Purchasing in 2 weeks, trying to strealine this purchase...

Hi there,

So after months of waiting to see how Laptops we're panning out with some new tech and how my finances we're sorting itself out, I've decided to go back to building a PC from scratch. Found out for the price of the Laptop I wanted, I could get a cheaper Laptop, a damn fine PC, and cover the cost of moving the PC, should I need to in the next 2 years.

I'm looking to purchase in about 2 weeks. My budget is $2000 Australian dollars (I live in Brisbane, Australia at the moment) give or take $100-$200. The webpage I'm referencing prices from is: www.pricespy.com.au.

Now, I've managed pretty well within my budget, but I'm hoping you guys can help me streamline a few choices a little. Just a few things that I'm can't decide on.

Case

Antec 182 Black $190

Love this case. Wouldn't consider another option. Design, price and features is close to perfect for my needs.

PSU

Corsair 620W Modular $172

99% certain this is overkill. Only reason why I've chosen it, is I MAY in the future go SLI. It's within the budget, and having it won't hurt really. If anyone is able to recommend a lower W, modular, quality PSU instead I'd consider it. Has to be a good price though, as I'm looking to minimize the cost of possibly going SLI in the future.

Heatsink

Thermalright 120 Ultra Extreme $71

Just need a fan, if anyone can offer a suggestion.

CPU

Intel Q6600 Go Steppin $285

No need for help on this part, I know it's a solid purchase.

Memory

OCZ 4GB PC2-6400 2GBX2 REAPER HPC 4-4-4 $333

Best 4-4-4-15 set memory I can find (so far, still looking) for price. Cheaper out there, but with slower timings. As I said, I'm still looking. The website I use doesn't list memory all that well, so I'm still hunting.

I'm guessing Patriot and Crucial are quality alternate brands correct? What about Corsair or Geil? I've never heard anything about them.

Graphics

EVGA 8800 GT $390

In stock and available over here in Aus. I only have a 1200 x 1024 Res monitor, so I know it's a bit over kill. Going with it anyway, because a new monitor in the future is very possible.

Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R P35 $160

What I need the most help with. I'm only purchasing 1 Graphics card, so I understand I do not need a SLI motherboard. This means I'd likely choose the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R P35 (or DS4? Not sure if the DS4 is worth it).

If I do go SLI, that means I likely need the Gigabyte GA-N680SLI-DQ6 nVidia nForce 680i. Correct? Does it OC alrite with the Q6600? It's a bit more then double the price as the DSR3 and about $160 less then the DSR4. At this point, I'm wondering if it is better to stick with the DSR3(or 4) and consider getting a new motherboard at the time I purchase the second graphics card. So I'd go new monitor -> new motherboard -> second 8800 GT.

I'm guessing by the time I'm ready to get the second 8800 GT the N680SLI DQ6 will have hopefully have dropped into a better price range, or a better board is out anyway. I think this is the wisest choice, but not sure.

Begs the question though, do I buy the 620W for future proof, since it is within budget and might as well? I'm now thinking yes, in order to minimise cost. I don't think PSU development will drasticly change within the next few months.

Lastly, is SLI even worth it outside of say Crysis at the moment? Crysis doesn't really interest me all that much to be honest (well not an extra $500-$1000 much). So I really think I should stick to a single card, and leave enough options open to do a small-medium SLI upgrade in the future when I need it to give me that extra kick.

As for the rest of the parts, well I'm going with 2 160 GB 7200 RPM Seagates or Samsungs, and raid arraying them. I definity don't need any more space then that. Operating system will be VISTA, and the rest is just fluff that I won't wastse anyones time with.

Is there any technology coming around the corner that I should be looking out for? I'm totally out of the loop.

Thanks for the your help guys.

Simply getting 4 x 1 gig of crucial ballistix/OCZ/corsair/g. skill ram instead of 2 x 2 will save you a pile of money which can be used towards other things.

For crysis, 2 x 8800GTs will definitely help on higher resolutions. Justifying that price is up to.

For HDDs, i'd go and grab the 250gig 7200.10 410AS drives. These are the prototype models for the 7200.11 drives and are much faster than the older ones.

White_Pawn said:

Simply getting 4 x 1 gig of crucial ballistix/OCZ/corsair/g. skill ram instead of 2 x 2 will save you a pile of money which can be used towards other things.

Click to expand...

Another person has told me this, but I've always been under the impression that it's better to stick with 2 x 2gb, rather then 4 x 1gb. I'll look into it though and weigh the difference in price. Geil and Corsair offer some big time cheaper options. I just know nothing of their quality.

For crysis, 2 x 8800GTs will definitely help on higher resolutions. Justifying that price is up to.

Click to expand...

Yah, that's what I basically figured as well... Question is, do I go with the higher PSU, to save on upgrade costs later. Or do I go with both the PSU & the motherboard, to again save on costs later (if I decide to upgrade).

For HDDs, i'd go and grab the 250gig 7200.10 410AS drives. These are the prototype models for the 7200.11 drives and are much faster than the older ones.

Click to expand...

What model are these? Seagate, Samsung? I'm trying to track them down to check the price.

How much of a perfomance increase is this? If I have the right one, we're looking at roughly 80-100 dollars more for 2 of the 250's, and I'm 100% certain one of those drives will go to waste. I barely make use of a 40 GB drive now.

the hdds are seagates. 410AS is the back part of the serial/part number or w/e.

I'd say the decrease in performance is next to nothing compared with the extra price you have to pay. I saw someone get 4 xx 1 gig of OCZ for only $100 US on the egg. That would almost be enough to get yourself a whole new videocard.

i think the corsair 620hx should be able to power 2 8800GT.

I would stick with your current PSU selection as going any higher will be overkill, even for future builds. (Obviously unless you go Quad CF)

The trend for watt usage is going downwards, so I see no need personally to get a bigger PSU.

White_Pawn said:

the hdds are seagates. 410AS is the back part of the serial/part number or w/e.

I'd say the decrease in performance is next to nothing compared with the extra price you have to pay. I saw someone get 4 xx 1 gig of OCZ for only $100 US on the egg. That would almost be enough to get yourself a whole new videocard.

i think the corsair 620hx should be able to power 2 8800GT.

Click to expand...

Well, prices are a bit higher here in AUS unfortunately =(.

I've looked at some memory and this is what i've found so far.

PATRIOT 2GB PC2-6400 1GBX2 LL EPP [email protected] for $113. So $226 for 4. 110 dollars cheaper.

GeiL 2GB ULTRA 2 x 1GB PC-6400 DDR2-800MHz 4-4-4-12 GX22GB6400UDC for $102. So $204 for 4 and 130 dollars cheaper.

OCZ PC2-6400 1GBX2 REAPER HPC EPP 4-4-4 OCZ2RPR8002GK for $130. So $260 for 4. Savings of $70 dollars.

So if I go for the Geil (the cheapest), I can save 130 dollars. Question comes down to what I can do with that 130 dollars. I suppose it somewhat covers the cost of going with the GA-N680SLI-DQ6. But I'm trading some performance, for no imediate perfomance (given my other purchases). Or it could go towards those 250 GB hard drives. Gotta figure out if I'll use those though haha!

EDIT in response to Majin: Never planned to go higher haha! I already figured the 620W was overkill. Only considered, for the possibility of SLI'ing two GT's at a later date. If it's overkill all around, I'm very happy to go with a lower W, modular, quality PSU if the price is right.

if this PC is mainly for gaming, i'd just get 2 x 1 gig and 2 x 8800GT rather than 4gigs with one 8800GT.

HOWEVER. if this is for work/ cpu intenstive work etc. get the 4gigs.

White_Pawn said:

if this PC is mainly for gaming, i'd just get 2 x 1 gig and 2 x 8800GT rather than 4gigs with one 8800GT.

HOWEVER. if this is for work/ cpu intenstive work etc. get the 4gigs.

Click to expand...

It is for gaming yes, however 2 8800 GT's are so overkill for me at the moment, considering I only have a monitor that runs 1200 x 1024.

Sure, I'd save $230 now by sticking with 2 x 1 gig, but that's not going to make up anywhere near the cost of going full SLI. Full SLI would cost me at the moment, an extra:

$200 for the motherboard (DSR3 vs N680 SLI).

$390 for the second GT.

$400-$500+ for a new monitor.

So, cancelling out the memory savings with the motherboard cost... That's $790-$890 roughly over my $2000 dollar AUD budget.

I just don't have that money, right now at the moment. My budget is firmly set at $2000, maybe $2100. In the future, I really will consider spending that extra $1000-$1100 dollars for a new monitor, new board, and new card. Right now it's not possible. I'm eschewing things like a more expensive motherboard now, because I know better possibly cheaper motherboards will come out. RAM is kinda of like the PSU... Outside of DDR3, 4 GIG's of RAM now, will probably be as usefull as 4 GIGS of RAM in a year. Maybe just a bit cheaper.

I suppose you're saying, pocket the $200 and save it for later? Yah I didn't consider that, but $200 dollars in the future, won't be a stopping point for me later when I need to upgrade and I know, with the way games go... They'll be finding a use for 4 GBs of RAM at some point or another.

Ateast 700W for SLi

JamesXP said:

Ateast 700W for SLi

Click to expand...

Really?


Just wanted to say thanks for all the replies by the way. Hope no one thinks I'm being resistant to changes.

My goal is to buy the most cost effective parts I can buy now, with the intent to upgrade to a SLI setup in the future, when I decide I need it. Which cost effective parts those are, is what I'm trying to decide (e.g. the motherboard debate, the PSU debate).

I know 4 GB of RAM maybe overkill now, but I don't have an issue purchasing that amount now, as I don't see the market around it vastly changing. If DDR4 suddenly comes out and drops the price of DDR3 down, yah I might kick myself, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon correct?

Unlike with Motherboards, new, and better ones come out all the time (and I think a new set is coming out soon, as is). So buying a more affordable one now, which meets all my needs until I need to upgrade sometime in the next 6-8 months, makes sense (to me at least). In 6-8 months, there will probably be a better, more affordable board then the current SLI boards out now.

Please correct me if I'm wrong though... I'm only going by what I know of the market. If you explain to me that e.g. RAM really is changing very soon, yaddy yaddy ya is coming out Q1 next year, well I'll gladly shut my gob and listen! =)

JamesXP said:

Ateast 700W for SLi

Click to expand...

I disagree, 620w HX would be fine for Sli GT's.
Minimum requirement is a 520w for them to be in Sli according to nvidia I think.
If I was ordering right now, I would buy a cheap CPU like an e2180 and wait for the yorkfields to come out early next year and upgrade to one of those. I think they are the end of the line for the LGA 775 socket.

UnrealAlex said:

I disagree, 620w HX would be fine for Sli GT's.
Minimum requirement is a 520w for them to be in Sli according to nvidia I think.
If I was ordering right now, I would buy a cheap CPU like an e2180 and wait for the yorkfields to come out early next year and upgrade to one of those. I think they are the end of the line for the LGA 775 socket.

Click to expand...

What exactly are we waiting for with the Yorkfields? I've wikipedia'd the new chip, and read a review on the one that was released on November 11th.

Is there suppose to be a new Yorkfield chip, say a Q9650, which will (obviously) surpass the Q6600?

The QX is a 1200 AUD right now, so is everyone expecting the normal Q version to hit a similar affordable price that the current Q6600 fills?

MadeInCanada said:

The QX is a 1200 AUD right now, so is everyone expecting the normal Q version to hit a similar affordable price that the current Q6600 fills?

Click to expand...

Yep. There is a price chart but I forget where it is. Try googling it.

Q9540 is $316, the lowest grade quad is like $266 or something like that.

White has the prices. Found the chart here:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/processor/471/2

Well you all managed to make my life difficult again .

I just might have to wait the 1 to 1 1/2 months for this now.

Anymore suprises around the corner?

Does this change anything in my part choices? (Other then choosing to use a Intel Pentium E2180 Dual Core 2GHz at $81 dollars to tied me over while I wait, or just waiting...).

EDIT: Just to clarify my understanding again.

The "replacement" for the Q6600 has the following specs (I've bolded the parts where they are superior):

Core 2 Quad Q9300 4 2,50 GHz 6 MB 1333 MHz 7,5x 95 W

v.s.

Q6600 8 MB L2 2.40 GHz 1066 MHz

So I'm guessing the lower L2 Cashe isn't big deal, given the larger clocking potential (lower W), and the larger FSB speed, along with the higher default clock speed. Correct?

Wouldn't the new chip to buy be the second model:

Core 2 Quad Q9450 4 2,67 GHz 12 MB 1333 MHz 8x 95 W

Superior all around, along with a 12 MB L2 Cashe at only $50 more?

How much better are people predicting/guessing these to perform over the standard Q6600. I mean in the frame of regular user (or gamer), and not a person needing every ounce of processing power they can get?

I know this kinda ties in with not needing 4 GB of RAM necessarily, but I'll be frank and honest. The only reason I'm getting a Q6600 is because it is there, and cheaper then the E6850. Not because I have any stretch of the imagination that I'll be needing or using four cores anywhere near their full potential. I'm upgrading from a stock 3.0 GHZ Pentium from 3 years ago to be honest. Any of the new processors are going to blow me away.

Someone care to be honest with me? =)

well if you dont' want to wait, there really isn't that big of a deal, since the new quads have such low multis, it takes a whole new mobo/chipset to get to its potential anyway. I doubt you'll really "feel" the difference.

White_Pawn said:

well if you dont' want to wait, there really isn't that big of a deal, since the new quads have such low multis, it takes a whole new mobo/chipset to get to its potential anyway. I doubt you'll really "feel" the difference.

Click to expand...

I might just wait. I'm beginning to think if I can save up another $500 dollars in the next month. I'd only have to wait around another month and I'd be able to buy a SLI motherboard that supports the new chipsets properly along with a new Q9450.

So we'd be looking at the following:

Q9450
<insert whatever SLI motherboard needed>
8800 GT
4 GB RAM

I can't really complain about that. It also means I just have to buy a new monitor and a second 8800 GT along the lines for an almost instant descent upgrade. I don't think much can come out after all of the above thats going to make me regret not waiting again!

EDIT:

Anyone have a descent site to take a look at motherboards? I can find plenty of info graphics cards, I can find plenty of info on Memory. Stick me in front of a motherboard, and I don't know what 90% of it offers and why I should be choosing one over another. It drives me mad.

what computer do you have right now?

It wouldn't hurt to go buy one of the 8800GTs right now and play around with it.

White_Pawn said:

what computer do you have right now?

It wouldn't hurt to go buy one of the 8800GTs right now and play around with it.

Click to expand...

My current computer is packed away in storage, overseas in New Zealand. I just moved to Brisbane, Australia 3 months ago. No luck there.

It lasted me a good 4 years, with a few cheap upgrades along the way (cheap RAM, first graphics card died, second broke in a move, and it's now sitting with a ATI RADEON 9600 XT I think...) This new one will probably do the same, considering after my stint in Australia, I'm going back to being a student, and poor again.

So getting this right is pretty important to me...I won't be one of those people who are upgrading their processor again within the next 6 months . Hence going with the available quad cores, and leaving it all open for a quick and easy SLI upgrade to breath some cheapish life into the machine, while I still have disposable cash to play with.

well if you don't mind spending 40ish dollars, you could just get a celeron 420 to tie you over?