Hmm, is this a good system build?

Acreo Aeneas · 12-21-2006, 02:08 PM

Okay, I've carefully gone over each of these parts, and I believe everything there is compatibility and shouldn't cause me any problems during the build, initial boot-up, and Windows XP Pro install. Although I'm not sure which of the motherboards I have picked out I should go with, and if the XFX graphics card is trustworthy.

So give me some feedback on which mobo I should choose and if the XFX video card I picked out is any good. And also tell me if any of you think if some of the parts are not compatible or will cause me problems.

Here is the part list:

Motherboards
Intel DG965WH
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813121052

Gigabyte GA945GMS2
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813128016

Asus P5NSLI
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131032

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115003

Memory
Kingston Value Ram, 2 x 1 GB, DDR2 667
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820134046

Graphics Card
XFX GeForce 7900GT
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814150195

Sound Card
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic (7.1), PCI
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16829102188

Hard Drive
Samsung Spinpoint P Series
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822152022

Optical Drives
Sony DVD-ROM (Black), IDE
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827101131

Samsung DVD+/-RW DL Lightscribe (Black), IDE
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827151136

Floppy Drive
Sony (Black)
Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821103116

Power Supply
Thermaltake PurePower TWV, 500W, SLI-Ready
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817153031

Case
Antec Performance One (Black)
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811129017

Case Fan Controller
Vantec NXP205BK
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813999504

Case Fans
Masscool 120mm Fan (3)
Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16835150073

=Sarc= · 12-21-2006, 06:33 PM

Ditch the Gigabyte board because it's microATX. You'll have very little room for expansion.

I haven't heard anything about the Intel board but you should also consider the Gigabyte DS3 and the ASUS P5B (non-deluxe). Same features but more popular so they've been getting numerous BIOS revisions. I'm using the DS3 myself and it's been pretty good. I like the layout compared to the P5B because I can use all 3 PCI slots if I ever get a dual slot video card. The P5B has a good layout for the IDE and floppy connectors but DS3 is fine too.

The P5N SLI would be the obvious choice for a future SLI setup. It also has 2 IDE connectors so you can have your optical drives on separate channels. They're located in a good spot that's close to the front of regular cases. The Intel board is pretty cruddy for the floppy. It's at the bottom of the board near the device slots. It can get crowded down there.

The 7900GT is fine. Brand is a matter of preference and price. I believe XFX has a lifetime warranty like most companies. Check for transferring the warranty to a second owner if you ever want to sell the card later on. Some companies will let you do this.

Drizzid · 12-21-2006, 08:48 PM

Listen to Sarc he knows his stuff!

**Tempus** · 12-21-2006, 08:56 PM

An overclocked 7900GS will give you the same performance as that card for $50 less.

Zid · 12-22-2006, 04:31 AM

why not fork over the extra bucks for a DX10 card you won't regret it.

Acreo Aeneas · 12-22-2006, 08:14 PM

B/c I'm limited to $1600 maximum. I can't fork over more, in fact, I was planning on having 4 gigs of RAM, but I dropped two since it would be over budget.

Sarc, I might have to agree now...my current comp is out of commission, and I suspect it's my Gigabyte mobo...not going with them now at any rate.

Tempus, I don't want to OC anything. And I rather have the stock performance being that good rather than OC'ing a lower end card to a higher end card's stock performance.

I'm really leaning towards that Asus board, but does any of you have experience with Intel boards and if the recent ones are any good? I'm mainly concerned with long term reliability, system stability, and no initial problems from hardware.

**marstein** · 12-22-2006, 08:32 PM

You could do without the floppy drive - and with just one DVD drive. I have a SLI motherboard too, but whenever I think I should get another video card the prices drop and a new card with more power than SLI for less than two SLI cards comes along.

The 8800 GTS (if you can get it for <$400 - rocketpunch posted that they sell for $320) would be much better than the 7900GT - you may try to get the 7900 used... people should start throwing those out soon for the DX10 class cards soon.

=Sarc= · 12-23-2006, 02:01 AM

If you're not planning on SLI, you should consider an Intel chipset. The Asus P5B is a pretty good choice as is the Gigabyte DS3. The only reason to get the Asus P5N SLI is for an upgrade to a second video card.

I don't think it's worth getting SLI, especially if you're getting a DX9 card now. Although, the option for it later might be handy. It depends on how long you really want to keep this motherboard. In three years, there could be a different motherboard due to a new RAM type, new socket, etc.

For a long term PC, I think it might be better to get a single card and sell it to upgrade to another better card. A SLI setup isn't really worth it for upgrades since you'll be buying a second card that's already outdated. The boost in performance won't really be 2x with a second card. By the time you want to upgrade your video power, there might be a single mid-range newer generation card that trumps two older mid-range cards.

Roughly think how long your next upgrade will be. Video cards have major generation changes once a year. Motherboards are probably about 2-3 years and are usually because of socket changes like moving from AGP to PCI-e or S939 to AM2. The most important upgrade path you want to keep open is your video card so think carefully on how you want to proceed.

My PC (Aug. 06 build date) is due for a planned upgrade Sept. 07 to move to a DX10 card. I've calculated what my 7900GT might be worth at that time (~$150) and factored it into what I need to reserve for moving to a mid-range DX10 card. I fully intend my E6400 and 2GB RAM to last the PC's lifetime of 3 years, maybe more. Although, I've been tempted to check what the quad core prices are like next spring.

Acreo Aeneas · 12-23-2006, 12:59 PM

Hmm, I see your point, but I don't plan on upgrading the mobo in this rig once it's stable and completed. And besides, I don't want another motherboard lying around that I don't have parts to plug into it.

I also know the changes in vid cards and cpus/ports, etc first hand. I think I'll stick to the Asus P5NSLI, unless I find a more suitable board or if I decide to dump SLI altogether.

I don't see PCI-E gfx cards going anywhere for at least the next 2 years or so. In about 6-8 months my gfx card won't be able to play the top-of-line games at native res, so I'll upgrade to a newer card, and sell the 7900GT. I also plan on putting on another 2 GB of RAM around the same time the gfx card is due for a upgrade.

**sordavie** · 12-23-2006, 06:47 PM

By the way, the P5NSLI runs each of it's PCIe slots at 8x when running in SLI mode. When running in single video card mode the slot you use runs at 16x. I don't know how big of a difference that makes, but it's probably worth knowing. I have the P5NSLI with one Geforce 7900GS on it, and it's been very stable. Also, there is enough room on the board to mount a large heatsink/fan like the Thermaltake Blue Orb without blocking access to the RAM or interfering with the heatsinks on the board itself: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106069

**Tempus** · 12-23-2006, 10:07 PM

The card I linked to is a factory overclock from BFG. Those are said to perform at the levels of 7900GTs.

12-21-2006, 02:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
Acreo Aeneas Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: DePaul University (Chicago) Age: 22 Posts: 4,045	Hmm, is this a good system build? Okay, I've carefully gone over each of these parts, and I believe everything there is compatibility and shouldn't cause me any problems during the build, initial boot-up, and Windows XP Pro install. Although I'm not sure which of the motherboards I have picked out I should go with, and if the XFX graphics card is trustworthy. So give me some feedback on which mobo I should choose and if the XFX video card I picked out is any good. And also tell me if any of you think if some of the parts are not compatible or will cause me problems. Here is the part list: Motherboards Intel DG965WH Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813121052 Gigabyte GA945GMS2 Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813128016 Asus P5NSLI Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131032 Processor Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819115003 Memory Kingston Value Ram, 2 x 1 GB, DDR2 667 Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820134046 Graphics Card XFX GeForce 7900GT Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814150195 Sound Card Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic (7.1), PCI Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16829102188 Hard Drive Samsung Spinpoint P Series Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822152022 Optical Drives Sony DVD-ROM (Black), IDE Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827101131 Samsung DVD+/-RW DL Lightscribe (Black), IDE Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16827151136 Floppy Drive Sony (Black) Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821103116 Power Supply Thermaltake PurePower TWV, 500W, SLI-Ready Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817153031 Case Antec Performance One (Black) Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811129017 Case Fan Controller Vantec NXP205BK Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813999504 Case Fans Masscool 120mm Fan (3) Link: http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16835150073 __________________ Acreo_Aeneas Former 9th Member "People usually see me and ask if I speak Chinese. I respond by asking if they speak American." "Tomorrow's high-end tech today? Why bother, it'll be old when tomorrow arrives anyways."

12-21-2006, 06:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
=Sarc= Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 4,495	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? Ditch the Gigabyte board because it's microATX. You'll have very little room for expansion. I haven't heard anything about the Intel board but you should also consider the Gigabyte DS3 and the ASUS P5B (non-deluxe). Same features but more popular so they've been getting numerous BIOS revisions. I'm using the DS3 myself and it's been pretty good. I like the layout compared to the P5B because I can use all 3 PCI slots if I ever get a dual slot video card. The P5B has a good layout for the IDE and floppy connectors but DS3 is fine too. The P5N SLI would be the obvious choice for a future SLI setup. It also has 2 IDE connectors so you can have your optical drives on separate channels. They're located in a good spot that's close to the front of regular cases. The Intel board is pretty cruddy for the floppy. It's at the bottom of the board near the device slots. It can get crowded down there. The 7900GT is fine. Brand is a matter of preference and price. I believe XFX has a lifetime warranty like most companies. Check for transferring the warranty to a second owner if you ever want to sell the card later on. Some companies will let you do this. __________________ JO Guides & Tutorials Team Element - It's who you game with.

12-21-2006, 08:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
Drizzid Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Glendale, AZ Age: 37 Posts: 2,958	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? Listen to Sarc he knows his stuff! __________________

12-21-2006, 08:56 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tempus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Miami, FL Age: 38 Posts: 8,172	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? An overclocked 7900GS will give you the same performance as that card for $50 less. __________________ Battlefield 2/2142 Game Officer Contact me with server/player/admin issues. -- Suits are what you wear when doing things you shouldn’t want to do anyway. FROM THE TACTICAL GAMER PRIMER. 3) Support game play in a near-simulation environment. Where the focus of play would not be solely on doing what it takes to win, but doing so utilizing real-world combat strategy and tactics rather than leveraging exploits provided to players by the design of the game engine.

12-22-2006, 04:31 AM	#5 (permalink)
Zid Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New York City Posts: 596	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? why not fork over the extra bucks for a DX10 card you won't regret it.

12-22-2006, 08:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
Acreo Aeneas Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: DePaul University (Chicago) Age: 22 Posts: 4,045	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? B/c I'm limited to $1600 maximum. I can't fork over more, in fact, I was planning on having 4 gigs of RAM, but I dropped two since it would be over budget. Sarc, I might have to agree now...my current comp is out of commission, and I suspect it's my Gigabyte mobo...not going with them now at any rate. Tempus, I don't want to OC anything. And I rather have the stock performance being that good rather than OC'ing a lower end card to a higher end card's stock performance. I'm really leaning towards that Asus board, but does any of you have experience with Intel boards and if the recent ones are any good? I'm mainly concerned with long term reliability, system stability, and no initial problems from hardware. __________________ Acreo_Aeneas Former 9th Member "People usually see me and ask if I speak Chinese. I respond by asking if they speak American." "Tomorrow's high-end tech today? Why bother, it'll be old when tomorrow arrives anyways."

12-22-2006, 08:32 PM	#7 (permalink)
marstein Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Half Moon Bay, CA, USA Age: 42 Posts: 828	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? You could do without the floppy drive - and with just one DVD drive. I have a SLI motherboard too, but whenever I think I should get another video card the prices drop and a new card with more power than SLI for less than two SLI cards comes along. The 8800 GTS (if you can get it for <$400 - rocketpunch posted that they sell for $320) would be much better than the 7900GT - you may try to get the 7900 used... people should start throwing those out soon for the DX10 class cards soon. __________________ Gigabyte P35-DS3R, 2GB, 8800GTS 640MB, Core2Duo E8400

12-23-2006, 02:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
=Sarc= Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 4,495	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? If you're not planning on SLI, you should consider an Intel chipset. The Asus P5B is a pretty good choice as is the Gigabyte DS3. The only reason to get the Asus P5N SLI is for an upgrade to a second video card. I don't think it's worth getting SLI, especially if you're getting a DX9 card now. Although, the option for it later might be handy. It depends on how long you really want to keep this motherboard. In three years, there could be a different motherboard due to a new RAM type, new socket, etc. For a long term PC, I think it might be better to get a single card and sell it to upgrade to another better card. A SLI setup isn't really worth it for upgrades since you'll be buying a second card that's already outdated. The boost in performance won't really be 2x with a second card. By the time you want to upgrade your video power, there might be a single mid-range newer generation card that trumps two older mid-range cards. Roughly think how long your next upgrade will be. Video cards have major generation changes once a year. Motherboards are probably about 2-3 years and are usually because of socket changes like moving from AGP to PCI-e or S939 to AM2. The most important upgrade path you want to keep open is your video card so think carefully on how you want to proceed. My PC (Aug. 06 build date) is due for a planned upgrade Sept. 07 to move to a DX10 card. I've calculated what my 7900GT might be worth at that time (~$150) and factored it into what I need to reserve for moving to a mid-range DX10 card. I fully intend my E6400 and 2GB RAM to last the PC's lifetime of 3 years, maybe more. Although, I've been tempted to check what the quad core prices are like next spring. __________________ JO Guides & Tutorials Team Element - It's who you game with.

12-23-2006, 12:59 PM	#9 (permalink)
Acreo Aeneas Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: DePaul University (Chicago) Age: 22 Posts: 4,045	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? Hmm, I see your point, but I don't plan on upgrading the mobo in this rig once it's stable and completed. And besides, I don't want another motherboard lying around that I don't have parts to plug into it. I also know the changes in vid cards and cpus/ports, etc first hand. I think I'll stick to the Asus P5NSLI, unless I find a more suitable board or if I decide to dump SLI altogether. I don't see PCI-E gfx cards going anywhere for at least the next 2 years or so. In about 6-8 months my gfx card won't be able to play the top-of-line games at native res, so I'll upgrade to a newer card, and sell the 7900GT. I also plan on putting on another 2 GB of RAM around the same time the gfx card is due for a upgrade. __________________ Acreo_Aeneas Former 9th Member "People usually see me and ask if I speak Chinese. I respond by asking if they speak American." "Tomorrow's high-end tech today? Why bother, it'll be old when tomorrow arrives anyways."

12-23-2006, 06:47 PM	#10 (permalink)
sordavie Join Date: Nov 2005 Age: 27 Posts: 2,113	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? By the way, the P5NSLI runs each of it's PCIe slots at 8x when running in SLI mode. When running in single video card mode the slot you use runs at 16x. I don't know how big of a difference that makes, but it's probably worth knowing. I have the P5NSLI with one Geforce 7900GS on it, and it's been very stable. Also, there is enough room on the board to mount a large heatsink/fan like the Thermaltake Blue Orb without blocking access to the RAM or interfering with the heatsinks on the board itself: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835106069 __________________

12-23-2006, 10:07 PM	#11 (permalink)
Tempus Join Date: May 2003 Location: Miami, FL Age: 38 Posts: 8,172	Re: Hmm, is this a good system build? The card I linked to is a factory overclock from BFG. Those are said to perform at the levels of 7900GTs. __________________ Battlefield 2/2142 Game Officer Contact me with server/player/admin issues. -- Suits are what you wear when doing things you shouldn’t want to do anyway. FROM THE TACTICAL GAMER PRIMER. 3) Support game play in a near-simulation environment. Where the focus of play would not be solely on doing what it takes to win, but doing so utilizing real-world combat strategy and tactics rather than leveraging exploits provided to players by the design of the game engine.

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