bad idea, they are pretty low-end and putting two of them together won't make it any better. If your going to future SLI the GTX or GTS 640MB would be best choices.

If you think you can afford a GTX now and one later down the line to SLI then by all means go for it. Though if you want to save a little you could always go with the GTS. They aren't that much less powerful.

Memory will work fine and its also a good choice.


Since you are getting a 8 series card I would suggest Vista Premium. Although if you do get Vista I would suggest you up the XMS RAM from 2GB to 4GB.

Vista can be power-hungry and you'd be alot safer with 4GB.

My problem is that I have no OS and I am stuck because I figure I'll be upgrading to Vista sometime in the future if I get XP now. How bad is Vista with older program compatability issues? and is it really better to get 4 GB of RAM?? (that costs 2x the $$$) There's no way I'll be dual-booting so its eithier one or the other... :( btw any word on when SP1 comes out?

Heh, just asked this yesterday - did a quick search though and found a bit of info at the Windows Vista Team Blog. Looks like the beta was released for privates testers on September 24th and the final release is schedule for Q1 of next year (supposedly February-ish).

Vista is now one year old, and I would say that if you're building a new PC, then you ought to get it. Most all compatibility issues have been worked out.

And not to mention that trying to bench mark an OS on when its first service pack is due out isn't a good idea for Vista. SP1 is just going to be a roll-up off all the updates that Vista has had so far, there won't be a marked improvement in performance or compatibility.

For PSU I recommend Thermaltake ToughPower 700W and stick with Q6600 because the future games will use all 4 cores

ok, ive also priced out a Dell system (XPS 720) that would only cost about 300 more than this and would actually have a few more features (sound card, better memory, bigger 2nd hard drive). Since I bought my previous system from Dell and have had alot of good expierence with them, I am JUST WONDERING, how good is their upgradability for the future?

What are the specs and price of what your buying? Dell can be extremely over-priced and most of the time it just isn't worth it buying from them.

I would want to save $300, wouldn't you? That can get you a whole 8800GTS 320MB or a number of other PC components.

I would say there upgradability for the future is slim to none and they will charge you hugely for upgrading a component.

I've heard rumors of this. If it's true, and I really wish people would quote their sources when they say it, it tends to confirm what some have said that there won't really BE a Vista service pack, at least not in the true sense like XP had.

It also makes deciding on XP vs Vista even harder. Are there any sites that list all the known games still having issues with Vista?

is vista really as bad as some ppl make it out? i want all my programs (which isnt many just like 12 games and itunes) to work smoothly on vista. does anyone have any concrete reasons for me not to get it?

Here's from Microsoft itself:

Microsoft’s Evolving Approach to Servicing the Windows Platform: Q&A: Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft, discusses the company's plans for the first service pack of Windows Vista.

Most of the updates that could have been released in the service pack have already been released via Windows Update.

Wasn't it you that posted to the Last Thing You Bought thread about having purchased a new PSU because you Thermaltake blew up? Yeah, it did that for a reason: Thermaltake sucks.

Onto more interesting stuff:
Meh. A case is a case is a case and is a pretty personal choice. I expect this thing is fairly loud however. Also, the buttons and FP connectors are placed in such a manner that it appears Antec expects you to put this on the floor. And that's never a good idea.

If it weren't so bloody cheap, I'd recommend against Penryn right now. However, clock-for-clock on the available cores, Conroe performs better still, and runs a lot cooler. Ridgefield will be a better multi-core solution.

I'd get a Seasonic. Or a PCP&C, but they're just insane, and I don't think they're neceessarily worth the cost. Also, you can get out of the stratophere; 600W will be more than enough, confirmed @ wall draw on someone else's dual-GTX machine (it drew something like 490W under full load).

Forget 680i and forget SLI. Strongly recommend the Intel bandwagon with something like the P5K Premium (which, incidentall, ZZF is selling for something like $219 shipped). It's based on the P35 chipset and as such, doesn't officially support SLI, but if enthustiast exerience with Intel's own 975XBX is anything to go on, this is easily fixed with 3P drivers.
Either way you go, ASUS is just about the most reliable manufacturer on the planet, after Intel, whose products are pretty feature-poor for the average enthusiast.

It would be a supreme act of stupidity to buy 8600s for any reasobased on everything else posted here so far. If you're hellbent to buy a card now, I wouldn't spend a dime over the cost of a nice, solid (read: eVGA) 8800GTS 320MB. Performance of the 640MB just isn't there, but it's about $100 cheaper and we're within a few months--we think--of a new product launch from nVIDIA. And frankly, AMD's HD2900XT is turning out better numbers at the $400 price point in many cases.
Finally, the 8800GTX isn't likely to drop in price when nVIDIA releases their latest and greatest. Past experience with product launches suggests that the Ultra and GTX cease to exist, and the GTS either drops a little or soldiers on, very close to the price-point of the new line's lower-end stuff, at launch.

Memory's memory. People have their opinion of it. I like Crucial, personally; you're guaranteed top-shelf, binned ICs from Micron. It's DDR2. It'll work on the P5N or the P5K (but not the P5K3).

Yeah, they're tanks. And the space available absolutely sucks. Hardly worth the effort, in retrospect. I'd stick with nice, massive 7200RPM drives. SATA and 16MB cache and you'll realize real-world performance on part with a 10k Raptor, without the cost, heat or noise. I once thought like you.[/QUOTE]