BoxcarRichard

Hello all! I am in need of some opinions on how this gaming rig will look/perform. Please leave any comments on what would work best with the set up I have in mind or if I need to make any hardware changes, and please explain why.

Budget: $600-800 ($900 is kind of a stretch for my wallet, but I might make it happen) I want to get a computer set up for Age of Conan and WAR:Online. Does Vista OS effect gameplay performance at all?


Motherboard: XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor 2.40GHz OEM
RAM: OCZ 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 Memory (2 x 2048MB)
HDD: Maxtor 100GB (from old comp)
PSU: OCZ / GameXStream / 700-Watt / ATX / 120mm Fan / -SATA Ready / SLI Ready / EPS / Active PFC / Power Supply

GPU: I have a few I'm interested in and will probably purchase two of the same one and SLI

-EVGA GeForce 8800 GT Video Card - 512MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Video Card

-XFX GeForce 8800 GS Video Card - 384MB DDR2, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Video Card

-XFX GeForce 9600 GT Video Card - 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Video Card

XFX GeForce 8800 GS XXX Video Card - Alpha Dog Edition, 384MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Video Card

-XFX GeForce 8800 GT Video Card - Alpha Dog Edition, FREE Company of Heroes PC Game, 512MB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, HDCP, Video Card


-In need of a good CPU cooler. I've never over-clocked before, but if it can enhance my gaming performance, please recommend a cooler to OC.
-What are your opinions on Vista? I'm conflicted with whether or not to invest in this OS because I hear it has a lot of bugs. Will having Vista enhance my gaming in any way?
-The 4GB of RAM will probably be necessary if I were to use Vista, but if I used XP, would you recommend I still get 4GB RAM?
-The MoBo is XFX. Will Non-XFX GPU's work well with the MoBo, or would you recommend going pure XFX?
-Do you think I should wait a month or two to see if new computer hardware comes out, thus lowering the prices of the hardware I just listed?
-Is PCI-e and PCI-e 2.0 the same as PCI-e X 16?


I apologize for such a long post. This is the first time building a computer and I just want to get everything perfect!

I appreciate any assistance and feedback! Thank you!

Vizy93

I didnt read your whole post because i need to get to my spanish hw here but anyways, remember that only Vista will let u use DX10.

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Turn the Page, bobby valentino

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby V. Baby, you don't have to turn the page, I've read the story: It ends with you and me You don't have to walk away, The story will change, Baby, please don't turn the page

BoxcarRichard

Thanks for the reply man. I'm wondering if Vista is even worth the purchase at the moment. Hmmmm....

Vizy93

No problem, i finished my spanish hw, now im going to do some lunges, but before that:

i skimmed through ur top post and u need to remember tha tonly 64 bit editions of operating systems can read 4gb of ram. 32 bits can only get upto 3.5gb max so.....

Is vista a cool OS?

I definetly think it does what it was supposed to do. its alot more flashier and luxurious looking and it boots up quick, but thats my dad's comp. I'm using winxp home over here.

__________________

Turn the Page, bobby valentino

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby V. Baby, you don't have to turn the page, I've read the story: It ends with you and me You don't have to walk away, The story will change, Baby, please don't turn the page

sandlotje89

My opinion: Dual boot! I have Vista on my notebook and XP on my Desktop. Right now (IMO) there are only a few applealing things about, mainly being DX10 and the visual aspect. Vista (for me) isn't nearly as smooth as XP, but that may be because of all of the preloaded software and bad sector in one of the drives. I have to send it in to Sony for warranty work. I would say XP for normal computer operations and Vista for gaming in that DX10! I'm sure the computer that you have now came with a XP install disk; if not, you can probably pick one up from a local computer shop and use the key on the back of your comp. You could also try ghosting your hard drive to whatever build you end up with, eliminating the need for an XP install disk and backing up all of your data.

Dazzeerr

Out of the video cards, the eVGA GeForce 8800 GT 512mb is the best if you look at price & performance.

BUT... I wouldn't go for any of those cards.
I'd recommend going for the:

BFG GeForce 8800GT OC2 512mb - Costs a small amount more but has a quite a lot more Core Clock and Memory.

If your unsure of who BFG are, they're a good, well known company. Up there with eVGA and XFX.

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Rig:
[ Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 ][ 2GB DDR2 Crucial ][ 160gb Maxtor HDD ][ GeForce 8500GT 256mb ][ ASUS P5S-MX SE Mobo ][ X-Fi Xtreme Music ]

Want a game of... :
CoD4 / CS 1.6 / CSS / TF2 / BF2 / WC3 / UT2k4 ?

Steam iD : Bieji
Msn : daztruman@hotmail.com

BoxcarRichard

I've done some research and I am considering a completely different set up now.

Some of the new features:
MoBo: (Both intel X38) Asus P5E LGA $224.99 newegg
Abit IX38 Quad GT 219.99 newegg
CPU: Intel C2D E8400 Wolfdale 3.0Ghz $189.99 newegg
GPU: Option 1
(combo deal newegg)
Two BGH GeForce 880GT 512MB 256 GDDR3 + BFG PSU (650W)
Price: $429.97

Option 2 (will buy another one of this card for (169.99)
(combo deal newegg)
One EVGA GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256 GDDR3 + RAIDMAX PSU (700W)
Price of combo: $244.98
Price of combo plus another EVGA GPU: like $415

My question is which will perform better SLi? The 8800GT or the 9600GT?
Also, how is my hardware starting to look? =)

oscaryu1

Go with the 8800GTS G92.

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