StukaJU87

Hi, looking to build a gaming system. Right now I just want the best board I can get, a good quad-core, a good heatsink and fan, and 6GB of RAM to start. The extra video cards will have to come later. This will be "a work in progress". So longevity is extremely important. Don't want to have to start over before I finish.

With that said, I want to get a good MB that I can grow with, not one that is good now but wont be by next year. I'm considering either

EVGA x58 classified - $400
ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution - $350

Since I can't seem to find much on the ASUS, I'm leaning towards the EVGA even though it's way more than I currently need. I do plan on running SLI someday, that's why I'm looking at these two boards. Just not sure which one is better suited for my next build?

I plan on using my Thermaltake Spedo Advance case wiith the following:
Intel Core i7 920 2.66 GHz- $280
Vigor Monsoon III LT - $60
3 x 2GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR 1866 (PC3 15000) - $229
1 x EVGA GTS 250 - have
2 x seagate 7200rpm HDD - have
1 x dvd combo - have
Corsair 850W - have

What about this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813124017
Is it any better? I already have what it doesn't come with. This would give me a complete system, (+ enough $ to buy another GTS 250 for SLI).

Any thoughts?

Tyree

Asus is a MUCH better Mobo than EVGA. Gigabyte are also good boards.
Dual Core is a better choice for a gamer PC.
DDR3 RAM is npot a good investment and it has some issues. Bad chips and price.
4GB of RAM is more than sufficient for any apps/games.
Good choice on the Corsair PSU.
One graphics card is all you need. You will not see enough increase in performance, using two cards, to warrant the price.
Your Newegg link doesn't work for me.

StukaJU87

Sorry, try this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813124017

Phædrus2401

Nvidia motherboards don't always get along well with Intel CPUs, and though the comparison between Core 2 Duo and Core i7 is blurry (different architecture and all), it is undisputed that a Core 2 Duo will perform better in games than a Core 2 Quad of the same price. A Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8600, and 4GB DDR2 1066 RAM will destroy games better than a Q9650, and just as well as an i7 920.

The problem is your graphics card is only an upper-mid-range card at best. The GTS250 is actually identical to the 9800GTX+ (NOT the 9800GT), only they reduced the number of PCIe connectors it needs.

Think of it this way: your graphics card determines your maximum gaming performance. Your CPU determines your minimum gaming performance. So you want your CPU and GPU to be about on par, or else you're wasting money (unless you're doing something else with that performance, or if you just want the biggest eDick). The GTS250 would be most comfortable matched in the range of an E7500 to the E8500. I'm suggesting the E8600 because you seem intent and buying parts with the biggest numbers possible next to their names, and also in case you decide to get a different graphics card on down the road. And don't say, "I'll just SLI another GTS250."

SLI is a gimmick. Adding a second video card will *never* "double" your performance. At most you will see about a 10% increase, if you're very lucky as much as 20%. If you're *unlucky* you'll see less performance. It happened to a user a while back, who installed a second 9600GT and saw his framerates in all of his games go down by about 10fps. You would be better served by a single powerful graphics card, like the GTX275 or GTX285, which go well with the E8600, by the way.


Look, I'm just trying to stop you from blowing money on something thinking it's "more future-proof" when really it isn't going to be that much more long-lived than a Core 2 build. Why spend $800 on upgrading this computer when you can spend $400 now, and maybe another $200 in a year or two, for the same effect?

Dacads

Take what Phædrus2401 said into consideration, you can stick with the i7 system but cut down to lower spec RAM, possibly this crucial 4gb pc3 10600.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148262
Also if you think about pricing it's actually all the same in end, get dual core now your gonna have to upgrade to quadcore in future anyway once software starts utilising all of the cores.

Dacads

StukaJU87

Thank you, this is just what I need, the voice of reason. As you can tell, I don't know what I'm doing. There's just so much out there. I've been burned before by buying cheap parts, that's the main reason I was looking at high numbers. I also understand that you can get burned just as easily with high numbers. That's why I value everyone's advice. I'm just afraid I'm going to repeat history by buying something less than what I want.

I have a budget of $1000 to buy the MB, CPU, heatsink, and memory, but by no means does that mean I'm looking to spend that much if I don't have to. I already have the PSU, video, HDD, and case. I guess the fear of buying junk is what's causing me to look at high price junk.

Thank you again, and I appreciate the directness, that's what I need. I trust your advice.

Tyree

I would have to disagree on any necessity to go to a Quad Core CPU.

Phædrus2401

I understand your concerns. The thing is, there's a difference between "cheap" and "inexpensive". Take Corsair PSUs. The Corsair HX850W is one of the best power supplies out there and costs $200. However, the Corsair CX400W is only $50. That doesn't mean the CX400W is a junky unit; on the contrary, it's quite high quality and could have been labeled as a 450W or even 500W unit.

What determines the cheapness of a part isn't so much its cost, as the brand you're buying it from. Asus offers very nice budget motherboards in the $80 range. In the same price range you can find similarly specced "junk"* units from Zotac and Foxconn.
* They aren't really "junk", but they are much less reliable than Asus/Gigabyte, use cheaper parts, and have worse customer support.

You need to buy quality parts that match up well with what you already have. Going out and picking the most expensive parts you can find is generally a poor way to build a computer unless you've just won a lottery.

Here's some parts that I think will meet your needs just fine:


Motherboard:
Asus P5Q Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131297
$145.99

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115054
$269.99

Heatsink:
Zalman CNPS 9900 120mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118046
$67.14

RAM:
Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066 CL5 2.2V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145247
$79.99



With a GTS250 and Corsair TX850W this system should manage *most* games on the market today on ultra-high/max settings at 1440x900 resolution, and the few that it won't manage at that res (Crysis, Fallout 3, a few others) it will manage on 1280x800.

In two years come back here and we'll help you pick out a a DX11/12 graphics card, maybe another 4GB set of RAM (if necessary), and maybe a new CPU (again, if necessary), and then you're set for another year or two. Then you build your next system.

StukaJU87

Thank you!! You just stopped me from making a really expensive mistake.

Sorry for being so dumb at times. I wasn't trying to be difficult. I should have given a budget and asked for builds, rather than asking "is this or that part ok". I knew what I wanted the PC to do, I just didn't ask the right questions.

Anyways thank you for being so patient with me. I will wait a couple days to see if there are any other suggestions. If there aren't, then I'll go ahead with what you listed.

Thanks again

greenbrucelee

yep can't do much better than what you have been specced