NationStates Jolt Archive

I know I know I am often the one directed to for computer hardware. But this time Ol Thrusty has two aims in mind for this thread

First I am posting what I am looking at doing to build my computer and hoping for some input on the components, it has been a long time sense this AMD fan has built a pentium machine (but I am leaning this way for this build) and I am normally about horsepower but not necessarily gaming performance

The second aim of the thread is for you to also discuss what you have built or baught, and why. Or what you would build

Ok here is where I explain my hopeful machine and reasoning.

New computer I am thinking about building this month to replace my old one (well not really replace as it is getting upgraded and moved to a server roll) but the Idea is to turn the existing Dual Dual core opteron box into both a linux desktop (which I do not often do) and all over media server as well as my deployment virtuals servers

The new one will be gaming focused the only other "dual" duty it has to perform is virtualization of up to 3-4 operating systems for a test bed platform

Ok here are the components

Proc: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115027
MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131074
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231121
x4 (so 8 GB total)

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136011

Only 2 of these ... my current system has over 1.5 terrabytes of storage now and that can be added to while keeping power consumption down in this box

Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130071

Two of thoes

PSU: Now here is where I have some big questions I have been shopping around and trying to figure out my draw here now I SHOULD be able to get away with anything more then 600 watt but with thoes two raptors a quad core proc and thoes power eating video cards I do not want to push it

But if I shoot for over 900 watts case size is going to be a major concern, now I was planning on a full tower but some of the reviews were saying even full towers were having trouble eating some of the 1000 watt + PSU's

Here was the one I was thinking about
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703007

With This case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133020

This cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106102

What do you all think? I have spent years building computers but it has been a few months sense my last one and this is one of my first Pentium machines I was thinking about building so input or experience specially with power consumption levels
(Yes I know it is long)

Also thing to keep in mind is I am shooting for 4-5K USD without new display

The links aren't working for me.

The links aren't working for me.

Fixed I had saved it in a private wiki while I worked on it and it short url linked it without me seeing ... I fixed it

If you are going to spend absurd amounts of money, wait until next month or the month after when everyone is releasing all their new uber hardware.

None of the uber games are out for a couple months anyway.

I came.

You'll probably want a mini-server casing. There's one I've been eyeing for quite some time, but it's too big for me. It's like a standard tower, but a fair bit taller and fatter. Has a specialized side panel with mounts for 4 medium fans on either side. Definitely a case built to run hot.

You'll probably want a mini-server casing. There's one I've been eying for quite some time, but it's too big for me. It's like a standard tower, but a fair bit taller and fatter. Has a specialized side panel with mounts for 4 medium fans on either side. Definitely a case built to run hot.

One concern I have is that theoredically I will want to bring this to lan parties as it will be my gaming rig

While I know it will never be light (my current system is over 90 pounds with all the hard drives and such) I would still like it to be reasonable I was HOPING for a aluminum case ... now if that turns out not to work we will see but :)

If you are going to spend absurd amounts of money, wait until next month or the month after when everyone is releasing all their new uber hardware.

None of the uber games are out for a couple months anyway.

Whats on the docket to get released before or around the first of the year?

Just get the MaximumPC Dream Machine with a few changes including upping to a 1Kw power supply from PC power & cooling. A mere 10k!;)

Just get the MaximumPC Dream Machine with a few changes including upping to a 1Kw power supply from PC power & cooling. A mere 10k!;)

Do they have an 07 version yet I only see 06 on their website (I have not been a subscriber in years)

Whats on the docket to get released before or around the first of the year?

I'm not exactly sure, but I believe Intel may be releasing its new chipset, x38, and nvidia releasing the Geforce 9 series. Not 100% sure but these are coming out soon.

Also, for the PSU, make sure you get the correct ampage on the 12v rail for your two 8800s there. Overclock.net (http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/183810-faq-recomended-power-supplies.html) has a list of recommended power supplies.

*edit: didnt see you posted the PC Power & cooling 1Kw. Definitely would get that one I know I want it.

I'm not exactly sure, but I believe Intel may be releasing its new chipset, x38, and nvidia releasing the Geforce 9 series. Not 100% sure but these are coming out soon.

Also, for the PSU, make sure you get the correct ampage on the 12v rail for your two 8800s there. Overclock.net (http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/183810-faq-recomended-power-supplies.html) has a list of recommended power supplies.

*edit: didnt see you posted the PC Power & cooling 1Kw. Definitely would get that one I know I want it.

Ohhh thanks for the info! I would have forgot about the rail amperage

I'm not exactly sure, but I believe Intel may be releasing its new chipset, x38, and nvidia releasing the Geforce 9 series. Not 100% sure but these are coming out soon.

Also, for the PSU, make sure you get the correct ampage on the 12v rail for your two 8800s there. Overclock.net (http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/183810-faq-recomended-power-supplies.html) has a list of recommended power supplies.

*edit: didnt see you posted the PC Power & cooling 1Kw. Definitely would get that one I know I want it.Doesn't AMD also have a new processor coming out soon, too?

AMD's Phenom is supposed to be coming out this quarter as well as Intel's chipset that I can't remember the name of that should be out.

And nVidia is lining up it's G92 for November, but it isn't supposed to outstrip the 8800 Ultra.

AMD's Phenom is supposed to be coming out this quarter as well as Intel's chipset that I can't remember the name of that should be out.

And nVidia is lining up it's G92 for November, but it isn't supposed to outstrip the 8800 Ultra.

Cool maybe I will ... I am just putting togeather a plan ... in the next month I get all my PTO from my old job plus start a new job worth twice as much so I have enough for Some of the gadgets I have wanted for a while pluss the computer and was getting an idea

You only going for DDR2-533?

I'd get DDR2-667 or DDR-800 at least, with a preference for DDR2-1066.

My laptop uses DDR2-667 (PC5300).

Cool maybe I will ... I am just putting togeather a plan ... in the next month I get all my PTO from my old job plus start a new job worth twice as much so I have enough for Some of the gadgets I have wanted for a while pluss the computer and was getting an ideaI am waiting for further news about Intel's discrete graphics cards (currently due at the end of next year. Depending on what is said, I might get something now, and just jam an Intel card in it, or go with a mobo that can do integrated until the discrete come out(it is mostly going to be a workhorse). This will become a local storage server, my sisters' main unit, with their current rig possibly taking on a jukebox role.

I haven't had the time to set it up yet (I do have Debian on it), but plan to take this old G4 PowerMac (it is pre cube btw) and use it as a temp file storage (something I can fuck with lots until I find a config that I like) and a print server. I think I am going to need Samba for this as a Windows laptop needs to use it too, but other than that I am generally clueless. Hopefully in a few weeks I have the time to kill my self with documentation.

AMD's Phenom is supposed to be coming out this quarter as well as Intel's chipset that I can't remember the name of that should be out.

And nVidia is lining up it's G92 for November, but it isn't supposed to outstrip the 8800 Ultra.Is the G92 just going to be DX10.1 compliant with few changes elsewhere?

I am waiting for further news about Intel's discrete graphics cards (currently due at the end of next year. Depending on what is said, I might get something now, and just jam an Intel card in it, or go with a mobo that can do integrated until the discrete come out(it is mostly going to be a workhorse). This will become a local storage server, my sisters' main unit, with their current rig possibly taking on a jukebox role.

I haven't had the time to set it up yet (I do have Debian on it), but plan to take this old G4 PowerMac (it is pre cube btw) and use it as a temp file storage (something I can fuck with lots until I find a config that I like) and a print server. I think I am going to need Samba for this as a Windows laptop needs to use it too, but other than that I am generally clueless. Hopefully in a few weeks I have the time to kill my self with documentation.
Well samba I can help you out on :)

(Actually got a G4 Samba file server and test platform at work ... debian... I call it "Macnix")

You only going for DDR2-533?

I'd get DDR2-667 or DDR-800 at least, with a preference for DDR2-1066.

My laptop uses DDR2-667 (PC5300).

Hmmm must have coppied the wrong one I was shooting for 667 I must have blanked I built this at work and had to re look everything up I must have missed that THANKS!

Is the G92 just going to be DX10.1 compliant with few changes elsewhere?

:D

http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=171610

Hmmm must have coppied the wrong one I was shooting for 667 I must have blanked I built this at work and had to re look everything up I must have missed that THANKS!

Yeah, PC4200 is for underclockers. ;)

:D

http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=171610Sounds a bit too good to be true to me. Seems like much too short of a time frame to double performance, but I guess I could be wrong. 65nm and DX10.1 do sound good though.

Well samba I can help you out on :)

(Actually got a G4 Samba file server and test platform at work ... debian... I call it "Macnix")Mine is called the entirely original "macg4".

Mine is called the entirely original "macg4".

Not the strange ones which looked like white toasters?

Not the strange ones which looked like white toasters?Wikipedia to the rescue.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/GraphiteG4.jpg
I wish it were I G5, but there is no way in hell I'd get one of those for free.

The last PC I built up was about 4 years ago (still using it, but looking to re-build by the end of the year):
AMD 2800+, Gigabyte Socket A m/b (model number escapes me at the moment), Sapphire 9600XT, 1GB RAM (same speed as FSB), and a random case from Scan (screwless, very spacious & fan heavy)

The PC I'm looking to build will be my first Intel-based PC since the P2s were out...
E6750 proc, Gigabyte P35 DQ6 m/b, 2x1GB corsair DDR2-1066 CAS5, Antec P182 case, Sapphire X1950Pro 512MB, Xi-Fi Xtreme Gamer sound card, Corsair HX620 PSU. Deciding between a Scythe Infinity cooler or the Gigabyte 3D Galaxy II water-cooling kit. With a Razer mouse/keyboard combo + HDD + DVD-RW it's about £820/£880 (monitors extra)

And the main reason I'm upgrading - Supreme Commander, barely playable on my current system :(

Total overkill.
8GB RAM? Really?

I'd halve that (a quarter would be fine at the moment, frankly) but upgrade it to some decent-latency DDR2-800 or 1066. If you're planning to overclock then 1066 is probably a good idea. If you're trading off frequency against latency then frequency gives you a bigger performance improvement, and if you're wast^H^H^H^Hspending that much on a machine don't skimp on cheapo DDR2-667; you might as well get some decent stuff, it's cheap now anyway.
(And I presume I don't have to mention the drawback of 32-bit OSes to you? ;) )

As someone with a pair of X1900XTs in Crossfire, I'd say "don't bother with the second 8800 GTS, it's not worth it", and suggest you got one GTX or (for MAXIMUM SPENDAGE) an 8800 Ultra instead. Or wait for the 10.1 bits to come out and see what they do.

You could knock the CPU down one notch to the 2.4GHz one and then overclock it, that'd cost half as much as the 2.67GHz one and they'd probably both wind up in the same place overclocked anyway.

That should save you a few bob, which - after a few days of listening to the damn thing - you can spend on watercooling kit to shut it up :)

Oh, I've got an Armor case myself. It's jolly good ("only" an Enermax Liberty 650W PSU in it, though), although for double-width cards like the X1900XT the tool-less card-holder-in-clip is completely useless (you have to completely remove it before you can insert/remove the card), so I just took it out so I could use old-fashioned screws instead. They might've fixed it in newer models.

I didn't even see the ram. 8GB? No, fail. 4GB at most. If your board even supports up to 8GB, you will never use the shit because (a) 8GB is far beyond what 32 bit supports and (b) nothing is going to use that much for years.

My current gaming PC is

Opteron 165 Dual Core (Socket 939) @ 1.8Ghz
Foxconn MicroATX mobo
2x 1GB of DDR400 (PC3200) - one Legend, the other is a GEIL
160 SATA 7200
nVidia 7600GT OCed at 580Mhz/1.4Ghz
Sunbeam Samurai gaming case
Total of 4 80mm case fans
Logitech MX518 gaming mouse (feeting falling off)
PCI Express X1 Pre-N wireless card
Seasonic S12 Enegrgy Plus 550W

Adequate for the moment, but I'll need the DirectX video 10.1 card later.

I didn't even see the ram. 8GB? No, fail. 4GB at most. If your board even supports up to 8GB, you will never use the shit because (a) 8GB is far beyond what 32 bit supports and (b) nothing is going to use that much for years.Total overkill.
8GB RAM? Really?

I'd halve that (a quarter would be fine at the moment, frankly) but upgrade it to some decent-latency DDR2-800 or 1066. If you're planning to overclock then 1066 is probably a good idea. If you're trading off frequency against latency then frequency gives you a bigger performance improvement, and if you're wast^H^H^H^Hspending that much on a machine don't skimp on cheapo DDR2-667; you might as well get some decent stuff, it's cheap now anyway.
(And I presume I don't have to mention the drawback of 32-bit OSes to you? ;) )

As someone with a pair of X1900XTs in Crossfire, I'd say "don't bother with the second 8800 GTS, it's not worth it", and suggest you got one GTX or (for MAXIMUM SPENDAGE) an 8800 Ultra instead. Or wait for the 10.1 bits to come out and see what they do.

You could knock the CPU down one notch to the 2.4GHz one and then overclock it, that'd cost half as much as the 2.67GHz one and they'd probably both wind up in the same place overclocked anyway.

That should save you a few bob, which - after a few days of listening to the damn thing - you can spend on watercooling kit to shut it up :)

Oh, I've got an Armor case myself. It's jolly good ("only" an Enermax Liberty 650W PSU in it, though), although for double-width cards like the X1900XT the tool-less card-holder-in-clip is completely useless (you have to completely remove it before you can insert/remove the card), so I just took it out so I could use old-fashioned screws instead. They might've fixed it in newer models.
In all odds, UT is going to use a x64 bit OS, which can support 8GiB of RAM. I think you both missed the part about having to virtualize other desktops too. 2GiB simply will not cut it for those tasks. Unless he planned to OC the 2.67GHz, dropping down to a 2.4GHz may not be a bad idea.

-snip OP-

sounds like a good rig... i'd kill for something with 8gig of ram - that'd be good for graphic design and video processing, right?

and i didn't realise 10,000rpm HDDs came in such large capacities these days... oooooh...

In all odds, UT is going to use a x64 bit OS, which can support 8GiB of RAM. I think you both missed the part about having to virtualize other desktops too. 2GiB simply will not cut it for those tasks. Unless he planned to OC the 2.67GHz, dropping down to a 2.4GHz may not be a bad idea.

Yeah, to both; that's why I said "halve" (and for the primary purpose of gaming 2GiB is quite adequate). I know he's probably going to use a 64-bit OS, but still - eight gigs? Is virtualising several other OSes really going to use that much? Because for gaming you'd be far better off with 4GiB of low-latency, high-frequency memory than 8GiB of meh-ish DDR2-667.

And even overclocking - a 2.67GHz Core2Quad probably won't overclock much/any more than a 2.4GHz, and it costs twice as much. The higher multiplier could be useful, I suppose - that's the drawback for my E6300 compared to an E6400; the CPU has loads of room left, but the board craps out with an FSB above 386MHz, so I'm limited to 2.7GHz.

sounds like a good rig... i'd kill for something with 8gig of ram - that'd be good for graphic design and video processing, right?

It's probably more than it needs, unless you're doing high-resolution video processing.

And it depends on your OS and software, too; a 32-bit OS can address at most 4GiB*, and due to the PC architecture you won't get quite all of that - probably 3.5GiB (in Windows XP/Vista 32-bit; I'd expect Linux to be the same but I don't know).
With 32-bit Windows software, even on a 64-bit OS, the most any process can access is 3GiB.

So unless you move completely to 64-bit, or are planning to run 2+ massively memory-hogging 32-bit processes simultaneously it's pointless.

*OK, I think there's a hack on some 32-bit CPUs that means they can address 64GiB or something, but I don't think many versions of Windows, at least, support it, and I have no idea about Linux etc.

It's probably more than it needs, unless you're doing high-resolution video processing.

And it depends on your OS and software, too; a 32-bit OS can address at most 4GiB*, and due to the PC architecture you won't get quite all of that - probably 3.5GiB (in Windows XP/Vista 32-bit; I'd expect Linux to be the same but I don't know).
With 32-bit Windows software, even on a 64-bit OS, the most any process can access is 3GiB.

So unless you move completely to 64-bit, or are planning to run 2+ massively memory-hogging 32-bit processes simultaneously it's pointless.

*OK, I think there's a hack on some 32-bit CPUs that means they can address 64GiB or something, but I don't think many versions of Windows, at least, support it, and I have no idea about Linux etc.

that's interesting... so i could switch to a 64bit OS but would still need 64bit software to make use of the extra ram...

i do occasionally do some high-res video editing (the video comes in at 4000x4000 iirc, which totally killed an old machine of mine :p), but not enough to make 8 gig worthwhile.

mostly i just want photoshop to run faster:)
but i'm also a convert to laptops, so building my own has become a bit too difficult :P

But if I run 4 virtual machines, would I have access to all 8 GB, even if all 4 machine were running 32-bit software? Because they'd only be able to use about 3GB each, but if they used even 2GB each that adds up to 8.

Is that how it would work?

Yeah, on a 64-bit OS.

Hi, Jack!


I need a monster gaming rig for roughly 2k-3k. I mean, monster. XP, obviously, because Vista would, instead of running my programs, be far too busy sucking its own cock to do anything useful.

Can it be done?


Also, how reliable and safe is water cooling? I've always been iffy about purposely putting liquid around my electronics, and if it's gonna cost 3k, dear god I don't want that thing to break or short out.


EDIT: Specifically, I'd want to shoot for 2 or 3 gigs of RAM, but I'm not up with all the specifics of which type to get. Also, I have no idea how to overclock, so I'm going for just straight components that I wouldn't have to fiddle around with too much. The case would have to be nice - I don't care how it looks, really, and weight isn't too much of a problem, but I need it to keep everything in it while still not becoming a nuclear furnace that heats my entire apartment complex with the ability to break the sound barrier while booting up a program. I don't want that. Hence, the possibility of liquid cooling solving both those problems, but I need more info on it first.

Also, compatibility for me is a big issue. I hate buying something and then finding out my motherboard doesn't support it, and I have no idea which mobo is best and which is compatible with the best parts, so that's up to you guys as well.

But say I had all the parts, and they were all compatible - I'm not gonna want to put it all together, because I'm just the type of person that would screw it up. Would I theoretically just be able to take it into Circuit City or Micro Center and have them put it all together?

And I'm willing to pay for a legit copy of XP. Just saves me time and hassle.

I didn't even see the ram. 8GB? No, fail. 4GB at most. If your board even supports up to 8GB, you will never use the shit because (a) 8GB is far beyond what 32 bit supports and (b) nothing is going to use that much for years.

It does support that much
It like I said will be a virtual machine rig so besides the operating system I will be running at least 4 Virtuals using at least 4 gigs of that ram on a constant basis

It will be a 64 bit OS that was always in the plan.

Yeah, PC4200 is for underclockers. ;)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231121 Thats the one I was origionaly considering I looked into the 1066 you were recommending but right now new egg does not have any in 2 GB sticks that I could see

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231121 Thats the one I was origionaly considering I looked into the 1066 you were recommending but right now new egg does not have any in 2 GB sticks that I could see

If you run 1 x 2GB then you wouldn't the advantage of 2 x 1GB as with two sticks you get the dual channel to work for you.

If you run 1 x 2GB then you wouldn't the advantage of 2 x 1GB as with two sticks you get the dual channel to work for you.
4x2GiB silly. I don't know any mainstream mobo that has 8 RAM slots so recommending 8x1GiB is just wrong.

4x2GiB silly. I don't know any mainstream mobo that has 8 RAM slots so recommending 8x1GiB is just wrong.

And then we have boards like these
http://www.techenclave.com/forums/iwill-dpk66s-sas-16-ram-slots-74712.html

First get one of these:

http://www.apple2.org/cgi-bin/rand_image.pl

:D

And then we have boards like these
http://www.techenclave.com/forums/iwill-dpk66s-sas-16-ram-slots-74712.htmlAnd how much does a workstation mobo cost? More than a top of the line gaming board, and raw gaming performance tends to be worse too.

Hmm in order then,
Proc: Intel Core2Duo (Rec. E6750) (currently Intel>AMD :( and the E6750 is best bang for buck without breaking the wallet barrier) Quad cores don't actually add much currently except in scientific and graphical editing progs, so it's better to get a faster dual core.

M/Board: Pretty much any Asus with a P35 chipset (Gigabyte is really good, reasonable overclocker, but Asus is much better quality for pure performance). I wouldn't worry too much about SLI/Crossfire, again they for the price they don't add a huge amount of performance. If you do want multiple graphics cards then SLI goes for NVidia/GeForce and Crossfire is for the AMD/ATI cards.
The P35 chipset will work with any Intel Core2/Quad processor.

Graphics: GeForce are tops at the moment (again with the :( ), the Gainward make tend to be pre-overclocked/modded etc (would probably wait for DX10.1 cards to come out before buying anything more than a 7900 though)

RAM: 2-3GB is about right, speed should be as close to the FSB of the proc as possible (1333MHz in this case). CAS4 latency is better, but a fair bit more expensive, CAS5 will do.

Case: For a quiet case I would really go for the Antec P182

HDD: Western Digital Raptor (10,000 rpm), if really want get two and RAID them together - just be sure to use a separate card for the raid-ing instead of the motherboard built in stuff. I would probably go for a SATA2 drive on top to move the MyDocs folder to etc.

Sound: Terratec or Creative Xi-Fi series, both are good

Power: Corsair HX620 is a really good modular PSU, really good (high 80s to mid 90% efficiancy), but I'm not sure how much juice you'd need, and 620W is as high as Corsair go at the moment. If more is needed PcPower&Cooling PSUs are the best bet (check link at the bottom, the forums have a PSU calculator).

DVD-RW/keyboard/mouse are all down to personal preferance. Lite-on/LG do decent enough DVD-RWs (Plextor arn't nearly as far ahead as they used to be, so the cheaper ones are just as good these days)

Watercooling is fine as long as it is set up right - that is 24 hours out of the box with liquid being pumped round (leak test) before putting into the case. If you are going to be leaving the pc on whilst out I would go for air-cooling (in this case you really won't hear it much). The Gigabyte 3D Galaxy II is a really good kit, has the option to cool a graphics card as well, 'tis modular, and has a quiet fan over the procesoor placement to cool the mosfets round the proc houseing (bonus, a lot don't have this and the mosfets can get just a lil hot)

Lastly - http://tomshardware.co.uk/ - both articles and forums are incredibly usefull for PC building/reviews etc/
(and I'm not from the USA but I doubt CC or similar would build it for you, well maybe for a price. Cheaper to find a mate who can do that, but these days almost everything only fits one way in one slot, or is colour coded - and there are plenty of guides online to building a pc from scratch)

Hi, Jack!
--snip--

I'm not a huge gamer.I own a few like Halo.I suggest Alienware for gaming.If you want more try Windows XP.(Vista needs to catch up)Windows pwns for home and office,plus it carries a lot of games like Halo and Age of Empires.Mac for nothing.BTW Macs claim to be good for media but you can do all that on PC.So thats my answer.

Well, it appears that on Monday ATI is going to release a bare-bones opensource driver and the specs for their cards, so I may be getting that new PC sooner, with an ATI card in it (I never thought I'd say that again). In the meantime their proprietary driver has an average performance increase of between 50% and 90% (the peak was 5200% performance increase on Doom 3 with low settings and resolution on an Xpress X300) and next month it should have AIGLX. Happy days. If ATI follows though this time (the fact that they have actually said exactly what they are going to do this time is making allot of people think 'probably') I might get a new system sporting ATI (R700 and probably two Xeons). We'll see what happens, but oi, time to start building (macg4, you just got pushed aside).

To be OT for once in this thread: UT, I approve of everything except SLI. Just get an Ultra.

I suggest Alienware for gaming.
The fact you said you mainly own Halo shows why we shouldn't listen to you. That and that is a terrible, terrible statement. Alienware is absurdly priced for what you get, were even before they were bought by DELL. It's better to just go custom.

PS. In English, a space comes after punctuation.

Well, it appears that on Monday ATI is going to release a bare-bones opensource driver and the specs for their cards, so I may be getting that new PC sooner, with an ATI card in it (I never thought I'd say that again). In the meantime their proprietary driver has an average performance increase of between 50% and 90% (the peak was 5200% performance increase on Doom 3 with low settings and resolution on an Xpress X300) and next month it should have AIGLX. Happy days. If ATI follows though this time (the fact that they have actually said exactly what they are going to do this time is making allot of people think 'probably') I might get a new system sporting ATI (R700 and probably two Xeons). We'll see what happens, but oi, time to start building (macg4, you just got pushed aside).

To be OT for once in this thread: UT, I approve of everything except SLI. Just get an Ultra.

I had an ATI X700 and then ditched later for an nVidia 7600GT (twice as fast, at least). I'm seeing if nVidia have a faster version of the 8600GTS coming out or they release a small sized version of the 8800GTS/X series (my case has a few issues with large cards).

I had an ATI X700 and then ditched later for an nVidia 7600GT (twice as fast, at least). I'm seeing if nVidia have a faster version of the 8600GTS coming out or they release a small sized version of the 8800GTS/X series (my case has a few issues with large cards).Well the 7600GT should be faster, it is an entire generation newer. I plan on getting a big case for my new system (I don't have to pack it anywhere, but either way I am quite strong enough to move it). I'm thinking of the Antec P190 right now, but we'll see. This may be a Xmas or Valentines present to myself as I have been thinking why wait for the R700 generation for DX10.1 support? I haven't booted Vista in at least 3 weeks, so I haven't gamed at all in three weeks.

I'm not a huge gamer.I own a few like Halo.I suggest Alienware for gaming.If you want more try Windows XP.(Vista needs to catch up)Windows pwns for home and office,plus it carries a lot of games like Halo and Age of Empires.Mac for nothing.BTW Macs claim to be good for media but you can do all that on PC.So thats my answer.

Why would I spend money on an alianware when I am more then capable of doing it on my own? I may be looking for a few tips on the newest hardware here but I have built HUNDREDS over the last few years

And then we have boards like these
http://www.techenclave.com/forums/iwill-dpk66s-sas-16-ram-slots-74712.html

Most of the High Dimm count boards are not SLI capable ... there is a version of my board with SLI (current system) as well as a MSI model for server procs but they are few and far between and I only have 6 DIMMS

AS is most of your boards you want for gaming (SLI) are at 4 dimms

Most of the High Dimm count boards are not SLI capable ... there is a version of my board with SLI (current system) as well as a MSI model for server procs but they are few and far between and I only have 6 DIMMS

AS is most of your boards you want for gaming (SLI) are at 4 dimms

If you are inclined, look at the nVidia Quadro FX series - for workstation versions of current cards. They are horribly expensive though.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/quadrofx_family.html

If you are inclined, look at the nVidia Quadro FX series - for workstation versions of current cards. They are horribly expensive though.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/quadrofx_family.html

But do those high end boards require ECC or registered ram? my current opteron system does and they are flipping expensive (like 50 percent more expensive per gig)

If you are inclined, look at the nVidia Quadro FX series - for workstation versions of current cards. They are horribly expensive though.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/quadrofx_family.htmlThey perform like shit gaming wise compared to a 8800 Ultra. They are meant more for large 3D renders and the like.

But do those high end boards require ECC or registered ram? my current opteron system does and they are flipping expensive (like 50 percent more expensive per gig)Are you looking for a gaming machine or a workstation?

Anyway, gaming machine:
Mainboard: Asus P5K series. Cheap, good boards, good bundles. User friendly.
CPU: Core 2 Duo Extreme. Faster is better. Games won't be supporting Quads before the current Quad CPUs are obsolete, so it's the slower, more expensive solution.
RAM: 4GB of the cheapest, fastest DDRII RAM you can find. Which probably means 4 sticks of Kingston ValueRAM. Don't bother with heatsinks, get proper case cooling instead. Your machine will live longer.
HDDs: 2x 36 or 74GB Raptors in RAID0. Games with seamless loading will love you for it.
GFX Card: The cheapest 8800GTX card you can find. For resolutions above 1600x you'll need SLI, a different mainboard, bigger PSU and more RAM.
PSU: Antec Phantom 500W. It's expensive, relatively low-powered, but it's a fucking great PSU and it'll easily run this HW. And it's just about the most quiet thing you'll ever see.
Case: If you don't have one already, consider a P180 - or the revision if you go with the phantom PSU (it can fit in the P180 but it's fiddly).

If you're gonna OC the CPU and don't want to use water cooling or phase change, I suggest a Thermalright 120 Ultra eXtreme. Might need something for the poor widdle chipset too, but it depends on the mainboard and case temp.

Hope it helped.

Oh and, get airfilters. Judging from the pics I've seen of you, you're not Mr. Proper incarnate. Airfilters just might save you a lot of grief.