Curse

Ennes X · Nov 15, 2008, 09:36 PM // 21:36

I'm sorry but building a $2500 system around a Core2 now is just retarded.

Evil Genius · Nov 15, 2008, 10:17 PM // 22:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ennes X

I'm sorry but building a $2500 system around a Core2 now is just retarded.

I also find it ironic some people have been advocating "wait for Nehalem" for past few months and then when its (practically) released design a Core 2 based system. Remember X58 supports both SLi and CrossfireX.

Intel Core i7 920 - $290
Gigabyte X58 UD5 - $300
Patriot 6GB DDR3 1600Mhz - $300
GTX 260 Core 216 x2 - $578 (-$40 rebates)
Corsair TX-750 - $120 (-$20 rebate)
Western Digital 150GB Velociraptor - $180 (-$20 rebate)
Western Digital Caviar Green 640GB - $75
Pioneer 216BK SATA DVD-RW - $25
Coolermaster HAF-932 - $160
Acer G24 Orange 24" - $390
Keyboard, mouse, mousepad, headset etc - personally would spend ~$120
Vista Home Premium 64bit - $100
Fan and TIM - $32

Total after rebates = $2590

Probably easy enough to reshuffle a few things to bring it under $2500.

I would get that over a Core 2 based system given the rather large budget.

Kokuyougan · Nov 16, 2008, 04:49 AM // 04:49

Personally, I'm waiting for the hardware to mature. Probably more than a few kinks left to be worked out. If anything, I suggest waiting till March or April.

Kokuyougan · Nov 20, 2008, 10:19 PM // 22:19

Tuniq Tower

or

Water Cooling?

Also, a question...I'm hearing rumors of a new nVidia card being released...are they true, and is it worth waiting?

riktw · Nov 21, 2008, 12:05 AM // 00:05

you can wait forever if you wait for the rumors.
get an gtx280 or an hd4870*2 videocard, an fast quadcore like an q9550.
nice cooler, like an cooler master z600.
nice case, that depents on your taste, but say something like an cooler master cosmos.

get 8GB ddr2 memory, windows XP of Vista, but make sure you have an 64 bits version.
you can take an hardcore motherboard if you like, an Rampage Extreme or something like that.
get an western digital velocitiraptor and install windows on it, or get an ssd for that.
take 3 500G or more hard drives and put them in raid 5, quick and save.
get an nice mouse, keyboard and stuff if you don't have that and an nice surround sound set.

done, now you have an nice game pc

Lord Sojar · Nov 21, 2008, 05:59 AM // 05:59

*whistles a bit* Whachoo sayin yo? *goes off whistling down the street* "mmmaaaaaayyyyybbbeeeee she loves me"

Water cooling unless it is totally custom is about worthless. Stick with high end air cooling.

riktw, 8GBs of RAM is unneeded unless you find yourself doing high power simulations, encoding/decoding/compiling, or design work. The q9550 is ok... but too expensive and Core2 quads are nothing compared to Nehalem (i7). If you want quad core, go Nehalem.

Kokuyougan, if you are willing to wait, Nehalem is your best bet. Nehalem is absolutely amazing, and that whole 1.65v issue is pretty irrelevant.

Evil Genius · Nov 21, 2008, 06:13 AM // 06:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by riktw

you can wait forever if you wait for the rumors.

How is Core i7 a rumour?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ME

Intel Core i7 920 - $290
Gigabyte X58 UD5 - $300
Patriot 6GB DDR3 1600Mhz - $300

My estimates of Neweggs prices were pretty accurate.

Intel Core i7 920 - $300

Gigabyte X58 UD5 - $300

Gskill 6GB DDR3 1600Mhz - $280

Thats $880 on three of the core components. Easily enough room in a $2500 budget to fit other stuff in, such as 2 GTX260 Core 216s, a 24inch monitor etc.

Absolutley no legit reason not to go Core i7. There is no wait, its released. I have seen some pretty impressive benchmarks on OCAU, including youngpro's 4.46Ghz on a stock cooler (albeit with the 965 Extreme Edition).

Ennes X · Nov 21, 2008, 06:47 AM // 06:47

Sorry to burst the bubble on the build but a legit copy of Vista 64 is no minor omission.

edit - nvm

Kokuyougan · Nov 21, 2008, 10:02 PM // 22:02

Rahja's avoiding the question...lol... New card or not?

Oh, and where'd you get your name? [Rahja in hindi means king...is that where?]

I could fit all of the stuff into a 2550$ budget...

I cut Vista Ultimate 64 to Home Premium 64. About a 70$ cut. I replaced the Cosmos S with an Antec 1200, gave me an instant 65$ off with a 260 combo. I replaced my CoolerMaster fan with the original Freezer 7. Is that still high end? lol

Anyway, thanks a lot, I'll be buying on either black friday, or cyber tuesday, or if I miss that, 12/15. I'll be sure to post pics, THANKS!

OH SHIZZ: EDIT:

What cooler did you use, Rahja, on the i7? The only socket 1366 cooler I can find is out of stock...

Lord Sojar · Nov 23, 2008, 07:14 PM // 19:14

For now, you would have to use a stock cooler for it. Aftermarket coolers will become abundant shortly, so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

And yes, Genius is correct. I simply assumed you didn't want to go with Nehalem (i7) from context clues in the thread. You should go with i7, hands down.

And why wait? Deals to be had now...

Check this out:

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

GPU (x2):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130398

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231225

MOBO:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128362

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139007

OS HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136296

Media HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148274

DVD Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151173

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119160

Monitor: (Yes, it is Open Box... but with Newegg, that doesn't matter, because Newegg is absolutely godly)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16824001295R

OS: (Ultimate will bring you too far over budget)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488

Mouse:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104076

Keyboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823126009

GRAND TOTAL WITH SHIPPING:

$2,642.22

Close enough to the budget I am pretty sure, with a huge jump in performance versus a Core2 setup. Go with my above setup, only changing the case to a cheaper/better one, and maybe the keyboard or mouse. If you don't like the open box monitor, you could go with the 299 ACER 24" that is on newegg. It is also a great monitor.

Best of luck, and update us with what you decide to do in the end!

<font color="darkred" font size="3">Rahja</font>

Kokuyougan · Nov 23, 2008, 11:10 PM // 23:10

Would it work if I replaced the 1000w powersupply with a 750 by Corsair? Sorry, last question, I swear.

Antares Ascending · Nov 24, 2008, 04:01 AM // 04:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ennes X

Build a system around the new Corei7 CPU's from Intel. Trust me. It would be foolish to build a $2500 system around anything but the newest CPU architecture.

All of the preliminary information shows that -the- setup to have will be Corei7/GTX SLI.

Specific parts will need to be hashed out in the coming weeks still but don't waste your money on Core2. There is significant gaming benefit opened up by Core i7 on powerful GPU setups you can afford on a $2500 budget, and of course, the new chip is vastly improved for stuf other than gaming.

Corei7 shows big big gains over Core2 Quad in newer games on GTX-SLI rigs according to the big tech sites. I have no brand loyalties, but Radeon cards aren't showing the same gains using the new CPU, plus you will be able to run SLI on non-nvidia based boards this time around.

Good things are coming soon, don't rush it!

I agree with the corei7 rec. Been waiting 2 years to upgrade and the time draws near!

I would strongly rec you go with an i7 and compatable MB! Even if it means skimping a bit on a graphics card. This system will be viable for a longggggg time!

A lil info on i7s ( the 920 looks like a good combination of value and power)
http://www.futuremark.com/news/54679...essor_review_/

For coolers. Take a look at Zalman's 9700 series. Cheap and very effective. I run one on a q6700 (266mhz) and generally see temps in the low/mid 20s C in winter when the room is a bit cooler to 30-34ish C in summer with a comfortable cool room. Only playing GW atm so dunno what temps would be if it were pushed realy hard. Key is good air circulation around the case and well placed case fans. The zalman replaced a water cooler that leaked and took out a 8800GTX

Good luck
Ant

Evil Genius · Nov 24, 2008, 05:44 AM // 05:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kokuyougan

Would it work if I replaced the 1000w powersupply with a 750 by Corsair? Sorry, last question, I swear.

Yes. I know people on other forums running two GTX 260s on the Corsair 620 watt, so the 750 watt will be fine. The whole system under 100% load would probably consume about 550watts max (that's a guestimate based on similar systems I have seen in the past).

Kokuyougan · Nov 26, 2008, 04:06 AM // 04:06

Is it worth 150$ for 2'' of monitor? [22vs24] What's the big difference? Besides the res? And how big of a change is the res change, is it super...important?

Lord Sojar · Nov 26, 2008, 09:00 AM // 09:00

YES. The 24" monitor is 1920x1200. That resolution is considered HD, 1600x1200 isn't. And in the world of monitors, 2" is huge. Get the 24" for sure. If you want, I can invite you to the Best Buy private auctions. PM me your email address, and I will send out an invite. I am going to Steamboat Colorado for a short vacation and to spend Thanksgiving with my family and partner, so, I will return on Sunday. I will set you up then. You can snag a 24" Samsung on the auctions for like $225 or less.

cebalrai · Nov 26, 2008, 12:08 PM // 12:08

Definitely get a quad core. When the octo-cores and deca-cores roll out in 2009-2010, do you really want to be the one who paid $2500 for a two-core computer?

Definitely do NOT go with SSD drives. The technology is incredibly immature right now.

Quaker · Nov 26, 2008, 04:48 PM // 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kokuyougan

Is it worth 150$ for 2'' of monitor? [22vs24] What's the big difference? Besides the res? And how big of a change is the res change, is it super...important?

Most widescreen monitors have a 16:10 pixel ratio. Most 22" are 1680x1050 pixels. Most 24" monitors are 1920x1200 pixels. This is both good and bad.

Good - more pixels=finer details.

Bad - more pixels=more graphics power to move them around=lower frame rates (with equal hardware)

Neutral - Neither monitor (16:10) will display true 1920x1080 HD video (16:9) without some interpolation. It may be difficult, under most circumstances, to actually see the difference when running games such as GW.

Kokuyougan · Nov 30, 2008, 06:51 AM // 06:51

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811215013

Is that a nice case for air cooling?

I'm debating between this one and the Spedo Advanced or the Armor+ ESA. Which one should I get if I'm going for all air?

Ennes X · Nov 30, 2008, 08:41 AM // 08:41

I would suggest the Antec 3/9/12 hundred cases. Not really unique since theyre pretty popular, but tried and true. You don't need to spend $170 on a nice case. There are good designs for under $100 that have great airflow.

Nazar Razak · Nov 30, 2008, 05:57 PM // 17:57

the NZXT Tempest is the best for airflow in that price bracket IMO