New PC time - parts list

[MrHat]

Yearly bonus.\


Edit: Of which I'll have about $1500 for a new computer.  Already have monitor.

[Trippy]

I'd go for an 8800 GTS unless you want to wait to see what NVIDIA comes out with in November.

[Engels]

Are they really going to come out with stuff in November? Cuz I have yet to see any benchmark articles on anandtech and what not for the new series, and they normally come out way before commercial release.

[Trippy]

I haven't seen anything that suggests that they have been delayed.

[MrHat]

I wonder if evdo still does their 90 day upgrade shindig.

[angry.bob]

Hmmmm, I was reading specs on the 9800's on a random hardware board and they were saying that the 9800gtx was in the 500-650 range and twice as fast as an 8800ultra. It's made me delay my purchase a little while. But yeah, Anandtech usually has at least a barebones article up a while before new stuff comes out.

[MrHat]

Hmmmm, I was reading specs on the 9800's on a random hardware board and they were saying that the 9800gtx was in the 500-650 range and twice as fast as an 8800ultra. It's made me delay my purchase a little while. But yeah, Anandtech usually has at least a barebones article up a while before new stuff comes out.

The embargo on the 8800GT (N92) comes off at the end of the month.  As for the 98XX I haven't really heard anything except wild speculation.

[CharlieMopps]

Have you seen these drives?
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=446
They out benchmark a raptor.

[Furiously]

So - There I was two days ago, computer crashing every 30 minutes or so under heavy load, I figure, "Shit. I got a virus!"

I download the freebie comcast mcafee software, corrupted. I download it on my other computer and move it over, and it's fine. Install it.... Nada.

So I figure, what the hell and download ramprobe (Updated version of memtest+) Sure enough I get a red screen. I pull one of my sticks, still red. Swap the sticks and it runs perfectly.

I put in a RMA with Corsair, and it gets accepted yesterday.

Meanwhile I find out the memory controller on my 680i motherboard is a bit flakey from doing some reading about my memory.  So I put in a RMA for that with EVGA (They have the best RMA process I've ever seen, they cross ship you a replacement product and send you a pre-paid box to mail your product to them for $14.99) And they mailed it out yesterday.

Anyways, just wanted to say save your receipts.

[MrHat]

Bob, did you end up pulling the trigger? I'm itching now.  Basicly the same set up: 6600 and 4 GB's of ram (2x2GB).  Going to nab an 8800GT (good price performance 250 bucks for -10% of a GTX), and then get a superduper card they put out next year if I feel I need it.

I guess, coming back to it:

new case
new mobo
6600
4 GB's RAM
8800 GT (probably the O/C one from EVGA)
new PSU to run above + a bit more (new vid cards in Q1 2008, maybe 700W)
new HDD (nothing too extravagent as I have a few laying around, 7200 SATA though)
Cheapo DVD burner
TV Tuner card
64-bit Vista

I'm planning on, well if I can find my XP discs, on running a dual boot XP/64-bit Vista for those frustrating times.

I'll come back later today or tomorrow and post some exact product links.  I haven't built a computer on my own in quite a few years, so I'm a bit nervous on that aspect.  Also, there will be no Overclocking, and as such, I don't forsee needing any extra cooling.  Anyways, comments? Should I wait for new CPU stuff?

lol, I just reread what Bob was originally planning, heh, looks nearly identical.

[Sky]

Meanwhile I find out the memory controller on my 680i motherboard is a bit flakey from doing some reading about my memory.  So I put in a RMA for that with EVGA (They have the best RMA process I've ever seen, they cross ship you a replacement product and send you a pre-paid box to mail your product to them for $14.99) And they mailed it out yesterday.

Be aware evga likes to ship used parts for replacement. When I had problems with my first 8800, they not only cross-shipped me (I was excited!), it ended up being a used version of the vanilla card (I had the zomgleet version of the moment). I sent it back, complained...they said the RMA was successful. Went back to newegg and got an RMA, in a couple days had a new card.

So...you might not have problems, but be aware!

[Engels]

Bob, did you end up pulling the trigger? I'm itching now.  Basicly the same set up: 6600 and 4 GB's of ram (2x2GB).  Going to nab an 8800GT (good price performance 250 bucks for -10% of a GTX), and then get a superduper card they put out next year if I feel I need it.

I guess, coming back to it:

new case
new mobo
6600
4 GB's RAM
8800 GT (probably the O/C one from EVGA)
new PSU to run above + a bit more (new vid cards in Q1 2008, maybe 700W)
new HDD (nothing too extravagent as I have a few laying around, 7200 SATA though)
Cheapo DVD burner
TV Tuner card
64-bit Vista

I'm planning on, well if I can find my XP discs, on running a dual boot XP/64-bit Vista for those frustrating times.

I'll come back later today or tomorrow and post some exact product links.  I haven't built a computer on my own in quite a few years, so I'm a bit nervous on that aspect.  Also, there will be no Overclocking, and as such, I don't forsee needing any extra cooling.  Anyways, comments? Should I wait for new CPU stuff?

lol, I just reread what Bob was originally planning, heh, looks nearly identical.

MrHat, I just got a 8800 GT and I am LOVING that card. Its probably the best bang4buck card I've ever purchased.

[angry.bob]

Bob, did you end up pulling the trigger?

Not yet. The new Nvidia cards are supposed to drop in another week and a half. Anandtech finally got a review of the base chipset up and for $250 you get a card that's like 2-5fps slower than a $550 8800GTX, but runs way cooler and uses less electricity. I figured I would wait for them to come out and save while getting a better card.

*edit - Apparently the 8800GT are out since people here seem to have them. Looks like i'll be ordering when I get home.

[Mortriden]

Bob are you talking about the 8800 GT cards or the new 9xxx version due out?

[angry.bob]

The G92 8800GT. The place I'm getting mine from is supposed to get them in tommorrow. The 9800 series I still haven't heard anything about yet, including a release date. Frankly, my X1600 is still handling most things extemely well with the highest texture settings, I can't imagine I'd need much more than the 8800GT to run anything coming out in the next couple years with every sort of texture, shadow, water, filtering, etc set to 11.

[MrHat]

So what was the final build? And where did you buy? I'll likely be pulling the trigger on Thursday so I can build it over thanksgiving.

Edit: Here's what I came up with, any flaws?

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=5203254

Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: P180
Item #: N82E16811129154
$119.99 

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-P35-DS3L
Item #: N82E16813128059
$93.99 

EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 512-P3-N802-A1
Item #: N82E16814130303
$289.99 

OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: OCZ700GXSSLI
Item #: N82E16817341002
$139.99 

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80562Q6600
Item #: N82E16819115017
$284.99 

Rosewill RCR-102 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader - Retail
Model #: RCR-102
Item #: N82E16820223073
$9.99 

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
Model #: F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ
Item #: N82E16820231122
$149.99 

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD7500AAKS
Item #: N82E16822136131
$179.99
 
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
Model #: SH-S203B
Item #: N82E16827151153
$33.99 

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Model #: 66I-00788
Item #: N82E16832116204
$111.99 

Subtotal: $1,414.90
W/ Shipping ~$1440.00

[Trippy]

Get a better motherboard.

[Engels]

I have that motherboard, and I really dig it. What's wrong with it? I've had another Gigabyte motherboard in the past that's still good, even after nigh 6 years of use.

[Hoax]

-That was my knee-jerk reaction but lately both Abit and Asus have given me reasons to dislike them so I have no idea what to recommend as far a mobo's go anymore.

-Make sure you can't save money getting 4x1GB of ram (doubt it but check anyways) also what's the usb controler thing do/for/huh??

-That case is fucking sexy though, I'm a big fan of the black version.

-Does everyone like Geforce over ATI since ATI got gobbled by whoever that was (abit?) a couple years back?  Been awhile since I've even thought about video card comparisons...

[cmlancas]

I think ATI got snatched by AMD.

[Trippy]

If I was going to get a "no-frills" Gigabyte P35 board I'd spend a few extra bucks and get this one:

http://www.giga-byte.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2626

[Yegolev]

I think ATI got snatched by AMD.

They are going to rename the company ATMDFM, I hear.

[Trippy]

-That was my knee-jerk reaction but lately both Abit and Asus have given me reasons to dislike them so I have no idea what to recommend as far a mobo's go anymore.

Well you can get something the OC'ers like since they abuse their motherboards the most:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=127379
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2410961

though as you can see those lists are dominated by ASUS boards.

-Does everyone like Geforce over ATI since ATI got gobbled by whoever that was (abit?) a couple years back?  Been awhile since I've even thought about video card comparisons...

ATI is falling further behind on the performance end of things, Crossfire is still a joke, the drivers still aren't nearly as stable as the NVIDIA ones, and their high-end boards are power hogs (even more so than NVIDIA's), but otherwise they are good.

[MrHat]

If I was going to get a "no-frills" Gigabyte P35 board I'd spend a few extra bucks and get this one:

http://www.giga-byte.com/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2626

The only difference I could see would be the "Intel® Matrix Storage Technology" which seems to only matter if you're running a RAID set up (which I won't be).  Any other suggestions? This came in ~200 under budget, so I don't mind spending the extra getting the right parts.  Appreciate the feedback guys.

[Trippy]

That one has a better cooling system (it also may have better sound). The Q6600 is eminitely overclockable and a cooler more stable board means an easier overclock. Even if you don't care about OCing for me it's worth the extra $30 to get something that should be more reliable.

Edit: that's the "Ultra Durable 2 motherboard design" feature

[Engels]

Er, I should correct myself. I actually have another motherboard, one that supports DDR2 and DDR3, namely the GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard .

MrHat, if you already have a good sound card, I wouldn't favor one motherboard over another based on the supposed quality of the on-board sound. My motherboard, and the one Trippy references, have the same on-board sound, and to be frank, its only slightly better than your garden variety on-board sound chip. If you're not picky about that, then go for it, but if you do care about sound, then just simply buy a sound card.

As far as Intel Matrix Storage Technology, that often will come with many P35 motherboards, regardless. The issue is wether they are ICH9 or ICH9R southbridge, which determines wether you can do raid or not. I personally love having RAID0, and currently am running 4 disks in raid 0, which makes a difference to me.

One thing you might want to consider is that none of the DS3 motherboards can do SLI. In fact, I don't think any P35s do (correct me if I'm wrong). Ordinarily, I wouldn't think that's an issue, but those 8800 GTs seem nearly made for SLI. They are nice and slim, and don't overheat as much as earlier cards do. Getting an SLI board may save you money down the road when you can pick up a second GT instead of a newer, more expensive video card in the future.

That said, when we finally do want a new video card because software has outgrown 8800 technology, chances are two 8800s won't make as big a dent as a brand new video card.

[Trippy]

One thing you might want to consider is that none of the DS3 motherboards can do SLI. In fact, I don't think any P35s do (correct me if I'm wrong).

None of the Intel chipsets support NVIDIA's SLI. Some support ATI's Crossfire. The X38 can support SLI in theory but NVIDIA hasn't released any drivers for that chipset (and may never).

[MrHat]

I'm not a fan of SLI.

I updated to show the new mobo.  Was going to buy tomorrow, but now the vid card is out of stock.  As for the sound card, I may upgrade and grab an X-Fi card, but I'm going to take a wait and see.

As for the RAM @ 2x2GBs, what advantage would 4x1GB net me?

[Trippy]

It's usually easier to find 1 GB sticks with faster timings than 2 GB sticks. Also the 1 GB sticks may be cheaper per GB since they are more common.

[MrHat]

It's usually easier to find 1 GB sticks with faster timings than 2 GB sticks. Also the 1 GB sticks may be cheaper per GB since they are more common.

So I guess the reason for 2x2GB is if you wanted to later upgrade to 4x2GB at which point, you'll probably want faster ram?


Edit: Updated List:

Wish list details
 
$1500 MrHat's Q4 07 Gaming
 
1    Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail --- gun metal!
Item #: N82E16811129025
$139.99  -MIR ($30)

1   GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail -- runs cooler + more stable
Model #: GA-P35-DS3R
Item #: N82E16813128050
$129.99 
 
1   OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: OCZ700GXSSLI
Item #: N82E16817341002
$139.99  -MIR ($30)

1   Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80562Q6600
Item #: N82E16819115017
$284.99 

2   CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail --- faster latency, better price
Model #: TWIN2X2048-6400C4
Item #: N82E16820145034
$196.00 -MIR ($40/ea)
 
1   Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM  --- smaller HDD (320GB lol) to save some money.
Model #: WD3200AAKS
Item #: N82E16822136074
$79.99

1   SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
Model #: SH-S203B
Item #: N82E16827151153
$33.99 

1   Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Model #: 66I-00788
Item #: N82E16832116204
$111.99 

Subtotal: $1,116.93

I'll probably wait on the Vid. Card and see what the new 8800GTS refresh looks like based on a G92 core.  Also, will I need more SATA cables? Extra cooling?

[cmlancas]

For reals Vista? You are a braver man than I.

[angry.bob]

Okay, here's what I'll be "pulling the trigger" on after lunch unless someone spots something really blatantly wrong:

ASUS P5KC INTEL P35 CHIPSET ATX FORM FACTOR 2xPCI-E(X16)/1xPCI-E(X1)/3xPCI/2xDDR3/4xDDR2 W/SATA2 RAID,LAN(Gb),1394,USB 2.0 & AUDIO (CPU TYPE:INTEL - SOCKET 775)
CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 2.4G (1066Mhz)
CORSAIR 2GB KIT TWIN2X2048-8500C5D
EVGA 512-P3-N802-A1 e-GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB DDR3 PCI-E 2.0, DVI+DVI+HDTV, HDCP, RoHS Includes FREE- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars 
WD 750GB WD7500AAKS STAT2 16MB 7200RPM HDD (Bare drive)
 - 0.5m SATA CABLE
PIONEER DVR-212DBK 18X SATA DOUBLE LAYER DVD RW DRIVE W/SW(Black-bare drive)
ANTEC QUATTRO 850 850W TRUEPOWER QUATTRO ATX 12V / EPS12V RoHS & 80PLUS CERTIFIED UL & FCC POWER SUPPLY
ANTEC NSK4480 (BLACK / SILVER) ATX MINI TOWER CASE W/380W POWER SUPPLY 3x5.25" 2x3.5" 3x3.5"(hidden) W/FRONT I/O CONNECTORS & 120mm CASE FAN x 1 
MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL W/SP2 #E85-04135 (DSP/OEM) 
Boobies version of The Witcher

Thanks to everyone for pointing out the glaring flaws in my original build and all the info that came after.

[MrHat]

Looks good to me, as an aside, next week sometime Nvidia is suppose to put out the upgraded 8800GTS.  Not sure if you want to wait, or if it will even be worth the wait.  Personally, I'm tired of waiting.

Edit: Did some digging around, looks like the new G92 8800GTS will be in teh 512MB and 1GB variants released on Dec. 3rd.

Edit x2: Couldn't wait, bought it and an 8800GT KO from EVGA.  Joy!

[Mortriden]

So is all the love for the 8800 GT just because of the price point?  I understand that it's got pretty good performance, but with the money the two of you seem to be throwing at everything else... why not the 8800 GTX?

[MrHat]

Twice the price for 10% more performance @ the resolutions I'm running.