Advice on new build

railfrog · November 10th, 2008, 10:16 AM

I have had to put my new build on hold until the new year. I still look at different components to see if they are better or coming down in price.

It will be a low to mid range gaming machine, E8400 / Q6600 which i will have a go at overclocking, with 4Gig memory.

I have a few questions though which i hope can be answered.

1) Is there much difference between the X38 / X48 / and P45 chipsets, and which would be best to get?

2) Do the different colours of the long PCIE slots mean different speeds?

3) Would a single HD4870 be better than two HD4850 in crossfire?

4) Looking at getting the Antec 300 case. Will need to get fans for the front. Was looking at the temperature controlled fans, but was wondering where the temp sensor is, as if the fans are in the front of the case then that would be a cooler place than inside the case.
Is the sensor in the fan itself or is the temp taken from the mobo?

5) Looking at Asus and Gigabyte boards and was wondering if anyone has a preference and why?

pullmyfoot · November 10th, 2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by railfrog

I have had to put my new build on hold until the new year. I still look at different components to see if they are better or coming down in price.

It will be a low to mid range gaming machine, E8400 / Q6600 which i will have a go at overclocking, with 4Gig memory.

I have a few questions though which i hope can be answered.

1) Is there much difference between the X38 / X48 / and P45 chipsets, and which would be best to get?
Yes there is, the X38 and X48 are high end chipsets from Intel. The x48 replaces the X38, but they are not that different. If you are going for a mid range system, stick with the P45.

2) Do the different colours of the long PCIE slots mean different speeds?
It depends on the manufacturer and board model, but most of the time, no.

3) Would a single HD4870 be better than two HD4850 in crossfire?
Yes and no. HD4850s in crossfire is going to be faster theatrically.However be prepared to face compatibility issues with games and what not. Just go with the 1gb version of the 4870 which seems to outperform the 512mb version by quite a bit in some games.

4) Looking at getting the Antec 300 case. Will need to get fans for the front. Was looking at the temperature controlled fans, but was wondering where the temp sensor is, as if the fans are in the front of the case then that would be a cooler place than inside the case.
Is the sensor in the fan itself or is the temp taken from the mobo?
Yes, the sensor is on the mobo

5) Looking at Asus and Gigabyte boards and was wondering if anyone has a preference and why?
Asus is hypothetically a better enthusiast brand, and I lean towards them a little though I have boards from both. However, both are pretty much up there in terms of quality and its like comparing apples to oranges. It really depends on the exact model you pick.

Why don't you post some links to components you are looking at?

pullmyfoot · November 10th, 2008, 10:48 AM

Here is a build I put together in another thread that looks like it will fit you

CPU: Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops (its only $20 more than the E8400)
Mobo: Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
Ram: Newegg.com - OCZ SLI-Ready Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Video Card: Newegg.com - VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
HD: Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
PSU: Newegg.com - OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies
Optical Drive: Newegg.com - LG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech - CD / DVD Burners

I picked that PSU and ram because if you buy them together you get $40 off, making it only just over $100, which is a steal

You will need a decent cooler of course. This is a steal for the price
Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Spend a little more and you can get this. Strap on 2 good fans and you got the closest thing to watercooling
Newegg.com - Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

railfrog · November 10th, 2008, 10:58 AM

HERE is the original thread made a few months ago.

Thanks for the reply PMF....btw i am in the UK

/edit...Will be going for the Arctic cooler aswell

railfrog · November 10th, 2008, 11:13 AM

Here are a couple of Gigabyte boards.....

GIGABYTE GA-X48-DS5

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS5

It all depends if i go crossfire or not.
Will look at different boards if i don't.

pullmyfoot · November 10th, 2008, 12:27 PM

Well, don't go crossfire now. the next best card is going to cost less but perform the same. Plus there will not be so many problems. I suggest getting a crossfire ready board and one card. Then, when that card becomes real cheap in the future you can get one more for a nice performance boost. Maybe by then the crossfire drivers may have gotten better so that there are less issues

JPMiller · November 10th, 2008, 02:31 PM

Please explain to me why you think crossfire/SLI is such a good idea...

Beyond purchasing 2 of the highest end cards available AT THE TIME of original build, So as to have the absolute highest end, I can NOT see why crossfire would apeal to anyone...
You can sell the current card and add what youd have to pay to purchase a new one and buy a current single card that will outperform the two, and save power and heat in the process as well as utilize newer technologies and features...

You dont buy an overpriced last generation card, to get a small boost in SOME areas a year or two after your original purchase...

Explain to me how this makes sense to you?

ganlen · November 10th, 2008, 06:12 PM

Always a heated debate about this stuff...

nemowolf · November 10th, 2008, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPMiller

Please explain to me why you think crossfire/SLI is such a good idea...

Beyond purchasing 2 of the highest end cards available AT THE TIME of original build, So as to have the absolute highest end, I can NOT see why crossfire would apeal to anyone...
You can sell the current card and add what youd have to pay to purchase a new one and buy a current single card that will outperform the two, and save power and heat in the process as well as utilize newer technologies and features...

You dont buy an overpriced last generation card, to get a small boost in SOME areas a year or two after your original purchase...

Explain to me how this makes sense to you?

especially for a supposed "Low/Mid range" build ... seriously folks.

railfrog · November 10th, 2008, 06:41 PM

Yeah well the low/mid range might go to the next level, so its always good to keep all options open.