$1200-1400 budget for computer. I hear intel's the way to go now.

[Evilsizer]

Agreed, quad SLI is hilariously useless.

A single 9800GX2 would also do you well, maybe better than a 4870 if your running a higher resolution. (correct me if I'm wrong). Looking on newegg you can get either or for $289.99

that is true but depending on the game the 9800GX2 will be out done slightly by the 4870. as you can see in this vga chart from guru3d in crysis
http://www.guru3d.com/category/vga_charts/
one thing i find odd is the lack of CF'd 4850/4870 numbers. maybe issues with drivers? who knows? my take would be a different route then those 2 cards and be out done for not much more. 48050 in CF at $169 atm on newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102747
or if your ok with MIR's get them close to $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161235
people need to pay close mind to the games they play or might play. imo that is the key factor to what cards to get. as ATI's 4800's do better in some games vs NV's, even in a CF vs SLI setup. as you can see by the VGA chart...

 

[Blazing fire]

Get Quad SLi, 2 x 9800GX2 for $500.

3 way sli. At 2560X1600, it hast the best fps (beats 2 X 4870X2 and ^).

 

[Blazing fire]

it will do the job , i would have gone with a Corsair unit...

Agreed. Or get BFG es-800.

E7200/E8400's, people are only going higher multis because of ram speed(well looking at ddr2 setups)> with DDR3 you have the ability to run higher fsb's then DDR2. that is if you can get the cpu over 533fsb when ocing. which doesnt happen all that often on stock multi's unless under extreme cooling. now if you lower the multi then yea its much easier to reach the higher fsb's. if your building NOW look at a P4x based board, dont even consider P35.

Yup, how often do you run 1:2 and how often is RAM the limiting factor?

Yes, look at p4x. A thread was started comparing cf p45 and x48. The difference at the most was 5fps (i think). That may change with 4870X2 but let's let it rest for now.

 

[e6600]

Agreed. Or get BFG es-800.



Yup, how often do you run 1:2 and how often is RAM the limiting factor?

Yes, look at p4x. A thread was started comparing cf p45 and x48. The difference at the most was 5fps (i think). That may change with 4870X2 but let's let it rest for now.

wait really? a 2x x16 P45 with a x8 power slot only loses 5fps to a nice x38/48 board???
that seems insane, got a link?

 

[Albyno]

that PSU servers me and my bro well but were both running 4850s not dual 4870 should be fine tho

 

[Blazing fire]

wait really? a 2x x16 P45 with a x8 power slot only loses 5fps to a nice x38/48 board???
that seems insane, got a link?

It appears so .

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=571156

 

[crimson1566]

how about this deal from newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/product/produ...lickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16819115037
e8400 and a Thermaltake W0106RU 700W for $200 after rebate.

Is the e8500/8600 really that much better or should i go w/the 8400 to get in on this special promo?

 

[crimson1566]

Did the new egg deal and now own a e8400. What do you guys reccomend for a heat sink for this chip?

 

[Particle]

You might consider a pair of 4850s. They're not terribly expensive and really seem to scale well in games. If you're after 3DM scores though, they won't impress. Real games on the other hand really rock with 'em. I know I've had good luck, like with Crysis on Very High at 30fps. The 3870 I had barely mustered 7-9. The 2900 I had before it did about the same.

 

[vixro]

ATI 4x series is the way to go right now. Best bang for your buck and very high framerates. Those suggesting 260's or 9800GX2's havent been reading the ATi or Nvidia threads for the past 2 months. The benches and reviews all over the place show 2x 4850's in crossfire or a single 4850 (4870 with a good deal/rebate) to be the best choices.

The GX2 has SLI problems with stuttering, it always has, SLI is really poor in Vista too. Crossfire has gone up leaps and bounds and runs FANTASTIC with the 4x series.

 

[crimson1566]

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145

Hows this for ram for ocing? should i go for more than ddr2 1000?

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

Is there much of a performance boost between the 2 to justify spending an extra $25?

 

[siresword]

i just bought an e8400 and i got the ocz 4gb ddr2 1066s, i got them because i hear for oc-ing they have a much better overhead than ddr2 800

unfortunately, newegg says they'll arrive tomorrow so i can't tell you how well they perform

 

[Evilsizer]

the ddr2-100 kits you listed dont oc like they use to. expect DDR2-1000 and thats it, the other kit is better. on stock votlage and timings many at xs have reachead DDR2-1100. keep in mind that getting to run 550fsb is not prolly gonna happen. as you will more then likly max out the cpu long before gettting to that fsb.

 

[prettigrumpy]

Just put together this kit this past weekend for about that price.

Thermaltake Armor VA8003BWS w/ 25CM Fan
GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS4 LGA 775
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache
XFX PVT98FYDBU GeForce 9800 GTX Black Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
4x2GB CORSAIR DOMINATOR DDR2 SDRAM 1066mHz
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.0Gb/s
Antec 650TX 650W True Power Trio
ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU

 

[crimson1566]

the ddr2-100 kits you listed dont oc like they use to. expect DDR2-1000 and thats it, the other kit is better. on stock votlage and timings many at xs have reachead DDR2-1100. keep in mind that getting to run 550fsb is not prolly gonna happen. as you will more then likly max out the cpu long before gettting to that fsb.

so what ram kit do you reccomend that would be a good fit for my processor. I'm pretty sure i'm going to grab the asus p5q pro

 

[Ally Cat]

i got a Q6600 about two weeks ago ^_^ im building a new system on a current buget of about $1600 and i will be cramming 400$ of upgrades into it later, so it really is going to cost me $2000, but the new ATI cards, as much as i hate to say it are actually worth looking at T-T

 

[Evilsizer]

i would go with this ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

 

[crimson1566]

this ram any good?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227277

Evilsizer how do the gskills oc compared to these ocz ones?

Aslo for $15 more i can go from PC2 8000 to PC2 8500, is this worth it or will the PC2 8000 oc just as well as the PC2 8500?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

 

[prime81]

I'd go for an E0 quad or E0 dualie currently, QX are definitely high end chips and overclock fairly easily due to unlocked multis. I've never had a chip that was as stable and snappy as my QX, and I've had my fair share of both 65nm and 45nm chips.

If you have access to the classifieds, there is currently a member selling several E0 9650 quads.

 

[WonderingSoul]

I am currently playing around with my new E8400. Does 3.6 so far UNDER stock volts, a great great chip.