Is this a good gaming system?

[astrotzky]

Hello,

I plan to buy a new computer soon and I thought it's wise to ask more people about my choices.
Here is what I have in mind:

Motherboard : ASUS Maximus II Formula (200 EUR)
CPU : INTEL E8600 - Core 2 Duo, 3.3GHz (230 EUR)
Video card : ASUS EAH4870X2 Radeon HD 4870 X2 (440 EUR)
RAM : 2 x Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C4DHX - 2GB DRR2-800 (100 EUR)
HDD : 2 x Western Digital VelociRaptor - WD3000GLFS (480 EUR)
PSU : Zalman ZM850-HP - 850W (200 EUR)
Case : Thermaltake Kandalf LCS (240 EUR)
DVD writer : Samsung SH-S203P (40 EUR)
Keyboard : Logitech G15 2005 or G11 (80 EUR); hope I will still find G15 2005 (had that cool wheel)
Mouse : Logitech MX 518 (45 EUR)
Display : Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM, 24'', 1920x1200 (360 EUR)

In total it's about 2500 EUR and this is kind of my budget (can go a few hundreds higher but I don't really want to).

And here are my reasons:

Motherboard
- it's a P45 chipset based mobo because I don't trust NVIDIA on chipsets and it's not a X48 because I don't plan to use CrossFire
- has hardware RAID (Speeding HDD)
- performs fine in reviews
- I trust ASUS as a brand

CPU
- fastest Core 2 Duo
- I plan to overclock it and would like not to increase the voltage; from the reviews I read this processor is the most stable with this kind of overclocking (probably brought by the new E0 stepping)

Video card
- needed a bad video card because I want to play all the games maxed out at 1920x1200
- the only thing better than this (but only slightly and not in all games) is 2 GTX 280, and that's at least 300 EUROs more. It's a no-brainer who provides better value here

RAM
- 2 x 2GB seems the best/enough for now (will use Vista or XP 64 bit editions)
- I trust the brand
- it's on ASUS' Qualified Vendor List which means it has been tested with the motherboard so I won't have problems

HDD
- 2 pieces of the fastest hard-drive available
- will use RAID 0
- solid state hard drives are just too expensive now (perhaps in a few years...)

PSU
- has enough juice (including amps)
- respected brand
- performs ok in reviews
- it's very quiet

Case
- looks cool
- it's quiet
- it has water cooling and I want that, but I am not ready to make case modifications. I'm sure that if I were to cut the case myself it would look horrible

DVD RW
- from the reviews it seems ok
- has LightScribe which might come in handy

Mouse
- it's wired (had some bad experiences with gaming using wireless mice)
- can change DPI on-the-fly while you are in the game
- it's lighter than G5 (I don't like brick mice - heavy and big)

Display
- I like 24'' / 1920x1200
- it performs ok in the reviews
- has HDMI
- looks nice
- has TN panel which means it's cheap and it doesn't have noticeable input lag; I don't mind viewing angles: I will be gaming right in front of it


The video card will probably be the most noisy component and I will probably buy a water block as soon as I know there is no fabrication problem with it. I heard that mounting a water block voids the warranty so I want first to make sure I won't return it.

What do you think?
Will I have any incompatibilities?
Known issues with any component?
Are my choices correct?

P.S. Sorry for the huge post.


Thank you.

[KarmaKiller]

That's a sweet system man.

I would recommend a different water cooling setup, I've read many of threads that have people complaining about their Thermaltake water setup leaking. SO just be careful.
But you could put together a QUALITY water setup for fairly cheap, and it would probably cool better, and you would have piece of mind too.
You can use a different block, it will come with barbs that you need more then likely. As long as you use non-corrosive mix, you'll be fine.
And mounting a water block does not void the warranty. If anything happens, you'll have to take off your water block, and at that point they have no idea what you were using for cooling.

And I just read a post yesterday that had a guy clocking his E8600 past 6.5Ghz.
Of course he upped the v-core, but that's impressive.
And welcome to TechIMO.

[Stevie Blaze]

Yea mate that looks like a really really nice system, you clearly know what you want.

You thinking of getting a soundcard? Or sticking with the on-board 7.1

[EXreaction]

How soon is "soon"?

Intel is preparing their release of their next generation of cpu's and motherboards to be released within the next couple of months.

I don't see any reason to spend 2500 on a setup that will not be compatible with the new lineup coming out soon (you would need a new motherboard, processor, and ram to get their new line up).

[ShyguyXPC]

Reading from top to bottom, before seeing replies, was thinking same exact thing as EX mentioned. The rest of the system is sweet, just the CPU, Mobo & RAM would wait to see whats out, unless your feeling confident with this setup go for it then.

only wish I had the cash for this kind of rig, though if it were me, & just saying if I were building one, I'd be putting in a Quad Core, & opting for Crossfire with 2 x2's or a Single 4870 & an x2. But thats because I do more than just Game on my system.

Case is good, I have one of the original Armor Cases, the Kandalf is same case just different exterior shell, & the LCS is just one with Water cooling built in. either way you'll love the case, plenty of room, & nice customization for stuff, only thing out there better might be Coolermasters Stacker series.

[astrotzky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmaKiller

I've read many of threads that have people complaining about their Thermaltake water setup leaking.

Really? That doesn't sound good. Do you think it's the system or the people mounting it incorrectly?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmaKiller

welcome to TechIMO

[Stevie Blaze]

Good for you. I decieded not to wait as well. At some point you have to jump on constanly moving platform that is the pc otherwise you would constantly be waiting for the next big thing. And that X-fi should be great for you. Enjoy your new pc and let us know how it performs.

[KarmaKiller]

Quote:

Really? That doesn't sound good. Do you think it's the system or the people mounting it incorrectly?

The threads I read, either had the fitting in between the res and pump leaking, or the gasket on the CPU block itself sprung a leak. One guy talked about before even installing the block, to tighten the screws down first. He said it helped.
And for safety, you always want to leak test your new water setup before you mount any hardware to it. I myself ran mine for about 8 hours, just in case. You might do the same just to be sure.

Again, I would recommend you put together a system piece by piece. It's not hard to install, and I believe it would cool better.
Just IMO of course.

[astrotzky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KarmaKiller

And for safety, you always want to leak test your new water setup before you mount any hardware to it. I myself ran mine for about 8 hours, just in case.

This is a very good advice. Thank you. You can bet I will leave only the water cooling plugged into the PSU an entire night to test it.

[EXreaction]

Sounds good to me. I am not even sure what the price point will be for Nehalem once it is released later this year.

As for DDR3 prices. By the time Nehalem is released I'd be willing to bet that DDR3 will cost less than 50% more than DDR2. Right now DDR3 is down to only about double the cost of DDR2 (which still is not a bad price compared to what we've paid for ram over the years). I even found a 2x 1GB set of DDR3 for $55 and a 2x 2GB set for $142
Newegg.com - OCZ Gold Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - OCZ Special Ops 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
(though since you are not in the US it is probably many times more expensive yet)

Just over 1 1/2 years ago I paid $160 for 2x 1GB sticks of memory for my laptop. Then just over a month ago I paid $20 for 2x 1GB sticks for my desktop.

Do you know anybody in the US willing to build a desktop for you and ship the parts over to you? For shipping a whole computer I think the cost was around $200, but you can easily save that amount on the cost for parts.