[Cheeseking25]

Get ready this is a long post...
Hi. I am building a gaming PC and this is what I've got so far. I'm not 100% set on some of the components so there may be may be two there. I would appreciate if you could tell me which one is better for my needs. I would also like to be sure that all the parts will work together so any input you can offer will be great.

Case: Antec 900 ATX Mid-tower: I like the 4 fans on this case. It's great for cooling and I also like how it looks.

CPU: Q6600: I am fairly sure this will be my proc.

PSU: Coolermaster 850W (165$) or OCZ GameXtreme 700W (140$)- This is one of my big question marks. I am looking to possibly get a 8800GTS 640 or 8800GTX and SLI it later without a future PSU upgrade. I've heard that the GameXtreme happily runs 2 GTX's and it is cheaper.

Mobo: ASUS P5N32-E SLI: This was (strongly) reccomended to me as a cheaper version of the Striker Extreme board. I want to be sure this will work with my RAM. I've checked out the QVL list on ASUS's website but I'm not sure if it's on there or not. I've also read reviews on Newegg that are a little disturbing

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813131073

. I'm not sure about this mobo and I would really appreciate help on this part.

Video Card: 8600GT OC SLI or 8800GTS 640MB (future SLI) or 8800GTX (future SLI): I am looking for playing new games at max settings with smooth gameplay at a resolution of 1680x1050. The only reason the SLI 8600GT's are on here is because they were recommended to me but quite frankly, they just dont satisfy my needs. I am wondering what is the better option, 8800GTS 640 for 100$ less than the 8800GTX? I also want whatever vid. card I get to be supported by my PSU for future SLI.

Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800: My big question here is will my memory work with my mobo?? Here's the link to the product page for exact info.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

I REALLY want to make sure it will work with my mobo ESPECIALLY after reading some of those reviews. This is probably my biggest concern of my entire build. Please help on this part!! About the memory itself, it has a good value and the 2GB modules run at 800MHz which is fine for my needs.

Hard Drive: I am planning on getting two drives, Raptor 10000RPM 150GB Drive (200$) and a cheap 2nd drive, Seagate 7200RPM 250GB Drive (65$): I will use the fast drive for my OS and games and the other for standard stuff. I was considering getting JUST the 150GB drive but my current 250GB drive is getting full and 150GB is not enough room. I like the idea of the fast drive. I know it is expensive but I am willing to pay for it.

DVD Drives: 2 20x DVDRW w/lightscribe (100$): I like the idea of lightscribe and it is not that expensive. Also, after getting my first comp. with two drives I will not settle for just one. I frequently use both drives and it is not that expensive to get 2.

Operating System: XP Pro or Vista Home Premium???: Ahhh... the question that has been plagueing me forever. I know I want GOOD graphics and GOOD gameplay. I love having top of the line graphics as in DX10 and I've seen screenshot comparisons of Crysis in DX9 vs. DX10 and DX10 looks better. HOWEVER, I've been told that Vista SIGNIFICANTLY affects game perfomance (like 10-30%)?? I want Vista for its sparkle but I am NOT willing to give up 30% performance in games like Oblivion, Crysis, etc. I NEED HELP ON THIS DECISION plz...

My overall build is coming together but I need help mostly on the PSU, mobo, video card (between GTS and GTX), and OS. I would really like this to be a sucessful build and I will REALLY appreciate and help you guys can offer.

[b1gapl]

700+W power supplies, are highly unnecessary. I would suggest:
Newegg.com - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV - Retail
...It's more than enough, even for a quad core with an SLI setup, overclocked. And is future proof, because future components will consume less power. So I doubt you'll need more than 600W.

That motherboard is pretty good, if you're looking to SLI. But the time you will SLI later, a better card will come out. So why not just get an 8800Ultra? That can last you for a few years. And you don't need to SLI, when you're playing games at 1680 x 1050. It's just not needed. SLI would be more effective in resolutions, such as 1920 x 1200 (usually 24"), and 2560 x 1600 (30"). A single Ultra can handle 1680 x 1050 all by itself, so easily.

About the RAM. The Crucial Ballistix just dropped in price, and they are much better for the money, in terms of performance.
Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

If you want a fast hard drive, I would suggest the WD 7500AAKS 750GB:
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
...offers much more space for the money, and is one of the faster 7200rpm drives out there.

The only reason to go with Vista, is DX10. Other than that, XP. But Vista, I guess, has been improving. And I don't think you'll lose any noticeable performance, especially with a quad core, and an 8800Ultra.

[Invisible]

for the psu, go with corsair 620hx, it will run OC'd GTX's and OC'd quad.

vista premium 64-bit, it does NOT lower gaming performance 30% gawd who told you that. maybe 8% max.

for the resolution SLI is not necessary, an ultra can handle it.

raptor is not a good idea, it is a tad faster than a 7200.10 drive, but simply not worth the price... and the WD 750gb is just as fast.

crucial ballistix and geil black dragon and ocz reaper and patriot EXtreme performance cas lat 4 are higher performing RAM

[Cheeseking25]

how does a 620W PSU run an Oc'ed Q6600 and SLI GTX's?...Ok, so vista doesnt reduce performance by that much but do i need more than 2GB of memory and how is it's compatability with older games and programs? any news on when SP1 comes out?

[Cheeseking25]

Originally Posted by b1gapl

700+W power supplies, are highly unnecessary. I would suggest:
Newegg.com - PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610 EPS12V EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV - Retail
...It's more than enough, even for a quad core with an SLI setup, overclocked. And is future proof, because future components will consume less power. So I doubt you'll need more than 600W.

That motherboard is pretty good, if you're looking to SLI. But the time you will SLI later, a better card will come out. So why not just get an 8800Ultra? That can last you for a few years. And you don't need to SLI, when you're playing games at 1680 x 1050. It's just not needed. SLI would be more effective in resolutions, such as 1920 x 1200 (usually 24"), and 2560 x 1600 (30"). A single Ultra can handle 1680 x 1050 all by itself, so easily.

The only reason to go with Vista, is DX10. Other than that, XP. But Vista, I guess, has been improving. And I don't think you'll lose any noticeable performance, especially with a quad core, and an 8800Ultra.

how does a 620W PSU do all that anyway??...GTX's arent much worse than Ultras, they're just cheaper...will Vista need 4GB of RAM and how is its compatability with older programs and games?

[b1gapl]

Originally Posted by Cheeseking25

how does a 620W PSU run an Oc'ed Q6600 and SLI GTX's?...Ok, so vista doesnt reduce performance by that much but do i need more than 2GB of memory and how is it's compatability with older games and programs? any news on when SP1 comes out?

SP1, I've heard, is coming out next year. Not sure of which quarter, though.

Originally Posted by Cheeseking25

how does a 620W PSU do all that anyway??...GTX's arent much worse than Ultras, they're just cheaper...will Vista need 4GB of RAM and how is its compatability with older programs and games?

As said countless times before on this forum, the power of a PSU, is not in the amount of wattage...but the amount amps that are on the +12v rails. The Corsair 620HX has 54A, which is more than enough for any high end gaming system, and then some...

4GB is also not needed...for anything, except for heavy duty editing or graphic design. Other than that, 2GB is more than what you need.

[veedubfreak]

Personally at this point, i would suggest getting a p35 board that supports crossfire and picking up a 2900 pro. IF you need more performance pick up a 2nd 2900 pro. Crossfire scales better than sli and the 2900's are really growing into their own as ATI drivers mature.

[Cheeseking25]

Sorry but I'm an Intel/Nvidia loyalist

Anyway...ive also priced out a Dell system (XPS 720) that would only cost about 300 more than this and would actually have a few more features (sound card, better memory, bigger 2nd hard drive). Since I bought my previous system from Dell and have had alot of good expierence with them, I am JUST WONDERING, how good is their upgradability for the future (i kno most systems are completely proprietary but XPS 700's are exceptions)?

[vernong1992]

Originally Posted by Cheeseking25

Sorry but I'm an Intel/Nvidia loyalist

Anyway...ive also priced out a Dell system (XPS 720) that would only cost about 300 more than this and would actually have a few more features (sound card, better memory, bigger 2nd hard drive). Since I bought my previous system from Dell and have had alot of good expierence with them, I am JUST WONDERING, how good is their upgradability for the future (i kno most systems are completely proprietary but XPS 700's are exceptions)?

thats BS

a. Add your own Soundcard here
b. their gonna have generic RAM (value RAM)
c. Upgradability is limited to your PCi and video card and CPU (thats it)
d. you can overclock your System...

[commandercup]

Originally Posted by vernong1992

thats BS

a. Add your own Soundcard here
b. their gonna have generic RAM (value RAM)
c. Upgradability is limited to your PCi and video card and CPU (thats it)
d. you can overclock your System...

what else do you need to upgrade? lol

anyways, yeah, dell isn't so good, go with an alienware or voodoo if you want custom gaming pc's

or try out performance pc's, ibuypower, etc.

dell has proprietary ram, mobo (needs special mountings, can't fit in normal cases) psu's etc.