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I was hoping a few of you computer gurus that I know frequent the site could take a look at the hardware I've been thinking about for a new puter. This is my first full build, but I've tinkered with my computer, upgrading several times. I was hoping you guys could maybe tell me if there's any limiting factors...memory, cpu, motherboard etc. for gaming or whatever. I was also hoping that this build would be fairly upgradeable too, I think it will be. The motherboard will supposedly handle even the new quad core line of intel chips, and has two more memory slots I haven't even filled.

-COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower (any better ideas? looking for inexpensive, no PSU)

-Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply

-ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

-Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400

-CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

- 2X BFG Tech BFGW6600GTOCX GeForce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card


I've got the dvdrw and cdrw drive in my current setup and an 80 and 120 gb hard drive that I plan to bring over, I'm pretty sure they will? Keyboard, mouse, monitor, and speakers are all going to move over as well, which kind of makes this a cheaper build than going with a dell or something.

Another question I had was for a processor cooling fan. I know there's a stock cooler on the 6400, but will that be enough, I've read it's garbage. I was hoping to play around with overclocking a little....but not go crazy. So do I need a third party fan, and which should I look at?

From what I've read so far the sli capabilities are pretty dang cool, anybody know different? It doesn't seem too expensive to go that route. I've read even with dual lower end GPUs that they outpace the higher end cards. Pretty graphs and nice words only go so far compared to experience though.....


Thanks in advance for any replies

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

What are your intentions for the computer?

What you've got there is a decent midrange build that will handle everyday tasks, some moderate photo/video editing and some moderate gaming.

Few suggestions/Opinions.

Case - Can't go wrong with coolermaster, this is a nice little basic case, nothing fancy. I wouldn't mind seeing a 120mm fan in the front in place of the 80mm, but it should suffice.

PSU - This is in need of an upgrade. Sensitive electronics need constant, steady, clean, reliable noise-free power. Antec is a great brand (have one myself) but 500w is a titch shy of what you'd want. Also, take a look at the conroe processors, they require 8-pin power connectors. Especially if you want to upgrade to quad core down the line, a 4 pin underpowered PSU with an adapter isn't going to cut it. Add to that the power demands of running SLI, and that little 500 watter will get overloaded pretty quickly. If anything, this is the one place in the computer that you DO NOT want to skimp on. It's like the heater in our fish tanks. If the PSU is junk, the entire computer will be unstable, unpredictable, and at worst, get fried beyond repair. Please look at any 650-700 watters from FSP (fortron), enermax, silverstone, pc power and cooling, antec, seasonic or OCZ. Also look for at least 80% efficiency.
Make sure you've got good amperage on your 12v rails, and get at least two 12v rails. This will provide ample overhead for future upgrades (those video cards will get upgraded before next month, i can feel it ) and provide a stable system.

Motherboard - I love asus, never had any trouble with mine. I use them for builds for friends as well as my own computers. Only problem I see that you might run into an issue with down the line is the SLI only running at 8x / 8x. There are plenty of boards that aren't much more money that run full 16x / 16x when running in SLI. I don't know how much you game, but you're going to want those extra 16 pipelines when you're trying to run FEAR at high resolutions. Other than that, the 650 chip is a decent one. I don't know what your budget is, but the 680 chips are a nice step up.

Processor - Can't go wrong there! The stock HSF should be fine if you want to run basic stuff, but if you're looking to overclock and be much more efficient than stock, look at the Zalman line of coolers. Pretty much any one you pick will be a huge improvement over stock. Also, if you want maximum cooling power pick up a tube of Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. Best stuff you can get

RAM - Good choice, that's the RAM I have in one of my systems. Overclocked up to 872 stable w/o loosening timings. Theoretical maximum data rate is 6400mb/sec, and mine are over 6500mb/sec. The only hitch I see (and it's not a big deal right now) is the fact that this ram runs at 800mhz, and your processor and motherboard both support higher speeds. This can become a bottleneck if you're editing video/3D all day long. Might be worth a look down the road as an upgrade.

Video cards - You're right, running two lower end cards can outperform 1 higher end card if configured properly. However, a low end outdated card like the 6x series is debatable. Great choice for an upgrade down the line if you're going to be into gaming. These cards are pretty slow compared to todays beasts. If you're worried about price, take a look at the 7600gs series cards. They're newer, low end, and will outpace your 6x series cards. 6x series are dinosaurs now But again, if you're hardcore gaming, look out for that 8x only SLI mode, it's gonna kill you down the road.

All in all, a great system. I know i was a little nitpicky about some stuff, and you can choose to upgrade all or none, your choice. It'll run fine the way it is, and can only get better and better! If you don't look at any other part of my post, please seriously consider upgrading the PSU

*phew*

n-joy,
Tim

Thanks for the help Tim. Definitely glad I asked. However, it looks like you really want to double the cost of the build . My intentions (feels like I'm asking out your daughter or something) for this computer are to be able to play most games well. Doesn't have to be the highest visual quality.....my PC just can't play games anymore, I've had it over 5 years now. I think Oblivion would be my favorite game if I could play it. Even Morrowind was slow on my PC. I think I'll keep the motherboard, and think long and hard on the video cards. Upgrading both of those will easily tack on another couple hundred dollars if not more. The PSU I'll upgrade on your suggestion.


How's this PSU look to ya? I assume the 8 pin third 12v rail is what you are talking about for the processor, right? I'm not sure if the amperage is sufficient....dunno what I'm looking for (newb). Maybe you could point me to a <$150 PSU if this fails the test?

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

I'm glad to see a new 'puter builder being born! w00t!

Case looks alright. I'd personally go with something bigger (I'm almost done building my new case... it's 11"x22"x22"!), but it works.

The 2nd PSU you listed looks alright. I'd personally go with something bigger, but since you're running low end graphics cards you shouldn't need too much. However, if you want to upgrade down the line (and this hobby is just as addictive as fishkeeping... I wouldn't be surprised if you got a pair of 8800gtx's in a month), you may want to get something even bigger than that. I suggest 800-1100w.

That motherboard is alright, however, I agree with TimmAY--680i would be better. Shop around and see what you can find

C2D's are great, you can't go wrong with one! I'd personally recommend at least an E6700, but the E6400 will be fine.

Great choice on the ram, yet again, I'd personally go with more (4-8gb). You could definately stick with 2gb for now, and upgrade if you need to.

2x 6600gt's?! Sad! One 7900gs would probably be faster, cheaper, and consume less power. SLi only gives you a rough 150% performance gain, so it's not really worth putting old cards in SLi. Try an nVidia 7 series card, and you can always upgrade and add another and do SLi if you want to.

I'd personally nab a new 250gb 16mb cache SATA hard drive... old hard drives can really slow down your system and make everything seem to run slow... and they're one of the cheapest things to upgrade! At the very least, get a SATA drive!

I'd personally upgrade CPU cooling. I'm one of those people that totally freaks out if my cpu goes over 35c, and I like to keep it cold. I recommend the Zalman coolers (same ones TimmAY does). I've got a Zalman CNPS9500 in my comp, and I absolutely LOVE it! I'm going with 9700's for my next build (bigger fan, more surface area). The 9500's are about $50.

You may need some extra fans, cables, etc... check out www.jab-tech.com for stuff like that. They usually have the lowest prices anywhere on the net, and they've got great customer service! I'm saving roughly $400 on my next build by getting my stuff from jab-tech instead of newegg and xoxide (25x 120mm fans, UV paint, UV cathodes, secondary screens, etc get expensive)

Good luck building the rig, dude! Let me know if you need any help with anything else

And if something doesn't fit, MOD IT!!! Don't hesitate to hack apart the case as long as you can make it look good!

So okay here we go....

My current machine is as follows
AMD FX55 939Socket
2GB of OCZ Gold Ram PC3200 DDR 400
250 GB Sata
Nvidia 7950GT Superclocked
Evga nf47 SLI Deluxe 939 Pin Motherboard.

Currently i am running the above system. This cost me without the case around 750 bucks. I got the HDD & Processor as a deal for $200 was awesome. I am also running a Zalman 9500 LED 120MM Cooling fan which runs my processor at 27 Degrees. At full whack on the CPU im running at 39 Degrees. This cooler will handle pretty much any dual core processor. BTW the case i run is a coolermaster stacker CM, it was $250 but its soooo nice

Right now this beast of a machine can handle any of the new games out there from C&C3, Supreme Commander, Stalker, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Makes games like Farcry & UT2004 look amazing.

On the setup you are asking about especially for future upgrades I would definetly beef up the power supply to at least 700Watts with the extra 8pin rail. I would also look into getting a SATA HDD if you dont have them because the data transfer rates are much faster and you can get a 400GB HDD for $99.

I would look into the OCZ line or Gskill line of memory if you are wanting to overclock. Evga or ASUS are really good for overclocking. However i would seriously research overclocking on a few of the forums before you decide which board to get. The more options you have on your board BIOS the easier it will be to overclock your system. Also I would at least look at the NVIDIA 7950GT for a card. its $270 but it out performs Dual SLI 6600's. Or if you can afford it punch up to the 8800 series. The new games comming out such as Crysis UT3 will require minimum of a 7000 series card to run or higher and at least a dual core.

Look for a motherboard that will support quad core so that you can upgrade later without changing your motherboard down the line.

I havent tried http://www.jab-tech.com yet but i would also check out

http://www.newegg.com
http://www.zipzoomfly.com

Both these offer free shipping on most items. I apologise if i went over things already said in the thread but i wanted to make sure i covered everything. I also ran LAN Parties at my house once a month so im able to keep up todate with the latest games. BTW let me know if you need any MUHAHAAHAHA



Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

I contemplated a Zalman cooler in my new build (well not so new any more!) but when it came to installing it, I didn't feel happy doing it. I have some coordination issues, and the whole lever and pin thing was just not going to happen for me without killing the processor. So I stuck to the AMD stock cooling, which I regret. So anyway - I'd go for the Zalman if you're happy fitting it.

-------------------------------------------------
I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

BTW let me know if you need any MUHAHAAHAHA

I think I'm all set on the evil laughter, but thanks anyways.

Honestly guys, thanks for the input. To tiny and the others who suggested, I'm probably going to get one of the zalman coolers. I've read too much about them being impressively good to get something else.

As far as everything else goes....I've found a decent deal on a couple evga 7600GTs. Those should kick some butt, I imagine. And upgrade the GPU. That's about maxed out for $$ for me, so everything else will remain how it is. I came in under $900, so it's better than getting one pre-built, and not only in the price department.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

thats a nice one you have selected to build. and of course as stated, go with the higher PSU. and go with one of the larger CPU fans. can never have enough cooling.

and i'm highly against prebuilt pcs. you can build one more of what you want for alot less sometimes. i know, i have done this before.

but check this guy out... its nice more power and same price

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2235424&CatId=2036

i've built some monsters from tiger direct, they sell all new equipment and they do one thing other online stores dont. they test their equipment they sell before they ship it.
and for cpu fans, check this guy out.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2882721&CatId=1588


IMO, they are one of the best online pc part stores and have a NICE selection

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Here check out this link

http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u207/honeymonster256/Computer/?action=view&current=1178250866.pbw

It shows my two gaming machines. You will see the Zalman cooler on several of the pics. It is the big copper cooler sat on the CPU. let me know what you think

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

That PSU you're looking at in the second post is much better! It will allow for some upgradability and be much more reliable. You'll be able to run those better cards with ease.

Like I stated, all in all it's a nice system as is, and that does provide overhead for upgrading down the line.

If you plan on getting a top of the line 8800gtx down the road, that PSU won't handle it, but if you're going to drop that kinda cash on a video card, you'll have the money to get a bigger PSU

What o/s ya gonna run?

XP pro.....it's free! I may upgrade to vista if we get it on the cheaps at the university before I graduate. I heard it's a little hard on games still though.

Lookin' pretty good there fishmonster...what are you running?

Thanks for the links monkeyboy, I'll keep them in mind when I start buying parts.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

where you finding xp pro for free?

but vista, i like it. i've played with the betas and RC version. and i only want it for halo 2. and with my connections, i'm getting a full legal copy for like $30

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

I actually stated above but will re-iterate lol

AMD FX55 939Socket
2GB of OCZ Gold Ram PC3200 DDR 400
250 GB Sata
Nvidia 7950GT Superclocked
Evga nf47 SLI Deluxe 939 Pin Motherboard
550W Modular Power Supply
Coolermaster Stacker CM Case
Zalman 9500 LED CPU Cooler

i have the case setup so that with the two fans that came with the case and the CPU cooler the case has a wind tunnel at the bottom going right over the fan. Hence my 27 Degrees C Cooling. Also this case is built for 9 120mm fans or 4 140mm and 5 120mm or 1 300mm and 5 120 mm or 120 mm and a coolermaster vertical van thats adjustable. This case is huge but soo clean hehe. Its a reversable ATX which is the setup i have or it can be standard ATX or even BTX if you need it. Its a truly awesome case. It has room for like 10 HDD's with cd/dvd rom

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

It's what I'm using now, that's why it's "free". It came with my dell when I got it a million years ago.

EDIT: oops sorry fishmonster, I forgot you had posted the specs up there.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

gota. i remember free like that... back in the day i got a copy of 98 with one of mine. and now my friends hook me up

fishmonster, i love them big cases. the one i'm using is one of those, 4 external and 6 internal. and i'm using every space possible.


Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Small problem with that matty, i also got a free xp cd keey with my old dell, but it will only work on the dell software and not an acutal copy of XP. or atleast mine wont. If you get it to work let me know how. Thanks

Thanks for your input as always, Shane
http://thetanklog.blogspot.com/ - [ Thanks to ScottF ]
http://www.natureaquariumclubofutah.com/main.html

dEll laptops usually come with two keys, the one that's installed on your computer from the factory differs from the one on the sticker on the bottom, you can probably get away with it if it's not been used before.

Hmmm....I always thought if you put the old comp out of service you could use the code on another computer. I wasn't planning on using both.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

well if you go by the EUA fully, you can only use that key on the laptop and have to buy a new copy. according to the docs, for every new build you should buy a new license. but if you dont, and are able to install it on the new pc (givin some are system specific) then use it. as far as not being able to use 1 key more than once goes, yes if you follow the EUA fully then no you shouldn't, but you technicall use the same key hundreds of times on differnt pcs, but its not legal.



Fish tanks are an expensive addiction