Planning Major Upgrade/Rebuild

[Keleka]

For starters i'm going from this system *don't laugh* It's more then aged and still works well. I can't remember the year i built it to be honest lol.. I'm guessing 4-5 years maybe.

MSI K7T266Pro
AMD T-Bird 1.4
1.25GB Crucial Memory
ATI Radeon 9700Pro
Soundblaster Audigy 4
WD 7200 HD 40GB
Windows Vista
Antec 1050B SOHO case
Enermax P465 PS.
Guestimated Costs i'm saying 2K or better.
This is my projected new build- For reference i don't overclock or intend to.


ntel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - $246.00

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115003">Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775
Processor - $316.00 </a>

2x for Crossfire-ATI 100-437807 Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - $429.98

Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $245.00

Seagate Barracuda ES ST3320620NS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $94.99

SAMSUNG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X

Microsoft Natural 4000 B2M-00012 Black 107 Normal Keys 17 Function Keys USB Wired Ergonomics Keyboard - $49.99

Total Cost at Newegg is $1,433,47

Logitch MX518 Mouse, X-540 5.1 Surround Speaker system, Antec 1050B SOHO server case, Enermax P465-460W Power supply. *left overs from current system.

As you can see this is a major upgrade that i came up with. I'm also open to critics of my intended build. A couple questions. Would you go ahead with the dual crossfire ATI XT1950's or wait. They are non DX-10 cards i know. I can't afford SLI two Nvidia 8800 thats for sure lol.. I doubt we will see many DX-10 games for at least the next year or so. I didn't add a sound card because apparently by review Intel's onboard Audio is quite stellar. Will my old power supply be ample? And last but not least in your opinion will this system run the most graphic intense games on the market now and in the near future at MAX settings as smooth as butter.

Thanks for your time!

Keleka.

 

[jpeyton]

Parts I would change:

RAM: This ram is a vastly better deal at $115 for 2GB.

Motherboard: Get a Gigabyte DS3 or a Asus P5B. If you really want the Intel motherboard, Microcenter.com has it for $175.

Video Cards: Much cheaper for the same card.

If you plan on overclocking, just get an E6400 instead and save $100.

 

[kedlav]

I just did a major upgrade from a similar system to a similar system(KT333/AXP 1.53/1 GB DDR333/Ti4600 => GA-965P-DS3/E6400/2 GB DDR2-800/8800GTS), so I understand where you're at.

Motherboard wise, there are cheaper, better performing boards. More importantly, the 965 and 650i series both rock and are cheap, which makes them a much better choice. If you're overclocking, don't waste cash going to the E6600, just stick with an E6400. SLI/Crossfire has consistently demonstrated that it is utterly un-cost effective and generally yields weaker performance than the top end, so toss that out as well IMO. Much better to spend 400 on a GTS, if not a GTX. On-board audio is by no means stellar, but it is quite decent. If you're looking for something top-end, you still need a discrete card, but if you normally buy a $40-50 card, then its not really worth it. Lastly, don't forget to plan for case/cooling/PSU. You won't believe how quiet new systems can be compared to old ones, and its always nice to get the best overclock. I personally use the Sonata II, a Seasonic S12 PSU, an Arctic 7 Freezer Pro, as well as another 120mm antec tricool. Temperatures are rather low and the system still is on the quiet side despite overclocking.

 

[magreen]

Your motherboard and ram are overkill. And like kedlav said, you'll do better from one high-end card than two has-been cards in SLI. And I see you're not using RAID. And that you're not overclocking.
So you can save quite a bit:

1) get a $50-$85 motherboard - the GA-945P-S3 is good. At stock speeds it performs just as well as fancy motherboards. You could save even more here if you wanted to -- there are $50 motherboards that would get the job done.

2) Get 2GB of low latency CAS4 DDR2 533 RAM like this for $150 to run your CPU at stock speeds.

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Parts I would change:

RAM: This ram is a vastly better deal at $115 for 2GB.

Motherboard: Get a Gigabyte DS3 or a Asus P5B. If you really want the Intel motherboard, Microcenter.com has it for $175.

V

i agree with this. get the ram and either the ds3 or p5b.

also, as kedlav stated, get the 8800GTS. much better deal than 2 x1950pros ($365AR on newegg for an 8800GTS)

 

[myocardia]

First of all, welcome to Anandtech. Secondly, everyone who has said that CF or SLI isn't worth it is completely correct: link. For the same money, one faster card always destroys two cards in SLI or CF. The only time that isn't true is at uberhigh resolutions, like above 1920x1200.

 

[oynaz]

Are you planning on overclocking?

 

[Keleka]

Originally posted by: oynaz
Are you planning on overclocking?

Not at the moment but, I've made some changes based on recommendations here.

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - $133.00

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - $222.00

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $164.00

BFG Tech BFGR88640GTSOCE GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 OC HDCP Video Card - $410.00

So i dropped from the E6600 to the E6400, Went from thinking of SLI 2x ATI XT1950 to the 8800GTS. Corsair Ram instead of Patriot. And the Gigabyte board instead of the Intel Bad Axe 2 which i've read not so hot reviews on now.

I see preformance gains over my original system already. I've also cut the cost from $1444 to about $1120 so roughly 336 dollars less cost to me. The dollar amount isn't so much of a deal to me but it is my finance minister.. I mean my spouse ..

Thanks for the advice all.

 

[magreen]

And after you've had that rig for awhile, you'll realize you can overclock it to 2.7 GHz without even making an effort, on stock voltage, with the stock cooler, without sacrificing stability or longevity.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: Keleka
I see preformance gains over my original system already. I've also cut the cost from $1444 to about $1120 so roughly 336 dollars less cost to me. The dollar amount isn't so much of a deal to me but it is my finance minister.. I mean my spouse ..

What, you're not going to use the extra $ to get the GTX/R600? :evil:

 

[Keleka]

Well it's paid for and in the Mail from www.newegg.com and here is what i came up with.

INTEL|C2D E6400 2.13G 775 2M R - $222.00- Cooler: CPU FAN ZALMAN|CNPS9500 AT RTL - $48.00
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 P965 775 - $134.00
BFG BFGR88640GTSOCE 8800GTS R -$410.00
MEM 1Gx2|CORSAIR TWIN2X2048-5400c4 - $164.00
PSU OCZ|OCZ700GXSSLI 700W RT - $160.00
Seagate Barracuda HD 320G|ST 7K 16M SATA2 ST3320620NS - $95.00
Samsung Do it all Drive DVD_BURN SAMSUNG|SH-S182M/BEBN $32.49
KB MS|NATURAL 4000 BLK RT - $50.00
GRAW Free with the Processor

Items from old Build
SB Audigy 4
Logitech MX518 Mouse
Logitech X-540 5.1 Speakers
Antec 1050B SOHO Server Case
Windows Vista

In the mail cost was $1335.00 do it yourself price.. I would guestimate to buy a prebuilt with the same hardware well over $3000.00.. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[GooeyGUI]

Originally posted by: myocardia
First of all, welcome to Anandtech. Secondly, everyone who has said that CF or SLI isn't worth it is completely correct: link. For the same money, one faster card always destroys two cards in SLI or CF. The only time that isn't true is at uberhigh resolutions, like above 1920x1200.

I'm confused. I thought that running two cards in tandem was faster than one card by itself. Have things changed or what? I haven't built a new PC in a few years.

 

[rileychris]

Congrats on the new build!!!

2 cards in tandem is faster than one card if you are talking about the same cards. Thr point made ehre is that for the money spent on the 2 cards a better performing single card could be bought.

8800 GTS > 2 X X1950PRO

 

[GooeyGUI]

Originally posted by: rileychris
Congrats on the new build!!!

2 cards in tandem is faster than one card if you are talking about the same cards. Thr point made ehre is that for the money spent on the 2 cards a better performing single card could be bought.

8800 GTS > 2 X X1950PRO

Thanks, I was suspecting as much, but the old mind isn't what it used to be.

 

[imported_AndyT]

It looks like you did a nice job selecting compnents. Nice PSU choice! Thanks

 

[Keleka]

Well i built the system and figured i would tell a little story . My first system didn't go without a hitch but this one pretty much did hardware wise. If you want to see my gear read up or just check my sig.. I'm running stock for now.. The OCZ Gamestream 700W power supply is first class from the LED to the class wire sheaths/covers.. whatever you want to call them. Enough connectors to power a small city block.. Overkill for my system but hey more is better in power supplies. System runs about 26-30 degrees idle and was at 42C after running Orthos for about 10 minutes.. I would say that Zalman CNSP9500 is doing a fine job. I could of used the Intel HSF but i like to spend a little extra just in case. It was a bit of a pain installing the bracket it mounts on but i finally got it on )... Other then that pretty much bolt it up, install ram and connect everything. So far so good .. No instablity at all. BFGTECH 8800GTX rules.. it runs GRAW and Call of Duty 2 at max settings like butter and those wouldnt run for squat on my 1.4 with ATI 9700 pro even at low settings.

I am pissed off and i did send Microsoft some hate mail today.. Both my Windows Vista and XP Home said my CD keys were already in use so i had to buy another Home one for 84 bucks.. I told those !@#$% i wanted my money back for the XP key and another license/CD key for Windows XP. I only installed Vista on the other system and once again on this. Product activation is BULLSHIT imo. What are we that build or do major upgrades regularly to do. Again its crap as most agree. I'm up and running stable right now.. Haven't had a single glitch at all tbh.

Now onto Windows Vista. It really looks nice but its buggy as heck. Installing alone is not without issue. It never even recongnized an unformatted hard drive so i had to install XP home first and it recognized and i had to follow up with the Vista upgrade. On my old system i had to set my BIOS to default which had my 1.4Tbird at 1ghz instead of its spec before Vista would even install. What kinda crap is that. I liked the Aero interface, Windows mail and the search. You type device manager and it opened.. Kinda novel but i liked it. Other then that it's BLOATWARE.. Uses about 15GB install space.. XP Home used about 8GB. OpenAL sound sucks. BIG mistake messing with Direct Sound and doing away with EAX.. Nothing compares to EAX in games. OpenAL sounded cheap. WTG retards at MS. Even if they send me a new CD key i may not install it for awhile tbh. Its really not ready for prime time even on the latest gear.

Keleka

So there you go for those interested another novel post of mine to read lol