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Gaming PC build

(19 posts)
  • Started 4 years ago by FlyingAxe
  • Latest reply from Budohorseman
  • Topic Viewed 1837 times

FlyingAxe
Posts: 44

Computer build for a friend. Goal: gaming PC for latest graphic-consuming games. Budget: $2.5-3K (with 22" monitor). One the one hand, something with planning for future (upgrades etc.). On the other hand, no desire to over-pay for the very latest products. Thanks...

Case: Cooler Mater Centurion 5 (требования от корпуса: строгий стиль, хорошее охлаждение, возможность апгрейда)

Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX 9650 Yorkfield

Motherboard: EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI DDR3 ATX Intel Motherboard

Video: EVGA 512-P3-N802-AR GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

Power: FSP Group Everest 1010 1000W ATX12V V2.2/EPS V2.91 Power Supply

Memory: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler

DVD-burner: SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S203N - OEM

I already posted someplace else, but while they are replying, I'd like a second opinion here. Thanks...

Posted 4 years ago #
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jack7h3r1pp3r
jack7h3r1pp3r
Posts: 2815

you could check this out it might help you make some decisions: http://www.codinghorror.com/bl.....01157.html

originally posted by scott here: http://www.howtogeek.com/forum.....?replies=8

Posted 4 years ago #
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ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 6609

FlyingAxe, welcome. Memory is cheap, relative to your budget. Why slow down that Extreme CPU with 800 MHz memory? You could move up to 1600 MHz DDR3 DIMMs -- that's double the bandwidth! Also, the motherboard says DDR3 in the name, so you probably have to have DDR3 DIMMs anyway.

Also, that Seagate Barracuda HD is a nice, quiet drive but it's not a gamer's drive. You should step up to a faster drive, such as the WD VelociRaptor mentioned in the codinghorror.com blog posting. Other than that, it looks good.

Posted 4 years ago #
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jack7h3r1pp3r
jack7h3r1pp3r
Posts: 2815

oh ya i didn't even see the ram being ddr3 on the mobo. ddr3 can be a bit spendy though compared to ddr2 but it is a lot faster

Posted 4 years ago #
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FlyingAxe
Posts: 44

How much difference does having quad-core vs. dual-core has for gaming? Also, DDR2 vs. DDR3?

Posted 4 years ago #
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jack7h3r1pp3r
jack7h3r1pp3r
Posts: 2815

a quad core can preform better under heavier loads because of the extra cores it will spread out the load rather than maxing out the dual core. and the main diff. between ddr2 and 3 is that ddr3 i quite a bit faster than ddr2. ie. ddr2 runs at about 533mhz - 800mhz and ddr3 runs at about 1600mhz - 2000mhz so there is quite a bit of a diff. there.

Posted 4 years ago #
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FlyingAxe
Posts: 44

Yeah, but is there a real noticeable difference?

Posted 4 years ago #
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jack7h3r1pp3r
jack7h3r1pp3r
Posts: 2815

well i have not tested the diff. but from the specs there should be for sure.

Posted 4 years ago #
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ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 6609

FlyingAxe, you might not notice a difference in performance between DDR2 800 (PC2-6400) and DDR3 1600 (PC3-12800), but the improved benchmarks and game framerates would show it. The advantage of dual channel is more debatable.

Posted 4 years ago #
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CompFreak247
Posts: 12

Quad vs dual for gaming? Most games and programs currently out do not scale well among cores, so despite what Intel says clock speed is king. A 180$ 3.16 Ghz E8500 will blow all but an overclocked QX9650 out of the water on most current programs, and have significantly higher framerates on games. Obviously an overclocked QX9650 will be somewhat better on them, but the difference is marginal for the cost. Its a different story in truly optimized programs - your QX9650 will easily double an E8500's score. Still, virtually no common programs scale well to 4 or more cores...

Posted 4 years ago #
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FlyingAxe
Posts: 44

OK, so in light of the last post (repeated to me by many other people in many different places), here's a new build. I am shooting for something that will still play the latest games for a year or two until I have to upgrade. I am not looking for DDR3 right now, since a lot of people told me that the difference is speed is not noticeable enough for the price difference. So, here goes (copy-pasted from NewEgg):

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
ASUS Maximus II Formula LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
EVGA 01G-P3-1284-AR GeForce GTX 280 SSC Edition 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler - Retail
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply - Retail

ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail

Any thoughts? Zalman 9700 cooler vs. Scythe SCASM-1000 120mm Sleeve Andy Samurai Master? How about the power supply? Antec P182 vs. Antec Nine Hundred? Do you guys think one won't be able to play the latest games for a while (until next upgrade in a year or two) on this system? Thanks...

Posted 4 years ago #
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CompFreak247
Posts: 12

Wow - that build is so close to what I had a few steps ago its scary. I've been convinced to swap out my cooler, though: the new XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 can be bought at http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6835233003 for 26.99 with mail in rebate and free shipping. According to tests it far outperforms the Zalman, and is half the price. Other then that, I'd consider going with the Nine Hundred, and maybe a 650 EarthWatts PS instead. I've heard nothing but good things about EarthWatts, but mixed reviews of Corsairs. Go with OCZ Reapers; you can find them for cheaper then Corsair Dominators and they seem to perform better. Your graphics card should last a while, though. Personally I'd go with a 64 GB Core SSD for $60 less then the velociraptor, and enjoy the huge performance gains, but if you need more storage space stick with the raptor. Can't think of anything else ATM...

Posted 4 years ago #
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FlyingAxe
Posts: 44

CompFreak, thanks. I can't find EarthWatts 650W on newegg right though.

What's "64 GB Core SSD"? A hard drive? Also, how easy are liquid-cooled coolers to install etc.? I've never used one before.

Posted 4 years ago #
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ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 6609

FlyingAxe, I like the step-ups you made in the hard drive and GPU. Those are more important than updating the memory speed, because they are slower devices -- weak links that can hold everything else back. The P182 is a good case, but the Nine Hundred looks nice, too. I like the big, honkin' 200mm fan at the top which should provide good exhaust and less noise. I can tell you that the Zalman 9700 cooler is noisy at full speed; more than I thought it would be. If I were doing a build today, I would try getting a case with good airflow and see if I could get a Scythe Ninja cooler to run fanless.

I don't know about water cooling, but it sounds expensive and risky. If any of that water leaks...game over! There's always a new game that people are upgrading their rigs for. From what I here lately, it's Crysis right now. Who knows what will be out in 1-2 years? It's best to enjoy your rig and keep it viable as long as possible.

Posted 4 years ago #
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jack7h3r1pp3r
jack7h3r1pp3r
Posts: 2815

yes crysis is a beast of a game i get like 25 fps on medium with 2gb's ram and an 8600 gt and intel p4 3.0ghz w/hyper threading

i can play on high but it's super laggy really fun game though

Posted 4 years ago #
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madmacs
madmacs
Posts: 1438

The Tuniq (Sunbeam) Core Contact Freezer is one of the best coolers around in my opinion and cheap at that. It cost´s around 35 Euros here and leaves plenty of room for overclocking. Not the quietist but definately one of the most affective!!

Posted 4 years ago #
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jack7h3r1pp3r
jack7h3r1pp3r
Posts: 2815

ya i really need to find some quieter fans for my desktop it sounds like a jet :)

Posted 4 years ago #
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ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 6609

Looks like this is the Core Contact Freezer from Sunbeamtech:
http://www.sunbeamtech.com/PRO.....eezer.html

It looks similar to a Scythe Ninja. One of the problems with fans is that a fan with bearings lasts longer, but makes more noise. On this Sunbeam, they are using fluid-dynamic bearings (FDB) which are used in hard drives to keep the noise down. I like the sound of that (he he, pun intended). Also, if it truly runs at 16db that would be inaudible in most rooms unless you had your ear pressed against it.

Posted 4 years ago #
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Budohorseman
Budohorseman
Posts: 847

I got the Antec P182 case for my latest pc and I love it. Take a look at the Antec TPQ-850 or TPQ-1000 power supplies, very nice units indeed. For a cooler check out the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme along with with Scythe 120mm fan. I'm also a big fan of OCZ RAM, their higher end sticks are made for overclocking and many have a warranty that covers a decent amount of overclocking. Look into getting 6-8 gigs of RAM, you will not be sorry. You should also consider getting two identical HDD's for a RAID 0 or four of them for a RAID 10.

Posted 4 years ago #
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