Upgrading my system...

father-ted

father-ted

father-ted

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Joined
25 Aug 2008
Posts
1,370
Location
York, UK
Current main spec:

A64 4000+ skt 939 (single core) 2.4ghz o/c 2.9ghz (air)
2gb OCZ PC4000 Plat EB
DFI NF3 LanParty UT Mobo
Nvidia 7950GT AGP

Now my question is, with my upgrade do I go for a DDR2 system, or shell out a bit more and go for DDR3?

I do a lot of gaming, some video editing etc, and general use. Looking at a high end quad core (Q9550 or similar), and a top end graphics card (most prob the ATI 4870x2).

Obviously I want the system to be as future proof as possible, but not sure that a DDR3 system is worth the extra £££???
 
Going with a DDR2 system this is as far as I have got:

C2Q 9550
Asus Rampage Formula X48 or DFI LPUTX48-T2R X48 ??
OCZ 4gig PC2-8500C5 1066 Reaper (x2 for 8gig) ?
ATI Radeon 4870x2 OR GTX280 ?? (is the ATI worth the extra ££'s)?
2 x Seagate Barracuda 500gb Sata II (32mb cache) HDD in RAID ?


Not built a new system for a few years, so a little out of touch. Your help/advice really appreciated.....and no doubt more questions to follow! :p
 
A couple of different people have said to me that 8 gig of ram in a high spec quad core system with Vista 64bit would be of benefit, is that incorrect?

I am told that the DFI board is equal to the ASUS board, possibly better....not sure myself hence why I ask.....which do people advise/prefer?

I mainly chose the Seagate drives due to the 5 year warranty as opposed to the 3 year with Samsung.....should I change to the Samsung as they are much better?

Thanks again
 
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My current mobo is a DFI Lanparty Ultra-D NF3, which I have had since they were released....and it is great for o/c.

Hence why I was considering another. Decisions, decisions.... :o
 
Right, so now its changed slightly..

C2Q 9550
DFI LPUTX48-T2R X48 Mobo
OCZ 4gig PC2-8500C5 1066 Reaper
ATI Radeon 4870x2
2 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 750gb Sata II (32mb cache) HDD in RAID
Dell Ultrasharp 24" monitor
Logitech Z550 Surround Sound System
Vista64 Ultimate or Home Premium 64......what are the pros/cons?

I am now looking at a soundcard. Was swaying towards an X-Fi Gamer Pro, but read somewhere that they can cause problems with Vista64.....is this true, if so what is the best option?
 
So the X-Fi's really have problems then?

Is the Xonar as good, seems a very small card....but I am no expert in audio :o

With the Z550 system I want a good card to get the best sound possible.
 
Spec again so far...

C2Q 9550
DFI LPUTX48-T2R X48 Mobo
OCZ 4gig PC2-8500C5 1066 Reaper
ATI Radeon 4870x2
2 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 750gb Sata II (32mb cache) HDD in RAID
Dell Ultrasharp 24" monitor
Logitech Z550 Surround Sound System
Vista64 Ultimate or Home Premium 64......what are the pros/cons?
Asus Xonar Soundcard....which one?

I am now also looking for a good cooler for my CPU. Which one is regarded as the best for the C2Q 9550?
 
Thanks mate. I thought somebody else may have more Xonar advice.

What about a good cooler for my CPU? Which one is regarded as the best?
 
Ok no replies on coolers, so how about a PSU?

Which PSU and what wattage/ampage should I be looking towards? Something that will last a while, with enough headroom for future add-ons (like another gfx card for example)?
 
Moving on to a case, I have been looking at the Antec Twelve Hundred Gaming case.

Anything else I should consider ahead of this? I use air cooling, so it has to have plenty of fans.
 
Creative cards have issues with Vista though, so not really an option for me?

Trying to decide between the Xonar DX 7.1 PCI Express, or the Xonar D2X PCI Express.......is it worth the extra £££'s??
 
I prefer the look of the Antec P182 case, though I am worried that my ATI 4870X2 may not fit easily? Would another fit easily in the future if needed?

Will this be an issue? Would the Antec Twelve Hundred be a better option (also seems to have better cooling?)
 
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