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FINALLY Time To Upgrade! Help me build it!

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xilix

xilix

Member
​
Joined
Jun 28, 2006
Location
MA
After over 2 years of waiting, it's time for me to build myself a new box! :eek: :drool: :santa: :santa:

I need help with the RAM, Mobo and PSU. I'm going with the Q6600, so I want something to compliment that. I want this build to be very stable. I also want the best bang for the buck here. Try to keep the prices midrange (for instance I don't want the mobo to go beyond $160). My biggest problem is choosing the best RAM to compliment the Q. I want 2GB, but I also don't want to lose an arm and a leg doing it.

The graphics card is a touchy subject for me. I'm nervous about jumping into DX10. I personally think the cards are a little pricey, and DX10 is very new, so I don't want to regret my decision. If I do go DX10 it's gotta be on the cheaper side.
 
ballistix, newegg having a speical on it right now 69 bucks after rebate, nice oc.
 
You can get the Ga P35-DS3R, or the ASUS P5K for mobo
Ballistix for ram
I would really recommend getting a Tuniq Tower or a Arctic Freezer 7 Pro HSF
Video card - I would go for a 320mb 8800gts from evga or bfg. You can find them as low as $250 if you look around.

For PSU, the Corsair ones are really nice, modular, and clubit and buy.com have sales on them right now I think. You can get the 520w if you're low on budget, or the 620 for future proofing if you decide to upgrade your video card.
 
Why dont go for the best air cooling heatsink right now Themalright Ultra 120 Extreme.
 
OK so far I got this listed..

Clubit.com core 2 quad 6600 G0 Stepping $275

Clubit.com GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $133.99

Newegg.com G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $80

Newegg.com corsair power supply 520W $130

Newegg.com Western Digi 250GB $65

Clubit.com EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 $264
 
Looks good. Personally, I'd go with the Abit IP35 instead, but it's about $10 more. If you don't need firewire or RAID, the IP35-E is priced nice at newegg for $80 after mail in rebate.

Note: If you plan on utilizing DX10, you'll need Vista.
 
If you don't want DX10 most dx10 games will run in DX9 you could save a few and get an X1950 till the 9800GTX series pops along :drool:
 
HX520 @clubit $90AR

Crucial ballistix @newegg $70AR Now free shipping; b4 was $5 shipping
Today is last day to buy to qualify for rebate.

I assume the $275 for Q6600 @clubit is oem so you need a Hsf.

If you need some thermal compound, perhaps some MX-2.

You save $30 on the psu, $10 on ram; so $40 to put towards hsf or w/e else you
might get.
 
Wow, you guys are awesome. Thanks a lot for all the savings! I have to go to the bank now and get this loan approved (paying off credit cards and getting some pocket money). Should have the money by the end of today!

I have a few more questions for you guys. I'll ask them when I get back.
 
xilix said:
OK so far I got this listed..

Clubit.com core 2 quad 6600 G0 Stepping $275

Clubit.com GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $133.99

Newegg.com G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $80

Newegg.com corsair power supply 520W $130

Newegg.com Western Digi 250GB $65

Clubit.com EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 $264
Click to expand...

If you have the budget I would suggest the 640 MB 8800 GTS version, it has a bit more beef for Vista and DX10 gaming,
also the mobo you picked has quite a bit of V-droop, so I'd go with the Abit as Batboy suggested
I personnally prefer the Ballistix but the GSkill is reported to be just as good:)
 
I'm not famililar with v-droop, does that mean the voltage will drop or fluctuate or something?
 
xilix said:
I'm not famililar with v-droop, does that mean the voltage will drop or fluctuate or something?
Click to expand...

Yes, it means your mobo will effectively feed less voltage to your CPU that what you have set in the Bios, boards like the Asus P5K and Abit IP35 series are reported to have less v-droop than the Gigabyte P35 boards, not all Gigabyte boards are susceptable to it, for instance I have a Gigabyte 965P-DS3 which has hardly any v-droop, but my new P35 board has quite a bit which makes OCing at higher speeds/voltages a challenge
 
xilix said:
I'm not famililar with v-droop, does that mean the voltage will drop or fluctuate or something?
Click to expand...

vdroop is the voltage difference of the cpu going from idle to load volts.

*edit* that post wasnt there a sec ago brollock.... :p
 
Brolloks said:
Yes, it means your mobo will effectively feed less voltage to your CPU that what you have set in the Bios, boards like the Asus P5K and Abit IP35 series are reported to have less v-droop than the Gigabyte P35 boards, not all Gigabyte boards are susceptable to it, for instance I have a Gigabyte 965P-DS3 which has hardly any v-droop, but my new P35 board has quite a bit which makes OCing at higher speeds/voltages a challenge
Click to expand...

So for ultimate stability, another option would be better. I can absolutely not afford one bit of instability whatsoever. Would the 965P-DS3 run a quad well, or should I go with the P5K or IP35? I tend to like Gigabyte. This S2 seems to be a winner for stability, though it has no OC'ing ability. But I'll go with whatever you guys think is the best option. My Audigy has a firewire port, so I don't need built in firewire.
 
You should still be stable w/ that MoBo. You may just have to set a higher Vcore in the BIOS. Under load the Vcore will drop a bit, and you just have to compensate for it. It will still have similar load temps as other boards, but idle temps may be a tad higher.
 
the abit's vdroop though is depent on how much voltage you need. on my board at actual 1.37v idle i drop to 1.36v. at higher it gets worse, when i had to use 1.47 ish i forget now i was seeing a .03v drop.
 
xilix said:
So for ultimate stability, another option would be better. I can absolutely not afford one bit of instability whatsoever. Would the 965P-DS3 run a quad well, or should I go with the P5K or IP35? I tend to like Gigabyte. This S2 seems to be a winner for stability, though it has no OC'ing ability. But I'll go with whatever you guys think is the best option. My Audigy has a firewire port, so I don't need built in firewire.
Click to expand...

V-droop is not indicative to an instable board, it is that the voltage is not tighly regulated....so the Gigabyte boards are good, go with the Asus or Abit if you have the cash.
The 965P-DS3 is an older generation board so I would suggest go with the Penryn ready P35 boards then you won't have to upgrade your mobo if you decide to get a Penryn next year:) Also they work great with quads
 
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