[Nuke]

ok heres what i got:

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=4307974

i will be ordering the case, psu, and drives in a couple weeks, and everything else on a when i have the money basis. absolutely must haves are an sli ready setup, 4 gigs of ram, and at least a dual core. i normally use msi boards but i'm gonna be giving asus a try this time. i'm probably not overclocking anything at this point and i already have my video card, an 8800gts which i bought this fall and plans sometime in the next couple years to buy another.

so far i've selected the intel quad core, mainly due to the performance boost it gives in photoshop and max. however i'm open too look at what amd has. the last 2 machines i've done have been amds and i'm getting good performance out of em. then again i'm not willing to run more than a 600 watt psu. i dont think the house wiring here could handle it. with the intel chip i only need about 500, but i'm doing 6 for a future sli config. im debating whether to go with the quad core 6600 or the dual core 6700. difference being about 200 bucks and some varying performance characteristics. the 6700 seems better for general use, but the 6600 quad gives me extra modding go.

[Descenterace]

I assume you won't be using a 32-bit version of Windows XP? They can't handle more than 3GB of RAM.

[Fury]

I don't get why you need to get a current generation quad-core CPU now when more affordable next-gen quads are just a few months away. It's kinda a waste of money to get a quad-core now. IMHO SLI is a waste of money as well because of all the problems it has. SLI doesn't work natively but requires drivers to support the game. The next generation single card will beat today's SLI anyway, so I don't really see a point to SLI or Crossfire. Single card setup will be more trouble-free and consume less wats.

If you really want to buy that rig now. I'd suggest to buy the cheapest C2D you can find from ebay or something and replace it with the next-gen C2D Penryn quad-core as soon as they become available.

32-bit Windows XP can handle 4GB RAM, but I am not sure if it can do it very efficiently. Vista's better memory management would do better job at that even with 32-bit version though. For 32-bit XP and 4GB or more RAM; http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;888137

[diceman111]

Nice rig, my only question is really why the WD harddrive its only 250GB (Get a Seagate Barracuda instead) ???

And you cant always wait arounf for new technology to arrive since then you would never get anything done, and the newxt generation of graphics card will be awhile since the 8000-series just arrived (Dont know about ATI) and asfar as SLI goes, yes it isent as efficent as you might want but still gives at worst 1/2 performance increase and normally atleast 3/4 (That is if they get the damn drivers fixed for Vista !!!!).


/Dice

[Fury]

And you cant always wait arounf for new technology to arrive since then you would never get anything done,

In this case waiting for the next gen is a sound advice as Nuke doesn't seem to want anything less than a quad-core. Current gen quad-cores are horribly overpriced and eats watts for lunch.

[diceman111]

And you cant always wait arounf for new technology to arrive since then you would never get anything done,

In this case waiting for the next gen is a sound advice as Nuke doesn't seem to want anything less than a quad-core. Current gen quad-cores are horribly overpriced and eats watts for lunch.

Hmm yeah guess so, dont know when the next gen will come though

[Nuke]

I assume you won't be using a 32-bit version of Windows XP? They can't handle more than 3GB of RAM.

thats good to know, i was debating whether or not to get vista now or wait a little bit. i might add it to my list. as for what version of vista to get, well anything but the stripped down home version. i want one that doesnt give me crap about activation when i want to instal it. thats why my current install of xp is such a mess, i havent nuked my drive in quite some time. i could probibly downgrade to 2 gig for the time being and get vista+2gb later on down the line. though id like my modules to be all of the same model so as not to cause dual channel glitches.

I don't get why you need to get a current generation quad-core CPU now when more affordable next-gen quads are just a few months away. It's kinda a waste of money to get a quad-core now. IMHO SLI is a waste of money as well because of all the problems it has. SLI doesn't work natively but requires drivers to support the game. The next generation single card will beat today's SLI anyway, so I don't really see a point to SLI or Crossfire. Single card setup will be more trouble-free and consume less wats.

If you really want to buy that rig now. I'd suggest to buy the cheapest C2D you can find from ebay or something and replace it with the next-gen C2D Penryn quad-core as soon as they become available.

32-bit Windows XP can handle 4GB RAM, but I am not sure if it can do it very efficiently. Vista's better memory management would do better job at that even with 32-bit version though. For 32-bit XP and 4GB or more RAM; http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;888137

i know the problems with sli, and as ive said in other threads, im more intrested in having a dual setup for multiple monitors. to sort of make a wrap around cockpit style config. something to go with the 3 unit ch control setup i intend to buy when divs come in the fall.

as for the quad, im not entirely sold on it yet. no matter what quad is better, even the new ones amd are coming out with this summer. in the end quad is really too new and the software is too far behind to utilize it. so im still looking at other dual core processors both of the core 2 line and current athlon 64 fx line.

[Ashrak]

buying a new rig is like putting money into a dead horse

[diceman111]

buying a new rig is like putting money into a dead horse

Ahh but atleast a dead horse you can barbeque

[Ashrak]

i dont see you eating bits of your PC as food

[Descenterace]

Very few games support multiple monitors, and IIRC SLI acceleration (or any hardware acceleration) will only affect one monitor. In general, the only use for multiple monitors is a larger desktop for doing work. Games will not make good use of them.

While WinXP can use more than 3GB (with the addition of a kernel switch at boot time) there is only one application known to actually be affected by it: SQL Server.

[Nuke]

games, no, flight sims? muhahahaha!

i had cfs2 spanned across 2 screens and it worked quite well. actually all flight sims based of fs 98 should be spanable. orbiter while the game window itself cannot be spanned, its mfds can be placed on other monitors. im sure some distros of linux might also help. i should look into fsx, see if it can run multi monitors. there are also other flight sims i can look into as well. from what i understand about sli it can be turned off and in the end leave you with a pair of vid cards, each with 2 dvi ports each. now that i can afford the toys, i might as well buy them

[Bob-san]

A point... Windows XP 32-bit will support a maximum of ~3gb of RAM with a good video card. The OS can't address the rest of the RAM... it ends up ignoring it. You need either WinXP 64-bit (with nearly no driver support!) or WinVista 64-bit (with more driver support especially for the coming future).

Also, buy 2GB kits of RAM... 2GB of DDR2 800 will run you $~90 on the low-end.

Don't forget some Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Grease; it will lower CPU temps even on stock-cooled CPUs. I would finally recommend a different hard drive; Western Digital has some excellent single-platter drives in the 160gb and 320gb flavors... the single-platter drives have a lower ambient temperature and faster average read/write speeds. They outpace every 7200RPM hard drive except Hitachi's 1TB drive (which is ridiculously expensive). The drives have fewer mechanical parts, generally saying they will last longer.

[Thor]

Supreme Commander supports multi-monitors

My only question is what the heck is a Xion power supply?  i've never heard of them.  Everything i've ever heard is to put money into a well know manufacturers unit, it'll be more efficient and reliable.

otherwise sweet rig, wanna get me one so i can replace my aging single core P4?

[Nuke]

never heard of them either, but its a modular psu which is about what i wanted. this way i can disconnect cables im not using to avoid having a loose bundle blocking my airflow. newegg seems to rate it well.

thermal grease you say. good idea. i wasnt sure if i wanted to use the stock cooler or not, but i saw a pic of one and it looks pretty beefy. i guess it wouldnt hurt to look around and see what else is available.

i really didnt research hard drives too much either. maybe i should, i guess i was getting tired when i selected it. i dont need hulking storage i barely am using my 160 gig which i believe is only half full. last time i went against all judgement and bought a hitachi.

and the way its looking, vista will also be on my list. just not sure what version. if worst comes to worst il just install linux

[Bob-san]

Buy OEM everything you can; generally a motherboard package will have most of what you need; generally 2-6 SATA cables, an IDE cable, and a Floppy cable. You have the back-plate for the connections, some include a 1 or 2 brackets for extra USB ports, a firewire bracket, some include a COM1 (serial) bracket, a few have a Parallel (printer) bracket.

Generally, budget boards come with 1 or 2 SATA cables and possibly 1 USB bracket.


One last thing; I would recommend an EPS12V power supply. AMS (American Media Systems) has pretty good power supplies; the least expensive in their class ($56 for 450watt, $90 for 550watt). They're well rated.

[Splinter]

Get this power supply.

The antec 900 case is a dust trap so unless you live in an area without much dust I would consider something diffrent (assuming the same rough price range). But if you have your heart set on the 900 make sure the version that's being shipped to you has resolved this problem.

picture

[Nuke]

good to know, but i read somewhere that they were quick to remedy that problem, and the reviews on newegg seem to reflect that.

anyway been looking at other cases in the same price range heres a few ive found.

this one is well rated and has a pair of monstrous 250 mm fans. never heard of the manufacturer though.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103011
theres this one, only a single 250mm fan but it looks alittle cooler and has an external sata connector on the front panel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811124121
this one looks totally awesome, however im not too fond of having doors on my computer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811196021

what all theese cases lack is a means to show off my future sli setup. anyway im starting to think with the mobo and psu i selected, my power cables might not be long enough to reach their connectors if i go with the antec 900. there seems to be one major complaint with the 900 and its cable length. i dont want to be stuck with a system i cant wire because the cables are too short. the problem can be solved with either a new case or new psu.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103010
something about the jet engine look apeals to me, but i think this case has a few too many bugs.

[Sandwich]

now that i can afford the toys, i might as well buy them

Trust me - don't waste money on multiple cards for multiple monitors. Go for this instead. Seriously. That kind of 3D display (be it monitor or projector) is incredible. I used to have one, based on a GeForce 2 MX. There was nothing like playing Midtown Madness in real 3D. NOTHING.

[Nuke]

heh quite intresting.