Hello all. I am in the process of building a new gaming system to play Age of Conan and was seeking some advice. Below is the list of parts I have choosen, however I have been undecided on weather to go with the AMD Phenom 9850 or the Intel Duo core 2 E8400 chip. Also I was planning on overclocking whichever chip I chose to about 3.4GHz. By doing so should I look into buying a water cooling system or will a nice aftermarket fan work ok? I have built my last two systems, however I have never messed with water cooling. This is the water system I was looking into: ZALMAN Reserator XT BK Black Reserator (Reservoir+Radiator+Water Pump) Water Cooling System
--Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
--ASUS M3N-HT DELUXE/MEMPIPE AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 780a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
--COOLMAX CUQ-1200B 1200W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V
--G.SKILL 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
--AMD Phenom 9850 BLACK EDITION 2.5GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor
--BFG Tech BFGE981024GX2E GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB (512MB per GPU) 512-bit (256-bit per GPU) GDDR3
--Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive
--Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
Comments
Ok, here's a few things. For starters, I dont really like Thermaltake cases, they are ussually cheaply made, but that's not a big deal. More importantly, you should definately be going with the intel processor. Im no fanboy, but atm their processors are far superior to amd's. that would mean you need to choose a new motherboard to support an intel proc.
As for the ram, I mus admit I'm not overly fimilair with G. Skill. I have hear mixed reviews about their products so I wont comment on that. However, 8 gigs is overkill. No windows os can even use that much, with the exception of vista 64 bit, but even using this the performance booste will be slim to none. 4 gigs is more than enough.
I would think that you may also need to add another hardrive for data storage. you can get a 500 gig harddrive with good performance for relatively cheap.
Just writing this up quick, so last comment. Your video card. I dont know how soon you're looking at having this system by, but the new cards from Nvidia and ATI are comming out June 16th and 17th. If you can wait that long I would strongly sudjest it. The Nvidia GTX 280, the high end card, is suppose to have an amazing performance booste over the 9800 GX2. Furthermore, it will probably go around the same price.
Anyways, just a quick comment. Send me a pm and i'll give you a hand if you'd like.
Oh ya, with the intel proc you shouldn't have any trouble getting it to 3.4gz on air cooling. In fact you can probably go quite a bit farther.
i'd have to agree with the above post and go with an intel processor for now. that being said i'd...
bag that liquid cooling, and go with air for now, you'd be surprised how high you can overclock with a good air unit. maybe check out the nocturne or the zalman cnps 9700. if you decide to add liquid cooling later you can always consider that an upgrade.
i've had very good luck with corsair dominator series memory in the nvidia chipset boards
look into the antex 900 case OR.. their 1200 case now, they have TONS of room, and great airflow
evga offers a step-up program on their hardware where you can upgrade in 90 days for just the difference in price, maybe consider an evga video card and motherboard as opposed to the bfg card. the 780i based chipset will also let you eventually sli that 9800 gx2.
all this is over kill to play AoC, but a rig like this should keep you hummin' along for a couple of years.
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TheCore
get rid of the 9800gx2 and get a 3870 x2 or wait a couple weeks and get the 4870 x2 ( which will be cheaper and faster)
Ok so ive decided to go with an Intel Chip instead of an AMD. Below is my new layout, however I still need advice on a few things. First which would do me better the Core 2 Duo E8400 or the Core 2 Quad Q6600. Also is the 1200 W power supply overkill? I think im going to wait untill the new Nvidia and ATI cards come out in a few weeks. Which would your recommend? Are they both releasing around the same time? Thanks so much for the help.
---XCLIO A380PLUS-BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish 1.0mm SECC/ ABS ATX Full Tower Computer Case
---COOLMAX CUQ-1200B 1200W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V
---CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
---ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard
---ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
---Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
---Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
Ok, first off you should definately go with the Core 2 Duo E8400. Quad cores are nice for multithreading apps, but at the moment a dual core with a higher clockspeed will offer you better gaming performance. Plus the dual core will overclock alot better than the quad would.
As for the power supply, 1200 W is pushing it. You more than likely wont need this, unless you add two or 3 video cards. However, after looking at a couple reviews it seems that the power supply you have chosen is quite good, and should leave enough room for future upgrades. It's up to you, but I suggest if you have the extra cash to dish out, go ahead. I've learned not to skimp out when shopping for a power supply lol.
Next up, the video card. If your looking for top notch performance, and I'm presuming you are, you should probably go with teh Nvidia GTX 280. The reason I say probably is because none of the cards have been released yet so their actuall performance is unknown. The one thing to note is that if you ever want to run a Nvidia SLI configuration (2 or 3 Nvidia graphics cards) you will need a Nvidia chipset. Right now the motherboard you have chosen is running an Intel chipset. Now the board is Kick Ass dont get me wrong, just a heads up if you had considered doing that in the future. As for release dates, the Nvidia cards are releasing 1 day after the ATI. I believe the dates are June 16th and 17th.
Ram is good. Great advise xxthecorexx.
There is one last thing I think you should STRONGLY consider changing. that would be your chosen case. Honestly the one you have picked is more or less one of those gimmick cases. It's not great quality, doesn't have great cooling performance and ins't very quiet. Personaly I think it looks ugly to. Regadless, if you want advise on a different case, the antec cases that xxthecorexx stated are good. As well you could check out some Coolermaster cases such as the Cosmos S or the Stackers. Silverstone makes good cases and it's hard to go wrong with one of theirs. Another good case is the Gigabyte 3D Aurora 570, although it has a different look to it.
Hope this helps out.
www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600_8.html#sect0
I dont think i need to write more .. and your case is generaly rated 8 on 10 average on most testing site , good airflow and very good build quality are is + ( funny what people can write on forum ) .
Is negative points are there
www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-280-7.htm
You know phenom 9850 is not a bad idea but even if it compete with the Q6600 for performance , the 9850 is more expensive a little , hard to overclock and it burn a lot of juice compare to Q6600 or E8400 .
P.s the first ram your posted the G.SKILLis one of the best for overclocking , one of the most valuable ram on the market .
www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600_8.html#sect0
I dont think i need to write more .. and your case is generaly rated 8 on 10 average on most testing site , good airflow and very good build quality are is + ( funny what people can write on forum ) .
Is negative points are there
www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-280-7.htm
You know phenom 9850 is not a bad idea but even if it compete with the Q6600 for performance , the 9850 is more expensive a little , hard to overclock and it burn a lot of juice compare to Q6600 or E8400 .
P.s the first ram your posted the G.SKILLis one of the best for overclocking , one of the most valuable ram on the market .
Well I'm gald to see you actually read all the post before throwing in your litle comment. First off, the bloody case I was talking about in the above section was the:
---XCLIO A380PLUS-BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish 1.0mm SECC/ ABS ATX Full Tower Computer Case
If you had actually bothered to look at this thread properly you wouldn't have missed that. Secondly the Thermaltake armour IS a half rate case, as with many of their cases. for roughly the same amount you can get a case of much higher quality, and it wont look like a peice of shit. But that is of course subjective.
Furthermore, I have to ask why you would come out and say that the Phenom is not a bad idea, but wait, it sucks compared to the core 2 duo. A little redundant dont you think?
And last but certaintly not least... Your nice link to x-bit that proves alot considering it's the Core 2 Duo E6850 they are reviewing, and not the Core 2 Duo E8400 that Mysil has on his list. I'm glad that you are able to make a post that proves that you are incapable of reading a thread before posting in it. The E8400 posseses a nice performance booste over the E6800. with that being said, quad cores can be nice, but produce alot more heat. Mysil, if you were going to go with liquid cooling a quad core might be a good idea, as you could push it quite a bit farther. However if you were to consider this I would suggest looking into the Core 2 Quad Q9300. It is faster than the Q6600 as it uses the new archatecture, and because of that, holds several other advantages. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q9300.html (btw x-bit.com is a great site for anyone thats wondering)
Well, just thought I'd clear that up... ( funny what people can write on forum ) .
I am a huge fan of Thermaltake. They are really leading in case design with cases like the LanBox, Armor+, and Mozart Cube Case. Also thier power supplies and cooling options are some of the best. Although rescently I decided to go with an ABS Tagan Piperock PSU instead of a Thermaltake Toughpower PSU, cause it looked cooler. The Armor+ is a basic case built on functionality, and offers alot of front port options as well as being functional roomy and has good airflow these cases are known for. It pretty much was the main design behind cases like the Antec 900. Thermaltake also offers innovative and stylish cases like the Mozart Cube Case. At this point you should seriously consider Thermaltake, that and LainLi.
Until you are actually ready to purchase your parts, I would hold off on your motherboard selection. As usualy there are alot of options coming out in the future. It seems you are waiting for the new GPUs to come out next month or July which is a good choice since what GPU you choose will impact what Motherboard you should choose.
When selecting a GPU, don't get a dual GPU like the HD4870x2. These cards are a rip off, especially for mmos. They are 2 underpowered cards in a forced sli or crossfire mode which comes with many negatives and minimal positives. You have to remember most mmos don't support multi-gpu's making it just an underpowered card. Ontop of this some have a negative impact when this feature is enabled, since its forced this negative impact will be unavoidable. On a positive note you can get a slightly higher frame rate in the few games that do support the technology. Although the ones typically supporting it are based on proprietary engines like Unreal. This engine and many 3rd part engines are always designed with the lowest common denominator in mind. This inturn makes the benefit of a few fps nill as a single gpu will already reach a great fps.
When it comes to CPU it really depends on what you wanna do. For Gaming the E8400 is the best choice. When it comes to desktop publishing/HD video playback, you would want an AMD Phenom. The architecture in the Phenom right now is just better then the Intel Quads at this type of work because Intel makes use of redundancy, while the Phenoms use independant cores. As L2 Caches get larger on the phenom and Core2's, and the L2 cache gets greater use, the more evident this becomes. Hyper Transport also has its advantage in HD playback, and the phenom actually has better power management then intels.
Get a VelociRaptor instead of the regular Raptor. VelociRaptor is SATA 3.0 compliant, and does some things better.
On your PSU. Its good to remember you won't need that kinda power unless you work in industrial type jobs where a high high end PC is necessary. For Gaming and General office use, overspending on a PC has no real benefit but for e-peening. In 6-12 months the technology you dropped 5k into will be worth 1k. That and the actual needs of a power supply can change rapidly, like the motherboard power going to 24 pin, sata pins, pci-e 6 and 8 pin connections. Also computer makers are making a deal about lower power consumption and finding ways to limit it. However, there is no disadvantage for getting a higher watt supply aside from cost. It won't draw more power then what your system demands.
On memory, OCZ is the best in my opinion. Yay OCZ!!!
Noone cares but I have to put in my 2 cents which basically is agreeing with Cleffy. Stick with and Intel Quad if you absolutely want a quad and want it for games. The architecture on the Phenoms (which many people overlook and I'm happy Cleffy brought it up) are perfect for multimedia and multi-tasking.
If you want to play the GPU waiting game, it really just depends, Its a good idea because either way you look at it, you can either get the newest stuff.. or expect a price drop on the older top of the line stuff, it's however you want to play it.
if you're hellbound on the x48 chipset then go with an ATI card. that way you have the option to crossfire later if you want. the x48 chipset is not sli compatible, you'd need to go with a 680, 750, or 780 or even delve into the overpriced world of ddr3 with the 790 chipset (but i don't recommend the 790 at ALL) if you wanted to use nvidia cards.
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TheCore