First Gaming Rig

Thechefxxxv

Thechefxxxv

New Member
Hey,

I'd like some second opinions on a gaming rig I'll be purchasing within the next 30 days. I scoured Newegg for the best parts, and this is what I came up with:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11989467&WishListTitle=Gaming

(I have a 1500$ budget, lower is better)

I just wanted to know if this is a good configuration, and If I should be waiting for updates to any of these products soon.


I also have a few other questions, this being my first machine:

1. Should I run Vista 64-bit instead of 32?
2. How easy would it be to dual-boot XP 32-bit and Vista 64-bit?
3. Some of my friends say the motherboard is overkill. Is this true?

Thanks in advance.
 
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I would say Vista 64bit, I think it's a great operating system, love it!

I think the motherboard is an over kill, that is an expensive piece of equipment and you can get a motherboard that will do just as much for half that price.

I have that same screen, it is awesome:) you will not be disappointed with it!

I have had Asus motherboards for a while and just be aware that they normally don't like OCZ RAM. Look in the Asus forum for your motherboard model you choose and see what others are running for RAM. It is posted everywhere in that forum about the problems with OCZ RAM.

I would get a better graphics card, with a 1500 dollar budget, you should have more than the 4850. The 9800 GTX+ is about 5-10% better performance and is a few dollars more. The 4870 will stomp the 9800 GTX, if you can find a good priced 4870, go with that. The 9800 GTX is a great card for the price right now, you can even find some for about $170! Right now....I think it is the best price:performance ratio there is!

EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+ SSC Edition w/792 MHz core clock for $209
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130386
___________________________________________
Case : XION II w/12” green cold cathode
Motherboard : Asus P5N-E 650i @ 1532 FSB
CPU : Intel Q9300 @ 2.875 GHz
CPU Cooler : Cooler Master Hyper TX2
RAM : Corsair XMS2 Pro/pc6400/ 4x1GB/ @800 MHz
Graphics : Evga 9800 GTX @ 760 MHz
PSU : Antec Neo Power 650w / modular cables
OP: Vista Home Pre 64 bit
 
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What would you suggest for a replacement motherboard?

I changed the RAM to G.SKILL. Never heard of that brand, but there are so many 5 star reviews on Newegg that I don't care.

I'll move up to a 4750 as soon as I find a cheaper motherboard.
 
G Skill is good RAM, a lot of people use it and really like it.

I would look for a Gigabyte board with an Intel chipset, they are great boards. Asus and MSI also make very good boards. This is what I would get, it just my idea for you.

GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P45 for $160 (it uses DDR3 RAM)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128348

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) for $112
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145208

DDR3 is the future man....with $1500 there is no reason not to:)
Maybe even more RAM if you can fit it into your budget

What are you going to do about a CPU cooler?
 
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I would get DDR3 RAM, but that motherboard doesn't support full 16x Crossfire (am I right?), which is a feature I'd really like to have.

As for the CPU cooler, I was planning on using the included Intel heatsink. Should I get a custom cooler? If so, any recommendations?

EDIT: I replaced the motherboard and RAM with what ScOuT recommended. I'm divided over wanting a full 16x Crossfire mobo, though. I figure that I can just get a whole new GPU rather than a second 4870 if I want to upgrade in the future.
 
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A lot of people like running dual cards....myself, I only run a single card. I am not that hardcore of a gamer and don't need more than one card. It does not support x16 crossfire, one slot is x16 and the other is x8. It will still work for crossfire of course, but it will be degraded.

There are many different CPU coolers on the market. The OCZ Vendetta 2, Zaleman 9700 and the XIGMATEK S1283 120mm are a few of the best. You can get a great cooler for under $50. Liquid will cost some money, I peiced together a set up for my computer and it was going to be over $200 for the parts I wanted....I'll stick with air for now:)
________________________________
Case : XION II w/12” green cold cathode
Motherboard : Asus P5N-E 650i @ 1532 FSB
CPU : Intel Q9300 @ 2.875 GHz
CPU Cooler : Cooler Master Hyper TX2
RAM : Corsair XMS2 Pro/pc6400/ 4x1GB/ @800 MHz
Graphics : Evga 9800 GTX @ 760 MHz
PSU : Antec Neo Power 650w / modular cables
OP: Vista Home Pre 64 bit
 
I changed the motherboard to an Intel BOXDX38BT which seems superior to the Gigabyte GA-EP45T-DS3R. Now does the configuration look good?

The full names of all the parts:

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Intel BOXDX38BT LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX DDR3 Intel Motherboard - Retail

VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V Power Supply - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail

CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X2G1600C9DHXNV - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail


Here's the link again for convenience.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/P...WishListNumber=11989467&WishListTitle=Gaming:

Thanks for everyone's help already, I really appreciate it. :o
 
Have you done research on the motherboard? Many people will tell you that Intel motherboards are not up to par with other companies. I have never used them but I would look around and see what it is about before spending that much money:) A lot of people complain about the BIOS that is released for Intel boards...not as user friendly as others.

It does have some good reviews
 
Well, I did quite a bit of research, and I switched to an ASRock motherboard. Again, not a common brand name, but everywhere I can find reviews says it's great. The kicker: the board supports DDR2 and DDR3. I'm going to get 4 gigs of DDR2 now, then upgrade to DDR3 in about a year when it becomes the true standard. It has Crossfire support AND dual 16x PCIe slots. The only odd part is built-in Wifi, which I probably won't use, but I won't complain. I went back to the same OCZ RAM was well.
 
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ASRock makes some really good motherboards and some swear by them. DDR2 will be fine for a while, good idea to leave yourself open for future upgrades.
 
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