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 Thread (25 posts)
Dekron  5/09/08 1:47:22 PM

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Elite Member

Joined: 10/01/03
Posts: 5576


Case 1

case 2

motherboard

memory(4GB)

Vid card x2 (SLI)

CPU

PSU

HDD (possibly x2 for RAID 0

Sound Card

If anything is incompatible, please let me know. I would also like suggestions for north/south bridge cooling and CPU cooling as well. The cases aren't set in stone, so if you have a better in mind, the let me know. The dimensions have to stay at 18"Dx17.5"Hx8"W.

Thanks.


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xxthecorexx  5/09/08 8:56:29 PM

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Posts: 1028

get better memory so you can fsb overclock easier, i've had very good luck with corsair dominator with all my nvidia chipset motherboards. ('cept that damn 790i)

as far as cases go, IMHO nothing beats the antec 900. (sorry, i didn't read the dimension requirements. just make sure whatever you're trying to fit it into it gets good ventilation)

look into the line of asus xonar sound cards, they get great reviews, and i absolutely love mine.

if you get a windowed case the zalman cnps 9700s look great 'specially the aluminum ones, plus they do a very good job.

 

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CleffyII  5/09/08 10:40:25 PM

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Posts: 3396

If you get a radial heatsink like a Thermaltake Orb, then the fan will also blow air onto the north and south bridge.  Its actually a recommended fix on 780g boards to cool the mosfets.  Also nothing beats plain good case cooling.  Both of those cases should provide nice airflow, especially front to back.

Have you seen the new Asus Sound Cards?  I really wanna get one.  They look cool and people have been giving them good reviews.

Varlok91  5/10/08 6:03:30 AM

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Hard Core Member

Joined: 1/30/07
Posts: 331

"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." -Winston Churchill

Originally posted by Dekron


Case 1

case 2

motherboard

memory(4GB)

Vid card x2 (SLI)

CPU

PSU

HDD (possibly x2 for RAID 0

Sound Card

If anything is incompatible, please let me know. I would also like suggestions for north/south bridge cooling and CPU cooling as well. The cases aren't set in stone, so if you have a better in mind, the let me know. The dimensions have to stay at 18"Dx17.5"Hx8"W.

Thanks.

I haven't heard great things about the 780 or 790 boards really.

For the memory, consider looking at at 2 x 2gb RAM kit so you only take up two spots leaving room for upgrades later. It should come out to be pretty much the same cost.

RAID 0 on a desktop really isn't worth it, if you do do it though, make sure you have a back up drive because RAID 0 means you have double the chance of losing all your data.

The power supply is way overkill. Consider this PC Power and Cooling 610 watt power supply, it is very high quality, will give you ample power, and saves you over $100.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx

Last of all, this is just something to consider, ATI and NVIDIA are coming out with their new cards very soon, supposedly, ATI's cards are coming out in less than a month. Might want to wait and see how they perform, they are supposed to be very powerful.

--------------------------------
Desktop - Amd 3200+ Socket A, 1 gig pc2700, 7600GS, Windows XP
Laptop (Averatec 3120V) - Intel Celeron 1.3 ghz, 256mb RAM, Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10

Coconaut  5/12/08 5:54:24 AM

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Novice Member

Joined: 2/19/08
Posts: 50

"See what you gota do is: wrestle a bear, and then answer his riddle."

Originally posted by Varlok91

 

Originally posted by Dekron


Case 1

case 2

motherboard

memory(4GB)

Vid card x2 (SLI)

CPU

PSU

HDD (possibly x2 for RAID 0

Sound Card

If anything is incompatible, please let me know. I would also like suggestions for north/south bridge cooling and CPU cooling as well. The cases aren't set in stone, so if you have a better in mind, the let me know. The dimensions have to stay at 18"Dx17.5"Hx8"W.

Thanks.

I haven't heard great things about the 780 or 790 boards really.

 

For the memory, consider looking at at 2 x 2gb RAM kit so you only take up two spots leaving room for upgrades later. It should come out to be pretty much the same cost.

RAID 0 on a desktop really isn't worth it, if you do do it though, make sure you have a back up drive because RAID 0 means you have double the chance of losing all your data.

The power supply is way overkill. Consider this PC Power and Cooling 610 watt power supply, it is very high quality, will give you ample power, and saves you over $100.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx

Last of all, this is just something to consider, ATI and NVIDIA are coming out with their new cards very soon, supposedly, ATI's cards are coming out in less than a month. Might want to wait and see how they perform, they are supposed to be very powerful.

I would have to completely agree with everthing. you are better off getting a terabyte drive than 2x500gb drives. it's more secure and raid 0 won't offer any noticable speed boost unless you are working with huge files. if you want speed get a 150gb raptor to put your operating system/apps on then get a 500gb to store files on.

too many people buy huge psu's for a system that only draws 300 watts.

extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

that should give you a good estimate for what you need.

For the video card i would get the 8800gt for about the same price www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx

 


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Dekron  5/12/08 9:27:38 AM

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Elite Member

Joined: 10/01/03
Posts: 5576

 

Originally posted by Varlok91
I haven't heard great things about the 780 or 790 boards really.

 

The power supply is way overkill. Consider this PC Power and Cooling 610 watt power supply, it is very high quality, will give you ample power, and saves you over $100.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx

Last of all, this is just something to consider, ATI and NVIDIA are coming out with their new cards very soon, supposedly, ATI's cards are coming out in less than a month. Might want to wait and see how they perform, they are supposed to be very powerful.

Do you have a good SLI board to recommend then? I have been reading some nasty things about the 780 (video issues).

 

I know the PSU is overkill, but it is for upgrade sake and the modular cabling.

My budget is $1500. I won't be able to drop $600 on a new card. That's why I am going with the two 9600's. Sure beats me single 6800gt at the moment.

Thanks all for the comments. I am hoping to order this later this week.

Edit: BTW, I am not stuck on Intel boards. So, if you find a good AMD board with SLI support, I am all game.

Also, has anyone actually used a CrossFire enabled system? Is it as good as SLI?


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Coconaut  5/12/08 10:03:42 AM

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Novice Member

Joined: 2/19/08
Posts: 50

"See what you gota do is: wrestle a bear, and then answer his riddle."

Sorry only nVidia chipsets support SLI atm. as far as crossfire goes, it scale very well if not better than sli.

Instead of getting two lesser cards you may want to consider buying one good card, and my vote is still for the 8800gt over the 9600gt's. The 8800gt is faster for about the same price.


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Dekron  5/13/08 9:22:32 AM

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Elite Member

Joined: 10/01/03
Posts: 5576

Sorry to bump, but I need to order this thing by tomorrow. I am no longer stuck on getting strictly Nvidia. I've been reading about horrible artifact issues with the newer chipsets (from 770 to 790).

Please recommend a good board. It can be ATI. Crossfire is ok, but not necessary. Does not need to be Intel, AMD is fine as well. Here is my budget.

Mobo ~ $200-$300
GPU ~ $400
CPU ~ $300

Find me a good combo there and I can take care of the rest. Thanks.


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Rayx0r  5/13/08 10:39:33 AM

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Elite Member

Joined: 4/09/04
Posts: 1782

Ditch the SLI and get a single card solution

128 stream processors like the GTX on a cheaper board.  Outperforms the 8800GT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143119

this will allow lower power consumption.  Unless you want to purchase another 8800GTS down the road and SLI it, buy a 550w it will push a single card.  If you plan on SLI down the road then keep the PSU you picked out.

your SLI isnt much of perk on resolutions 1680x1050 and lower.  Youd be better off purchasing a better CPU for the amount of money you would spend on a second board.

The creative board is an excellent choice

ditch the Quad Core and stick with a much fas