New guy spec check please :)

SolidSPUD

SolidSPUD

SolidSPUD

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Joined
7 Dec 2007
Posts
4
Hello folks, I was hoping to get a few opinions on the new computer i'm looking to get. The main criteria are being futureproof and gaming, with the intention of upgrading as necessary. I'm pretty sure of most of it but have had problems deciding the motherboard due to the news about the 680i and future quadcore support.:( So here it is, what u think?


Foxconn X38A Intel X38 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 & DDR3 Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.66GHz (1333FSB) - Retail
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit
Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 3870 XT 512MB x 2
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler
Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM
Samsung SH-S202NBEBN 20x DVD±RW IDE Dual Layer Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM
Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
Coolermaster Real Power 700w Modular Power Supply
Samsung SM-2032BW Pebble 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition DVD - OEM - 1Pk

£1120 inc. vat with the hope of convincing someone to pay for one of the 3870xts for christmas bringing it nicely under £1000:)
Will be overclocking a little no serious stuff hoping to keep ram and cpu linked at 1:1 ratio.
Opinions\advice?
 
Welcome to the forums, any particular reason for picking a Crossfire system? Just that a single graphics card system such as an 8800GT or 8800GTX is simpler and frequently cheaper too and although I haven't checked the figures yet it quite possibly wouldn't be far behind in performance terms, if at all. It would also negate the need for an X38 based motherboard which again saves cash.

I'd change the DVDRW for a SATA version and you get MX1 or MX2 paste pre-applied to the Freezer 7 Pro so you could drop the additional tube if you wished.
 
semi-pro waster said:
Welcome to the forums, any particular reason for picking a Crossfire system? Just that a single graphics card system such as an 8800GT or 8800GTX is simpler and frequently cheaper too. It would also negate the need for an X38 based motherboard which again saves cash.

I'd change the DVDRW for a SATA version and you get MX1 or MX2 paste pre-applied to the Freezer 7 Pro so you could drop the additional tube if you wished.
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Was gonna comment on the 2 graphics..i think a 8800GTX is possibly a better idea..or a GT for now.

Claimed :D.
 
get the corsair HX 680W (modular) PSU over the coolermaster one, its a better PSU.

i think the seagate 7200.10 are faster although i could be wrong

get a MB that supports only DDR2 as DDR3 isnt needed for a very long time unless it drops in price dramaticly soon and there will most likely be better MBs out then anyway.

get the e2180 adn overclock it to 3+ghz

finally personal preferance, get a better looking case
 
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jak731 said:
get the corsair HX 680W (modular) PSU over the coolermaster one, its a better PSU.

i think the seagate 7200.10 are faster although i could be wrong

get a MB that supports only DDR2 as DDR3 isnt needed for a very long time unless it drops in price dramaticly soon and there will most likely be better MBs out then anyway.

get the e2180 adn overclock it to 3+ghz

finally personal preferance but get a better looking case
Click to expand...

I agree with the PSU and HDD, however id keep the Quad, at this sort of price range, you may aswell get the Q6600.
 
Thx for replies:), the reasoning behind 2 gfx cards is that as i'm upgrading further down the line I will be able to slap in another card instead of having to shell out like £400 for a newly out one, but was never very sure about crossfire\ATi as originally wanted SLi board with single 8800gt. Does SATA work better as I heard there was sometimes problems with it and optical drives? As for the mx2 paste that's just incase really :D
 
jak731 said:
i think the seagate 7200.10 are faster although i could be wrong
Click to expand...

The new single platter 250gb 7200.10s are a bit faster although really much of a muchness I think in overall performance terms. :)

I've done a little bit of checking and it appears that Crossfired 3850pros are about equivalent to a single 8800GT in some games but in others they actually lower framerates, this may be sorted in later driver releases/ game patches of course but it is certainly a point to bear in mind.
 
So a change of hdd.:) I quite like the idea of having a good bit of headspace when it comes to the psu but did originally think about the corsair and am not entirely sure I'll need quadcore yet.:confused:
I'd like to keep the motherboard for a while as i've had my current one for 2 years and has served me well through that time (foxconn nforce4).:) Is this still realistically possible?
 
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After some revising, thinking about a cheap p35 board with single slot GPU and 8800gt with hopes of an sli board later or 9800. Which would be best Abit IP35, Asus P5K SE or Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L?:confused:
 
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