Thoughts On This New Build Plan?

[cmay119]

Hi all, I'm in the planning process of building a new rig. My current one, I built back in '06, and have been out of the upgrading loop since early '07. So needless to say, I'm a little out of touch.

 

Here's what I've come up with so far:

 

Intel Core2Quad Q9550

eVGA 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard

Corsair XMS3 DHX 4GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820145209

Indecisive on the video card as of yet. I may just throw in my 7900GT for the time being.

 

Things that will be coming from the old build for certain:

PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Watt

Creative X-Fi Platinum Sound Card

2x250GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA Drives

DL DVD+/-RW Drive

 

I have 2 questions for you guys. First is, what do you think of that RAM choice? I haven't seen too many reviews on it, and am not sure on how nicely it'll play with the motherboard. Next, what single video card solution seems to be the best right now? I may in the future consider going to a dual card setup, so I'm aware I would have to go the nVidia route if I chose to do that with this motherboard, but as of right now that doesn't seem very likely.

 

I understand the pricepoint of the RAM on newegg is competitive with other DDR3 options right now, but I have a local retailer that is selling that particular kit for quite a bit cheaper ($220).

 

I'm sure I'm missing some information for you guy's that I just can't think of at this moment, so please tell me if you need more information, and I'd be happy to answer those questions.

 

Thanks for your help all.

 

P.S. I do plan on modestly overclocking once I get the system up and stable at stock speeds.

 

EDIT: Whoops, I thought my signature would carry over from DIY-Street, guess not, I'm updating that now.

Edited October 3, 2008 by cmay119

[Verran]

First of all, I'll beat the dead horse... DON'T buy DDR3. DDR2 is a fraction of the price and will reach speeds plenty higher than you'll ever need with that chip. You can get a great set of 2x2GB DDR2 for around $100 (less than half the price of your DDR3 even with your discount).

 

Also, another dead horse... Avoid the 780/790s. Go with an Intel chipset like P45. There have been SO MANY more reported problems with nVidia chipsets than Intel. Again, you can get a great P45 board for $100-$200 less than that 790i Ultra and you will probably never know the difference.

[cmay119]

First of all, I'll beat the dead horse... DON'T buy DDR3. DDR2 is a fraction of the price and will reach speeds plenty higher than you'll ever need with that chip. You can get a great set of 2x2GB DDR2 for around $100 (less than half the price of your DDR3 even with your discount).

 

Also, another dead horse... Avoid the 780/790s. Go with an Intel chipset like P45. There have been SO MANY more reported problems with nVidia chipsets than Intel. Again, you can get a great P45 board for $100-$200 less than that 790i Ultra and you will probably never know the difference.

 

 

I was assuming an answer of the DDR2 alternative was going to come up. But, won't I be a bit more future proofed if I go the DDR3 route? When I build this system, it'll probably last me 2+ years before I do a whole new upgrade again. Okay, I hear you on the Intel chipset vs. The nVidia Chipset. Thanks for the help so far. This stuff is very confusing being out of the loop so long.

[Crazy_Nate]

Honestly...if you wanted to wait and see how the next generation stuff performs (probably not that long of a wait)...a simple upgrade like a graphics card would be a pretty large upgrade.

[Verran]

I was assuming an answer of the DDR2 alternative was going to come up. But, won't I be a bit more future proofed if I go the DDR3 route? When I build this system, it'll probably last me 2+ years before I do a whole new upgrade again. Okay, I hear you on the Intel chipset vs. The nVidia Chipset. Thanks for the help so far. This stuff is very confusing being out of the loop so long.

Some people might say yes, that the DDR3 will "future proof" you, but I don't think it will.

 

If you bought DDR3 today, it's true that you could probably carry it over to your next build. There's a decent chance that we may still be using DDR3 in two years. But even if that's the case, you have to figure in the higher cost today. Right now, DDR3 is overpriced. In two years, it will be dirt cheap, like DDR2 is today. Besides that, in two years not only will the prices come way down, but the speeds will go up and the timings will get better. So why overpay now for something you don't need and will be outdated when you reuse it anyways?

 

Also, a DDR3 motherboard certainly won't carry over in two years. We already know that the next set of chips from Intel will be a different socket, so there's no sense in planning your board for anytime other than right at this moment.

 

Ultimately, DDR3 just isn't worth the price. If you had every other part of your build maxxed out, then maybe I'd say go for it. But as it stands you can take the hundreds of dollars you'll save in going DDR2 and put them toward a better video card. That will provide WAY more benefit to your system than DDR3 ever could.

 

Future-proofing is a neat idea, but when you look at how much a lot of people spend to accomplish it, a lot of times it ends up being a wash, if not a loss.

 

EDIT###

Just saw Nate's post... He makes a good point. I don't know how much of a hurry you're in, but if you're willing to wait, it might be smart to do so. You could pick up new video card in the meantime to help your system performance, and that would easily carry over later when you did a full build.

[cmay119]

Some people might say yes, that the DDR3 will "future proof" you, but I don't think it will.

 

If you bought DDR3 today, it's true that you could probably carry it over to your next build. There's a decent chance that we may still be using DDR3 in two years. But even if that's the case, you have to figure in the higher cost today. Right now, DDR3 is overpriced. In two years, it will be dirt cheap, like DDR2 is today. Besides that, in two years not only will the prices come way down, but the speeds will go up and the timings will get better. So why overpay now for something you don't need and will be outdated when you reuse it anyways?

 

Also, a DDR3 motherboard certainly won't carry over in two years. We already know that the next set of chips from Intel will be a different socket, so there's no sense in planning your board for anytime other than right at this moment.

 

Ultimately, DDR3 just isn't worth the price. If you had every other part of your build maxxed out, then maybe I'd say go for it. But as it stands you can take the hundreds of dollars you'll save in going DDR2 and put them toward a better video card. That will provide WAY more benefit to your system than DDR3 ever could.

 

Future-proofing is a neat idea, but when you look at how much a lot of people spend to accomplish it, a lot of times it ends up being a wash, if not a loss.

 

EDIT###

Just saw Nate's post... He makes a good point. I don't know how much of a hurry you're in, but if you're willing to wait, it might be smart to do so. You could pick up new video card in the meantime to help your system performance, and that would easily carry over later when you did a full build.

 

Awesome information fellas, okay you've convinced me. DDR2 it is. This will still be probably a month or two before I actually start buying anything, so yes, I will definately keep an eye out for the newer stuff to come around the corner. What motherboard would be a good suggestion then for stability and overclocking? Is there a pretty good concensus on the 'best' right now? Coming back to the single video card solution, what is arguably the best in terms of that? I know, I'm not trying to start a nVidia vs. AMD/ATi flame war, just would like some opinions on that particular part of the upgrade.

 

Thanks again all.

[Verran]

If you're very seriously considering a dual graphics card setup, then you might want to look at a higher end board like an X48. But I will also say that I think that while most people "think" about dual cards, very few ever do it. So what happens is that the extra they spent on the high end board goes to waste (I speak from experience here ). In my opinion, you'd be better off getting a more mid-range motherboard like a P45 and shooting as high as you can on a single graphics card.

 

There's plenty of P45 boards to choose from, and brand generally doesn't matter that much as long as you stay at the top end. I personally like Gigabyte and DFI right now.

 

As for video card, if you decide to skip the dual cards, then it doesn't really matter what brand you go with. If you do want dual cards, you'll need to go ATi for an Intel chipset and nVidia for an nVidia chipset, obviously. Other than that the video card recommendation will depend on the budget for the build.

[suburban36]

My suggestion is the 8800 Ultra. It is on sale at Tigerdirect for $200. It will run in 3-way SLI mode and so will the board you are looking at. For $1200 you can get a gaming rig that will run in excess of 20K on the 3DMark06.

[troy5061]

My suggestion is the 8800 Ultra. It is on sale at Tigerdirect for $200. It will run in 3-way SLI mode and so will the board you are looking at. For $1200 you can get a gaming rig that will run in excess of 20K on the 3DMark06.

 

I got the deal on the Ultra when I revamped my rig. It is a great card but for $70-$100 dollars more a 4870 can be had. Looking back on it I would probly have gone with the 4870, and while my card is still within the return period its a pain to send it back. Plus it does play everything I play at more than acceptable levels and I dont really need anymore performance so its not worth the extra $100 for me to upgrade. 4850 does offer good performance for cheap as well. I do love my Ultra though, it is a great card even if its considered "old" tech, plus the $199 price tag is great. Everything in computer land is considered old tech though, the top of the line QX9770 was outdated the day it was released thanks to Nehalem.

 

Hopefully you will get the E0 version of the Q9550, Ive been pondering selling my Q9450 for an E0 but I dont think that would be worth it either.

 

My current system in all reality should hold me over till late 09 and hopefully i7 prices will be becoming reasonable.

 

ps if you do run 3 Ultras in sli you will need one hell of a psu and they will put off as much heat as an F-22s afterburners.

Edited October 3, 2008 by troy5061

[scr4wl]

Hi all, I'm in the planning process of building a new rig. My current one, I built back in '06, and have been out of the upgrading loop since early '07. So needless to say, I'm a little out of touch.

 

Here's what I've come up with so far:

 

Intel Core2Quad Q9550

eVGA 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard

Corsair XMS3 DHX 4GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820145209

Indecisive on the video card as of yet. I may just throw in my 7900GT for the time being.

 

Things that will be coming from the old build for certain:

PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Watt

Creative X-Fi Platinum Sound Card

2x250GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA Drives

DL DVD+/-RW Drive

 

I have 2 questions for you guys. First is, what do you think of that RAM choice? I haven't seen too many reviews on it, and am not sure on how nicely it'll play with the motherboard. Next, what single video card solution seems to be the best right now? I may in the future consider going to a dual card setup, so I'm aware I would have to go the nVidia route if I chose to do that with this motherboard, but as of right now that doesn't seem very likely.

 

I understand the pricepoint of the RAM on newegg is competitive with other DDR3 options right now, but I have a local retailer that is selling that particular kit for quite a bit cheaper ($220).

 

I'm sure I'm missing some information for you guy's that I just can't think of at this moment, so please tell me if you need more information, and I'd be happy to answer those questions.

 

Thanks for your help all.

 

P.S. I do plan on modestly overclocking once I get the system up and stable at stock speeds.

 

EDIT: Whoops, I thought my signature would carry over from DIY-Street, guess not, I'm updating that now.

i'm pretty sure the graphics cards go in this order

ati 4870 x2

nvidia 9800 gx2

nvidia gtx 280

ati 4870

nvidia gtx 260 core 216

nvidia gtx 260

ati 4850

nvdia 9800 gtx

so on and so on

[cmay119]

If you're very seriously considering a dual graphics card setup, then you might want to look at a higher end board like an X48. But I will also say that I think that while most people "think" about dual cards, very few ever do it. So what happens is that the extra they spent on the high end board goes to waste (I speak from experience here ). In my opinion, you'd be better off getting a more mid-range motherboard like a P45 and shooting as high as you can on a single graphics card.

 

There's plenty of P45 boards to choose from, and brand generally doesn't matter that much as long as you stay at the top end. I personally like Gigabyte and DFI right now.

 

As for video card, if you decide to skip the dual cards, then it doesn't really matter what brand you go with. If you do want dual cards, you'll need to go ATi for an Intel chipset and nVidia for an nVidia chipset, obviously. Other than that the video card recommendation will depend on the budget for the build.

 

 

No, I am NOT considering 2 video cards at this time or in the future. I don't see the need for such unnecessary expenses as two video cards. I just wan't 1 really good/best video card instead. Something that will handle all games with eye candy turned on @ 1680x1050 resolution (possibly in the future handling 1920x1200). I'm budgeting out for top of the line video card at this time to handle my gaming needs for now and in the future.

[Verran]

No, I am NOT considering 2 video cards at this time or in the future. I don't see the need for such unnecessary expenses as two video cards. I just wan't 1 really good/best video card instead. Something that will handle all games with eye candy turned on @ 1680x1050 resolution (possibly in the future handling 1920x1200). I'm budgeting out for top of the line video card at this time to handle my gaming needs for now and in the future.

In that case, definitely look at P45 boards. They pack a great punch for the price and you won't be paying extra for dual video card capabilities.

 

As for video cards, if you're looking for top of the line, I would consider the 4870x2 and the 9800gx2 primarily. Personally, I would go with the 4870x2, but I've seen a few very low prices on the 9800gx2, and if you can snag a good deal, it might be the better buy.