I Want A New Pc...

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

looks like i need to cash in my pipe and slippers and get some SRS SICKNESS on the go.

[Haz]

I need me a pair of 8800GTs, that'd be swish right now.

[nb88]

So you think I should get a better motherboard? I can't really find any that are 'better' but then I don't really know what to look for, the next ones up seem to have pretty much the same features, some with triple SLI and stuff like that I don't need.

For gaming I basically want to play the latest games, crysis, call of duty 4 etc. The 8800GT should be OK for this? I will probably get another in a few months or may just end up ordering 2 for this build - is it worth it?

If anyone could recommend me a better mobo thatd be good, or a better graphics card if you think there are any in a similar price range. I've read reviews saying the GT is way better than the GTS and now only a tiny bit more expensive.

Also - found a quad core 2.6ghz for around the same price as the dual 3.2ghz. What do you think would be more effective? I'm guessing the dual.

[JonMack]

Depends what you want to do, if the apps you use havent been developed to make the most of the 4 cores then it will be slower, but if they are, it will be faster.

Edited August 6, 2008 by Mark King

[Krisboats]

So you think I should get a better motherboard? I can't really find any that are 'better' but then I don't really know what to look for, the next ones up seem to have pretty much the same features, some with triple SLI and stuff like that I don't need.

For gaming I basically want to play the latest games, crysis, call of duty 4 etc. The 8800GT should be OK for this? I will probably get another in a few months or may just end up ordering 2 for this build - is it worth it?

If anyone could recommend me a better mobo thatd be good, or a better graphics card if you think there are any in a similar price range. I've read reviews saying the GT is way better than the GTS and now only a tiny bit more expensive.

Also - found a quad core 2.6ghz for around the same price as the dual 3.2ghz. What do you think would be more effective? I'm guessing the dual.

Okay the processor question is pretty easy. The dual core will have a faster clock, so it has a bit more grunt behind it. It'll be good for things like cod4 and general internet browsing etc. The quad core won't have as much raw power behind it, but it'll be far more able at things that are optimised for it. A 64bit operating system runs marginally smoother, encoding programs are far quicker and games like crysis always do better with a quad core than a dual because crysis is largly cpu limited so long as you have a half decent graphics card. Theres also the option of overclocking. Its relatively easy and makes the chip run faster than it does at standard. The Q6600 can reach around 3.0ghz-3.2ghz on the stock cooler and if you buy a slightly better cooler for it later on down the line you can crank that baby up to between 3.6ghz and 4.0ghz. I don't know for sure how high the 3.2ghz dual core chip goes but i'd imagine it'll be about 3.6-3.9ghz on the stock cooler and 3.9-4.3ghz with something better. Basically it'll top out slightly faster but won't be as good with half the amount of cores.

Motherboards are a bit trickier, they all essentially do the same thing just some have a few extras that you'll more than likely never use. The main priority with a motherboard is reliability and compatibility. Its all very well buying a more expensive one but if its not compatible with several sets of ram, chances are it'll give you some hiccups down the line. I know first hand the gigabyte line are pretty good, i've been using a ds3r for the past year and its been truly faultless. http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct....3%20Motherboard Thats the slightly newer version of mine and it supports high fsb rated chips, core2's and quads, DDR2 & DDR3 (should you upgrade when the prices of ddr3 are below £200) and has a shed load of SATA connections etc. The ASUS p5k/q series boards are pretty good too, my housemate bought the deluxe wifi one at just over £100 and with the exception of a weird bios menu layout its been pretty good for him.

The 8800gt should handle crysis alright at your resolution, but if you can get a few pounds more the £80 8800gt then an ati 4850 will be slightly better. SLI isn't fantastic to be honest and a lot of the time your better off just getting a new card later on down the line. Theres a lot of people who have troubles with the SLI bridges and have incompatabilities in games because of it.

[nb88]

Just found this graphics card cheap on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...N:IT&ih=014

so ordered 2 of them... hopefully i'll be able to get SLi working...

also ordered a core 2 duo and 4gb corsair ram from scan.co.uk... so just need motherboard now

hope i did make a huge mistake ordering those graphics cards, they are just so cheap compared to scan and ebuyer.

[froggy]

Just found this graphics card cheap on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...N:IT&ih=014

so ordered 2 of them... hopefully i'll be able to get SLi working...

also ordered a core 2 duo and 4gb corsair ram from scan.co.uk... so just need motherboard now

hope i did make a huge mistake ordering those graphics cards, they are just so cheap compared to scan and ebuyer.

Well you've kind of gone and locked yourself into buying an NVIDIA chipset motherboard to support SLI.

Which Corsair RAM did you buy?

And whats the processor model?

Unfortunately as you've gone and made SLI a must have, the decent NVIDIA chipset motherboards are incredibly expensive (overpriced some would say). So how much cash are you left with? The best budget SLI board available IMO is the Asrock PENRYN1600SLI-110DB (40-50pounds) I can't really comment on any SLI motherboards because I haven't had any experience nor have any knowledge of them but I would avoid the ASUS P5NE-SLI.

Also, what case are you using? How are you keeping it cool? And more importantly what PSU are you using? My 8800GT runs HOT and powering 2 8800GTs is going to take a decent PSU and not just a high watt PSU.

EDIT: I've just actually read the thread Ok, so,

You're NOT going to find a mATX SLI ready motherboard, so what case is it your using because that system is going to generate a lot of heat under load at stock speeds.

Have you ever seen an 8800GT? They are LONG and don't fit in many older mATX cases as the HDD mounting racks get in the way.

SLI doesn't mean that having two 8800GT's is going to run twice as fast as one 8800GT. This is in theory the general concept although as Krisboats said, hardly any programs/games support SLI technology. The 80quid is better of in your pocket or being spent elsewhere. That is just my opinion though.

Edited August 6, 2008 by froggy

[ZeroMatt]

Well you've kind of gone and locked yourself into buying an NVIDIA chipset motherboard to support SLI.

Which Corsair RAM did you buy?

And whats the processor model?

Unfortunately as you've gone and made SLI a must have, the decent NVIDIA chipset motherboards are incredibly expensive (overpriced some would say). So how much cash are you left with? The best budget SLI board available IMO is the Asrock PENRYN1600SLI-110DB (40-50pounds) I can't really comment on any SLI motherboards because I haven't had any experience nor have any knowledge of them but I would avoid the ASUS P5NE-SLI.

Also, what case are you using? How are you keeping it cool? And more importantly what PSU are you using? My 8800GT runs HOT and powering 2 8800GTs is going to take a decent PSU and not just a high watt PSU.

Unless Asrock boards have changed for the better recently they're a little bit dodgy with reliability, my first one turned up broken then I sent it back to be replaced and the next was broken and when I got the replacement that worked it died after about 4 months of average usage no ocing or anything. That put me right off them as was a right pain in the arse. Saying that though they are specced well for the price so may be worth the risk as have heard that some work well others are like mine, bit of a gamble really.

Alhough gotta agree with the whole overpriced nforce boards thing, recently been trying out tri sli with the 780i and that was really steep 150 quid or something.

[Haz]

I love my nVidea 650i Fatal1ty FP-IN9, which cost me 60 quid last summer.

Overclocks well enough, supports everything I need.

Slightly more expensive than the ATi chipset boards, but from experience, I have found them to be better overclockers and better framerates in most gaves with an equivelant dual card setup with very similar spec.

[nb88]

Not going for mATX anymore, changed my mind and keeping my Lian Li PC-65 case.

I've got a core 2 duo 3.2ghz, those 2 8800GT's, and 4GB Corsair TwinX XMS2 ram. I don't want to spend too much on a mobo, could stretch up to 100 pounds though - are there any ones you'd recommend under that price range? I saved quite a bit of money by shopping at Scan and ebay so thought why not go for SLi...if it supports games like Call of Duty 4 and Crysis then im happy.

[nb88]

Some motherboards I could buy...

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/126437 - XFX 680I LT edition SLI Socket 775 Nvidia 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144222 - Asrock PENRYN1600SLI-110DB Nvidia 650i SLI Socket 775 7.1 Channel Audio ATX

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/140949 - Gigabyte GA-N650SLI-DS4L nForce 650i SLI Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/147805 - EVGA nForce 750i SLI *** Socket 775 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard (bit expensive)

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=729916 - Asus P5N-D, NF750i SLI, 775, PCI-E 2.0 (x16), DDR2, 533/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=505256 - Asus P5N32-E SLI NF680i SLI, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 533/667/800, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX

[Haz]

Personally I'm with Kris on this. Go quad core. Intel q6600 will easily see 3Ghz if not more on a stock cooler, and games like crisis take full advantage of all the cores.

It will probably be cheaper and it's a fair bit more energy efficient.

[nb88]

I've already ordered the 3.2 dual core, the quads were too expensive for anything about 2.6

[Haz]

If you can stretch to it, I'd go with the P5N32-E.

I've already ordered the 3.2 dual core, the quads were too expensive for anything about 2.6

You could have easily overclocked a 2.4Ghz q6600 to 30Ghz.

[nb88]

Do you think I would be able to overclock the duo? Not that i'd know how...

[Token]

Do you think I would be able to overclock the duo? Not that i'd know how...

I've got a core 2 duo, from 2.4ghz to 3.2ghz on the standard cooler. I'd expect you to atleast get 3.6-3.8

Although as has already been said, you should of bought the quad 2.4ghz because you would of easily seen 3.0ghz+ without doing any voltage mods. The 2.4 is a bloody good price at the moment too.

[Haz]

Do you think I would be able to overclock the duo? Not that i'd know how...

Yeah but not that far, it's essentially the same as the lower clocked 45nm cores. So essentially it's allready overclocked and takes advantage of the natural stability. To overclock it further you'll need some extra cooling and some extra voltages and stuff, not exactly beginner stuff.

It'll be damn quick anyway, and perfectly stable, so no worries really.

[nb88]

Ah i see, I didnt actually think about overclocking anything

Also the PSU i have is the Tagan BZ 1300 so it will be more than enough for my setup. On the case I have 2 front intake fans, 1 rear exhaust and 1 top exhaust and its an aluminium case - I may replace some of the fans as they are pretty old though. So I should think the standard intel fan will be sufficient?

[Haz]

Yeah they are fine for the most part.

[nb88]

Thanks for your help, i'm gonna order the P5N32-E and vista now, the board is cheaper on ebuyer too.

Everything ordered...total of 628 pounds including the PSU....yikes!

[Haz]

I spent that last summer and I didn't even get SLi, that's not too bad at all...

[nb88]

Another slight problem...on my modular PSU, the top 4 plugs hit my exhaust fan if they are plugged in:

That shows the bottom 4 in use, with none of the top 4

I should be OK with just 4, i only have 1 hard drive and 1 dvd drive, and I think the graphics cards have only 1 power input? If so im guessing i can just use the bottom 4 plugs? If not, do you think i'll be able to take off the top fan? Are there any thinner fans you can buy? On my case i have 2 intake fans on the front, 1 exhaust fan below the PSU and that top fan.

Cheers.

Edited August 7, 2008 by nb88

[Danny]

If the wires have all the plugs on you need without splitters you should be fine. Failing that remove the exhaust fan.

Looks like a lian li case from the picture so will probably have a 120mm or 2x 80mm fans at the back anyway.

[nb88]

Hello again...

just got it all built, borrowing my friends 7600 gpu at the moment till mine arrive. First time i tried booting, i got no video and no beeps, but all fans etc were on, everything powered and plugged in. Then i tried taking video card out, no beeps still. Then took RAM out, and i get 1 long beep, 2 short beeps, which typically means 'no video'. But if i put either bit of ram in any slot, i get no beeps. Can anyone help?

[Haz]

Hello again...

just got it all built, borrowing my friends 7600 gpu at the moment till mine arrive. First time i tried booting, i got no video and no beeps, but all fans etc were on, everything powered and plugged in. Then i tried taking video card out, no beeps still. Then took RAM out, and i get 1 long beep, 2 short beeps, which typically means 'no video'. But if i put either bit of ram in any slot, i get no beeps. Can anyone help?

You need to make sure the RAM is seating properly, if it's not it won't POST. It has to be in perfectly before it will work.