danielanastasi

Hey guys,

After my last thread deciding on whether or not I should build, I have decided to go a custom build! Now I am a n00b when it comes to all of this...This is my first... This is sort of a 'half build' Wanted to spend around $1500 AUD without a monitor but I think this will go over...So I'll give it $2000 AUD.

Here's what I have come up with so far - But I'm stuck on a number of aspects of the system...Any advice/changes to it/improvements would be really appreciated!

Looking at getting it built through www.i-tech.com.au in Perth, Australia.

http://www.i-tech.com.au

Processor - Intel Quad Core 9450 2.66ghz/12MB/1333FSB
HDD - 1 TB Seagate/32 MB Cache/7200rpm/3.0gbps
Sound Card - Creative X-FI 7.1 24 bit 64MB Fatal1ty Gaming Card
RAM - I was thinking corsair 2x2gb Sticks but I don't know the difference between them all...(No less than 4gb) How many pin etc.?

I'm stuck with the case, the Mobo and the Graphics card

The case - Just afer a plain generic case that will support all of the above. (Also a power supply and fan) Don't care about looks really...Watts??

Mobo - Theres so many out there - can anyone suggest a good board that will support all of the above and a decent GFX card/Dual cards??

Graphics Card - Was thinking something along the lines of dual 512 mb 9800GTX Cards? I know some of the Asus stuff/Geforce cards are rubbish so any suggestions would be awesome! Is it worth getting dual cards or one really good card?

Then of course I need ethernet, USB, firewire ports etc...

Anything else I need?

I just want this to last me a few years and I'm not really interested in modding/upgrading it.

Thanks guys!

Very much appreciated!!!

Dan

koala

I can recommend the Asus P5Q Deluxe. It runs cooler and uses less power than previous versions, and also has a built-in mini Linux OS that can be up and running within seconds of switching on with no need for a hard drive (a bit of a gimmick, but a nice one). Suitable for your CPU. Plenty of ports, probably more than you need.

Some people might disagree, but I wouldn't go for 2 9800GTX cards. A single high quality card like an overclocked high-end 8800 or HD4850/4870 will allow you to play modern games at maximum settings with good framerates. A single card will use less power and require less cooling than SLI/Crossfire cards.

The PSU is the most important component, especially for a gaming machine which is running fully stressed for hours at a time. It needs enough watts for your existing components and allow for future upgrades, and enough amps to comfortably power your graphics card and other devices. You need to be looking around the 650-750W mark from a company like OCZ, Seasonic, Corsair, Thermaltake, etc.

You say you want at least 4gb RAM. If you're using a 32bit operating system, it will only be able to use 3-3.5gb of the RAM. Anything more than this could lead to problems. 64bit XP/Vista/Linux can use 4gb and higher.

If you have any spare money after selecting your components, you might want to consider a new case (without PSU preferably). This will be quieter and cooler than your generic case, and probably have more room for upgrades.

__________________

New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to
receive an instant email notification when you get a reply.
TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

danielanastasi

Awesome - Thanks Koala!

So here's what I've got now...

Processor - Intel Quad Core 9450 2.66ghz/12MB/1333FSB
HDD - 1 TB Seagate/32 MB Cache/7200rpm/3.0gbps
Sound Card - Creative X-FI 7.1 24 bit 64MB Fatal1ty Gaming Card
RAM - Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5D 2GB (2x XMS2 1GB) Twin2X PC-8500 DDR2 RAM
Graphics Card - EITHER Sapphire PCIe 2.0 HD4870 512MB 21133-00-41R OR
Asus EN8800GT-HTDP-1GB GEFORCE 8800GT, 1GB DDR3, PCIE2.0, HDTV, 2xDVI-I, HDCP
Mobo - Asus P5Q-DELUXE ExGATE 16PP S775 P45 DDR2 FSB1600 3xPCIE RAID 3xLAN
PSU - Corsair TX-750 750W ATX Power Supply, 140mm fan, Dual PCIE Graphics Card Connector
Case - COOLER MASTER RC-690 BLK TOP I/O W/O PSU RC-690-KKN1 (Something like that?)

I wanted the 4gb of ram so I didnt have to worry about upgrading any time soon...
Is the standard pre-installed Vista/Xp going to be 32mb or 64mb? Should I get the larger OS?

How do ports and everything work out with a custom build? I haven't seen any lone ports as such...Are they already part of the case?

And lastly - the GFX card - As I have never overclocked a card, and to be honest I'm a little afraid to - which of those two would be better running as is? Which would be better overclocked?

Thanks Koala! Very much appreciated!

Dan

koala

The 3.5GB RAM limit (details here) applies to 32-bit (not 32mb) operating systems. As most people use 32bit Windows for gaming, I would go with this rather than 64bit which can be a pain to find drivers for. Not all games take advantage of the 64bit features anyway, so it's not really worth going for, in my opinion. I'm not sure what you mean by "pre-installed Vista/XP". If you're buying the parts separately, then the hard drive won't have any version of Windows installed on it. You need to buy the Windows CD and install it yourself.

Nice choice on the 1TB hard drive with 32mb cache. I prefer having 2 or more smaller drives to speed up multitasking, defragging, etc. Also, if a 1TB drive dies, you lose more data than if one of four 250GB drives dies. 2 or more drives can be setup as RAID for extra speed and/or reliabilty. (details here)

I'm not sure about overclocking the HD4870. From what I've read, they are standard clock settings, not pre-overclocked, so there should be some room for improvement. You might need to replace the stock GPU fan with a higher quality one if you want to really push it. See how you get on at default settings, I think you'll be pleased with the results.

The 8800GT has been around for a while now and is an excellent card for gaming and overclocking, but it's no match for the newer, more powerful 4870.

What size is your monitor? If, for example, it's a 19" with a native resolution of 1280x1024 then you'll easily achieve maximum settings in games. If it's a huge monitor with a very high native resolution, just drop the anti-aliasing and you'll still get good results.

The ports are built into the motherboard and can be seen at the back of the computer case. There will be an I/O shield included in the motherboard package. You just fit this to the rectangular hole at the back of the case to line up with the motherboard. See P5Q Deluxe pics below.

__________________

New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to
receive an instant email notification when you get a reply.
TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

danielanastasi

Thanks Koala!

You've really saved me on this one mate! (This is in point form so I don't forget anything :))

I'll go with the 2 gig of RAM, possibly 3...I'll have to see.

Sorry about the 32 MB not 32 Bit - Typo - wasn't thinking :)

I think I might go with 2 500gb HD's if you think that's a better way to go.

The guys who build it for me will pre-install all of the software on the computer for me before I get it. (Sorry, I left that out)

I think I'll go the HD4870! Sounds like a good choice. AS far as a monitor goes, I haven't decided on one yet...I'm still thinking about it.

Thanks for that port picture mate - I thought that's what happened but didnt want to sound like an idiot if I was wrong!

Once again, thank you so much for your help Koala - very much appreciated!

Dan

danielanastasi

Just did the maths on it all - and comes up to just over $2,000 AUD. ($2021) Including assembly, software, 1 yr parts and labour warranty, surge protector...

Still a little unsure on the ram though...Corsair have so many ram products...Just chose a "Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB (2x XMS2 1GB) Twin2X PC-6400 DDR2 RAM " Ok?

And seagate don't seem to do a 32MB cache/500GB HD...So I chose 2 x "Western Digital WD5001ABYS CAVIAR RE2/ 500GB/ 7200RPM/ 16MB/ SATAII "

And the "Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB PCIe 2.0 21133-00-41R "

Thanks Koala - I'll let you know how it goes!

Dan

koala

I would go for the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB 32MB Cache over the WD. It gets better reviews and better benchmark results. I've got the 250GB version of the Barracuda with just 16MB cache and it's fast enough for gaming and multimedia editing.

The Corsair RAM will be fine. You could also look at the Kingston HyperX or the OCZ Reaper (both 2x1GB 240-pin 800MHz PC2-6400).

Good luck. Let us know if you get stuck. New builds can be frustrating, so it's better to ask before making a mistake.

__________________

New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to
receive an instant email notification when you get a reply.
TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

danielanastasi

Ok, I'll get 2x500mb Barracuda HD's than - I looked for them but they appeared to be out of stock last time I looked - but they have them now :)

Are any of those ram suggestions any better than the others? They're all about the same price...

Thanks Koala, Also do you have any monitor suggestions that aren't going to break the bank? Would like a 22" or similar with a good refresh rate for games and such. Even a good 19" monitor would be fine!

Thanks!!!!!!!

Dan

danielanastasi

Hey Koala,

I've changed my mind a little to keep the cost down.

Here's the specs I think I've settled on.

Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400 2GB (2x XMS2 1GB) Twin2X PC-6400 DDR2 RAM
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer, 7.1, 24Bit Crystallizer/ SoundFont, EAX5.0
Seagate ST3500320AS 3.5" CUDA7200.11 500GB 7200RPM 32MB SATA II 3Gb/s NCQ
Corsair TX-750 750W ATX Power Supply, 140mm fan, Dual PCIE Graphics Card Connector
Intel BX80580Q9300 CORE 2 QUAD Q9300/ 2.50GHz/ 6MB/ 1333FSB/ LGA775/
Asus P5Q-DELUXE ExGATE 16PP S775 P45 DDR2 FSB1600 3xPCIE RAID 3xLAN
Gigabyte GZ-X6 Black Mid Tower Case, 11x Drive Bays, 2x 120mm Fans, USB 2.0, Audio
Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB PCIe 2.0 21133-00-41R

Am I forgetting anything? This will bring me to $1500AUD without a monitor or assembly.

Assembly, Software istallation, parts, labour, warranty etc is $125 so if I keep it under $2K that leaves $375 for a monitor. Any suggestions of any in this range that will be a good choice? Between 19" and 22" wiould be awesome - There's just so many, I don't know who are good brands or really what to look for in a gaming LCD...

Thanks Koala!

Dan

koala

Final specs look good. With just one hard drive, see if the person installing Windows for you thinks you need to partition it. Some people prefer to have Windows on a small partition, games on another, and a third for storage (music, videos, photos, etc). It makes system management easier, but it's best to make this decision now rather than later.

There are so many good monitors available at the moment that it's hard to recommend just one. Look at some online review sites to compare features and prices. As long as the response time is below 5ms and it get good reviews, then you'll be ok. Here's a selection of Samsung models in your price range.

Samsung 940UX 19" 5ms

Samsung 204B 20.1" 5ms

Samsung 225UW 22" Widescreen 5ms

Samsung ToC T220HD 22" Widescreen 5ms, with built-in digital TV Tuner & Speakers

__________________

New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to
receive an instant email notification when you get a reply.
TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

danielanastasi

Awesome - Thanks Koala,

I'll look into it!

Much appreciated,

Dan