Help me choose new parts for my computer

ArakornArakorn Helsinki, Finland New
edited August 2007 in Hardware
I've finally got money (~2800€, but I don't have to use up all. :p) I use it mainly for gaming, but other things too... (Photoshop, Office, "modding", internet, maybe movies...) BTW, no overclocking, at least for a time...

Here's what I was thinking:

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black ATX Case 156.90 €

Asus P5B Deluxe 158.90 €/
Asus P5N32-SLI Premium 165.90 €

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 271.90 €

2x Kingston HyperX 2048MB (2GB) 800MHZ DDR2 (Kit of 2) 133.90 €=167.80€/
2x Kingston HyperX 2048MB (2GB) 800MHZ DDR2 166.90 €=333.80€

Gigabyte GeForce 8800GTX PCI-E GPU 521.90 €

2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA-II 75.90 €=151.80€/
2xSeagate Barracuda 7200.9 320GB 16MB SATA2 85.90 £=171.80€

Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 75.90 €
Samsung WriteMaster SH-S183L 18X DVD+/-RW SATA Black OEM 48.90 €
Plextor DVD+-R/RW/ Dual Layer IDE black bulk 60.90 €
Logitech G5 Laser Mouse 63.90 €
Logitech G15 Keyboard 77.90 €
Logitech X-540 5.1 80.90 €
Samsung SyncMaster 226BW 22''1000:1/2MS/1680X1050 398.90 €
MS Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit OEM FIN 104.90€
~2400€, excluding PSU

Now for the questions:
  1. The memory. I read somewhere long ago that to fully make use of something (Core 2 Duo? I think so...) you need to have 800MHz memory. BUT, I've also read that faster memory than 667MHz (800MHz) is only for overclocking... Which should I get?
    Should I then get 4x1GB (wouldn't that deactivate the dual channel thingy?) or 2x2GB?
  2. MoBo. Basically, Intel P965 or nForce 590? I'm not sure if I'll ever buy another GTX (or 2 of another card), but it's there in case. ;) Is there any other MoBo that you'd recommend to me? Anything I should note? (I don't want to pay more than 200€, and I want it to be able to run 2 HD's in Raid 0).
    Oh, it doesn't say for the P5N32 that is supports Quad Cores (click the link and then click on "Tuoteinfo".
  3. I have no idea what PSU to get, but I'd like it to be at least 500W. Should it be more? What kind of PSU should you have if you have 2 8800GTX's in SLI?
  4. Apparently there are no SATA DVD's that can burn Dual Layers. Am I wrong? (I got one SATA and one IDE so that the IDE one can burn Dual Layers. Not that I burn anything anyway! :P) What's the difference between Bulk and OEM versions?
  5. Is it hard to get a 5.1 speaker system to work? How are the cores made? (Do I just plug them in, and the cores go from one speaker to the next?)
  6. I heard that a 22" Widescreen LCD is good for gaming. What do you recommend? The Samsung 226BW was really recommended by many, but then I heard that you can't for example tilt it (vertically) AT ALL. This would be really sucky if I'd watch a movie or something from a sofa further away from my desk... and think about it, it's predecessor (sp?) 225BW was great in the "ergonomics department", but that is the biggest weakness of the 226-model! (BE Hardware review Still, it has won many tests so I guess this is a good (albeit expensive) choice...
  7. Can I connect to my WLAN I have at home, or do I need to install a new piece too?
  8. Home Premium, right? I don't really see any advantages with Ultimate... (Oh, and OEM is fine too? I really don't want to pay half a thousand Euros for crap... :P) One more thing, I don't see a point in getting 64 bit either. ;) What are the advantages of that really? Nothing seems to support it...

I'll be back on late Saturday (GMT+2) BTW. (In case you wonder why I won't answer. ;))

Comments

  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited July 2007
    1. 800 is the fastest DDR2 standard that there is. You can run faster, even without overclocking. I run my MSI mobo with higher bus and lower multiplier. My CPU is overclocked, but no nearly as much as my bus speed is.
    The choice of 2x2GB or 4x1GB is just money. since you will not be pushing for speed pick which ever costs less.
    2. I like the 965, the P35 is even better, but I don't see a need for it.
    I will never run RAID0 again. Too much risk for me. These drives are plenty fast. I like the 7200.10s, I am running a few of them.
    Your other CPU option is to buy a medium speed low cost dual core now and wait for quad prices to drop.
    3. PC Power and Cooling Silencer 610
    http://www.pcpower.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S61EPS
    The price made me choke, but man it is nice.
    4. whatever. I wouldn't worry about a dual layer burner now. Go without, they will become popular soon.
    5. The cords are easy on 5.1, everything is labeled. Each brand is a little different.
    6. don't get me started. This single item could take an entire thread to cover. Get an action DVD that you like and go to a store and look at monitors. Play with settings. I don't like the site, but monitors reviews are great; http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/03/08/four-wide-screen-19-monitors-compared/ There are more also.
    7. wired or wireless? either way it will be painless. Wired is easy since the NIC is built into the mobo. Wireless will take a card is all.
    8. anyone know where to get a legal copy of XP pro cheap???

    Are you going to do any entertainment system stuff? You need to watch that you have HDPC compliance on the video card and monitor.
  • bschiebschie
    edited July 2007
    I just recently purchased a Samsung Dual Layer 18x SATA burner from newegg. I know they dont ship internationally but another company is bound to have it. I think the model number is Model SH-S183L. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151141

    Also I am another anti-fan of Raid 0. It's too much risk with not that great of a benefit. You are better off getting a nice fast drive for your OS/installed programs and a massive storage yet slower drive for storage.

    As for monitors go.... there are so many out there now days that you can find one that fits your needs almost perfectly. Just do some research. PM me if you need help finding a monitor.
  • ArakornArakorn Helsinki, Finland New
    edited July 2007
    1. So you say that I should still go for the 800MHz memory? And should it be 4gb, and in dual channel? Or just 2Gb. I heard that it's better for a Vista-rig to have 4gb, but from another source I heard that the 32bit can handle only 3GB (doubt it personally, I thought it could handle up to 4GB...)
    So I found this, is it worth spending 335,80€ on 2x2GB 800MHz sticks so I can get it in dual channel?

    2. So a P5B it is then? And the one I've selected can connect to my Wireless LAN (;)) without any extra cards? Of course, I could always ask this in the shop so no worries there...
    My current Seagate 120GB has never failed (in 4½ years), so I'm one of those who hopes that technology hasn't gone backwards... (though I have my fears :p). The main reason I want to run Raid 0 is to have just one (virtual) drive, so I guess I could make it run in JBOs (is that the name?), as I don't know what the speed benefit of raid 0 is... But are you kidding me; the Quad Core prices just dropped! :D

    3. Unfortunately the store I'm buying from doesn't have any OCZ's (or "Silencer's" in their list, but if anyone would be willing to check this list quickly I'd be grateful: Verkkokauppa.com PSU's. It's in Finnish but I guess you can understand the brand and the wattage. By clicking on "Näytä" you get a pop-up from where you can click on "Tuoteinfo" to get to the manufacturer's site.

    4. Apparently the SATA Samsung DVD I though about is Dual Layer (bschie's link). Should I get 2 SATA drives though instead of one SATA and one IDE? The price is actually the other way around... :D

    7. I actually said WLAN in my post... Are you saying I need an extra card for that? No problems than (as I said in this post too...) There seems to be somekind of inbuilt WiFi on the MoBo though, so perhaps I won't need anything after all?


    Right now the most important things are the memory and the PSU, everything else is pretty much sorted...
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited July 2007
    Hello Arakorn, I would recommend a board based on the new P35 Intel chipset instead of the P965 based P5B dlx. This is because the P35 chipset is newer and gives you a guarranteed upgrade path to the next gen 45 nm C2D procs, whereas the boards based on P965 are iffy at best the way it looks now. Also, the P35 chipset boards have even more fsb headroom than P965 too, so it's easier to overclock a cheaper processor that has a lower multi. And another reason is that it looks like the P35 boards overclock the quads a bit better too.

    Here's a few links to some good P35 based boards for you to look at. I know you are across the big pond from Newegg and can't order from them, but their web pages are around the nicest online for checking out components and you can always look the board up you like best from a supplier in Europe.

    ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI - would be comparable to the P5B dlx wifi
    GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6 - Premium board, no wifi though like the Asus. Great overclocker
    GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R - support for both DRDR2 and DDR3 and RAID
    ASUS P5KC - stripper, non-RAID, non-wifi version of the P5K dlx. Does have 2 PCI-E x16 slots though
    GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3P - Like the DS3R except no DDR3 support. Does have RAID support
    ASUS P5K - economy version, no RAID, 2 PCI-E x16 slots
    GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R - Economy version, with RAID but only 1 PCI-E x16 slot
    ASUS P5K SE - Economy board, no RAID and only 1 PCI-E x16 slot
    GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L - Economy board, no RAID and only 1 PCI-E x16 slot

    For a psu on the page you linked, I would go with the Seasonic M12-600 or Seasonic M12-700 as Seasonic makes excellent power supplies with good rails and tight regulation. Another great choice is the Corsair HX620W, which is actually built by Seasonic. Corsair also gives a 5 year warrantee versus a 3 year on the Seasonic branded psu's too. I also own the Corsair myself and have been suitably impressed with it's performance, looks and cabling.
  • QeldromaQeldroma Arid ZoneAh Member
    edited July 2007
    I agree with muddocktor on the mobos- future-proof a little and go P35s.

    I also do NOT recommend going RAID 0 because you basically multiply your possibility of trashing your disk image. RAID 0 is something I would consider only for people like me who have huge-file video-editting tasks or the like. BTW, the term you are looking for is JBODs (Just a Bunch Of Disks).

    Memory is your call, but my thought is that I'd go 4GB in a 2x2GB configuration to keep my memory configuration as simple and error-free as possible- though it is a little more pricey at 800MHz speeds.

    I also like mudd's choice off PSUs- SeaSonic also makes very energy efficient PSUs and I'm looking at the SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-650HT ATX12V/EPS12V myself.

    Looks like a fun system coming together!
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited July 2007
    1) You cannot use more than 3GB of memory on Windows XP 32bit or Windows Vista 32bit. Using the x64 version of either will remedy that problem, however most applications are not compatible and/or are slow, and the driver development for these versions of Windows is terrible.

    2) Do not go RAID.

    3) I strongly recommend either the ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI or the
    GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6.

    4) If you're looking to do real overclocking, OCZ has great PC1066 in the form of the Reaper HPC PC1066. I don't know how cheap this is for you over there. If you're not going to overclock, however, both boards support 1066 out of the box and can give you a real bandwidth boost even if you don't overclock the CPU itself. If you can't find OCZ: Corsair, G.SKILL, Mushkin and Crucial also make great 1066 sticks.

    5) In the US, NEC, Pioneer, LG and Lite-On all make dual-layer SATA burners. I don't know why you can't find them there. For example: This.

    6) Stick with Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling, OCZ, Corsair, Thermaltake or HiPer when choosing a power supply. I suggest about 600w.

    7) If you're going to game, do not get Vista. Do not not not not not not not not not not not not not get Vista. You will regret it.
  • ArakornArakorn Helsinki, Finland New
    edited July 2007
    Hmm, why can't I edit my post?

    I decided to go for the P5K WiFi version. (I can connect to it without any other acessories to my WLAN, right?) There was also a more expensive P5K3-version, but I don't really saw the point in it..

    Because the Corsair 620W PSU was cheaper (and in one case more powerful too ;)), I decided for it. :p Can it (620W) give enough effect for SLI-GPU's? If it can't, can the Seasonic 700W do it?

    The bad thing with the store I'm buying from; www.verkkokauppa.com, the biggest hardware store in Finland, are the prices. Unfortunately the memory is very expensive, so the cheapest way to get 2x2GB 800MHz memory is buying 2 Kingston Hyper X 2048MB at the price of 167.90 € (=335.80 €).

    This will make my whole computer cost 2706.30 €, quite expensive, so I'll still think about that memory... :)

    I think I have everyting else sorted now though, will order the computer next next week when I come home. :) (Week 32). Thanks for all the help!

    If anyone still wants to suggest anything, feel free to do it!
  • fatsheepfatsheep
    edited July 2007
    Send me your 7900 GTX! (aren't you the one that bought that a while back?) ;) That is one NICE computer, I wish I had that kind of money haha... I would look at your power supply on the case but I can't read that nonesense. :-p I'm assuming the power supply comes with the case since you didn't list one? It's an Antec case and Antec makes good power supplies but still make sure it has enough juice for this high end PC. :)
  • GrayFoxGrayFox /dev/urandom Member
    edited July 2007
    You can't use that much ram in a 32bit windows (Excluding server 2003 as it supports 34bit memory addressing if you add a line to boot.ini)

    Other then that it looks like solid choices.
  • deaden_07deaden_07
    edited July 2007
    Looks like a well thought out PC to me. I'm jealous, it's a bit of an upgrade to my pc!

    Good luck with it and enjoy.
  • edcentricedcentric near Milwaukee, Wisconsin Icrontian
    edited July 2007
    Arakorn,
    The on-mobo wifi should connect to your network just fine.

    At those prices I would stick with 2x1GB for memory.
  • ArakornArakorn Helsinki, Finland New
    edited August 2007
    Sheep: No, I didn't list a PSU because I couldn't choose one myself. ;) But then Muddoctor helped me choose one; the Corsair HX620W. And no, I haven't got an 7900 GPU, maybe it was Apoc? :D

    EDcentric: OK. Will do. :)
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2007
    Thrax wrote:
    1) You cannot use more than 3GB of memory on Windows XP 32bit or Windows Vista 32bit. Using the x64 version of either will remedy that problem, however most applications are not compatible and/or are slow, and the driver development for these versions of Windows is terrible.
  • ArakornArakorn Helsinki, Finland New
    edited August 2007
    I thought it was 4 GB...

    It doesn't really make sense that the limit is the uneven 3GB instead of 4GB!
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited August 2007
    It's a limitation of 32 bit architecture.

    The OS (Any 32bit OS) can only address 2^32 bits (4,294,967,295) of memory-mapped I/O (MMIO, henceforth). Damn near anything on your computer has an MMIO address; the BIOS, the buses, your VRAM (Which supersedes your DRAM addressing). The computer reserves blocks of MMIO addresses for VRAM, then buses/bridges/BIOS, then DRAM. Your RAM gets all the addressing space left, which is usually 2.5-3.12GB.

    And that's that.
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited August 2007
    And one of the most important reasons that many forgest about. A 32 bit OS can only dedicate a maximum 3GB ram for a service/application. No matter if you have 4GB available in a 32 bit os, a single app cannot use it all.
  • ArakornArakorn Helsinki, Finland New
    edited August 2007
    Thanks for that explanation. I've decided to go for a quite cheap Kingston HyperX 2x1GB 800MHz pack.
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