New system needed.

Krull · 25 Feb 2007 at 13:17

Hi all. This is my first post here & i was after some advice from you good & knowledgable people.

I'm running a K8 MoBo with an AMD2600 with AGP that is in dire need of replacement.

Money isn't really a problem but knowing how to best spend it is.

I put a system together on paper so far but would appreciate any advice on its suitability before committing cash.

This system is primarily for gaming.

I've seen others around these forums who seem to be in the same situation with regard to ever changing specs on ever changing kit.

This is what i think i want:

PSU: BFG 1000W UK/PFC Approved PSU

MoBO: BFG nForce 680 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quadro Extreme Edition QX6700 "LGA775 Kentsfield" 2.66GHz (1066FSB)

RAM: OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC2-8500 1066MHz SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel DDR2

Hard Drive X2: Western Digital Raptor X 150GB WD1500AHFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache

PCI Graphics X2: BFG GeForce 8800 GTX OC 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI

Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS Edition 7.1

Monitor: Dell Ultrasharp 3007WFP 30" Widescreen LCD Monitor

The other bits & bobs don't need a mention but from the above list i realise that there is already a better 30' screen from Dell, 3007WFP-HC, & a 3GHz quadro just around the corner from Intel.

I've waited over a year before replacing my old system as i knew various goodies were coming along but i just can't wait no mo.

I guess it would make sense all round to just drop an Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) onto the MoBo untill the next serious chip is out.

Does anyone see anything glaringly deficient in the proposed specs posted above or have any other comments or useful suggestions?

Your help is appreciated gentlemen.

Regards Krull

semi-pro waster · 25 Feb 2007 at 13:21

Welcome to the forums, all parts are compatible. A 6600 probably would be sufficient since quad-core isn't really utilised fully yet so getting a 6600 would save you money but you could upgrade later.

The Raptors are good drives but very, very pricey for what they are, maybe consider getting a couple of Seagate 7200.10s as you will get at least double the space for half the price and not lose much speed at all.

I don't know what case you have but I'd make sure it is one with good airflow, if you are stuck for options the Akasa Eclipse is worth a look.

1337z0r · 25 Feb 2007 at 13:36

You should go for 1 raptor you dont need more even a 74GB will be big enough for windows/programs and games. And then some seagate 7200.10's for storage. I would go for a E6600 and overclock it to 3Ghz which is easy. Get a decent air cooler like the Tuniq. With that ram you will be able to hit crazy speeds before the ram starts limiting you

. I could even suggest the titan amanda if you want to extemeley overclock.

Krull · 25 Feb 2007 at 13:37

Thankyou for such a swift response & welcome.

I realise that the quad isn't really needed & that the E6600 can be clocked to over 3Ghz & that both will fit on the MoBo i intend to buy so i guess that is the way to go.

If it will run Fraps & IL2 smoothly then that is my requirement met.

The HDDs don't need to be enormous as just one of them has more capacity than both my current internal drives.
But i would appreciate the faster speed so long as they are solidly reliable.

I have a Thermaltake VA7000BWA Shark at present but i will be buying a CoolerMaster Stacker 830 for the new system.

Is a 30' screen with 14ms sufficient for gaming do you know? I'm sure i read somewhere that 12ms is considered the slowest acceptable.

Might i be better of getting a 26' or 27' screen?

Thanks for your time.

semi-pro waster · 25 Feb 2007 at 23:32

I don't know too much about the screen but I'm still using a screen with a nominal 16ms response time for gaming and I can't notice any problems, however it is the LG 1710B which is acknowledged as one of the best screens from when it was released. I'm sure the Dell will be fine, maybe check in the monitors sub-forum as they know a lot more than me on this subject.

Krull · 26 Feb 2007 at 02:56

Thanks. I already had a look there & got some answers though none related specifically to the Dell 30'

I've also read Ultra Extremes most excellent thread/post that confirmed some things i thought i already knew & a few things i didn't.

One of my brothers bought a Dell 26' screen a few months back with 16ms & it looks to play IL2 & Red Orchestra just fine.

And i'm sure i read somewhere today that the new Dell 30' -HC has a much faster response time, around 8ms or so.

It's been a tech-heavy few days so apologies for being vague right now.

I build my own PCs, obviously, but it's been awhile since i put together my current & keeping a hook on the latest & greatest whilst weeding out the pretenders seems more complicated than i remember.
Guess i can look forward to the same minor probs 3 - 4 years hence if i'm lucky.

Thanks to these most excellent forums & members i have an exact note of what i want & need & will be spending my £3800 or so here at Overclockers UK.

Thankyou, sirs, for your replies & time.