Advice on new build

blodflekk · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:55:00 Post Subject: Advice on new build

I have been looking around online to make a budget Gaming PC, something affordable but still have games running very fast, here is what I came up with:

Antec Nine Hundred Two Case

Antec 850W PSU

Gigabyte P45based mobo (GA-EP45T-UD3LR)

Intel Q9650 - Core 2 Quad 3.0GHz, 12MBCache

Corsair 4GB DDR3-1600

Gigabyte GTX260 OC

WD VelociRaptor 300GB, 10,000rpm

let me know what you think

**Doctor Feelgood** · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:12:47 Post Subject:

I might change a few things if I were to do this... The Q9650 is great, but for the money you might as well go to Core i7. You can get a 920 for $40 less, slower clock speed, but maybe better and a longer future. Just have to get a compatible motherboard, which might be about the same as the one you picked... And a triple channel memory kit. They're not all that bad either, so you might be at the same price so far.

As for the Raptor, they have high nerd appeal, but for $200 I could think of better drive configurations to run... like a handful of 750GB drives or a pair of 1TB drives...

You definitely picked nice stuff, but that is just my Two Cents

blodflekk · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:19:05 Post Subject:

Yeah, I can see your points and its always good to get ideas and opinions when it comes to building a PC, but the reason I went for that CPU was for the same price I could probably only get the i7 2.66GHz (can't remember its name) And to get high performance I would need alot of overclocking and if I am to overclock I would rather it only be in small amounts so I dont have to worry about heat, and money on other cooling.

**Doctor Feelgood** · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:24:22 Post Subject:

Yeah - the i7 920 is the 2.66GHz model... Checking Newegg it is $40 less than the Q9650. Clock for clock it is slower, but I would go with the more modern architecture... For use now, and for future upgrades / compatibility.

SuperChip64 · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:45:11 Post Subject:

Well, 'Budget' is a relative term. How much were you looking to spend? Is there anything in your current build you'd like to incorporate into the new machine (OS, drives, etc.)? Do you own any of the items you've listed?

Also, just to let you know, the Core i7 920 is cheaper than your Q9650 - by $40. And, to be honest - While the Velociraptor is indeed fast, it's noisy, and very low capacity. Many of the newer big drives can keep close with the Raptor's transfer.

A G/P/Q45-based motherboard won't allow for SLI. In LGA775-land, for SLI, you need to hop onto the nVidia Chipset. G/P/Q45 boards DO allow for Crossfire, though.

IMNSHO, DDR3 isn't really the greatest on Core2. Now on Core i7, DDR3 shines. But let's see about a decent build - off Newegg.

Antec Nine Hundred Case - $99.99
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P - $114.99 after MMIR - This board does Crossfire, but not SLI.
Intel Q9550 - $219.99 (And overclock it to about 3.3GHz with the stock cooler)
OCZ 2x2Gb DDR2-1066 Memory Kit - $62.99
WD Black WD7501AALS 750Gb - $79.99
PC Power & Cooling 750w Silencer - $129.99
Samsung SH-223B - $30.99
XFX GTX260 Black Edition (680MHz Core) - $189.99

or

XFX Radeon HD4890 1Gb - $199.99

That's the basics. Sound Card, speakers or headphones, input devices are still needed as well as a monitor and OS/Apps.

Just for S&G's, you can reference this Core i7-based Mobo/Memory/Proc combo to see if your budget allows you to step into Core i7...

Gigabyte EX58-UD4P - $259.99
Intel Core i7 920 - $279.99
OCZ Platinum 3x2Gb DDR3-1600 Kit - $154.99

I'm sure others will chime in with good opinions, too.

SC64

blodflekk · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:35:58 Post Subject:

I was really wanting the i7, but something with more power, so I figured running a higher clocked core 2 quad would be better for now, better than my core 2 duo that I have at the moment. I could incorporate my WD 1TB 7200rpm into it as I only bought it about 2 weeks ago, I am just really unhappy with my system at the moment and instead of upgrading parts (as I'm almost at my number of H/W changes for windows) Just wanted to start off fresh and different with something really powerful but cheap at the same time - my DREAM machine will cost $5,500 unfortunately (I am in New Zealand so prices are higher) So this was my alternative.

SuperChip64 · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:01:48 Post Subject:

Well, you can go down to the Q9550 instead of the Q9650 and save $80. The only difference is speed (and a mild overclock will negate that).

If you REALLY want the Raptor, go for it. Many will still tell you there are better values out there. Since you have a 1Tb, the Black WD I linked will give 85% of the performance of the Raptor, while costing 33% of the price.

Saving the money in these two items alone is nearly $180US. That can bump your GTX260 to a GTX285 easily.

Not that LGA775 is bad, but it is a dying technology. Intel's future is the Core i-series.

BeerCheeze · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:56:52 Post Subject:

blodflekk · Posted: Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:14:20 Post Subject:

I see there is alot to be considered than I originally thought, the Raptor wasnt essential I just wanted to try it out and see if it made a noticable difference, I have never had a really decent gaming system yet. What this one was when I first made it was the best and it seemed to handle most things quite well when it started. What it started out to be was (Made in 07):

Gigabyte P35, LGA775
Intel Core 2 Duo 3.0GHz
2 GB DDR2-800
Samsung 500GB HDD
550W PSU
Gigabyte 8600GT

Then what i did was upgraded the RAM to 4GB, HDD to 1TB (the 500GB died), 8600GT, to 9600GT then the mobo to Asus P5Q Pro (P45), Did I make good or bad decisions on that?

SuperChip64 · Posted: Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:00:47 Post Subject:

Did you make bad decisions? No, in no way. We're just offering maybe a little better bang-for-buck in some areas. The economy sucks, so efficient use of funds is paramount.

As was stated earlier, the Raptor is the fastest consumer SATA drive on the planet. But it's very costly, considering it's capacity. SATA 3Gb/s has nearly caught up to the Raptor's transfer rate with the large drive (platter density makes it possible). Unless you plan on putting two Raptors in RAID-0, you can save a lot of money without really sacrificing performance.

I suggested the PCP&C Silencer 750 for two reasons - ruggedness (only lightning will kill off a PCP&C unit), and Rail Strength (they have one of the highest rated 12v rails in the industry).

Looking at your base, you COULD reuse your motherboard. Hmmm...