# My first rig and i need advice.



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

I'm new to this game. But I don't know what to go with. I"ve got a few good ideas, been reading here and there, talking to a lot of friends. I just dont' know what to go with.

I think i'm gonna go with a Vista Ultimate 64 bit edition for my os.  So here's the build I got in mind. Please educate me!

Look on page 4 for current build. Stop telling me to to use a 280GTx instead of 9800, i already am =P.

I'm not gonna post all the extra crap, just the key components. My main thoughts are, should I spend a little extra and bother going to DDR3 ram?  And what about the new Intel processors coming out later this year? I've considered just waiting, since i'll have to buy a new mobo/cpu if I plan on upgrading to the Intel I7's.


----------



## RandomSunchips (Aug 16, 2008)

To me, the q9300 is basically a neutered quad core. It doesn't have the cache of the q6x00 series, nor does it clock as well. I would say to get a q6600 or q6700 instead at that price point.


----------



## BarbaricSoul (Aug 16, 2008)

wait for the I7's. A I7 set-up will cost you about the same as a q9450 set-up on a 790sli board.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

I had forgotten about the I7's up until recently which kinda through my whole idea for a loop. Any idea when those CPU's are coming out?

And Should I go with a DDR3 setup with it instead of DDR2?


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 16, 2008)

Screw the i7's, for gaming there pointless. For benchmarking there gods.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

CDdude55 said:


> Screw the i7's, for gaming there pointless. For benchmarking there god.



If that's the case correct me and tell me what I should go with? I know they are excessive but I would like to have a rig that is fairly future proof.


----------



## freaksavior (Aug 16, 2008)

wait till august 22nd and get a Q9550.


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> If that's the case correct me and tell me what I should go with? I know they are excessive but I would like to have a rig that is fairly future proof.



Well get a 45nm Quad Core CPU, it will last you a long time for gaming(expecally when most games will use all the cores later on)

Heres the Q9550 CPU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

Or a Q9450, but it is not that much cheaper:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 16, 2008)

DDR2 is still the standard now. But if you really feel like you need DDR3 then get it. DDR3 will future proof your system tho.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

Alright. so a Q9550 it is then on my current build.  As for DDR3 I'm still not sure on that. I know that DDR2 is the standard and I"m sure till be for what, another year or two easily? And by then I can upgrade as I see fit. I'll post the rest of my rig setup then to see what you guys think. 

This all comes down to, in my mind. Futureproofing as much as possible while getting the best bang for the dollar. My budget is rather flexible as of right now.


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

CDdude55 said:


> Screw the i7's, for gaming there pointless. For benchmarking there gods.



This doesn't make any sense for you to say that and then recommend a 45nm quad?  Gaming doesn't require multiple cores right now, and as such a quad of any kind isn't needed. Pointless? Hardly. There are many instances where multiple cores are used, computers are after all capable of much more than gaming (why spend $1000 when your just gaming?). From your argument here, his best choice would be a e8500 or similar dual core.  A q9550 is in no way future proofing for gaming, it's really not even future proofing at all considering a new architecture is just around the corner.

I do suggest you indeed wait for nehalem (i7). It is supposed to be around next month sometime, and building from scratch a system that will be outdated so soon is silly. Nehalem should be superior to the current Core 2 architecture in many, many ways, and the amount of money you would spend on a system now will go further then. Optimally, it would be great if you could wait until amd's new procs are also released, everything shakes out, then buy. Of course, you may not want to wait until then. I would at least wait until next month though, nehalem brings a number of improvements to the architecture that imo will render current quads nearly obsolete.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

Thats what I was thinking in all honestly. I know Nehalem won't be exactly necessessary but it means I won't have to do anything for a long while with the CPU.  Considering I can't build a rig till late next month at the earliest anyway waiting is becoming my more favored option as of this point. The PC i am on is a withered old hag and is starting to have issues that are bothering me. I'm not running on a tight budget either so its not like i have to find the best bang for the buck, more so the best long term bang for the buck.


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Thats what I was thinking in all honestly. I know Nehalem won't be exactly necessessary but it means I won't have to do anything for a long while with the CPU.  Considering I can't build a rig till late next month at the earliest anyway waiting is becoming my more favored option as of this point.  I can't wait till the AMD chips come out because the PC i am on is a withered old hag and is starting to have issues that are bothering me.



Yeah, I mean, there's always something better just around the corner, but a completely new architecture only come once in a while. Nehalem's direct memory controller, quick path interconnect, and Hyperthreading alone make it better than a core 2, then it's also a little faster clock for clock. The entry level one is supposed to launch around $300, same price of a q9550 now. If your not going to be able to build until next month anyway, just keep your eyes open we should be getting some reviews and such shortly.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

I had forgotten about them and just needed to know when the new processors come out.  What about ram. Do you suggest going with a DDR3 setup? Or will they even use DDR2?


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> I had forgotten about them and just needed to know when the new processors come out.  What about ram. Do you suggest going with a DDR3 setup? Or will they even use DDR2?



Nehalem's memory controller is strictly DDR3, so that's your only option if you go that route. Prices and latencies are coming down, almost enough to make it viably advantageous over ddr2. If your going for future-proof, DDR3 most definitely.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> Nehalem's memory controller is strictly DDR3, so that's your only option if you go that route. Prices and latencies are coming down, almost enough to make it viably advantageous over ddr2. If your going for future-proof, DDR3 most definitely.



Haha, I had figured so, so that sets the decision for me. Kinda means within a year or so the door will close on DDR2 then.  Now its just a matter of finding out how much the new mobo are gonna cost. And of course their actual release dates.


----------



## Kursah (Aug 16, 2008)

I don't necessarily think recommending the new Intel I7 stuff is the greatest of ideas tho. Yeah it sounds pretty good overall, has some awesome features, none of which is anything any of us have yet to try with it...this is what I call the ginuea pig approach...someone's gotta be it, I usually let the guys that can't resist upgrading get into that mess...sure things could be bug free, issue free, massive OC's and performance, or there could be BIOS issues, chip issues, all sorts of things can happen.

So as-far-as recommended something completely new and not even on the market yet comes as a little less than something I would personally suggest. So suggesting stuff that's out now and soon to be outdated by the "next best thing"...hell yes, it's proven, it works, prices are continually going down, you can build a very nice gaming rig that could last years if you wanted it to. Sure the I7 will be big news, I don't think it will change the face of gaming or computing, it's just Intel taking a new strategy and using some implementations AMD's had for years, I hope it's great, I doubt it'll be cheap or competitevely cheap with current Intel goodies...remember what the first Core2's were costing around launch?

That's my food for thought, if you're going to wait...see the costs, performance from real users, and what headaches there may be before going I7...I'd say wait for the price drops on the last core2 quads/duals, 775 chipsets, coolers and DDR2. You could make quite the powerful machine that would truly last and maintain kickass performance.


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Kursah said:


> I don't necessarily think recommending the new Intel I7 stuff is the greatest of ideas tho. Yeah it sounds pretty good overall, has some awesome features, none of which is anything any of us have yet to try with it...this is what I call the ginuea pig approach...someone's gotta be it, I usually let the guys that can't resist upgrading get into that mess...sure things could be bug free, issue free, massive OC's and performance, or there could be BIOS issues, chip issues, all sorts of things can happen.
> 
> So as-far-as recommended something completely new and not even on the market yet comes as a little less than something I would personally suggest. So suggesting stuff that's out now and soon to be outdated by the "next best thing"...hell yes, it's proven, it works, prices are continually going down, you can build a very nice gaming rig that could last years if you wanted it to. Sure the I7 will be big news, I don't think it will change the face of gaming or computing, it's just Intel taking a new strategy and using some implementations AMD's had for years, I hope it's great, I doubt it'll be cheap or competitevely cheap with current Intel goodies...remember what the first Core2's were costing around launch?
> 
> That's my food for thought, if you're going to wait...see the costs, performance from real users, and what headaches there may be before going I7...I'd say wait for the price drops on the last core2 quads/duals, 775 chipsets, coolers and DDR2. You could make quite the powerful machine that would truly last and maintain kickass performance.



I would doubt if there will be many problems. However, before release there will be plenty of reviews and such, and prices will be evident. At that point a educated decision can be made. Nehalem looks to be adequately superior to core 2 to make that choice, but if there are problems or something goes awry, the Core 2's will at least be cheaper then. He should wait either way, which was my main suggestion, as we can't know for sure what's best now, but in a months time the situation will be clearer.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

Bah. Everyone keeps making good points on this that and the other. And I'm still not set to one way or the other. I planned on building a pc and tweaked my old list.   

Can you tell me what you think of this. Considering this isn't definite, it all depends on what happens at the end of next month. Consider this the rig i'd build if i don't go with Nehalem then, since I can't make an I7 rig yet. =P.

CPU: Core2 Quad Yorkfield
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041

MOBO: Asus Striker II Extreme
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131274R

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1100 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231194

GPU: EVGA 9800GTX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130376

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Hard Drive: Western Digital Cavalier SE16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

For the case i'm going with a Coolmaster Cosmos and a Liteon DVDRW drive.

I'm still a little hesitant about Vista though.  Should I go with Vista 64 bit or maybe stick with an XP 64??


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Bah. Everyone keeps making good points on this that and the other. And I'm still not set to one way or the other. I planned on building a pc and tweaked my old list.
> 
> Can you tell me what you think of this. Considering this isn't definite, it all depends on what happens at the end of next month.
> 
> ...



I definitely would not spend that much on the striker. I guess your planning on doing sli? And what is your main uses of the machine? If gaming, is top end settings important? Vista has been good to me and I love it. You shouldn't have any problems, but some still like xp better.


----------



## J-Man (Aug 16, 2008)

I'd get the Q6700 instead mate. I'm not upgrading to Nahalem until after my 20th birthday anyway (January).


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

I've been told the Asus is a bit much. What's a better alternative? I don't really consider SLI worth while, since they're always coming out with single cards that seem to push the dual card setup kinda down the way.


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> I've been told the Asus is a bit much. What's a better alternative? I don't really consider SLI worth while, since they're always coming out with single cards that seem to push the dual card setup kinda down the way.



Exactly. I would go w/ a p45, they oc very nicely. They'll only cost around $100-250, depending on which one you get (which depends on what features your looking for). With the extra money you can bump up that video card to a gtx 280 perhaps, which is a beast of a card that should be good for maxing out everything for several months to come. The rest of that stuff looks pretty good, I wouldn't make any final decisions until I see some full nehalem reviews and prices though.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

Can you recommend me a good board then? I did consider looking at the P45 mobo's but I couldn't decide which one was worth the money. And should I go with the Q6700. That ones fairly cheaper then the Q9550 and I doubt the performance difference would be too great?


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Can you recommend me a good board then? I did consider looking at the P45 mobo's but I couldn't decide which one was worth the money.



Well, you can't really go wrong, they're all good, just depends on your preferences and features. Asus's entire P5Q line-up is pretty good, w/ some of the more expensive ones including ddr3. I personally wouldn't pay for it though, as the fsb is a big bandwidth choker for ddr3, rendering it largely a waste (hence the ddr3 direct controller and triple-channel on nehalem). The Biostar Tforce series has been solid, providing fsb records. Gigabyte is generally solid and simple for the overclocking beginner, they generally allow most things to be on auto. DFI is popular around TPU, and they make solid boards all around. MSI, anybody but ECS. Plus most p45s do have two pci-ex16 slots, so if this PhysX thing works out, you can get a cheap video card and pop it in there for physics processing. Overall I'd say one of the P5Qs, a gigabyte, or one of the Biostars.

Sorry I'm not more specific, I could just recommend one board, most of the others will, often the one they have. It just depends on things like sata ports, ddr3/ddr2, ide, heatsink, look, bios options, many are different, and it depends on personal preference. Pick one out of those and we can discuss it more. 

And no, I would not recommend the q6700 over the q9550. It's not that much cheaper, and the q9550 can generally oc just as high or higher (in fact, going off recent batches, the q9550 will almost definitely go higher), is faster clock for clock, has more L2 cache, and is cooler.


----------



## freaksavior (Aug 16, 2008)

For your gpu, i would go with either a 4850 or a 260gtx both out perform the 9800gtx


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

Haha. I really don't know what i need or what i want with all of that. One of the reasons i'm here. 
=P.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131319

How about this one. Fairly cheaper then the last one i picked. I just don'tk now what i should and shouldn't be looking for. It does look kickass thoug =P But that's not necessarily a must.  I'd like to get down around 200 possibly. As 'm sure there's an equally good mobo for less.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

freaksavior said:


> For your gpu, i would go with either a 4850 or a 260gtx both out perform the 9800gtx



I've already changed to a 280GTX. Though in my heart i kinda feel like supporting ati with a 4850, haha.


----------



## freaksavior (Aug 16, 2008)

I would go with something like that.


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Haha. I really don't know what i need or what i want with all of that. One of the reasons i'm here.
> =P.
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131319
> ...



Pretty good, a tad expensive for my tastes. A motherboard for me just needs to have good oc'ing capability and enough sata ports. This would probably be my choice if I were buying. Or perhaps this one.

If you wanna go ati go for the 4870. I recommend the gtx 280 above it, but both are very solid.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

The other fellow suggested the GTX 260. how much of a performance difference is there? IS the price difference worth it??


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> The other fellow suggested the GTX 260. how much of a performance difference is there? IS the price difference worth it??



Between the 280 and 260? What resolution will you be playing on do you think? I mean, when oc'd to it's max, the 260 can generally come close to matching the 280's performance at stock. Of course, the 280 can be oc'd well out of reach of anything outside of ati's new 4870x2. Price/performance the gtx 260 is ahead, but if I had the extra money, it would be worth it to me to get the gtx 280. That does depend on resolution though, at 1920x1200, the 280 is a bigger winner. If your going to be at 1280x1024 or something you won't need either as they will both be overkill. Here's a review and performance chart for more contemplation, index is at the bottom for various tests in different games and such, keep in mind, prices were very different when the review was conducted: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Point_Of_View/GeForce_GTX_260/23.html


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

My planned resolution as of right now is 1680x1050. On a 20 inch monitor. So i doubt i'll be up to 1920/1200.  So the 260 will get the job done then?


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 16, 2008)

Deimos said:


> My planned resolution as of right now is 1680x1050. On a 20 inch monitor. So i doubt i'll be up to 1920/1200.  So the 260 will get the job done then?



Oh yes, right now a 260 will play anything maxed no problem. You have spoke of future proofing though, and although that is difficult to do in the tech world, the 280 will keep you maxing out games longer than the 260 will, albeit while spending more for that performance.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 16, 2008)

Hmm.. After doing a comparison of the two. I'm only saving 130 dollars from one card to the next. So it seems like a better idea to go with the 280. And when you're already spending 1500, 120 bucks isn't a big deal.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 17, 2008)

Alright. SO i think i've got this rig finally done. I think i got a fairly solid setup going right now. Of course that might change when the new chips roll around but until that time comes, this is what i consider my other option if I don't go Nehalem/DDR3.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/P...ishListNumber=5135749&WishListTitle=GodGinrai



I"m still considering those other motherboards that farlex suggested. I just can't lean towards one or another.


----------



## Jrob (Aug 18, 2008)

I have the same mobo as you, I would go with gtx280 sli.


----------



## freaksavior (Aug 18, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Alright. SO i think i've got this rig finally done. I think i got a fairly solid setup going right now. Of course that might change when the new chips roll around but until that time comes, this is what i consider my other option if I don't go Nehalem/DDR3.
> 
> http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/P...ishListNumber=5135749&WishListTitle=GodGinrai
> 
> ...



get mx-2 it isnt conductive like as5 is. 

personally i wouldn't got wd. i have had 4 of there drives all faided on me.

P4 system had one it failed, sent in to wd to fix it failed again.

Bought one for xbox failed 2 months later.

External drive, rma'd it the day i got it.

nuff said.

Seagate or samsung ftw baby!

power supply, good psu for sure. also consider silverstone and or pc&p

everything else i think looks good m8


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 18, 2008)

freaksavior said:


> get mx-2 it isnt conductive like as5 is.
> 
> personally i wouldn't got wd. i have had 4 of there drives all faided on me.
> 
> ...



That drive is among the fastest and best bang for your buck hdd's out right now. Some have had similar experiences w/ samsung or seagate, just depends. Samsung, Seagate, WD, they're all good. I have 3 WDs all working wonderfully. 

Looks like a good build Deimos, like I said just keep watching for nehalem stuff, and hopefully you'll get some full reviews and prices before your ready to buy. Just curious what is drawing you to the maximus board still?


----------



## freaksavior (Aug 18, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> That drive is among the fastest and best bang for your buck hdd's out right now. Some have had similar experiences w/ samsung or seagate, just depends. Samsung, Seagate, WD, they're all good. I have 3 WDs all working wonderfully.
> 
> Looks like a good build Deimos, like I said just keep watching for nehalem stuff, and hopefully you'll get some full reviews and prices before your ready to buy. Just curious what is drawing you to the maximus board still?



yeah, well what do you know? nothin i tell ya, your nothin  

j/k m8

Wd isnt bad for sure, i just had a bad string of luck with them so i personally never recommend them anymore.


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 18, 2008)

freaksavior said:


> yeah, well what do you know? nothin i tell ya, your nothin
> 
> j/k m8
> 
> Wd isnt bad for sure, i just had a bad string of luck with them so i personally never recommend them anymore.



Whoa there no need for that kind of talk. 

I know what your saying, if I had 3 drives fail on me I probably wouldn't recommend them either. But you've seen others saying similar things about Seagate or Samsung haven't you? Cause they're out there, it's kind of luck of the draw. That drive is too good at that price to pass up imo, which is the only reason I intervened to argue w/ you.


----------



## freaksavior (Aug 18, 2008)

Agreed, it is cheap, and yes, some peeps have said that for seagate but really haven't heard that for seagate.

i still recommend seagate or samsnung


----------



## Deimos (Aug 18, 2008)

I actually moved away from the Maximus, I dunno why that keeps showing it still.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

I think i'll go with this one. Unless theres a better idea out there.

 I'll honestly say the maximus is a badass looking board so thats one reason i was eyeballing it so much, flashy design keeps me distracted . But reality is setting in that it's all not necessary.


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 18, 2008)

Deimos said:


> I actually moved away from the Maximus, I dunno why that keeps showing it still.
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
> 
> ...



Ya, the P5Q's are solid motherboards.Support for 45nm out of the box and is at a good price.


----------



## BarbaricSoul (Aug 18, 2008)

+1 to everything Farlex has said


----------



## J-Man (Aug 18, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Can you recommend me a good board then? I did consider looking at the P45 mobo's but I couldn't decide which one was worth the money. And should I go with the Q6700. That ones fairly cheaper then the Q9550 and I doubt the performance difference would be too great?


 ASUS P5K Premium/WiFi P45.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Aug 18, 2008)

Alright here's my idea.. Total is $1942.58 with shipping, minus $110 in MIR..


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Aug 28, 2008)

so we haven't heard from you, what's going on in the computer sector?


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 28, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> This doesn't make any sense for you to say that and then recommend a 45nm quad?  Gaming doesn't require multiple cores right now, and as such a quad of any kind isn't needed. Pointless? Hardly. There are many instances where multiple cores are used, computers are after all capable of much more than gaming (why spend $1000 when your just gaming?). From your argument here, his best choice would be a e8500 or similar dual core.  A q9550 is in no way future proofing for gaming, it's really not even future proofing at all considering a new architecture is just around the corner.
> 
> I do suggest you indeed wait for nehalem (i7). It is supposed to be around next month sometime, and building from scratch a system that will be outdated so soon is silly. Nehalem should be superior to the current Core 2 architecture in many, many ways, and the amount of money you would spend on a system now will go further then. Optimally, it would be great if you could wait until amd's new procs are also released, everything shakes out, then buy. Of course, you may not want to wait until then. I would at least wait until next month though, nehalem brings a number of improvements to the architecture that imo will render current quads nearly obsolete.



Well, i never said they can't be used for anything besides gaming. If he is mainly useing the system for gaming, the benchmarks even prove that Nehalem isn't that great. When Nehalem comes out the Core 2's wont be outdated. If he is just trying to generally future proof his system(like, has nothing to do with gaming or anything) and just wants the best, then yes a Nehalem system would be ideal.

But, Nehalem has proven itself in most muli core apps.(and yes this is based on benchmarks) but as for gaming(yes PC can do more, but i am talking about gaming right now) there is nothing it can do that most of the 45nm Quads can't. BUT i do agree that if he does alot more CPU core heavy things(CS3, Photoshop and what not) yes the Nehalem will clearly come out on top. If you do all that(run CPU heavy programs that can use all cores) plus game Deimos, then i say go Nehalem. But if you know for a fact that you are going to mainly use it for gaming and a bit of program CPU core heavy usage, there is nothing the Core 2's can't do that Nehalem can.


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 28, 2008)

I love the look of the Asus Maximus II Formula.


----------



## farlex85 (Aug 28, 2008)

CDdude55 said:


> Well, i never said they can't be used for anything besides gaming. If he is mainly useing the system for gaming, the benchmarks even prove that Nehalem isn't that great. When Nehalem comes out the Core 2's wont be outdated. If he is just trying to generally future proof his system(like, has nothing to do with gaming or anything) and just wants the best, then yes a Nehalem system would be ideal.
> 
> *But, Nehalem has proven itself in most muli core apps.(and yes this is based on benchmarks) but as for gaming(yes PC can do more, but i am talking about gaming right now) there is nothing it can do that most of the 45nm Quads can't.* BUT i do agree that if he does alot more CPU core heavy things(CS3, Photoshop and what not) yes the Nehalem will clearly come out on top. If you do all that(run CPU heavy programs that can use all cores) plus game Deimos, then i say go Nehalem. But if you know for a fact that you are going to mainly use it for gaming and a bit of program CPU core heavy usage, there is nothing the Core 2's can't do that Nehalem can.



Yeah, I just was saying it wouldn't follow to say nehalem isn't good for games and then say a 45nm quad is. At worst they would be the same. And the bold remains to be seen. You may be right, it may not offer anything useful in games. However, depending on how this works w/ turning off some cores to give other's more power, it may actually have a lot more to offer than current quads, even in single-threaded apps, we'll just have to see. And there are other features that may indeed make nehalem superior to core 2's in more things than multi-core apps, we'll just have to wait and see if it comes together properly. I'm thinking it will.


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 28, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> Yeah, I just was saying it wouldn't follow to say nehalem isn't good for games and then say a 45nm quad is. At worst they would be the same. And the bold remains to be seen. You may be right, it may not offer anything useful in games. However, depending on how this works w/ turning off some cores to give other's more power, it may actually have a lot more to offer than current quads, even in single-threaded apps, we'll just have to see. And there are other features that may indeed make nehalem superior to core 2's in more things than multi-core apps, we'll just have to wait and see if it comes together properly. I'm thinking it will.



I agree.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 29, 2008)

Sorry i haven't replied. Glad to hear people are interested. I ran into a hurdle.. Flipplin 500 bucks in car repairs. The rig wont' be purchasable till late september/earlier october (For me birthday ) Not to mention i have to spend another 500 on duty gear for my new job. BDU's, Fully kitted Duty belt + cuffs. I'm a correctional Officer. That stuff isn't cheap, thankfully it's all tax write off.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Aug 29, 2008)

how many sets of BDU's and what color/ pattern? what kinda accessories and stuff you need? I may have some stuff you could grab cheap, if not I can reference you to some dirt cheap places..


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Aug 29, 2008)

and as for the delay... it'll save you some cash.. september/ october some nice price drops are coming down


----------



## Deimos (Aug 29, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> and as for the delay... it'll save you some cash.. september/ october some nice price drops are coming down



That's what I figured. I appreciate the offer for BDUs, but unless you're local I'm not gonna buy something from someone I don't know.  No offense.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Aug 29, 2008)




----------



## Deimos (Aug 29, 2008)

That is unless ya know of a few cheaper websites? I know Copquest.com has decent prices. Saving 100 bucks on my duty belt compared to the local store.


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 29, 2008)

I use to work at Target....don't work there.:shadedshu


----------



## Deimos (Aug 29, 2008)

CDdude55 said:


> I use to work at Target....don't work there.:shadedshu



Walmart before this job buddy.. FLippin walmart. You have no idea how happy i was when i quit.


----------



## PCpraiser100 (Aug 29, 2008)

Deimos said:


> I'm new to this game. But I don't know what to go with. I"ve got a few good ideas, been reading here and there, talking to alot of friends. I just dont' know what to go with.
> 
> I think i'm gonna go with a Vista Ultimate 64 bit edition for my os.  So here's the build I got in mind. Please edjucate me!
> 
> ...



HD 4850 instead of the 9800GTX, 800 or 1066 ram instead of 1100 ram.


----------



## DonInKansas (Aug 29, 2008)

CDdude55 said:


> I use to work at Target....don't work there.:shadedshu



I loved working for Target.

Then again, I worked at a DC---didn't have to deal with all them rascally customers.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Aug 29, 2008)

Deimos said:


> That is unless ya know of a few cheaper websites? I know Copquest.com has decent prices. Saving 100 bucks on my duty belt compared to the local store.



OPSGEAR is based out of Nevada, and are highly dedicated to law enforcement and military personel, and offer discounts and free services to them. ( www.opsgear.com ) Their product selection is very nice, and their mechandise is decent to high quality, and fairly priced for most things. They have full duty belts with all compartments and add ons needed for around $60 for heavy duty nylon. If you subscribe to their newsletter and web updates via email, they send you promo codes for X dollars off your order or free shipping, and exclusive offers and pre-orders. you may also pick up orders directly.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 29, 2008)

Yeah, Opsgear does have some good stuff. Only issue with that duty belt is all the stuff is the wrong style. And it's in Green. =P. I"m going All high end Bianchi. Though I will get my kevlars gloves from them.


----------



## CDdude55 (Aug 29, 2008)

DonInKansas said:


> I loved working for Target.
> 
> Then again, I worked at a DC---didn't have to deal with all them rascally customers.



lol, i was mostly Cart Attendant, which was very hard when it was hot, but at least we got to use the cart machine that makes it alot easier. But everyone kept stealing stuff alot and alot of people who were working there where taking cash out of the register(i could see them getting arrested while i was doing the carts outside). But the job wasn't worth it for the pay.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Aug 30, 2008)

you can get different colors from them.. you can also go through blackhawk. blackhawk has some nice stuff, I have a few things from them and they're very rugged.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 30, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> you can get different colors from them.. you can also go through blackhawk. blackhawk has some nice stuff, I have a few things from them and they're very rugged.



The website only had OD Green, was sold out of whatever else as the set. =P. Almost all of that belt is not what I need. Or in the improper style.  I appreciate the help in terms of trying to help me save cash.   Though i will use that site for the Kevlar, and maybe a few other things. We shall have to see.


----------



## Deimos (Aug 31, 2008)

Since i got nothing to talk about as of right now. Might as well talk about the rest of the rig. I am deciding on a case. As of right now. I want the Coolmaster Cosmos S. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119150
I like the Cosmos S because I like full towers and its the best looking full tower imo at the moment.  

I've been thinking about a mid tower but I can't find one I actually like. Any case suggestions from the experienced users out there?

I thought about the smiladon but I'm not too fond of doors anymore.


----------



## BarbaricSoul (Aug 31, 2008)

well, I have this case and simply love the thing. Dropped temps by almost 10'c over my cooler master atcs case, plenty of room(I got a GX2 and a big ass gigabyte cpu heatsink/fan in mine) and all around a great looking case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112118


----------



## BarbaricSoul (Aug 31, 2008)

here's a link to my system on EVGA'S mod rigs so you can see a pic of the inside on my case with everything installed(except the case fans that go over the gfx card and cpu heatsink for pulling the heated air away from them. They fit and I have them installed and working, but if they were in place when I took the pic, that's all you would see).

http://www.evga.com/community/ModsRigs/comment.asp?sysid=9290


----------



## TooFast (Aug 31, 2008)

Deimos said:


> My planned resolution as of right now is 1680x1050. On a 20 inch monitor. So i doubt i'll be up to 1920/1200.  So the 260 will get the job done then?




get a 4870...


----------



## PCpraiser100 (Sep 1, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Since i got nothing to talk about as of right now. Might as well talk about the rest of the rig. I am deciding on a case. As of right now. I want the Coolmaster Cosmos S.
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119150
> I like the Cosmos S because I like full towers and its the best looking full tower imo at the moment.
> ...



The CosmoS doesn't have good ventilation compared to others, it was mainly designed to be compatible for multiple liquid-cooling systems and to be quiet, which is overkill in your upgrading scenario. As for the noise, it uses noise-proof foam which conducts more heat inside the case, conducting 20 degrees more heat than other cases. What I would recommend you is that if you are looking for something that will get the job done efficiently and with style, I recommend either the Antec Three Hundred or the Antec Nine Hundred. 

The Nine Hundred comes with 2 Front 120mm fans, 1 Back 120mm fan,  1 side fan slot for extra optional intake, and 1 whopping 140mm roof fan. It even includes a handy tool compartment on the top to store small tools. The case is ATX (like as if you will need E-ATX for a while), has a side window to keep eyes on the hardware, and all the fans glow with blue LEDs.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspxItem=N82E16811129021&Tpk=Nine Hundred

The Three Hundred, however, is the same thing but cheaper and slightly downgraded. No blue LEDs, no side window, no tool compartment, and instead of a 140mm roof fan it has a 120mm roof fan. The performance is barely anything different from the Nine Hundred but for nearly half the price. I highly recommend this case if you don't care about eye candy but care for your wallet. Its ATX supported as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Take your pick, as these cases have a superb reputation. You can also upgrade to the bigger Twelve Hundred, which is a full tower Nine Hundred that only supports ATX, but it is overkill and beyond in your position as it stores up to 9 hard drives in orderly fashion. I only recommend this if you are planning to store tons of hard drives.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043&Tpk=twelve hundred


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 1, 2008)

The NZXT tempest has de-throned the antec 900 as cooling king for mid-towers imo, it has the same fans + 1 extra 140mm top fan, plus it is nearly as big as the 1200 and other full towers, wire management looks good, and priced well (about the same price as the 900, in some places cheaper, in some places more). Here it is at the egg, but check your local retailer cause I know microcenter is selling it for $90.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146047

I'm thinking this will be my next case, although the cm 690 looks good too......


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 1, 2008)

My suggestions per experience, is the Antec 900 for mid tower, and Antec 1200 for full tower. I'm using the 1200 right now. 2 VERY nice cases as far as air flow and cooling. the 1200 also has phenominal wire management, and comes with all the fans you'll need, besides a CPU HSF


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 1, 2008)

I personally didn't like the RC-690, it didn't have enough air intake in my opinion..


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 1, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> I personally didn't like the RC-690, it didn't have enough air intake in my opinion..



No it certainly doesn't have quite the cooling of the tempest or 900, but it's cheaper, and I like the look better personally. I also like the perpendicular hdd cage, better for management.  But airflow is much better on the tempest, I just wish the look was a little more refined and restrained, but for the money it can't be beat.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 1, 2008)

that's true. personally, the antec 900 is a little difficult to deal with in terms of wiring and stuff. theres little to no room for wire management unless you chop it up.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 1, 2008)

Hmm. I like the cosmos and I like the idea of water cooling. It's something I do want to try some time. I have been considering the Antec 900/1200 as well as an alternative to the Cosmos S. That Tempest is nice too but i'm not too keen on it personally, just my little aesthetic tastes i guess.. I just have a thing for big ass cases. I'm not a lan-party goer so size isn't an issue and even then I'd enjoy lugging the big bastard around.  And from all the pictures of the Cosmos i didn't see much in the way of noise canceling foam. I'd like to see the proof of the temperature increase if possible.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 1, 2008)

On another side note i saw prices for the I7 chips. The lowest model is pretty reasonable at 260-ish. And is overclockable. I know it isn't necessary but future-proofing is one of my many concerns in this build for long term survivability.


----------



## CDdude55 (Sep 1, 2008)

Core i7 800@ 2.66Ghz $284.99 is one of them. Still for gaming, you dont need it, but if you just what to generally future proof(just get the latest of whats out) then Core i7 is you best pick.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 1, 2008)

I feel a little retarded for having this thread being done for so long and still no PC to speak for it. But I would rather discuss all my options and get good feedback before i make a decision.  And it seems that when I actually am able to buy my PC will correspond to when those CPU's hit the market. I'm becoming rather impatient, haha.


 My goal is longevity and future proofing. Since the I7's are coming, technically won't that be the standard for things to come?? Future games will be set up for it and the performance difference between dual core and the quads isn't really that substantial is it? Of course I could be wrong. Which is why i'm here asking questions anyway.


----------



## BarbaricSoul (Sep 1, 2008)

> My goal is longevity and future proofing. Since the I7's are coming, technically won't that be the standard for things to come?? Future games will be set up for it and the performance difference between dual core and the quads isn't really that substantial is it? Of course I could be wrong. Which is why i'm here asking questions anyway.



The I7 have something called turbo mode where the CPU will shut down 2 of it's cores and OC the remaining 2 cores. The way I understand it, the I7s will do the job of a quad or a dual, it just depends on what kind of applications are running(multi threaded or single threaded)

I7 turbo mode


----------



## CDdude55 (Sep 1, 2008)

BarbaricSoul said:


> The I7 have something called turbo mode where the CPU will shut down 2 of it's cores and OC the remaining 2 cores. The way I understand it, the I7s will do the job of a quad or a dual, it just depends on what kind of applications are running(multi threaded or single threaded)
> 
> I7 turbo mode



Wow, thats awesome. But still the Core 2's are still great for future gaming.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 1, 2008)

Hm.. Didn't know they could do that. Need to see some real reviews and tests to see just what the fricken things can actually do, as oppose to statistically and theoretically.


----------



## deaffob (Sep 2, 2008)

Hmm I'm in the same place as you are Deimos. I was trying to decide if I should build my first computer with either Q9550 with P45 and DDR3, or I7 with X58. By looking at how things are going, I think I would wait for I7. Because Q9550(2.83Ghz) is $330 now but the new I7 2.66Ghz cpu is $260. Ofcourse the price of Q9550 will go down by the time when the new CPUs are out but I think $260 for starting price is very reasonable. I would assume I7 2.66Ghz will do just as fine as Q9550. The only thing I want to know now is the prices of new mobos.

I have one question. What's 'Retention Bracket?'
I saw that on the Deimos's wishlist.


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 2, 2008)

deaffob said:


> Hmm I'm in the same place as you are Deimos. I was trying to decide if I should build my first computer with either Q9550 with P45 and DDR3, or I7 with X58. By looking at how things are going, I think I would wait for I7. Because Q9550(2.83Ghz) is $330 now but the new I7 2.66Ghz cpu is $260. Ofcourse the price of Q9550 will go down by the time when the new CPUs are out but I think $260 for starting price is very reasonable. I would assume I7 2.66Ghz will do just as fine as Q9550. The only thing I want to know now is the prices of new mobos.
> 
> I have one question. What's 'Retention Bracket?'
> I saw that on the Deimos's wishlist.



Just so you know it's unlikely the procs will come in the market at that price. That is intel's MSRP, but w/ new items of theirs they usually are over the MSRP initial, probably over $300 for this one. Depending on how sales and performance is, the prices will drop at some rate, but don't expect it to be $283 (projected MSRP) right out of the gate. DDR3 w/ the fsb is almost pointless (the bandwidth limitations negate the speed for a large part), so I'd definitely wait for i7 if ddr3 is in your future.

A retention bracket allows a heatsink to be fastened w/ bolts or screws as opposed to the twist way they often sell w/ on LGA 775.


----------



## BarbaricSoul (Sep 2, 2008)

the retention bracket is a metal plate that goes on the back of your motherboard for securing a heatsink to your cpu


----------



## deaffob (Sep 2, 2008)

*: D*



farlex85 said:


> Just so you know it's unlikely the procs will come in the market at that price. That is intel's MSRP, but w/ new items of theirs they usually are over the MSRP initial, probably over $300 for this one. Depending on how sales and performance is, the prices will drop at some rate, but don't expect it to be $283 (projected MSRP) right out of the gate. DDR3 w/ the fsb is almost pointless (the bandwidth limitations negate the speed for a large part), so I'd definitely wait for i7 if ddr3 is in your future.



Why would DDR3 with Q9550 will be almost pointless? I read that 1:1 ratio is the way to go. Q9550 has 1333Mhz and if I get DDR3 1333 or get higher one and dial the timing down so that I get 1:1 ratio, isn't that better?


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 2, 2008)

deaffob said:


> Why would DDR3 with Q9550 will be almost pointless? I read that 1:1 ratio is the way to go. Q9550 has 1333Mhz and if I get DDR3 1333 or get higher one and dial the timing down so that I get 1:1 ratio, isn't that better?



Ok, you got me, I was exaggerating.  No but really ddr3 is extremely limited b/c the fsb cannot keep up, it just doesn't have enough bandwidth, and the memory and cpu can only communicate this way in core 2. Hence the direct ddr3 memory controller of i7, which more than doubles this bandwidth, and a triple-channel set-up will increase it some more. Roughly. Plus the qpi will increase bandwidth as well. The fsb is a bottleneck, one that becomes huge when talking ddr3 speeds. Pointless? No. Inefficient and not fully utilizing that expensive ddr3? Definitely.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 2, 2008)

I'm just curious to see what the cost of the new mobos are because at least this gives me an estimate at I7 costs. Along with some real performance numbers and comparisons to whats on the market now.


----------



## BarbaricSoul (Sep 2, 2008)

Deimos said:


> I'm just curious to see what the cost of the new mobos are because at least this gives me an estimate at I7 costs. Along with some real performance numbers and comparisons to whats on the market now.




the new x58 motherboards are said to be priced about equal to what the nvidia 790 chipset motherboards cost($350 area). A I7 rig with the 2.66 gig cpu will cost about the same as building a q9450 quad/790i chipset system today(about $600-700 for motherboard cpu combo)


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 2, 2008)

I'd say just wait and build a new AMD FX system


----------



## Deimos (Sep 3, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> I'd say just wait and build a new AMD FX system



And when is that supposed to happen?


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 3, 2008)

I believe Jan or Feb?


----------



## Hayder_Master (Sep 3, 2008)

my tips is change cpu and card
q6600
ati 4850


----------



## Deimos (Sep 3, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> I believe Jan or Feb?



Yeah, no way am i waiting that long.


----------



## kenkickr (Sep 3, 2008)

If money isn't an issue why not go with the 4870 X2( or 2) or the 260(or 2)!?  My only gripe is with Vista Ultimate!!  Why?  It's basically just Home Premium and Business thrown together so you get alot more bloatware, like Vista doesn't have enough already.  I would say go with Vista Home Premium x64 unless you have a use for all the Business crap.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 4, 2008)

I'd say grab an E8500, overclock it to 4- 4.5GHz get some good memory to match the bus, and a 4870.  My suggestion is on the 2nd page I believe...


----------



## Deimos (Sep 4, 2008)

kenkickr said:


> If money isn't an issue why not go with the 4870 X2( or 2) or the 260(or 2)!?  My only gripe is with Vista Ultimate!!  Why?  It's basically just Home Premium and Business thrown together so you get alot more bloatware, like Vista doesn't have enough already.  I would say go with Vista Home Premium x64 unless you have a use for all the Business crap.



I guess i need to update my post. I already swapped over to a 280 Gtx card. And i'm going back down to home premium.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 4, 2008)

For those that missed it. This is the current setup i have going on. 

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/P...ishListNumber=5135749&WishListTitle=GodGinrai

CPU/motherboard/ram are pending the prices/performance value of the new processors/mobos when they come out. I want to future proof, As in what will be the norm in a year, not right now. Even if that means along term future proofing. I don't see overclocking performances boosts to be the most necessary thing in my world in all honest. I'm not trying to strain myself for 10 fps in a game getting 50+ fps in a game. The whole dual core/quadcore/i7 thing still has me thinking.

I like big cases and I'm not worried about space so mid towers are out. I think this one looks the best and from what i can tell it performs more then adequate for the job of air cooling. (no proof otherwise so far) And allows for future tinkering with water cooling if I get the berries to do so.


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 4, 2008)

Overclocking is a great way to increase the amount of time that your hardware is powerful. I oc my proc 1ghz and my gts about 15%, and it gives me a lot more than 10fps in some games. And that's a fairly mild oc, it can go higher. Definitely worth doing for saving money and future proofing.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 4, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> Overclocking is a great way to increase the amount of time that your hardware is powerful. I oc my proc 1ghz and my gts about 15%, and it gives me a lot more than 10fps in some games. And that's a fairly mild oc, it can go higher. Definitely worth doing for saving money and future proofing.



Yes, but future proofing right now would be getting the I7 when it hits shelves, is it not? Otherwise i'm technically buying old technology, while nothing being wrong with it and it's performance is obviously very good.


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 4, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Yes, but future proofing right now would be getting the I7 when it hits shelves, is it not? Otherwise i'm technically buying old technology, while nothing being wrong with it and it's performance is obviously very good.



Yes definitely, I was just commenting on your saying you didn't want to oc, I would consider it. But yes i7 will likely be the way to go.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 4, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> Yes definitely, I was just commenting on your saying you didn't want to oc, I would consider it. But yes i7 will likely be the way to go.



Oh i'm not counting overclocking out. That big flippin CPU cooler is gonna earn itself =P. I'm also just saying that Overclock ability isn't my main concern in a purchase. This wait is killin me.


----------



## theeldest (Sep 4, 2008)

My $.02:

Wait for i7. I built a s939 system when AM2 was just around the corner and I regretted it when I wanted to upgrade on 1-2 years later. Upgrading s939 was more expensive than AM2.

Not sure if the same will apply with i7, but that's my bit.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 5, 2008)

theeldest said:


> My $.02:
> 
> Wait for i7. I built a s939 system when AM2 was just around the corner and I regretted it when I wanted to upgrade on 1-2 years later. Upgrading s939 was more expensive than AM2.
> 
> Not sure if the same will apply with i7, but that's my bit.



I plan on waiting. I mainly did that build as a catch all if things don't work out or there is some huge flaw on start up and to give myself something to do and talk about with you guys. Any knowledge is good knowledge.


----------



## PCpraiser100 (Sep 7, 2008)

Deimos said:


> I like big cases and I'm not worried about space so mid towers are out. I think this one looks the best and from what i can tell it performs more then adequate for the job of air cooling. (no proof otherwise so far) And allows for future tinkering with water cooling if I get the berries to do so.



Then if you are going 100% for full-tower, I recommend this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

Despite that the CosmoS looks kick ass, its doesn't kick ass at all. This case that I've just put up is Cooler Master's new arrival that is one of the best I've ever seen. And its $50 cheaper too!


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 7, 2008)

That looks like a mix of the cosmos s and the rc 690..


----------



## Deimos (Sep 7, 2008)

PCpraiser100 said:


> Then if you are going 100% for full-tower, I recommend this:
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
> 
> Despite that the CosmoS looks kick ass, its doesn't kick ass at all. This case that I've just put up is Cooler Master's new arrival that is one of the best I've ever seen. And its $50 cheaper too!



I will give you credit. That thing looks like a monster. I'm gonna go ahead and say ya got me there. That thing whips the Cosmos's ass.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 7, 2008)

PCpraiser100 said:


> Then if you are going 100% for full-tower, I recommend this:
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160
> 
> Despite that the CosmoS looks kick ass, its doesn't kick ass at all. This case that I've just put up is Cooler Master's new arrival that is one of the best I've ever seen. And its $50 cheaper too!



I just got my HAF 932 the other day, its sitting next to me right now  Spent all day yesterady putting everythingin and cable management. Awesome case and you won't regret buying it


----------



## Deimos (Sep 7, 2008)

Jmatt110 said:


> I just got my HAF 932 the other day, its sitting next to me right now  Spent all day yesterady putting everythingin and cable management. Awesome case and you won't regret buying it



Everything goes in simple as pie I take it? I saw that i'ts got the new hard drive installation thing where it's sideways. Nothing is flimsy I take it?


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 7, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Everything goes in simple as pie I take it? I saw that i'ts got the new hard drive installation thing where it's sideways. Nothing is flimsy I take it?



Nope, this thing is solid as a rock. Made out of steel which is heavier, but more more sollid. Easily some of the best tooless kits for the HDD's and optical drives. Optical drives have a big button that you just push in and it locks in place. Heaps of room inside and nice pre-drilled cable routing holes. And the fans!!  Overall its a kick ass case and you wouldn't be dissappointed.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 7, 2008)

Awesome. I appreciate the info from an owner of the case. It definitely beats out the cosmos now since the cosmos doesn't even have the tool free hard drive bits. And this just looks like a fricken tank, which is what i wanted =P.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 7, 2008)

Oh yea it's a beast  Big as well. I can provde pics if you'd like.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 7, 2008)

Please post them, I'm actually interested to see the inner working of this case.. and outer. lol


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 7, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> Please post them, I'm actually interested to see the inner working of this case.. and outer. lol



Sure thing, I'll do it when I get home from school, just about to walk out the door lol sorry.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 7, 2008)

lol no problem.. i just got home from work myself.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 8, 2008)

Definitely. Post all ya got. I'd love to see more of that case.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 8, 2008)

Alrighty, uploaded heaps of pics here: http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r188/Kirjon/Computer/

Sorry about the time, damn my slow ass Aussie internet lol


----------



## Deimos (Sep 8, 2008)

That thing is fricken sweet. What'd you use to mount a fan in the top drive bay?


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 8, 2008)

I used blu tack. You can use that or cable ties though


----------



## Deimos (Sep 9, 2008)

Jmatt110 said:


> I used blu tack. You can use that or cable ties though



Lmao.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 9, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Lmao.



It works, and there no vibration at all


----------



## Deimos (Sep 9, 2008)

Oh i believe you. It just sounds hilarious. I'll probably end up doing the same thing eventually. Just with those mini zip ties =P.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 9, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Oh i believe you. It just sounds hilarious. I'll probably end up doing the same thing eventually. Just with those mini zip ties =P.



Good stuff  Much cheaper than buying those 'adapters' that let you mount the fan 'properly' in there lol.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 11, 2008)

So. I've been looking around and cant' seem to find any solid dates. Though it seems as of right now I7's are hitting shelves in late October early November eh?  I'm starting to get my funding set aside and I'm getting antsy.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 11, 2008)

Why solid state drives? How much are you spending on this thing lol.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 11, 2008)

Jmatt110 said:


> Why solid state drives? How much are you spending on this thing lol.



Solid Dates. As in a set time for release of the new CPUs. Not solide state drives, screw that, they arent' worth the money right now .


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 12, 2008)

Oh lol my bad, misread it.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 12, 2008)

I feel like buying something. This is bad xD. I thought about just buying the case to start getting crap together.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 12, 2008)

Do it. You know you want to.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 13, 2008)

Haha. I won't. Because I get a better shipping deal when I buy everything at once.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 13, 2008)

true. what case did you have in mind? honestly, I usually order my case psu and dvd burner first.. just to get started.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 13, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> true. what case did you have in mind? honestly, I usually order my case psu and dvd burner first.. just to get started.



I'm getting the Haf 932. And that 750 PSU, maybe upgrade to a larger one.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 20, 2008)

Well. It's about that time. And I don't know how much longer I can wait. I keep eyeballing newegg. And I give up on the next gen software I think for now. I need to upgrade for multiple reasons now.  Here is a last minute review. What is or isn't worth it?


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 20, 2008)

Looking good Deimos 

I'd change the CPU cooler to this for an extra $3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233023

And change the paste to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020

Other than that, its awesome  You keeping your current keyboard/mouse?


----------



## Deimos (Sep 20, 2008)

I got a G15 keyboard and a Razor Diamondback for my mouse. So I'm rockin there dude .  And whats the difference between the two coolers? I'm lookin at them as I ask so bear with me xD. And I did switch to that thermal paste.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 20, 2008)

Good stuff, I love my G15  You got the 1st or 2nd version?

The heatsink I linked you is pretty much the exact same design, except it has an extra heatpipe = better cooling


----------



## Deimos (Sep 20, 2008)

I'm rocking the old school With the flip up LCD screen.  And i'm using a Razor Copperhead. I'm one of the few crazies that uses a mouse on the left side. Kill me i know.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 20, 2008)

Burn the heathen!!!


----------



## Deimos (Sep 20, 2008)

What's done is done. And that rig is on the way. Ordered it this morning. Should have it by.. Tuesday if the rush order thingie goes through. I hope.


----------



## zithe (Sep 20, 2008)

Congratulations on your first rig! I'm hoping to make a full, new rig soon too.


----------



## PCpraiser100 (Sep 21, 2008)

Deimos said:


> What's done is done. And that rig is on the way. Ordered it this morning. Should have it by.. Tuesday if the rush order thingie goes through. I hope.



It was great helping you out! Hope to see ya on COD4 someday!


----------



## Deimos (Sep 21, 2008)

Thank you guys all for the help on making the decisions. YOu've opened my eyes since i've been out of the tech loop for 3 years. My old rig will be pits compared to this xD.

Old pc:

AMD 64bit 3200+
Generic Mobo
2 gb ram also generic
ATI radeon x850 Pro.

And I play call of duty alot. Feel free to add me on xfire or whatnot. Our server lists are kinda wacky, my clan moves from one server ot another.  

Xfire name: Godginrai
C0D4 online name: {GZM} Deimos


----------



## Deimos (Sep 21, 2008)

and i'm sure i'll be on here saying "how do I do this" once i get that giant order of parts in.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 21, 2008)

Deimos said:


> and i'm sure i'll be on here saying "how do I do this" once i get that giant order of parts in.



haha looking forward to it  Which heatsink did you end up getting?


----------



## Deimos (Sep 21, 2008)

I got that 4 piped one you showed me. Figured it would be more worth it in the end.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 21, 2008)

Good stuff. When is it all arriving?


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 21, 2008)

Hell yeah, that's one sexy rig you got goin there. Treat 'er well. Nehalem may not be all that great anyway. And even if it is, you could probably sell the board, proc and mem pretty easily as payment toward something like that. Enjoy the build!


----------



## Deimos (Sep 21, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> Hell yeah, that's one sexy rig you got goin there. Treat 'er well. Nehalem may not be all that great anyway. And even if it is, you could probably sell the board, proc and mem pretty easily as payment toward something like that. Enjoy the build!



That's kind of the plan. My old pc will be my roommates for about six months or so i think. Then it'll just be a server for storage of media crap. And I'll sell him my mobo/ram/cpu for cheap next year probably. I still think I7 has potential and all. I just cant stand the issues this PC keeps giving me. I have a short somewhere in the mobo or something. Its damn irritable. And my roomie doesn't play alot of graphics heavy games yet so this pc will get the job done till he can buy his own.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 24, 2008)

Less then a day to go. Waiting sucks.


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 24, 2008)

I know that feeling all to well lol.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 25, 2008)

RIG IS UP AND Runnin! Smooth even. Only one issue. Can't seem to get my mic to work and my front audio jack keeps registering and unregistering my audio....


----------



## Jmatt110 (Sep 25, 2008)

Awesome man! 

Did you get the latest audio drivers and set your motherboard to HD audio not AC'97?


----------



## Deimos (Sep 25, 2008)

Alright. How can I find out the tempurature of my CPU???  And No i used the HD audio not the AC'97.


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 25, 2008)

realtemp


----------



## Deimos (Sep 25, 2008)

Correcting this statement. It works. I'm seeing 32 degrees C at idle right now.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 26, 2008)

Still can't get the front ports to work properly for Audio.. Not really sure what's going on with that. Rear ports work fantastic.. Any idea what might be causing the plugged/unplugged thing?


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 26, 2008)

They are likely not plugged in in the right location, or you have the ground mixed up or something. It can be tricky on the small plugs there, just unplug and try again.


----------



## Konceptz (Sep 26, 2008)

The I7 is 40% faster then a QX9770 clock for clock, so why are people saying its pointless for gaming? The i7's memory bandwidth is out of this world, but to buy it when its first released is questionable. I would agree with other people's post and get a decent 45nm quad now and clock the piss out of it. With a decent lapped heatsink and chip you can pull down some good numbers provided you choose a decent motherboard. Intel's chipsets are superior to nvidia's however i haven't had any issues with my setup.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 26, 2008)

Konceptz said:


> The I7 is 40% faster then a QX9770 clock for clock, so why are people saying its pointless for gaming? The i7's memory bandwidth is out of this world, but to buy it when its first released is questionable. I would agree with other people's post and get a decent 45nm quad now and clock the piss out of it. With a decent lapped heatsink and chip you can pull down some good numbers provided you choose a decent motherboard. Intel's chipsets are superior to nvidia's however i haven't had any issues with my setup.




You're about a week late....


----------



## Deimos (Sep 26, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> They are likely not plugged in in the right location, or you have the ground mixed up or something. It can be tricky on the small plugs there, just unplug and try again.



I was thinking that might be the case. I'll check it today.  Would you say the temps are good. I put my 3d mark scores in my specs too. How do they look?


----------



## Konceptz (Sep 26, 2008)

Deimos said:


> You're about a week late....




better late then never my friend


----------



## Deimos (Sep 26, 2008)

Konceptz said:


> better late then never my friend



Indeed. And I got nothing against the I7's. I do want one. I just couldn't wait for a new  PC as mine was on it's deathbed.


----------



## Konceptz (Sep 26, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Indeed. And I got nothing against the I7's. I do want one. I just couldn't wait for a new  PC as mine was on it's deathbed.



Same here, I want one, but I'm gonna wait till probably next summer before I jump to I7. There has been a lot thrown into the air about its overclocking capability, and if they don't due something about the i7's memory controller DDR3 speed limitation, I might just get a 790iFTW and some DDR3 for it and just call it a day.


----------



## Jansku07 (Sep 26, 2008)

Konceptz said:


> The I7 is 40% faster then a QX9770 clock for clock, so *why are people saying its pointless for gaming?*


 Nehalems *can* give performance advancements in programs that effectively use hyperthreading and memory bandwith, but games just aren't one of them. Every Nehalem preview and user comment I've read has said that Nehalems only give on average about 5-15% more frames in games, and sometimes worsen the situation. 

Explain to me why should I spend 600$ (284$ for the CPU, 200$ for mobo, 120$ memory) for such small improvement?  Nehalems are good at multicore stuff, but games, well they're different.


----------



## Konceptz (Sep 26, 2008)

Jansku07 said:


> Nehalems *can* give performance advancements in programs that effectively use hyperthreading and memory bandwith, but games just aren't one of them. Every Nehalem preview and user comment I've read has said that Nehalems only give on average about 5-15% more frames in games, and sometimes worsen the situation.
> 
> Explain to me why should I spend 600$ (284$ for the CPU, 200$ for mobo, 120$ memory) for such small improvement?  Nehalems are good at multicore stuff, but games, well they're different.



I've played a few games on a ES of Nehalem, trust me, there is nothing to complain about gaming wise on the i7. Now granted, this was just a ES setup just to give OEMs a sample of things to come, I was impressed. and thats where I got my numbers from.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 27, 2008)

badass system. congrats.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 27, 2008)

Thank you. I posted the Futurmark Scores for Vantage and 06. Are they about where they should be?? I"m tempted to push the CPU up a bit since That gynormous cpu cooler isn't doing me any good just sitting there. =P. 

I love this case too. It is so quiet it's unreal.


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 27, 2008)

Deimos said:


> Thank you. I posted the Futurmark Scores for Vantage and 06. Are they about where they should be?? I"m tempted to push the CPU up a bit since That gynormous cpu cooler isn't doing me any good just sitting there. =P.
> 
> I love this case too. It is so quiet it's unreal.



Those seem a tad low, the 06 score is really low. Do you have the drivers just released the other day? Also download physX if you haven't already. See if that brings up your scores some.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 27, 2008)

Installed those update drivers. And the score went only up to 14691.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 29, 2008)

what are your settings, timings, and clock speeds on ram, cpu, gpu, and gpu memory? and voltages? temps?


----------



## Deimos (Sep 29, 2008)

They're all pretty much stock everything. I haven't began to play with overclocking at all.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 29, 2008)

im thinking your cpu is throttling with the stupid intel speedstep..? and possibly memory too..? make sure your power profile is set to either home office desk or minimal power management..


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 29, 2008)

The cpu shouldn't be throttling during a benchmark unless it is overheating. It's only at idle that it does, and if on stock clocks there's no reason it shouldn't be used. I'm really not sure what's going on here. Check temps durning benching, via rivatuner for the gpu and realtemp for the cpu. Also go into nvidia user cp and change all the settings to the level that it says will give optimal performance. Then try again maybe.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm installing Rivaturner, adjusting the Nvidia setting thing to performance.  My temps seem to stay pretty consistent.  Realtemp recorded around 47 degrees max.   Am I missing some settings on Vista to turn off??  I know there is the Indexing thing on the hard drive. But other then that???


----------



## Deimos (Sep 29, 2008)

I found one issue. I was scaling the image. But it didn't boot the score that much. Put me right under 15k at 14942.  SM 2.0 score = 5921 , SM 3.0 = 7002, CPU = 4194 .  Seems the SM 2 & 3 scores are where i'm suffering?


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 30, 2008)

in vista, theres A LOT of stuff to turn off. there is actually a sticky in the forums here somewhere on what can be disabled. Also, in the device manager, enable the enhanced drive performance thing.. I believe it requires indexing..


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Sep 30, 2008)

BTW for comparison.. I get over 12,500 in 3DMARK06 on the system in my specs.. there seams to be something horribly wrong here. lol


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 30, 2008)

I'm stumped. Even w/ vista unoptimized you should get well over 15k I would think. I get almost 15k w/ a dual and gts (oc'd of course, but there's no way even an oc'd dual and gts should come anywhere close to matching a stock quad and 280 on stock in 06). Your 06 settings are at default I would assume right? Latest patches and everything? Can you maybe try benching some games also?


----------



## Deimos (Sep 30, 2008)

In 3Dmark i use the downloaded free version. I'm not paying for that thing >.>. SO it runs off of basically the generic stuff I guess?

It runs games just fine. I play Crysis Warhead on "Gamer" with 4x anti aliasing with an average of 30+ FPS in Company of heroes was high too. I'm not really sure what's goin on. Comparing the online 3Dmark 06 scores.. The SM 2 and 3 scores were where I suffered, I out performed the CPu score of their like, 'premo rig" or whatever it is. I got the latest drivers I downloaded from you guys...


----------



## Deimos (Sep 30, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> in vista, theres A LOT of stuff to turn off. there is actually a sticky in the forums here somewhere on what can be disabled. Also, in the device manager, enable the enhanced drive performance thing.. I believe it requires indexing..



There are alot of things that are able to turn off. but non of them will really effect my performance to the point of giving me back a few hundred points in 3Dmark so i'm not going to bother..  And indexing off is the way to go btw. =P.


----------



## farlex85 (Sep 30, 2008)

Deimos said:


> In 3Dmark i use the downloaded free version. I'm not paying for that thing >.>. SO it runs off of basically the generic stuff I guess?
> 
> It runs games just fine. I play Crysis Warhead on "Gamer" with 4x anti aliasing with an average of 30+ FPS in Company of heroes was high too. I'm not really sure what's goin on. Comparing the online 3Dmark 06 scores.. The SM 2 and 3 scores were where I suffered, I out performed the CPu score of their like, 'premo rig" or whatever it is. I got the latest drivers I downloaded from you guys...



Well as long as it plays games fine that's the important thing. Honestly though, w/ that card I'm thinking you should be able to play enthusiast at comfortable frames. I play Crysis on very high, although it loses frames in some spots, it does most of it fine. That's at 1680x1050 though, on 1920x1200 it wouldn't do as well. Warhead supposedly being further optimized I'm expecting to play on enthusiast all the way through. You have a top o the line video card though, I wouldn't settle for anything less than completely maxed settings.


----------



## Deimos (Sep 30, 2008)

Hmm.. Well. I ran Crysis again. No AA and Enthusiast Settings. Got around 30 FPS average.  Would the version of Direct X i'm using have a noticable impact??


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Oct 1, 2008)

Probably.. lol and the HDD performance mode in vista shows a huge difference.. download HD Tach and try it with and without it..


----------



## Deimos (Oct 1, 2008)

I'm not even sure how ot revert to DX9?


----------



## Deimos (Oct 2, 2008)

So Farlex, since you recommended it, fill me in on this Mobo. I've been reading a little bit of the users manual trying to familiarize myself. and looking through all the options on that little EPU-6 thing.


----------



## farlex85 (Oct 2, 2008)

Deimos said:


> So Farlex, since you recommended it, fill me in on this Mobo. I've been reading a little bit of the users manual trying to familiarize myself. and looking through all the options on that little EPU-6 thing.



I don't know the intricacies of the board, only that it has received good reviews and most seem to like it. There are many on this forum who have that board though, and can help w/ the options, I'm afraid I'm not myself overly familiar w/ oc'ing an asus. May be worth starting another thread for.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Oct 7, 2008)

keep DX10 for vista. just update it.. DXsetup.exe from microsoft's website..


----------



## Deimos (Oct 8, 2008)

I ran 3Dmark after a fresh startup and i broke 1500.. Not really saying alot but I am able to run games like Crysis on max (no anti-alias ect) and get consistant 30FPS.   I haven't uploaded pic yet. Sorry about that. gonna do it tonight.


----------



## Bluefox1115 (Oct 10, 2008)

Still seams odd. I run 1680x1050 all medium with aa and af, and get in the 40 to 50 consistant range..


----------



## Deimos (Oct 11, 2008)

Bluefox1115 said:


> Still seams odd. I run 1680x1050 all medium with aa and af, and get in the 40 to 50 consistant range..



I get the same. I"m running on ultra high and getting 30. And on 'gamer' on crysis warhead i'm getting 60+ with all.


----------



## Deimos (Oct 11, 2008)

Just a note. The inside of the case doesn't look that bad. I rerouted some of the cables and got the mess out of the bottom. The photo corrupted and i'm too lazy to open it back up.


----------

