How-To Geek Forums Topic: Help and advice on my new computer build

How-To Geek Forums Topic: Help and advice on my new computer build http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/ How-To Geek Forums Topic: Help and advice on my new computer build en Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:49:21 +0000 ScottW on "Help and advice on my new computer build" http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/help-and-advice-on-my-new-computer-build#post-43959 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 01:35:05 +0000 ScottW 43959@http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/ DoctorTommy, hi. Here are some thoughts: * Mobo - it has 3 PCI-E slots for a triple-SLI config, but you are putting 2 GPUs in one of these slots. Why 3 slots? It is an expensive board, too, and probably for this reason. * CPU - few games can use 4 cores, so you could save money and get a higher clock speed with a 3+ GHz Wolfdale. Still 45nm, same cache per core, less power consumption, and a higher clock rate. * GPU - I like this choice. It's exactly what I recommended in another thread -- get a late model GPU on the cheap. Two 9800 series GeForce chips is good for serious gaming! * HDD - consider getting 2 smaller drives instead. Each can have better performance and reliability. Then split the workload either with RAID or just install the OS on one and games on the other. * PSU - good brand name, plenty of power, 80% efficiency and NVidia SLI certified. Looks good to me. * CD/DVD - Why put a pokey IDE drive in a system with SATA? There is plenty of headroom on the SATA bus, so no need to worry about saturating it, even with 2 HDDs and 2 DVD drives. * Monitor - I've never used an LCD for gaming. You should see what other gamers recommend for response time to prevent motion blur. Is 5 ms fast enough? doctortommy on "Help and advice on my new computer build" http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/topic/help-and-advice-on-my-new-computer-build#post-43932 Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:26:25 +0000 doctortommy 43932@http://www.howtogeek.com/forum/ I'm looking to build a gaming computer. I want it to be high performance but not a supercomputer. Think a lower end high-end pc if that makes any sense =p. This is my first time designing a new computer and these are the part i picked out yesterday. It would be great if people could point out my weak points in the design that may limit performance and the things i overdid. I'm also looking to cut the price a bit. I also need to know what type of power supply i'll be needing. I currently just picked out one of the higher wattage ones on newegg just to make its enough =p. Some other notes: - I'm interested in SLI that's why i chose nvidia motherboard and GPU - I think my motherboard or gpu may be a little too strong so focus on those a lot - I didn't include a case or fans yet because those are critical to performance Motherboard: EVGA NVIDIA nForce 780i $239.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188024'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188024</a> CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 $329.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041</a> GPU: EVGA NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB $285.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130338'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130338</a> Memory: Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2x2GB) $87.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220269'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220269</a> Hard Drive: Western Digital 1TB SATA hard drive $149.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136151'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136151</a> Power Supply (not sure if this is a good choice): OCZ GameXStream 700W $114.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002</a> CD/DVD BURNER: ASUS Black $26.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135156'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135156</a> CD/DVD Drive: ASUS Black DVD-ROM CD-ROM $14.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135172'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135172</a> Monitor: Acer 24 inch widescreen LCD $329.99 <a href='http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009113'>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009113</a> Total Price: $1,580.91 Any help appreciated =)