Another Gaming Build--Need Help/Input

[Battlefront115]

This rig will mostly be used for gaming. If you guys don't mind i'm having trouble with some componets and could use input.

Graphics Card-8800GTS (G92) 512MB
Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Cpu - I can't decide between 2 cpu's the Q6600 or the new E8400 Wolfdale
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Retail
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

Motherboard - I can't decide on which motherboard here
Evga 780i
Newegg.com - EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
ASUS Striker II Formula 780i
Newegg.com - ASUS Striker II Formula LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA (not sure if you have to use watercooling for this one and if so i don't want it)
Newegg.com - ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
ASUS P5E WS Professional
Newegg.com - ASUS P5E WS Professional LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Power supply - Need help deciding here as well it must be modular
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail
CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX (is this enough for this rig?)
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail

Harddrive - Can't decide between the 2
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Memory (what is better for overclocking, 2 x 1gb or 2x2gb? I am going to be using vista 32 bit so i realize it will only recognize 3.5 gb if i go with 4 gb also do I want a fatser speed than ddr2 800?)
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB(2 x 2GB)
Newegg.com - OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Case
COOLER MASTER Stacker RC-832
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

Case fans
2x COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 BLUE LED LED Case Fan
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 BLUE LED LED Case Fan - Retail

Cpu Cooler - need input here too
Thermalright Ultra-120
Newegg.com - Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - Retail
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm Case Fan
Newegg.com - Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm Case Fan - Retail
ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED
Newegg.com - ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm
Newegg.com - Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm CPU Cooler - Retail

CD/DVD Burner
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM

Fan Controller
ZALMAN MFC1 Plus-B Black 6 Channel Multi Fan Controller
Newegg.com - ZALMAN MFC1 Plus-B Black 6 Channel Multi Fan Controller - Retail

OS
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound
Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail



I have a monitor, keyboard, mouse and speaks already. If I left anything out let me know, or if you know of a better componet i did not list.

[Jae]

Wolfdale for gaming. Corsair 620, Barracuda 7200.11, Tracer 2gb, and for the cooler, I'd go with the Thermalright 120. I've been hearing a lot of good stuff about it. Don't really know about the others though. Lastly, for mobo I'd choose the evga just because of their warranty..lol sorry, not an expert on motherboards

[Andyf]

I wouldn't actually advise the 780i or the maximus formula. What is your budget? If you're dead set on the X38 motherboard, you could go with an Asus P5E. Its just not a ludicrously overpriced, thats all.

780i is only a must if you want to use SLI, which is prolly overrated. The boards themselves are actually pretty rubbish, however. Well, not rubbish, but you could do much better for the price.

Otherwise, a P35 board would do you just fine, such as the ABIT IP35 or Asus P5k.

Expensive case, but certainly good.

I'd go with the Thermalright ultra 120Extreme, but a Tuniq Tower 120 would also serve your purposes well (and includes a fan)

Otherwise, looks like a great build.

[Battlefront115]

Originally Posted by Andyf

I wouldn't actually advise the 780i or the maximus formula. What is your budget? If you're dead set on the X38 motherboard, you could go with an Asus P5E. Its just not a ludicrously overpriced, thats all.

780i is only a must if you want to use SLI, which is prolly overrated. The boards themselves are actually pretty rubbish, however. Well, not rubbish, but you could do much better for the price.

Otherwise, a P35 board would do you just fine, such as the ABIT IP35 or Asus P5k.

Expensive case, but certainly good.

I'd go with the Thermalright ultra 120Extreme, but a Tuniq Tower 120 would also serve your purposes well (and includes a fan)

Otherwise, looks like a great build.

does the p35 performance wise better or is it a better bargain? I am trying to keep the computer under $2000 and hvae no problem paying for an expensive motherboard if its overclocking perofrmance and features are better.

[mark1413]

for 2000 bucks u may as well get the 780, another 8800gts 512, and 64bit w/ 4 sticks of crucial ballistix... that ram is like 100 bucks for 4 gigs, and its 800, but d/w it overclocks well.

[Battlefront115]

Originally Posted by mark1413

for 2000 bucks u may as well get the 780, another 8800gts 512, and 64bit w/ 4 sticks of crucial ballistix... that ram is like 100 bucks for 4 gigs, and its 800, but d/w it overclocks well.

What chipset is better x38 or 780i, I don't think I plan on SLI because it just doesn't seem to warrant the price tag. Right now i'm a little under 1800 and would prefer to keep it there.IS it harder to overclock 4 gigs of ram than 2? and should i get 4 x 1 gb sticks or 2 x 2 gb sticks of ram?

[krazyq]

well the 680s do have some bugs on em and they might crap out on you any time(veedub!)
it all depends if you wanna go sli, if not, go with the p35-ds3r.
for psu, the corsair 520 will do, but if you got the extra money...why not go with 620.
for aftermarket cooler, the thermal is one of the best but it doesnt come with a fan...i have thet tuniq tower 120(its HUGE), and im ok with it.
your case is good...
and are you sure you wanna go with vista? if so then thats ok i gujess.

[krazyq]

if you wanna get 2X2gb sticks with ram, i found a good deal:
Buy.com - OCZ Platinum 4GB ( 2 x 2GB ) 800MHz DDR2 PC2-6400 Vista Performance Memory - OCZ2P8004GK

[Andyf]

Originally Posted by Battlefront115

What chipset is better x38 or 780i, I don't think I plan on SLI because it just doesn't seem to warrant the price tag. Right now i'm a little under 1800 and would prefer to keep it there.IS it harder to overclock 4 gigs of ram than 2? and should i get 4 x 1 gb sticks or 2 x 2 gb sticks of ram?

Just take care with that idea; the 680i was never particularly partial to having 4 sticks of RAM, so the chances are that the 780i is the same. In any case, 4GB is overkill unless you want to do some CAD, or Video editing.


I personally would not go with the 780i then. It is inferior to P35 and X38 motherboards in most respects, only it allows SLI. And its very pricey.

The DS3R that krazyq mentioned is a good budget choice, with Asus P5k and Abit IP35s being good, more pricey choices with a few more features

The X38 is not a bad choice, its just that given the price of P35, you are paying a lot of money just for the X38 name, it seems. Maximus formula is a choice that couldn't be faulted, its just there are ways of getting much better value.

The only major pro that the X38 brings is probably the PCIe 2.0 support, but at the moment, GPUs are nowhere near being bandwidth capped by PCIe1.1.

[Battlefront115]

Originally Posted by Andyf

Just take care with that idea; the 680i was never particularly partial to having 4 sticks of RAM, so the chances are that the 780i is the same. In any case, 4GB is overkill unless you want to do some CAD, or Video editing.


I personally would not go with the 780i then. It is inferior to P35 and X38 motherboards in most respects, only it allows SLI. And its very pricey.

The DS3R that krazyq mentioned is a good budget choice, with Asus P5k and Abit IP35s being good, more pricey choices with a few more features

The X38 is not a bad choice, its just that given the price of P35, you are paying a lot of money just for the X38 name, it seems. Maximus formula is a choice that couldn't be faulted, its just there are ways of getting much better value.

The only major pro that the X38 brings is probably the PCIe 2.0 support, but at the moment, GPUs are nowhere near being bandwidth capped by PCIe1.1.

does the asus maximums require watercooling to keep it cool, because I really have no interestes in watercooling but I know it has soem features for it.