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Been doing research...now I need advice...

exodar

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I decided about 3 weeks ago that I was going to start doing the research and build my own gaming machine. I think I have spec'd out all of the hardware I want and at this point I am looking for some advice or possible suggestions to my selections. This is my first build in a long time and I am confident that I don't know everything in terms of pros and cons. Anyway here goes...and thanks in advance for suggestions...

Purpose : Solely gaming. I have another machine for productivity. I play World of Warcraft, World in Conflict, Company of Heroes, and some First Person Shooters...

Requirements : Trying to make the best gaming PC I can for the money. I don't mind spending extra if it is warranted, but an extra $150 for 3 more Frames Per Second is not an ideal scenario. I would like to have the option for dual-video cards if the games I play will take advantage.

==========================================

Case : LIAN LI PC-X500B
Motherboard : EVGA NVIDIA nForce 750i FTW SLI
Processor : E8500 Core2 Duo
RAM : Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 1066MHz
Power Supply : CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W
CPU Fan : XIGMATEK HDT-RS1283 with optional screw bracket
Graphics Card : EVGA GeForce GTX 260 FTW Edition
Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda 250GB 7200 RPM SATA
DVD Burner : Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
OS : Vista 32-Bit Premium or 64-Bit Premium?!?

==========================================

I went with the E8500 because I read that Quad Core just isn't worth the MHz-hit dollar for dollar when it comes to gaming...and the E8600 is a huge jump in price. I also stayed with nForce 750i because the benefits of 780i seem negligible unless you want to do tri-SLI (and I don't)...and 790i jumps the price way up in both mobo and RAM. The GTX 260 FTW is overclocked to 666MHz and bests out most 280's in reviews I have read and for $304 from NewEgg I just can't argue. I am still conflicted on Vista 32-Bit vs. 64-Bit. I assume I will not have 64-bit hardware driver problems since all the hardware is new, but I am unsure. I have read that there are performance benefits to running games in a 64-bit OS and I would even be willing to toss in another 4GB of RAM (to a total of 8GB) if it will help, but there is such little information out there on this. Last thing I want is problems with any of my games.

Again...thanks in advance for any advice and suggestions...
Exodar
 
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I'm not too informed on the motherboard that you chose but it all looks good! I would recommend Vista 64bit. It's the most stable O/S I've ever used and would be beneficial with 4+ gigs of ram.
 

DOM

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I have to agree with these two...great rig.

I would go with a bigger HDD as well, and honestly there isnt much need for more than 4GB of ram for gaming. Vista 64 FTW!
 

exodar

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Yeah I debated on the Hard Drive size. Since I won't be doing any video editing, I wasn't sure if I needed bigger than 250GB just for gaming. I will look at the pricing again on those...I think honestly I just picked something in that department :)
 
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Take a MB with P45 from ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI whatever brand you like.
Take a HD4870. Later you can get another one for Crossfire.
Your PSU is overkill. Corsair VX550 is enough for a single card and TX650/750 is enough for two HD4870.
HDD I'd say WD 3200AAKS or better WD 6400AAKS.
As for OS I'm happy with Vista64 SP1.
 

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Go with a ASUS P5Q Pro and HD 4870 instead. And step the psu down to a 750w, a 1000w is really only needed if your doing 4870X2 Crossfire or Quadfire.

And alot of people say go with 64bit Vista but I went with 32bit and I haven't had any problems at all.
 
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very nice looking, as others have said get a bigger HDD, the samsung F1's or wd 640 caviars are among the best, also if you dont plan on sli that 1kw psu is overkill, heck even the corsair 750w would cope with that and gtx 260 in sli no problems

aside from that nice build there, be sure to keep us posted on how it goes, oh and we like pics :toast:
 
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Why must he go ATi? Don't just tell him to go with something different. Explain why.
 

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Take a MB with P45 from ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI whatever brand you like.
Take a HD4870. Later you can get another one for Crossfire.
Your PSU is overkill. Corsair VX550 is enough for a single card and TX650/750 is enough for two HD4870.
HDD I'd say WD 3200AAKS or better WD 6400AAKS.
As for OS I'm happy with Vista64 SP1.

This isnt a request of what should I build, its advice on SLIGHT changes to his research and building. If the OP wants Nvidia all the way so be it.
 

exodar

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Good to hear such good news about Vista 64! Since I was leaving two 260's in SLI as a future option, I just went with one of the recommended PSU's from slizone.com. I have always read to NEVER skimp on the PSU, but it's honestly hard to tell what is and isn't overkill. The 4870 is about $30 cheaper on NewEgg, but I thought NVidia was the big gaming card brand to have?!? This is where my knowledge in the field fails me :)
 

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Good to hear such good news about Vista 64! Since I was leaving two 260's in SLI as a future option, I just went with one of the recommended PSU's from slizone.com. I have always read to NEVER skimp on the PSU, but it's honestly hard to tell what is and isn't overkill. The 4870 is about $30 cheaper on NewEgg, but I thought NVidia was the big gaming card brand to have?!? This is where my knowledge in the field fails me :)

Well with a 1Kw PSU you will never be lacking in power, also it will carry over to future rigs. I say if you have the fundage buy one!
 

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well on the psu if you can get a nice one why not I need a new one :(

also 260 is coming out with a newer ver of it which is suppose to be faster then the 4780
 
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Good to hear such good news about Vista 64! Since I was leaving two 260's in SLI as a future option, I just went with one of the recommended PSU's from slizone.com. I have always read to NEVER skimp on the PSU, but it's honestly hard to tell what is and isn't overkill. The 4870 is about $30 cheaper on NewEgg, but I thought NVidia was the big gaming card brand to have?!? This is where my knowledge in the field fails me :)

Yeah, I say there's nothing wrong with overkill for a PSU if you can afford it. 4870 and 260GTX are pretty close with the 4870 edging it out a little. I do prefer the Intel/ATi chipsets over Nvidia since they generally clock better and have less problems, though there is nothing wrong with what you chose.
 

exodar

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well on the psu if you can get a nice one why not I need a new one :(

also 260 is coming out with a newer ver of it which is suppose to be faster then the 4780

I saw something about that on tomshardware maybe?!? My only problem is I am ready to order hardware THIS week :)

And I welcome ATI recommendations if there is a clear benefit. I just couldn't figure out if there was any and I don't really understand what motherboard implications there are from switching.
 
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I love the performance I'm getting from my system, which isn't too far off from your specs. Like someone else already said, a 750 watt psu is all you'll need, even with SLI'ed gtx260s. Corsair psu's are currently the best available. My e8400 performs flawlessly on my 750ftw board with no bio's updates needed, and OC's like a dream. I would expect your e8500 to do the same. I'd go with a larger HD as others have suggested, this would be my choice- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074
 

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The rest of your rig will cross over. The motherboard and GPU are whats in question with a few. I have to agree Intel does clock CPU/ram better than the Nvidia boards do.

Going Intel on the mobo only allows for Crossfire and not SLI.
 

exodar

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Yeah, I say there's nothing wrong with overkill for a PSU if you can afford it. 4870 and 260GTX are pretty close with the 4870 edging it out a little. I do prefer the Intel/ATi chipsets over Nvidia since they generally clock better and have less problems, though there is nothing wrong with what you chose.

I have read some concerning things about Micro-Stutter with SLI rigs. Is that not an issue with Crossfire? I have also read that Intel Chipsets tend to be faster than nVidia, but I was under the understanding that you can't SLI with Intel's Mobo's until the X48 comes out (I may be TOTALLY wrong on that). If enough people recommend it, I will have to do some research on the ATI side of things :)
 

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exodar

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THAT's the one :) So Intel Mobo's allow for Crossfire, but not SLI...VEWY interesting. Hitting NewEgg and HardOCP for reviews and prices :) Another thing to note, I will be running games in 1680x1050. That is a must...no larger no smaller. Not sure if that helps or hurts with the ATI vs. NVidia discussion :)
 
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I have read some concerning things about Micro-Stutter with SLI rigs. Is that not an issue with Crossfire? I have also read that Intel Chipsets tend to be faster than nVidia, but I was under the understanding that you can't SLI with Intel's Mobo's until the X48 comes out (I may be TOTALLY wrong on that). If enough people recommend it, I will have to do some research on the ATI side of things :)

I've never heard of micro-stutter with SLi, only with the 3870X2 cards, I may be wrong however. The X48 is Intel's current top of the line crossfire chipset, it works great and doesn't do SLi. Some not yet released x58 Intel chipsets are going to do both SLi and crossfire but how and when this will happen isn't known yet.


At 1680x1050 either a single 4870 or GTX260 will be more than enough. In that case you may just want to go with a P45 chipset, though if you feel you must have sli or crossfire in the future, an x48 or 780i would be the current proper choice.
 

exodar

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I've never heard of micro-stutter with SLi, only with the 3870X2 cards, I may be wrong however. The X48 is Intel's current top of the line crossfire chipset, it works great and doesn't do SLi. Some not yet released x58 Intel chipsets are going to do both SLi and crossfire but how and when this will happen isn't known yet.


At 1680x1050 either a single 4870 or GTX260 will be more than enough. In that case you may just want to go with a P45 chipset, though if you feel you must have sli or crossfire in the future, an x48 or 780i would be the current proper choice.

Lot's to reconsider which is EXACTLY why I posted here :) I knew giving it one last pass with this group would be beneficial. Back to the pricing and research to figure out 4870 vs. 260 :)

Keep the advice coming if there is any.
 
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Word. :rockout:

TPU does tons of reviews. :)
 

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4870 is better and so is a P45. And P45 HD 4870 Crossfire ;)
 
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Why must he go ATi? Don't just tell him to go with something different. Explain why.
You just did it. :)
I do prefer the Intel/ATi chipsets over Nvidia since they generally clock better and have less problems, though there is nothing wrong with what you chose.

This isnt a request of what should I build, its advice on SLIGHT changes to his research and building. If the OP wants Nvidia all the way so be it.
Nope, it's an advice about best money can buy. And P45 with HD4870 is the right choice now.

I've never heard of micro-stutter with SLi, only with the 3870X2 cards, I may be wrong however.
It's everywhere. nVidia, ATI, doesn't matter.
 
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