# Lost, indecision.... new system build like no other



## Fitseries3 (Feb 10, 2008)

after 2 weeks of battling my Uber PITA 780i tri sli quest, i recently took a vacation from my nightmare. i took a break and tried to figure out which direction i wanted to go next. 

i HAD thought to go with a good x38 board with 2 3870x2's but after thinking about it i am lost now. why am i lost? because A LOT of new things are comming out SOON!!!

please help me decide on what to get. i am starting out with a few reminents from my old machine...

q6600 G0
2x WD raptor 150gig HD's
1 WD 1tb HD
silverstone TJ07
enermax galaxy 1kw dxx PSU
30" dell W Lcd
samsung DL DVD-RW

everything else needs to be figured out soon.

i DO NOT want DDR3 at all, due to the HIGH prices. i also want 8gig's of ram so keep that in mind.

video cards need to be AWESOME, powerfull and plentiful. im using a 30'' dell lcd so i need A LOT of power. 

price isn't a big deal but the idea is to get everything as cheap as possible.

my thanks will be given to everyone who helps.


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## mrw1986 (Feb 10, 2008)

Meh, my 8800GT's power everything on my 40" Sony XBR2 1080p lcd. Even Crysis.


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## erocker (Feb 10, 2008)

I would go with a good x38 chipset like say a Asus Maximus.  You can pick up 3870's for $229 at some places.  So.... 2 3870's + x38 = FTW!


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 10, 2008)

mrw1986 said:


> Meh, my 8800GT's power everything on my 40" Sony XBR2 1080p lcd. Even Crysis.



yeah, but that's only 1920x1080 not the 2560x1920 that my 30" dell does. i've had 2 GT's and they were good, but not up to my liking for hi-res. (i know... im very picky) GTS would be good though... probably?


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 10, 2008)

erocker said:


> I would go with a good x38 chipset like say a Asus Maximus.  You can pick up 3870's for $229 at some places.  So.... 2 3870's + x38 = FTW!



well i was gonna do 2x 3870x2's on a asus rampage formula(x48)

KEEP IN MIND ALL THE NEW STUFF THAT WILL BE OUT SOON.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

so any recommendations on ram or video... even motherboards... anyone?


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## trog100 (Feb 11, 2008)

u are as wise as we are dude.. take your pick from a bunch of p38 chipsets and the known grafix cards and ram.. or wait a few weeks..

trog


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## PTECH (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> yeah, but that's only 1920x1080 not the 2560x1920 that my 30" dell does. i've had 2 GT's and they were good, but not up to my liking for hi-res. (i know... im very picky) GTS would be good though... probably?



1920x1080 = 1080P Best HD picture available.
2560x1920 = Non video, Still pictures only.

I have the NX8800GTS and love it.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

trog100 said:


> u are as wise as we are dude.. take your pick from a bunch of p38 chipsets and the known grafix cards and ram..
> 
> trog



yeah, i know. it's nice to hear other peoples opinions on hardware though. i don't have the time to read through reviews on every product. and a lot of people may have experience on something that i haven't yet seen and maybe they could suggest it as something worth getting. thats the point of my thread. i would love to hear about people who have hd3870's and x38 boards and how well they like them or how much something sucks and why i shouldn't get it.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

PTECH said:


> 1920x1080 = 1080P Best HD picture available.
> 2560x1920 = Non video, Still pictures only.
> 
> I have the NX8800GTS and love it.



lol.... sorry i meant 2560x1600. and yes....i do play games on it at that res.


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## pepsi71ocean (Feb 11, 2008)

Go for a 8800 Ultra, and after prices drop get a second and run in SLI. An Ultra will do you a good for your tv screen.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

pepsi71ocean said:


> Go for a 8800 Ultra, and after prices drop get a second and run in SLI. An Ultra will do you a good for your tv screen.



been there, had them, sold them. not the greatest card. they run hot, take a ton of power and aren't that impressive compared to the newer cards. i know they are still the kings in all, but i card that costs half as much can do about the same.


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## trog100 (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> been there, had them, sold them. not the greatest card. they run hot, take a ton of power and aren't that impressive compared to the newer cards. i know they are still the kings in all, but i card that costs half as much can do about the same.



and that is the problem in a nutshell.. bin there done that but still looking for something new to tweak the jaded appetite.. 

trog


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## hat (Feb 11, 2008)

2 3870's (or 3870x2's if you got the money) would be uber pwn in crossfire on an x38. Stick any 45nm Intel processor in it, a good 2GB set of memory and start frying tire!


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

trog100 said:


> and that is the problem in a nutshell.. bin there done that but still looking for something new to tweak the jaded appetite..
> 
> trog



really... honestly... im just looking for something that WORKS. the nvidia stuff has been a total PITA lately and im really wanting to try something new. i know an intel chipset is ideal along with an ATI card or two or three, or four... but considering what will be coming out soon, it's a though choice right now. i'd like to hear what other people are thinking about this years offerings from ATI and Intel. i have a bonetrail board but the damn ddr3 is way too much for me to use it.


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## pepsi71ocean (Feb 11, 2008)

I chose a 8800 GT over a GTX, GTS, Ultra because the performance gain was minimal, and i found out that when over clocked to where my is now it can almost outperform a ultra.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

pepsi71ocean said:


> I chose a 8800 GT over a GTX, GTS, Ultra because the performance gain was minimal, and i found out that when over clocked to where my is now it can almost outperform a ultra.



yeah... i've had every single 8 series card in sli and single card setups. they all are about the same on smaller monitors. but on biger monitors they tend to show their true power. the gtx/ultra do the best and the GTS G92 isn't far behind. the GT is a damn good card but still needs a bit more power to run on a 30" LCD. 

im considering the new stuff that will be out this year. like the r700 ATI cards and the g100 Nvidia cards. i will not be getting a 9800gx2 though.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Feb 11, 2008)

I highly recommend the DFI lanparty LT x38. Its a DDR2 motherboard and its an overclockers wet dream. So many options. Just update the BIOS to 1/11/08 as that is the bios that supports 45nm and it fixes some issues from the previous version.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> I highly recommend the DFI lanparty LT x38. Its a DDR2 motherboard and its an overclockers wet dream. So many options. Just update the BIOS to 1/11/08 as that is the bios that supports 45nm and it fixes some issues from the previous version.



tell me more.... i read the review on Xtremesystems and it looks pretty good. is the 3rd 16x pci-e slot 16x, 8x, 4x, or just a 1x?


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> tell me more.... i read the review on Xtremesystems and it looks pretty good. is the 3rd 16x pci-e slot 16x, 8x, 4x, or just a 1x?



The first two are 16x and the third is 4x for physics. 

Heres a thing of 8GB RAM.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> The first two are 16x and the third is 4x for physics.
> 
> Heres a thing of 8GB RAM.



cool thanks. i don't mind buying 2 4gig sets if i can get better ram. 

how well does the stock NB/SB/VRM cooler do? is there any option for waterblocks?

is that the board that comes with the crazy NB cooler?


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## gOJDO (Feb 11, 2008)

If you can wait a mont or two, wait for 9800GX2, nVidia mainboard with decent chipset and cheaper Yorkfield CPUs(read Q9450).


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

gOJDO said:


> If you can wait a mont or two, wait for 9800GX2, nVidia mainboard with decent chipset and cheaper Yorkfield CPUs(read Q9450).



no gx2 for me. that card is gonna be short lived and runs hot as hell. there is no option for better cooling either. i have thought about the 790i board but i don't want ddr3 at all due to the high cost. the 45nm quad is a go! just waiting on intel. i think i'll opt for the q9650 though. my wallet can handle it.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> cool thanks. i don't mind buying 2 4gig sets if i can get better ram.
> 
> how well does the stock NB/SB/VRM cooler do? is there any option for waterblocks?
> 
> is that the board that comes with the crazy NB cooler?



The stock NB/SB/VRM cooler seems to do quite well. I dont even have a fan on the NB just the included HSF and my temps under ITE SmartGuardian for the NB are 39C idle. About 44 in GoW. Thats with IC7 Diamond paste. 

As for water blocks, im not sure as I dont water cool. Ill check petra's. Im sure someone has to have this thing on water.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> no gx2 for me. that card is gonna be short lived and runs hot as hell. there is no option for better cooling either. i have thought about the 790i board but i don't want ddr3 at all due to the high cost. the 45nm quad is a go! just waiting on intel. i think i'll opt for the q9650 though. my wallet can handle it.



Wish mine could. Wanna spit some money my way?


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> Wish mine could. Wanna spit some money my way?



lol 

i can handle the q9650...but it's a stretch.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

thank you everyone for your input so far but im still looking for more input on newer stuff. im just trying to think this build out before i start. don't want to waste money this time. 

anyone seen anything good on the x48 boards? 
is ati coming out with a better card soon?
what is the best 2x2gig set of ddr2?

im definetly thinking about either an ASUS or DFI board


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## pepsi71ocean (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3: What were your 8800's running at temperature wise?


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

pepsi71ocean said:


> fitseries3: What were your 8800's running at temperature wise?



here's the norm.... idle of course.... load was not much higher though. keep in mind, everthing is on water except the NB/SB.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Feb 11, 2008)

I have 4GB of this stuff and I am running 5-5-5-15 2T at DDR2-1000 stable.  Its even on teh recommended RAM guide for the DFI board.


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## pepsi71ocean (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> here's the norm.... idle of course.... load was not much higher though. keep in mind, everthing is on water except the NB/SB.



On water? Mines on air and it ides at 43/42ish, load is upper 40s, lower 50's.

EDIT: I checked my new fan settings with my new overclock turns out its not in the low  40's but hight 30's. My error.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

pepsi71ocean said:


> On water? Mines on air and it ides at 43/42ish, load is upper 40s, lower 50's.



core temps are off for some reason. i have measured with 2 different thermal diodes and it shows lower 30's on the core temps.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> I have 4GB of this stuff and I am running 5-5-5-15 2T at DDR2-1000 stable.  Its even on teh recommended RAM guide for the DFI board.



ah, the HZ's. yes....very good ram. i would like 2x 2x2gig sets though for a total of 8gb. i haven't heard much on 2x2gig sets and performance.


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## pepsi71ocean (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> core temps are off for some reason. i have measured with 2 different thermal diodes and it shows lower 30's on the core temps.



I just edited my post about that, i reloaded GPU-Z just for S&G turns out its GPU is 37, and PCB is 35


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 11, 2008)

it has something to do with 64bit os. i can't get any temp software to work properly. i may switch back to 32bit for a while. im not trying to make excuses... the cards are about 30f cooler than the stock cooler had them. i have measured it with an infrared thermometor and thermal diodes. they are definatly cooler.


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## gOJDO (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> no gx2 for me. that card is gonna be short lived and runs hot as hell. there is no option for better cooling either. i have thought about the 790i board but i don't want ddr3 at all due to the high cost. the 45nm quad is a go! just waiting on intel. i think i'll opt for the q9650 though. my wallet can handle it.


The 3870X2 will do no better than the GX2 in terms of power consumption/heat dissipation, but the GX2 is going to be much faster. If you are not in hurry, you might wait for 9800GTX. Also there is going to be(according  to speculations  )a Radeon RV770 chip very soon with performing like a 8800Ultra. So right now it is not a good time to buy graphics cards.
About the DDR3 I am not sure if it all the 790i boards are going to be DDR3 only. Prices of DDR3 already started falling and it is expected DDR3 to become significantly cheaper very soon. Anyway be patient for two months and you'll get a much better parts than you can now for the same money.


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## Wile E (Feb 11, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> well i was gonna do 2x 3870x2's on a asus rampage formula(x48)
> 
> KEEP IN MIND ALL THE NEW STUFF THAT WILL BE OUT SOON.



I think this is your best bet. With that screen, you need the horsepower.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 12, 2008)

so from what i understand....

the 3870x2 is a little better than an 8800ultra

but...

the r770 card will be a little better than an 8800ultra?!?

so from what i can tell.... the dual chip X2 is gonna be short lived and soon replaced by a single chip card that performs the same, if not better?

and the x48 is a better x38 with more advanced overclocking options from what i have read.

so, really.... i need to wait for an x48 board and r770 xfire setup. 

the 9800gtx will be awesome from what i can tell but it will be at least late september before we see that card. and the GX2 is too hot, has no way for a better cooling setup and uses quite a bit of power. it also takes up 2 slots which is a problem for me.


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## Wile E (Feb 12, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> so from what i understand....
> 
> the 3870x2 is a little better than an 8800ultra
> 
> ...


3870X2 also takes up 2 slots. Just about any card that has the horsepower to run at your native res does, unless you want to go h20.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 12, 2008)

Wile E said:


> 3870X2 also takes up 2 slots. Just about any card that has the horsepower to run at your native res does, unless you want to go h20.



water is a must.


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## Wile E (Feb 12, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> water is a must.


I see. No problems then. lol.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 12, 2008)

anyone know where to find a DFI UT x38-t2r? i cant seam to find one.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Feb 12, 2008)

Here ya go m8,not cheap tho'--http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27482


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## Wile E (Feb 12, 2008)

tigger69 said:


> Here ya go m8,not cheap tho'--http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27482


That link says it was never released by DFI.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 12, 2008)

if it's that hard to find i will just wait for the x48 boards. it's only 3 weeks away.

should i get a 3870x2 or wait for a r770?


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## Wile E (Feb 12, 2008)

fitseries3 said:


> if it's that hard to find i will just wait for the x48 boards. it's only 3 weeks away.
> 
> should i get a 3870x2 or wait for a r770?



There's no telling when 770 will release. I say just get the X2. You can always sell it on ebay later to get something else.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 12, 2008)

i got the maximus and 1 X2 today!!!!! i can't wait to get it running. pics soon.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 13, 2008)

machine is up and running!!!


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## Wile E (Feb 13, 2008)

Sweet!!!! Keep us posted.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 13, 2008)

i need help with the whole ati thing. how the hell do you change the fan speed?

it also says the driver i have doesn't support my graphics card. where do i get the right one? this one is the latest from ati/amd's site.


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## pepsi71ocean (Feb 13, 2008)

i want to say ATI tool


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (Feb 15, 2008)

It took me about two months to get ahold of my DFI LP LT x38. Ended up getting it at motherboardpro.com.


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## Fitseries3 (Feb 15, 2008)

it's funny...

this setup...
fitseries3 - eVGA 8800Ultra SLI @ 660/1100 - 18690 - Q6600 @ 3902.5Mhz - 433.6FSB (dual ultra's in SLI and q6600@3.9)

and now...

q6600@3.6ghz with a SINGLE HD3870x2 at stock speeds gets 18247

very close. i bet at 3.9ghz the x2 will beat my 3 GTX tri-sli score.


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## VroomBang (Mar 16, 2008)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> Wish mine could. Wanna spit some money my way?



I need money too so that I can play @10240x768 on a 19" screen, or mayeby 1280x1024, with maxed visual details... It's nice to dream a bit!


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