# Thinking of building this computer:



## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

I was thinking of buying these parts then putting them together:

Monitor: Acer AL1916WAbd Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009091
$179

CPU:  Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036
$269

GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318
$209.99

OS: Vista OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
$99.99

MOBO:  ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232
149.99 ($8 shipping)

Hard-drive:  HITACHI Deskstar P7K500 HDP725032GLA360 (0A35411) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145213
$69.99

Speakers: Find a decent usb headset $50

Case:   Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
$119.99

Memory:  G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
Get two: $90 (total of 4 gb)
** might want to go corsair , crucial, or kingston ram.

PSU: Rosewill RX850-S-B ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V v2.91 850W Power Supply 100 - 240 V TUV, FCC, UL, CE, ROHS - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182072
$120

OR

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
$129.99, probably better choice

Any suggestions?


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

Looks good  I would get that corsair over the rosewill tho.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

How do you think that it would perform?

Also, what would be the advantages/disadvantages of getting a quad core cpu over the dual core I selected?

I'll be playing COD4, (when i get the money) Age of Conan & Crysis, as well as some other game, and I want this computer to last me for a while.

EDIT: Oh also, which PSU do you think I should go with?


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (May 25, 2008)

If you want it to last a while and you are going to play Crysis, get the quad core.


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

CrAsHnBuRnXp said:


> If you want it to last a while and you are going to play Crysis, get the quad core.



I can play crysis with everything on High with 2x AA with 30-40fps @ 3.2ghz so a 8500 should be more than enough for crysis. But are you overclocking? The E8500 is pretty much for extreme overclocking because of the 9.5x multi. Just get the E8400 its alot cheaper.


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## CrAsHnBuRnXp (May 25, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> I can play crysis with everything on High with 2x AA with 30-40fps @ 3.2ghz so a 8500 should be more than enough for crysis. But are you overclocking? The E8500 is pretty much for extreme overclocking because of the 9.5x multi. Just get the E8400 its alot cheaper.



Well Crysis takes advantage of quad cores as well. And if he wants the computer to last him a while, quad core would be the way to go.

With my computer, I cant even pull off 20-25FPS at 1680x1050 with no aa on high. How do you manage that?


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

by AA do you mean anti-aliasing?


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

I heard Crysis doesnt even take advantage of 2 cores or was that just the demo?



Reynardin said:


> by AA do you mean anti-aliasing?



Yes


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Is this mostly gaming? And what res? Definately the corsair psu though. And if your going to oc, get a 4gb (2x2gb kit), like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231148

And no I don't think crysis does take advantage of quad-cores, it is mostly gpu intensive.


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## Bytor (May 25, 2008)

I would go with a better monitor.  That one has 700:1 contrast ratio and only 5ms response time.

My wife has this one and its great. 2ms response and 2000:1 contrast ratio.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001094


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

I'm trying to keep the costs below $1500, because that is about how much I have right now (in high school without a job). I'd also like to have a bit of money left over to pay for games, yaknow? I'll keep the monitor in mind though


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

Reynardin said:


> I'm trying to keep the costs below $1500, because that is about how much I have right now (in high school without a job). I'd also like to have a bit of money left over to pay for games, yaknow? I'll keep the monitor in mind though



Yea  Get STALKER, Orange Box and Crysis. Orange box has 6 games in it so its a great deal.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

Oh, also I'll probably be buying the parts around June 15th or so, because that is when my school year ends.


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

Ah ok. I thought my district was the last to get out(I got out on Friday) cause all my internet friends were already out


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> Yea  Get STALKER, Orange Box and Crysis. Orange box has 6 games in it so its a great deal.



Already have most the games in the orange box (when it came out, I just bought tf2 cus I had most of the other games. I regret missing out on portal though :sad: ) I WILL be getting Crysis, and I'll check out STALKER since you say it's good.

I'll probably play an MMORPG, once I decide which one I want to play. Either will get AoC, depending on the state it's in a month from now, or will wait for WAR.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

lol shadow, my school is really wierd.. we have all our vacations between a week and a month later than everyone else that I know in the US =(


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

How about this monitor? Much better resolution and only a little more than your current. And I think the new cards from nvidia are due out right around June 15, ati as well, so you might want to factor that in.


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## 0V3CHKiN (May 25, 2008)

See Comments in quote:



Reynardin said:


> I was thinking of buying these parts then putting them together:
> 
> Monitor: Acer AL1916WAbd Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009091
> ...


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

hm, thanks for the heads-up about new cards in June.  Does that mean that I'll probably be spending more or less on my GPU?


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

hm, one sec while I post a more updated list of what i have planned


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

oh, and thanks 0V3CHKiN, ill take your comments into account


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Reynardin said:


> hm, thanks for the heads-up about new cards in June.  Does that mean that I'll probably be spending more or less on my GPU?



It means more if you go for the new stuff, less if you go for the stuff that is out right now. I would say a good plan is maybe this card(faster than the gt), which will probably closer to $200 around then. The new cards will be $400-600 most likely at launch, but w/ evga (or bfg) you can bide your time a bit. They have a 90 day step-up program (bfg has 100 day), so you can buy the aforementioned card, and then let the prices drop a bit after the first month or two (which they surly will). Then, if you want to, you can step-up (price of new card - what you paid for original card + shipping) to the 260 or 280 gtx.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

oh sweet then. thanks


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

AWESOME! my friend just came over and gave me a late b-day present O.O

$100 headset =D


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

FYI Rosewill's arent BAD but I wouldnt get one for a super high end rig tho. They have been a hit or miss with me. Like the one in my main rig has been fine since February and I havent had any probs with it at all but I got a 400w one for my friend and it died a week after I got it.


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Reynardin said:


> AWESOME! my friend just came over and gave me a late b-day present O.O
> 
> $100 headset =D



Thats a good friend, especially for high school.


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## BarbaricSoul (May 25, 2008)

Reynardin said:


> I was thinking of buying these parts then putting them together:
> 
> Monitor: Acer AL1916WAbd Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009091
> ...



19' widescreen for under $200, get's my vote

get the e8400 over the e8500, too much money for the extra .16 gig

you'll probably be able to buy a 8800gts for around $200 in June

I'm partial to EVGA, but the 750i chipset get's my vote

I agree with 0V3CHKiN about the hard drive

excellent case choice

stay with the G-skill ram, I'm reading alot of good stuff about it on TPU. I went with the crucial ram only because it was on sale at the time, 3 gig for $102

Corsair PSUs pwn Rosewill PSUs


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

What is a good quad core, in the $200-250 range?


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115053


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## BarbaricSoul (May 25, 2008)

only quad I would recomment for under $250 is the q6600, but you can get a OEM 6700 for $260 or a q9300 for $270


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## BarbaricSoul (May 25, 2008)

Also, keep in mind, we're about to see a price drop on Intel CPU's, so those prices are subject to change. Give me a minute to find the thread about the up coming drop


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

which would you say has the best price/performance ratio currently?


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

E8400 honestly. But if you really want quad core get the Q6700 its got a higher multi for higher overclocking


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## BarbaricSoul (May 25, 2008)

the price drop has already happened, my bad

I can atest for the 8400's capabilities, this thing is a beast


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

hm, so would you say that it would be better to get that than the Q9300 for gaming? or what?
Both are in my price range, but a bit of extra money saved is always good.
EDIT: I think that I may just go with the E8400 after all.


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

Q9300 is a bad deal.. Its got a low multi, low cache, and gets beat by the Q6600/E8400 in everything.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

wait, ok then, so between the Q6600 and E8400?


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

Like I said before, I know the awesome power of the 45nm duals. I have the E7200 with half of the cache that the E8400 has and it kicks ass! Also it does 3.2ghz on stock volts so its like a cheap E8400


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

hm. what do you think that the E8400 could do on stock volts?


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## BarbaricSoul (May 25, 2008)

mine does 3.8


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Stock volts, like 3.6 or so if you get a good chip I think and burn it in a bit, can go well above 4.0 w/ some good oc. e8400 is the best bet for gaming. Intel will be lowering its prices soon though, and depending on what the price of the q9450 (45nm quad) is at that time, that might be a better choice.


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## p_o_s_pc (May 25, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> Looks good  I would get that corsair over the rosewill tho.



+1
No rosewill... They aren't vary good but have been getting better. MAYBE one day they will be recommended


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## casper250c (May 25, 2008)

Instead of the Antec 900 why not check this out it's basically the same case but a little cheaper and a little bigger..

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


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

p_o_s_pc said:


> +1
> No rosewill... They aren't vary good but have been getting better. MAYBE one day they will be recommended



All the stallion ones that ive gotten have been great but the older ones are iffy..


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## p_o_s_pc (May 25, 2008)

ShadowFold said:


> All the stallion ones that ive gotten have been great but the older ones are iffy..



yeah some of them are good but i still don't recommend them if you have the money to get something else... I was looking to get a rosewill PSU for my P4 rig but went with a Antec..
I used one of the rosewill 380w value PSU's for a P3 rig ran great for 2 years and still was going strong till i sold the board and CPU.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

What was the hard-drive that was recommended? Could I get a link to it?


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Here's one. I don't remember if I suggested one.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

Updated specs:

Monitor:  Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094
$219


CPU:   Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
$194.99

 GPU:  EVGA 512-P3-N845-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130337
Will probably be around $200 by June 15th.

OS: Vista OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
$99.99

MOBO:  ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232
149.99 ($8 shipping)

Hard-drive:  HITACHI Deskstar P7K500 HDP725032GLA360 (0A35411) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145213
$69.99

Case:   Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
$119.99

Memory:   G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231148
$90

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
$129.99, better choice

Current $1273 +/- $30 on the GPU


Also, on the hard-drive, I'm seeing reviews about people getting sent the 2-platter version instead of the single-platter one


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Shouldn't be a problem in June. If your worried about it though you can stick w/ the Hitachi, should be a solid drive, just not as fast as the other. And also that video card is practically the same as this one. Since the difference in price is so negligable, it doesn't really matter, but if the price on the KO is more than $5 more that that other one, take the other.


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## ShadowFold (May 25, 2008)

Should get a Seagate.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262
I didnt even know Hitachi made HDD's I wouldnt trust it.


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## BarbaricSoul (May 25, 2008)

looks sweet


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## p_o_s_pc (May 25, 2008)

i would drop the HITACHI and get a Seagate... That is just me because i love Seagate and WD


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Seagate is solid too. I think the se16 is the best choice, especially if they get that 1 platter worked out, which they should by June, but Seagate is probably more reliable than hitachi. Hitachi is probably fine though also.

Edit: That seagate is also two platters, so..... go w/ the se16 instead. I was gonna link the 7200.11 seagate, which has one platter, but there has been an extremely large number of DOAs at newegg for that drive for some reason, best to stay away. SE16 for sure.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> Shouldn't be a problem in June. If your worried about it though you can stick w/ the Hitachi, should be a solid drive, just not as fast as the other. And also that video card is practically the same as this one. Since the difference in price is so negligable, it doesn't really matter, but if the price on the KO is more than $5 more that that other one, take the other.



what's the difference between the two performance-wise?
EDIT: wait, nvm lol. One's just OCed a bit more than the other right?


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

Reynardin said:


> what's the difference between the two performance-wise?



8mhz on the core clock and 4mhz on the mem clock. Thats it. Performance-wise, nothing really, perhaps slightly more oc potential on the KO, but nothing worth paying more than $5 imo.

Edit: Yup.


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## DonInKansas (May 25, 2008)

Reynardin said:


> I'm trying to keep the costs below $1500, because that is about how much I have right now (in high school without a job).



*facepalm*

Me and my wife work full time and I don't remember the last time we had that kind of scratch in the bank.  

*grumble grumble* damn kids *grumble grumble*


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

DonInKansas said:


> *facepalm*
> 
> Me and my wife work full time and I don't remember the last time we had that kind of scratch in the bank.
> 
> *grumble grumble* damn kids *grumble grumble*



Took me about 2 years to get >.<


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## p_o_s_pc (May 25, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> 8mhz on the core clock and 4mhz on the mem clock. Thats it. Performance-wise, nothing really, perhaps slightly more oc potential on the KO, but nothing worth paying more than $5 imo.
> 
> Edit: Yup.



I would pay $5 more if i could get a few more mhz


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

p_o_s_pc said:


> I would pay $5 more if i could get a few more mhz



You'd pay a dollar a mhz? I wouldn't 8 mhz on the core clock is nothing, especially considering these things easily go 100mhz higher w/ oc, sometimes upwards of 150mhz (although you may need some volt modding up there).


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## 0V3CHKiN (May 25, 2008)

Reynardin, did you ever say if you planned on doing SLI? At this point I'm assuming you will be going for the EVGA step-up thing to get the new Nvidia stuff next month. One card alone will handle just about anything you throw at it with the resolution the Acer monitor supports. You could opt for a single PCI-e 16x mobo based on the P35 or other platforms to save some cash or find one with a better feature set.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

hm, so SLI would only be needed for something like 2xxx x 1xxx?


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

OH yea, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106164&Tpk=Sennheiser+pc+166+USB
^^ Headphones my friend got me. Guess they weren't $100, but hell. Really good headphones if I may say so =D


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## farlex85 (May 25, 2008)

SLI is only needed to use two video cards in tandem. Like 2 8800gts's. I agree w/ 0v3chkin, you probably won't need it. Check newegg for p35 mobo's w/ the features you want.


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## Reynardin (May 25, 2008)

hm k


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## p_o_s_pc (May 25, 2008)

farlex85 said:


> You'd pay a dollar a mhz? I wouldn't 8 mhz on the core clock is nothing, especially considering these things easily go 100mhz higher w/ oc, sometimes upwards of 150mhz (although you may need some volt modding up there).



yeah i would but only so much


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## 0V3CHKiN (May 25, 2008)

Check this link out for some P35 mobo ideas.


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

Monitor:  Acer AL2216Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP support 300 cd/m2 700:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009094
$219


CPU:   Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
$194.99

 GPU:  EVGA 512-P3-N845-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130337
$263 ATM, Will probably be around $200 by June 15th.

OR

GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130325
$260 ATM , will probably be around $200 by June 15th. Take this if more than a $5 difference

OS: Vista OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
$99.99

MOBO:  ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232
149.99 ($8 shipping)

OR

MOBO: DFI LANPARTY DK P35-T2RS LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136043
$129 +$8 shipping

Hard-drive:   Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148262
$60

Case:   Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
$119.99

Memory:   G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231148
$90

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
$129.99, better choice

Current $1273 +/- $30 on the GPU, +/- $20 on MOBO

Would there be any point in leaving room for SLI 8800s on the MOBO with the resolutions that the screen will support? If not, any recommendations for the MOBO?

EDIT: Keep in mind I'll most likely be buying these parts between June 15th and June 22nd.


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## MKmods (May 28, 2008)

I would go with a Corsair 550 for the PS (plenty for 2 8800GTs in sli)

I also would get a different 8800GT. I bought 4 of the ECS 8800GTs that are passive cooled, not only are they silent, run much cooler than ANY other 8800 but they OC really nice too.
(lol, and $75 less)


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

MKmods said:


> I would go with a Corsair 550 for the PS (plenty for 2 8800GTs in sli)
> 
> I also would get a different 8800GT. I bought 4 of the ECS 8800GTs that are passive cooled, not only are they silent, run much cooler than ANY other 8800 but they OC really nice too.
> (lol, and $75 less)



could you give me a newegg link to them or something?


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

oh, and what i meant was, do you think that I'll actually ever need two 8800s in SLI to play a game with the resolutions that the screen I listed is capable of?

oh btw, those are GTS, not GT


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## dark2099 (May 28, 2008)

You would need to get the ASUS motherboard since it is a NForce chipset and the DFI board is a P35 chipset which run's crossfire not SLI.


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## MKmods (May 28, 2008)

here is the card
http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebSite/Pr...ilID=852&DetailName=Feature&MenuID=54&LanID=9
1 of those should be fine for 99.9% of gamers.

Here is the PS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004
a freaken awesome deal for an Excellent PS

and while Im babbeling on...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188026
any mobo with FTW in the name has to be pretty darn good.


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

Dark, what i meant was, if i would never actually need to go SLI 8800s, then I could save about $20 and just get the p35 chipset.


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## MKmods (May 28, 2008)

I run a pair of 9600Gts in SLI and they play everything at Max (look cool too)

Honestly 1 8800GT is pretty dam nice.


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

hm, so without two in SLI, I wouldn't be able to play everything at max? so I might want to add a second GPU later on when I get the chance?


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## farlex85 (May 28, 2008)

Yeah, I would think in your situation you may not need sli. Sometimes sli can improve performance w/o having to go through the trouble of selling your card for a new one. The thing is, sli doesn't scale that well. You get about 50% to 60% out of the second card w/ 2 gts 512. Imo it would be better to go evga and plan on stepping up to a 260 or 280 gtx once the prices drop a little. You might wanna hold off on making a decision about that until right before you buy, let the cards come out and see what kind of numbers they are putting up, and what kind of prices you got. The evga ftw would be good if you do wanna plan for sli, but see how it pans out.

1 8800gts is quite good by itself, about equivalent to 2 9600gt's in sli (the ladder is a little faster, they scale better than most nvidia), and it uses less power and creates less heat doing so, and it costs less. Once gts would do ya fine for anything out right now at max (I have the same card), with the exception of crysis, which still runs quite well. if you step up to the new cards, you will likely be good for quite some time.


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## MKmods (May 28, 2008)

thats the cool thing about SLI. If you want or feel the need you can upgrade. (if you want next gen you can sell the 8800GT (easy) and get the new versions which will work in SLI too)
If you get a non sli/crossfire mobo the only way to upgrade is an expensive GPU or X2 model.


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

I might just get the SLI board to be on the safe side.


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## farlex85 (May 28, 2008)

MKmods said:


> thats the cool thing about SLI. If you want or feel the need you can upgrade.
> If you get a non sli/crossfire mobo the only way to upgrade is an expensive GPU or X2 model.



Well, the thing is, economically, in almost every case its better to do one single than sli (not always though, 2gts 512 is equal to gx2 and cheaper). Like the 9600gt sli v.s. 8800gts 512. Almost equivalent performance, for more money for the 9600gt solution. Plus you think if you add another 8800gts down the road, you pay like $350-400 total for an sli set-up that is will probably be weaker than a comparatively priced card at that time. Plus the mbs cost more, and leave less room for other expansion. In almost every way non-sli usually wins out right now, unless your going for a super rig, or don't want to bother selling your current card at a later time. And then you gotta think that the cards you now have two of will just further depriciate in value, making you have to pay more money to upgrade later.


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## MKmods (May 28, 2008)

I havent used one yet but this looks pretty nice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134046

add 1 more if you need a bit more oomph and I bet its pretty sweet.

Im not sure why farlex85 is so set against SLI but I have been using it for several years and love it. First it gives you the option (you dont have to use it but you can if you change ur mind later).

SLI works better with cheaper cards, 7600, 8600,9600GT all scale better than the high end cards.

If you get a cheaper card it is easier to sell later and usually you lose less $$ on the sale.

Yes 1 high end card is easier sometimes BUT if you want to upgrade in the future its more of a pain to sell than a cheaper card. And why spend more $$ if you dont have to. Get 1 8800GT (best deal for high end card) or save a few bucks and get the 9600 and try it out. If its cool Great. If not get 1 more and it beats the higher end card.


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## farlex85 (May 28, 2008)

MKmods said:


> I havent used one yet but this looks pretty nice
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134046
> 
> add 1 more if you need a bit more oomph and I bet its pretty sweet.
> ...



lol, I'm not dead-set against SLI, I just think generally the cons far outweigh the benefits, for the reasons I gave. 9600gt's scale better than any other nvidia card right now (90%), so they have the best value at sli. But, like I said, the performance from those can be had for cheaper and with less power and heat w/ a 8800gts. I dunno, its all up to the user though, I just think its generally more advantageous to get the best single card you can afford, then sell it down the road when your ready for a new one. Sorry MK, I know I keep knockin your sli suggestions, which aren't bad, its just not what I would do.


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## MKmods (May 28, 2008)

lol, no prob


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

why do the cheaper cards scale better?


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## MKmods (May 28, 2008)

I think the better cards (8800 versions and up) play pretty much the games at max...hard to go better than max.
I have always used 7600GTs and 8600Gts in SLI and they pretty much double the scores in 3DMark benches. But the 8800 cards are like 20-30% better in SLI (remember they already run the games pretty fast so 20-30% is ok just not the best value) 

My absolute favorite was my 8600GTs in SLI, with my X2 6400 I was like 10K in 3DMark06. Small cards, played my games at max, made very little heat, needed no extra power cables and were like $60 each.
The 9600GTs do good too (not double but good) about 12K in 3DMark06

For me VALUE rules, I dont have money to waste so I need my hardware to be a good deal. Thats why I am so into SLI and cheaper cards.


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## Reynardin (May 28, 2008)

how long do you think it will be before even the 8800 cards will not be able to play the games on max settings?


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## farlex85 (May 28, 2008)

Hard to say. Dx10 is catching on very slowly b/c of people whining about vista, so it may keep maxing out games through the summer. Once dx10 starts taking full throttle though, the gts 512 won't be able to max everything. Also, it depends how these new cards really end up doing. After all, games can only get as good as the graphics hardware allows. So if these new cards blow the old ones out of the water, it'll be sooner than later the old ones become outdated.


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## Reynardin (Jun 5, 2008)

What is a good MOBO which is good at OCing and isn't SLI? I don't really know what makes them good at OCing.


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## farlex85 (Jun 5, 2008)

Basically boards capable of achieving high fsbs (thus high cpu clocks= fsb *multi) and remain stable are considered good chips. Then people have tendencies to go w/ different brands and boards within those chipsets b/c they offer different features, such as more memory options, better BIOS layout in general,or good/ bad experiences w/ a brand.

 Basically, if doing sli, it seems the evga 750i FTW or the MSI P7N SLI would be your best bets, as they clock well. Although, they might not have features you may want (certain number of sata ports or positioning of ports on the board) so a 780i would work well also. They are more expensive and don't seem to clock as well. 

If not sli, any P35 will do. Just find one w/ features you want. I would just say stay away from ECS boards, as they tend to be made cheaply and not too well. Gigabyte, MSI, DFI, Asus, and Abit would be the top brands to look for, and what most people here own.


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