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Trying to build pc...need help!

#21
It looks more like doc not updated on their spec sheet.

"This versatile motherboard supports processors from a Pentium 4 with HT Technology to the supremely powerful Core 2 Quad-core processors. Four 240 pin DDR2 DIMM sockets handle up to 8GB of DDR2-800 memory."

Intel like some other have a habit of doing this. Motherboard firmware update is a typical means of future proofing cpu if the pin package is the same.

Probably best to confirm on the intel site first, but the supplier is advertising it will run a quad core.
 
#23
Maybe it's just me, but I'm not too impressed with that setup. Doesn't make much sense to me :hmm:

The CPU is great although the Core 2 Duos I think would be a better value for the money. I haven't really done much research on the quad cores though. And as mentioned before, it's not compatible with your current mobo... which brings me to my next point.

Why go for an Intel mobo? For that price, you could get a very nice ASUS or other top of the line board that could really get you moving along. The 3 PCIe x16 is ridiculous, especially since it's not SLi... exactly how many screens do you want to run? And what's with the 8-pin CPU power connector? I think that power supply just has a 4-pin. Personally, I think this is the worst part of your setup.

EDIT: You DO realize that your mobo supports Crossfire yet you're going with an nVidia gpu, right?

And why get a board with 3 PCIe x16 slots and get a mid-range video card? This is going to be your bottleneck. Even the 8600GS' aren't that much more expensive. Save some money on the mobo and get yourself a better gpu.

Corsair memory is top of the line, I would say one of the very best you could get. Disregard any bad comments about them made in this thread. Corsair is amazing stuff. Just a couple years ago before it had any real competition it was THE memory, and still is in most cases. it's just kinda expensive. Also look at OCZ, G.Skill and Crucial.

PSU looks good although I would maybe get a little more wattage... like 500+. DO NOT skimp on a PSU if you want any kind of stability. There is no such thing as too powerful a PSU.

My advice - learn how to overclock ;) You could get more performance with lesser components at half the price of the parts you've spec'd out.

That's just me though.

I myself just ordered a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R & E6600 with 2gb of Crucial Ballistix DDR2 6400... we'll see how that works out. I'm hoping to push 4GHz :D My first Intel system...
 
#24
Daniel LeClaire said:
Also, do you think my power supply is enough watts? Too many? I've heard mixed information.

Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate all the help!
Click to expand...

The current rating of the power supply can be calculated by adding all of the parts wattage requirements together. Of course it's sensible to add headroom. The current draw on CPU's is going down substantially. Even halving. We run servers with 6 and 12 disks, dual and quad cpus that run 750w supplies. 470 or 500, we really are splitting hairs here is going to be fine.

If that motherboard as you have confirmed won't run a quad core cpu obviously another look at motherboards will be necessary if you want to run a quad core cpu.

Another factor is that quad cores haven't been out that long so manufacturers are still settling a bit.

Gigbayte is another very good brand of board, we use heaps and have had low if any failure over that last few years.

I can't say i'm a fan of overclocking, the old saying you don't get something for nothing rings true. There a long story behind this topic and it always involves heat/risk and less stability. Maybe read up on thermal runnaway. That will help understand why.

No offense to any gamers here but that really is a typically a gamer plan to use bleeding edge rather than spending more time enjoying a fast stable machine rather than spending all your time messing around hoping your core doesn't melt.

We could all run our amps at 2 ohms too. Most will do it, but they will run hotter and for what.

Take your time and keep reading up. I'm sure it will make sense. Consider also why your building the pc. For music and video editing or for 3d gaming?
 
#25
mlowe said:
I can't say i'm a fan of overclocking, the old saying you don't get something for nothing rings true. There a long story behind this topic and it always involves heat/risk and less stability. Maybe read up on thermal runnaway. That will help understand why.
Click to expand...
Heat is really the only major factor that would really hinder the life of a system due to overclocking, but since a stock system can run 5+ years without failure usually, the computer will be really obsolete before it dies due to high heat if done properly. Currently I'm running an AMD X2 3800+ at 2.74GHz (stock 2.0) and it is actually running 12C cooler than stock with the AMD heatsink. I'm using the Sythe Ninja hsf with good ventilation throughout my case though; I take cooling VERY seriously. If you cool properly, overclocking is no problem at all.

No offense to any gamers here but that really is a typically a gamer plan to use bleeding edge rather than spending more time enjoying a fast stable machine rather than spending all your time messing around hoping your core doesn't melt.
Click to expand...
That would be me :D

What are you building your computer for? going back to my last post, if all you want is a nice stable system for basic usage and maybe a little gaming you could actually downgrade some of the parts like the memory and mobo because they have too many features that you're paying for that you'll never use. But if you're a gamer, that's what my first post was oriented around.
 
#27
saxnbass said:
That CPU is going to run really hot, so you're going to need plenty of cooling. Also, you have 4 RAM slots and a max of 8gigs capable. Why only 2gigs then? And at those specs, I'd either get a bigger HDD or do multiple ones at that size, but that's me.
Click to expand...
Windows XP is limited to 3GB. 2GB is enough anyway...
Newer procs are actually running cooler. And if he's not OCin like I mentioned earlier, the stock cooler will be sufficient.
 
#29
ime video editing demands reasonable cpu, not excessive but ample disk i/o

60 secs non compressed can be around 1.5GB. HD even more again.

Have a few clients that produce commercial television shows but at usual the mac is king of that domain.

It's rather funny watching a mac defrag a local single disk while riping a hd video file from a SAN without crapping itself.

If we were all serious about speed, an AMD with a native compiled ver for suse is the siht. Not my opinion, a tested proven fact. And that was running code with debugging still in it.

Windows itself is the biggest bottleneck not the hardware. Take a good look at how windows manages memory for example. MS still use very poor swap techniques.
 
#35
Also remember, for multi-threaded apps, like video editing, encoding, 3d rendering, etc, the quad cores out perform the dual cores by a good margin. The performance is ~35% better with the quad core for those things.

However, for gaming and single threaded apps, the core 2 duos get the edge. They have a big advantage in this category.


As far as I am concerned, the C2D is a much better buy considering the price. Just wanted to let you know that if you really can drop the money, the C2Quad will be better for what you are looking for, but the C2D is the second best choice on the market.
 
#37
A few tips I wish someone would have told me:

When mounting the motherboard to the case, make sure to use the spacers provided. If the metal on the board touches the metal on the base, it shorts out. This took me about a week to find the problem.

The SATA drives come with a throttle on the harddrive, its NOT a primary/secondary set-up anymore, thats automatic. All you have to do is remove the jumper and it'll run at full speed.

Although it is a little harsh, I agree with what Trevor said. You do have a smoking system planned, but you might be able to push it a lot further with just a few tweeks. And a higher wattage power supply couldn't hurt, especially running high-end components.

Oh and don't forget about Thermal Compound / Grease. Its cheap and is much better than the little amount they give you already on the processor. Here's the one I'd recommend (Arctic Silver Ceramic):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

Zalman makes a really cool heatsink if you like kinda flashy case stuff:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223

Thats really the big things that I wanted to mention. If you do it right, you'll probably want to start your own building company because it went so well and for so much cheaper than a voodoo or alienware machine.
 
#39
Just remember that no matter how rockin' it is now, it's still going to be considered "old and slow" in 2 or 3 years and "obsolete" in 4 or 5.

Just something to keep in mind while you decide how much money to spend....
 
#40
middy said:
Just remember that no matter how rockin' it is now, it's still going to be considered "old and slow" in 2 or 3 years and "obsolete" in 4 or 5.

Just something to keep in mind while you decide how much money to spend....
Click to expand...

8GB RAM isn't going to be "too little" that soon. Also, if he goes with a decent CPU now and has a common socket, like the one he's planning on, he can replace the processor in a few years and be rockin' again.
 

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