Building new pc need opinions

acidfall · 10-01-2008, 12:30 PM

Well first of all I am new to the whole PC building thing, so I am a little nervous about picking out all the parts and stuff since Im afraid they wont work together for some reason... So yea I can use all of the help I can get. Thanks!!!!! (Not realy sure about getting a Quad or Dual and OCing the Dual... But Ive never realy OC'd anything before and im a bit afraid of trying)

So this is what Ive picked out so far (Oh and and I do alot of online gaming and am wanting to lean more towards the games that require a good PC):

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100243-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready

CD/DVD Drive: ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A3T

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI - Retail

Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Basic for System Builders Single Pack DVD

CPU fan: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

PSU: COOLER MASTER UCP RS700-AAAAA3 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Power Supply

Toucan Sam · 10-01-2008, 01:18 PM

Will this pc be mainly for gaming?
Will you be doing any overclocking?

**wrench97** · 10-01-2008, 01:24 PM

That will all work together, Are you planning on crossfireing 2 video cards? If not look at the P45 chip set instead of the x48, Games don't really use all 4 cores of a quad and it's still about clock speed which is why the E8500 is faster most of the time over a Q6600 but your closer to the speed of the dual with the Q9550 so if your comfortable with the cost it will be ok.
IF you are planing on Xfireing 2 4870's you may want to up the PSU now to save from having to buy another later.

acidfall · 10-01-2008, 01:31 PM

No im not really planning on crossfiring... and so im confused, should I go with the dual core and OC it or go with a quad?? thanks alot... And yes it will be mainly for gaming.

acidfall · 10-01-2008, 01:36 PM

Ok so I looked at the p45's and I ran across these 2-- DFI LP DK P45-T2RS PLUS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

And

ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

Which one would be a better choice?

**wrench97** · 10-01-2008, 02:24 PM

Definitely the Asus lets look at the Asus boards like this > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131296

What does the Maximus II Formula offer you over the P5Q Pro, Or the P5Q-E for the Money?

Next when your saying get a dual and overclock most people get the Quad and overclock it to match the speed of the dual if you have a quad the software(game) has to written to take advantage of multiple cores most games out today are not, newer ones are multithreaded and by that I mean that they are separating tasks out to 2 cores not 4 so if you have a quad Q9550 running at 2.83Ghz the game is using 1 core at 2.83 on the quad or 3.16 on an E8500 while the other 3 cores on the quad are sitting by almost idle doing background tasks. Even on the multithreaded games I've seen 1 core at 90% and the second at 40% 3rd at 10% and 4th at 1% on the Q6600.
Now the quad is a good chip but for straight gaming and bang for your dollar the dual is cheaper with more usable performance.

acidfall · 10-01-2008, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrench97

Definitely the Asus lets look at the Asus boards like this > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131296

What does the Maximus II Formula offer you over the P5Q Pro, Or the P5Q-E for the Money?

Next when your saying get a dual and overclock most people get the Quad and overclock it to match the speed of the dual if you have a quad the software(game) has to written to take advantage of multiple cores most games out today are not, newer ones are multithreaded and by that I mean that they are separating tasks out to 2 cores not 4 so if you have a quad Q9550 running at 2.83Ghz the game is using 1 core at 2.83 on the quad or 3.16 on an E8500 while the other 3 cores on the quad are sitting by almost idle doing background tasks. Even on the multithreaded games I've seen 1 core at 90% and the second at 40% 3rd at 10% and 4th at 1% on the Q6600.
Now the quad is a good chip but for straight gaming and bang for your dollar the dual is cheaper with more usable performance.

Ok so ill go with the p5q pro... dang they are pretty much the same lol... and i guess Ill go with a dual too... thanks alot for helping me save money!!! and great advice

acidfall · 10-01-2008, 04:10 PM

Ok so im now getting the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz but i think im going to stick with the maxximus because of the sound card thats integrated in it... but I might change my mind

**wrench97** · 10-01-2008, 04:31 PM

The maximus comes with a sound card it's not built in, if you don't like the sound on the Pro you could add this at any time> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102006 Both of the cards are designed for 7.1 surround sound and will work with any other combo 2.1,2.0,5,1 etc. they are both good boards and will preform well

acidfall · 10-01-2008, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrench97

The maximus comes with a sound card it's not built in, if you don't like the sound on the Pro you could add this at any time> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102006 Both of the cards are designed for 7.1 surround sound and will work with any other combo 2.1,2.0,5,1 etc. they are both good boards and will preform well

Oops that what I meant that it comes with one >_<

10-01-2008, 12:30 PM	#1 (permalink)
acidfall Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 6 OS: XP Home	Building new pc need opinions Well first of all I am new to the whole PC building thing, so I am a little nervous about picking out all the parts and stuff since Im afraid they wont work together for some reason... So yea I can use all of the help I can get. Thanks!!!!! (Not realy sure about getting a Quad or Dual and OCing the Dual... But Ive never realy OC'd anything before and im a bit afraid of trying) So this is what Ive picked out so far (Oh and and I do alot of online gaming and am wanting to lean more towards the games that require a good PC): Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE 100243-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CD/DVD Drive: ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A3T RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI - Retail Motherboard: ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 Yorkfield 2.83GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9550 OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Basic for System Builders Single Pack DVD CPU fan: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case PSU: COOLER MASTER UCP RS700-AAAAA3 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Power Supply Last edited by acidfall; 10-01-2008 at 12:32 PM.

10-01-2008, 01:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Toucan Sam Registered User Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: charlotte, nc Posts: 153 OS: vista 64-bit SP1 My System	Re: Building new pc need opinions Will this pc be mainly for gaming? Will you be doing any overclocking?

10-01-2008, 01:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,444 OS: Win7	Re: Building new pc need opinions That will all work together, Are you planning on crossfireing 2 video cards? If not look at the P45 chip set instead of the x48, Games don't really use all 4 cores of a quad and it's still about clock speed which is why the E8500 is faster most of the time over a Q6600 but your closer to the speed of the dual with the Q9550 so if your comfortable with the cost it will be ok. IF you are planing on Xfireing 2 4870's you may want to up the PSU now to save from having to buy another later. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

10-01-2008, 01:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
acidfall Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 6 OS: XP Home	Re: Building new pc need opinions No im not really planning on crossfiring... and so im confused, should I go with the dual core and OC it or go with a quad?? thanks alot... And yes it will be mainly for gaming. Last edited by acidfall; 10-01-2008 at 01:32 PM.

10-01-2008, 01:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
acidfall Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 6 OS: XP Home	Re: Building new pc need opinions Ok so I looked at the p45's and I ran across these 2-- DFI LP DK P45-T2RS PLUS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard And ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard Which one would be a better choice?

10-01-2008, 02:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,444 OS: Win7	Re: Building new pc need opinions Definitely the Asus lets look at the Asus boards like this > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131296 What does the Maximus II Formula offer you over the P5Q Pro, Or the P5Q-E for the Money? Next when your saying get a dual and overclock most people get the Quad and overclock it to match the speed of the dual if you have a quad the software(game) has to written to take advantage of multiple cores most games out today are not, newer ones are multithreaded and by that I mean that they are separating tasks out to 2 cores not 4 so if you have a quad Q9550 running at 2.83Ghz the game is using 1 core at 2.83 on the quad or 3.16 on an E8500 while the other 3 cores on the quad are sitting by almost idle doing background tasks. Even on the multithreaded games I've seen 1 core at 90% and the second at 40% 3rd at 10% and 4th at 1% on the Q6600. Now the quad is a good chip but for straight gaming and bang for your dollar the dual is cheaper with more usable performance. __________________ Power Supply and Selection Last edited by wrench97; 10-01-2008 at 02:25 PM.

10-01-2008, 04:10 PM	#8 (permalink)
acidfall Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 6 OS: XP Home	Re: Building new pc need opinions Ok so im now getting the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz but i think im going to stick with the maxximus because of the sound card thats integrated in it... but I might change my mind

10-01-2008, 04:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,444 OS: Win7	Re: Building new pc need opinions The maximus comes with a sound card it's not built in, if you don't like the sound on the Pro you could add this at any time> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102006 Both of the cards are designed for 7.1 surround sound and will work with any other combo 2.1,2.0,5,1 etc. they are both good boards and will preform well __________________ Power Supply and Selection