Shoutbox

My old desktop blew up recently (PSU), and since it was a 5-year-old P4 (3GHz), I decided it was about time I upgraded.

This is what I'm thinking of:

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1x Gigabyte EX58-UD5 Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
1x Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) 2.66Ghz @ 4.00Ghz (Socket LGA1366)
1x OCZ Gold 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 (1600MHz) Tri-Channel (OCZ3G1600LV6GK)
1x Titan TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir CPU Cooler

1x Corsair TX 650W ATX SLi Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-650TXUK)
1x Antec 900 Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU)

2x OcUK GeForce 9600 GT 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express)
1x Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB 10000RPM SATA-II 16MB Cache
1x LG GH22NS30 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black)

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I was trying to decide between an SSD and the VR but I'm going to go with the VR in the end since it has more space for the same price, and SSDs are still considered dodgy (note the VR is just for the OS and some data, for speed purposes; I have externals that hold my media and other data). The graphics cards are on the lower-end because I am getting two (3+ monitors) and I don't play games much anyway so I'm not in need for the ultimate graphics card.

I'm looking for people's thoughts as to whether it all seems to make sense/go together, and of any compatibility issues I might be unaware of. One thing I'm not sure about is if 650W will be enough, but I imagine it would be.

The 650 might not be enough since you are running the twin gfx cards... I think a 750 will do for sure though. Your rig is very similar to something I am planning on building. We can share our experiences for people if they are interested. I'm sure it's upgrade time for a lot of buyers anyway...

I think I read somewhere that the 250 doesn't use more than 150W, but that would be the only issue I see.

I changed it for a 750W one just to be safe (price difference was negligible).

I have an Antec900 also, get another fan for the side of the case, it'll do you good considering it'll cost like 2$

That ram you got is cheap, so I'd suggest if you plan to overclock, that you get better ram (I don't have any suggestions at the top of my head, look around).

Good choice on the PC, HOWEVER RMA YOUR OLD PSU

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Originally posted by segosa
My old desktop blew up recently (PSU), and since it was a 5-year-old P4 (3GHz), I decided it was about time I upgraded.

This is what I'm thinking of:

code:

---

1x Gigabyte EX58-UD5 Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard
1x Intel Core i7 920 D0 Stepping (SLBEJ) 2.66Ghz @ 4.00Ghz (Socket LGA1366)
1x OCZ Gold 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C8 (1600MHz) Tri-Channel (OCZ3G1600LV6GK)
1x Titan TTC-NK85TZ Fenrir CPU Cooler

1x Corsair TX 750W ATX SLI Compliant Power Supply (CMPSU-750TXUK)
1x Antec 900 Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case - Black (No PSU)

2x Asus Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 512MB GDDR3 PCI-Express Graphics Card
1x Western Digital VelociRaptor 150GB 10000RPM SATA-II 16MB Cache
1x LG GH22NS30 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black)

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I was trying to decide between an SSD and the VR but I'm going to go with the VR in the end since it has more space for the same price, and SSDs are still considered dodgy (note the VR is just for the OS and some data, for speed purposes; I have externals that hold my media and other data). The graphics cards are on the lower-end because I am getting two (3+ monitors) and I don't play games much anyway so I'm not in need for the ultimate graphics card.

I'm looking for people's thoughts as to whether it all seems to make sense/go together, and of any compatibility issues I might be unaware of. One thing I'm not sure about is if 650W will be enough, but I imagine it would be.

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For 3+ monitor set ups you're better off getting a higher end card and a very cheap one (something like a 9500 GT), as in most cases this allows you to have a much more powerful graphics output for the same price. This does limit you to using the primary monitor for gaming etc, but that's what usually happens anyway. (When you SLI you lose the 2 ports on the second card, didn't think you planned to SLI, but just in case you did.)

Everyone I've asked has recommended getting an SSD over a VR, this is mainly because of the massively reduced seek times on SSDs. But as you say they're quite expensive GB/$ wise right now. SSDs are generally faster for Windows boot times, I believe The Register compared the two when they reviewed the VR.

I understand what you mean about combining a high-end card with a low-end one and then gaming with the high-end one, and I thought about that myself, but then realised that I simply don't play games enough to bother.

As for the SSD, I'm aware that its performance is better than the VR, but the speed benefit when contrasted against the increase in price (or lower capacity) doesn't make it worth it in my opinion. Put it this way: I'm going from a P4 3GHz with 2GB of cheap ram to this system, so the perceptive speed improvement is going to be so large anyway that the VR vs SSD debate becomes pointless.

SonicSam: does it not have enough fans?

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Originally posted by segosa
SonicSam: does it not have enough fans?

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No side ones however

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Originally posted by segosa
I thought about that myself, but then realised that I simply don't play games enough to bother.

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You could go even lower on videocards, which will also use less power. So you'll safe money on 2 cheaper videocards and a cheaper PSU. And use that money to go SSD.

I'm on a 9600GT (fanless), and even while this machine is quad core, 8GB RAM and 3TB storage... I really don't see the need to upgrade my videocard. It's not like it'll run Aero any faster.

Good point. Went down to 9600GTs and a 650W PSU. Still not getting an SSD though. I think what I have now is probably what I'll end up getting.