Curse

Empedocles · Feb 25, 2007, 05:06 AM // 05:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier

The audigy definately doesnt match the rest of the system, but I really dont want to spend much money at all on a sound card. I'd rather save the $30 extra that I'd spend on a fancier card and put it towards a new mouse or keyboard. It's just not a high priority for me whatsoever.

You might want to check the quality of the integrated audio chip on Asus then, and save some more? Some mobos are equipped with a quite decent sound system already. Say, for instance, Abit, that sports a genuine dolby support.

I reckon you're right about the oc'ing and longevity. However, I am still inclined to think that getting a 6600 now, and saving that 600$ difference to be used on a new multicore processor two years from now would yield you better speed per dollar, with respect to future games as well.

Archangel Xavier · Feb 25, 2007, 11:09 AM // 11:09

I'm going to over clock it a little, but only up to about 3GHz. You say a 8800 gtx will bottleneck the system? Even if it does it'll still be a very very good setup. If it becomes a problem I could go to dual gpus. I want to have all the necessary cooling and power requirements for SLI, but I can't seem to find any information on what type of cooling or power I'll need for a computer with quad core and sli. I'd like to get a water cooling system, preferably one which cools both the graphics cards and cpu. Now I just need to find a specific ps that has the right connectors for what I'll have in there with the option of later having dual gpus.

Hengis · Feb 25, 2007, 02:20 PM // 14:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empedocles

Not sure if OPs trolling or not, however:

ditch one 8800, downgrade 6800 to e6600, buy 2Gb ram.

Spend the money saved on a high-end 24"screen, it will retain its value much longer than the rest of the system.

The specs posted really are total overkill for Guild Wars. Compared to something like Oblivion, Guild Wars is very lightweight in its requirements.

I woud agree with the quoted post. Ditch one of the graphics cards and get an ultra high res monitor.

My current system of an E6600 with 2gig of ram and a single 7950GT basically eats Guild Wars for breakfast.

Lonesamurai · Feb 25, 2007, 03:49 PM // 15:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by easyg

Creative sound card + Vista - OpenAl Drivers = BSOD (for a lot of people anyway)

Thought i'd edit your post for clarification... shame so many people seem to think they know what they are talking about on here

Sid Fatima · Feb 25, 2007, 05:34 PM // 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier

Heres the setup I plan on buying:

Asus Striker Extrem motherboard
2 XFX Nvidia 8800 gtx 768mb VCs
Intel Core 2 Extreme x6800 2.93Ghz
And 2 or 4 gb of 800 or 1000mhz ram

Will this setup basically dominate GW and be able to run on full blast?

I don't know what ram is compatible with the motherboard. Any comments on overall compatibility and what kind of power supply I'll need are welcome also. I plan on going quad sli later in the year.

Um, yeah this would pwn the most power-hungy games currently available, let alone guildwars which came out almost 2 years ago and has relatively light requirements.

I might even say this setup will be somewhat "future proof," which is a term I hate because it's an oxymoron in the realm of computers. For the next 24 months, this setup will blow away any game, no matter how demanding they are. After 2 years, it will be lucky to be considered mid-range. In 3-4 years, it will be nothing more than a giant paperweight (in terms of cutting edge gaming).

As others have said, I would get an E6600, drop one of the 8800GTX's and invest in a high res monitor to take advantage of the eye candy your system will produce.

Anyway, if you can afford this setup, you must have A LOT of money to burn so what the hell, why not enjoy it.

easyg · Feb 26, 2007, 12:03 AM // 00:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier

I'm going to over clock it a little, but only up to about 3GHz. You say a 8800 gtx will bottleneck the system? Even if it does it'll still be a very very good setup. If it becomes a problem I could go to dual gpus. I want to have all the necessary cooling and power requirements for SLI, but I can't seem to find any information on what type of cooling or power I'll need for a computer with quad core and sli. I'd like to get a water cooling system, preferably one which cools both the graphics cards and cpu. Now I just need to find a specific ps that has the right connectors for what I'll have in there with the option of later having dual gpus.

Keeping your CPU cool and happy isn't really going to be a problem, methinks. I live in Hawaii. It's super freakin' hot here, and my E6600 rarely hits 40 C even under load, with AIR COOLING no less. On a cool night, it'll idle in the high 20s. Essentially the same as ambient. C2D is that good....

This rig is pretty much what you have in mind (components: chipset 680i SLI, cpu E6600, 8800GTX). These are idle temps on a mild day here in the islands, around 32 C room temp.

If you have any problems heating-wise, it's going to be with the GPUs. These things idle at 70 C. And under load they climb to 90-95 C. That's pretty hot. And if you have 2 of them, they are like heaters inside your case making everything else hot too.

Watercooling the GPUs would make a lot of sense. Water cooling the NB would also make a lot of sense now that waterblocks are available for this chipset. But then you might as well put a waterblock on the CPU too.

But even if you do that, you'd still need air cooling for the voltage circuitry around the CPU socket.

Archangel Xavier · Feb 26, 2007, 12:30 AM // 00:30

Well I can't get the e6600 becasue it doesnt have the unlocked multiplier. So Is there some sort of cooling for the entire computer? and when you say air cooling you are referring to the fans in the actually case? I'd like to one water cooling unit for the entire case. Or are there only indvidual watercooling units, one for gpu,cpu, and psu?

Empedocles · Feb 26, 2007, 06:34 AM // 06:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel Xavier

Well I can't get the e6600 becasue it doesnt have the unlocked multiplier. So Is there some sort of cooling for the entire computer? and when you say air cooling you are referring to the fans in the actually case?

Sorry, I must have missed but what do you need the unlocked multiplier for? In practice, one oclocks locked model c2ds by adjusting the bus, not cpu. For instance, I'm usually running my 4300 at 9*280=2.5Ghz, instead of the specced 9*200Mhz=1.8Ghz. If you only plan to oc from 2.67 to 2.93, (un)locked multiplier should not matter at all.

In my case (talk about ambiquity

) cooling means a semi-passive hr-01 connected via fan duct to case exhaust fan, and a single 100mm fan at the front panel of Antec P150. My system default temps are 35-37 at idle and ~60-70 at stress (when running prime95 torture test). Pretty quiet system, the psu fan being the loudest.

easyg · Feb 26, 2007, 07:14 AM // 07:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empedocles

Sorry, I must have missed but what do you need the unlocked multiplier for? In practice, one oclocks locked model c2ds by adjusting the bus, not cpu. For instance, I'm usually running my 4300 at 9*280=2.5Ghz, instead of the specced 9*200Mhz=1.8Ghz. If you only plan to oc from 2.67 to 2.93, (un)locked multiplier should not matter at all.

In my case (talk about ambiquity

) cooling means a semi-passive hr-01 connected via fan duct to case exhaust fan, and a single 100mm fan at the front panel of Antec P150. My system default temps are 35-37 at idle and ~60-70 at stress (when running prime95 torture test). Pretty quiet system, the psu fan being the loudest.

I envy you Empedocles, my computer sounds like a helicopter on takeoff.

I have a Lian Li PC-7B Plus II case which came equipped with 2 very quiet, low-speed Atta 120mm fans (one intake, one exhaust). But they didn't look cool so I replaced them with 2 Tt 120mm LED fans (with sleaved bearings). They run fast and loud at 2100 RPM.

I then added 2 optional case fans. A Tt 80mm exhaust fan running at 5000RPM on top, and another 120mm Tt blower to cool the PCI slots (a Lian Li BS-02 with the fan flipped around to ease some of the strong neative pressure in the case).

To keep the NB cool, I clipped on a 40x40x10 fan spinning at an incredible 6000 RPM. Interestingly, this is one of the loudest fans in the whole system despite its small size, maybe cause of the mounting clip it gives off a sort of high pitched whine.

For the CPU, I have a Tt Big Typhoon VX. This comes with a relatively loud 120mm fan (of the "push" variety) running at 2100RPM. It's adjustable, but I keep it at full speed usually.

Finally, there's a Seasonic M12 with its two fans, and the EVGA8800GTX with its loud, fast fan.

So the computer is really really loud lol! But at least it's sort of cool, especially considering its location in an un-air conditioned room in the middle of the tropics.

Oops, forgot to mention the Vantec slot cooler with its 2 x 60mm fans. But anyway, yeah, this machine is really loud.

Empedocles · Feb 26, 2007, 08:50 AM // 08:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by easyg

I have a Lian Li PC-7B Plus II case which came equipped with 2 very quiet, low-speed Atta 120mm fans (one intake, one exhaust). But they didn't look cool so I replaced them with 2 Tt 120mm LED fans (with sleaved bearings). They run fast and loud at 2100 RPM.

I then added 2 optional case fans. A Tt 80mm exhaust fan running at 5000RPM on top, and another 120mm Tt blower to cool the PCI slots (a Lian Li BS-02 with the fan flipped around to ease some of the strong neative pressure in the case).

To keep the NB cool, I clipped on a 40x40x10 fan spinning at an incredible 6000 RPM. Interestingly, this is one of the loudest fans in the whole system despite its small size, maybe cause of the mounting clip it gives off a sort of high pitched whine.

For the CPU, I have a Tt Big Typhoon VX. This comes with a relatively loud 120mm fan (of the "push" variety) running at 2100RPM. It's adjustable, but I keep it at full speed usually.

Finally, there's a Seasonic M12 with its two fans, and the EVGA8800GTX with its loud, fast fan.

So the computer is really really loud lol! But at least it's sort of cool, especially considering its location in an un-air conditioned room in the middle of the tropics.

Oops, forgot to mention the Vantec slot cooler with its 2 x 60mm fans. But anyway, yeah, this machine is really loud.

How many fans that is in total? Even if I'm no expert in cooling, I'd guess with an optimized air flow you could get rid of at least 2 of them?

4 case fans, 1 NB fan and 2 fans for cooling pci slots? Sounds like an overkill to me

Have you tested the system w/o the small nb cooler, the system might be cool enough without it? The smaller they come, the louder they are. If you count psu and gpu fans, is that total of 10?

My loudest fan is the MSI x1950 pro's gpu fan, which I've set to run at 18% speed when under 50'C, so it's actually inaudible. On stress ofc, it becomes the loudest item.