# Building a new computer - Need advice.



## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Hello.

I'm building a new computer mainly for gaming and need to know if everything will work together.

Q1. Will everything work together fine or would do i need to change anything.
Q2. Will the PSU provide enough power to run Graphic card two way SLI.

New Stuff
Tower - Gaming Case
PSU - ThermalTake 700W
GPU - XFX Geforce GTX 260
MotherBoard - XFX S775 nForce 780i
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz
Ram - DDR2 PC2-6400

OldStuff from old pc.
HDD - 200GB SATA
Sound Card - Creative Live
DVD Rom - DVD RW


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

It is my opinion that you might be a little light on the PSU to run two of these cards. I would think you would need at a bare minimum a 750 with an 850 being a preferable PSU.


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

wouldn't it be better to have a more powerful single card, like the GTX 280 or 4870x2? i was under the impression that Sli was pretty poor at scaling...


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## Tumbleweed36 (May 14, 2005)

One 4870 is a real killer and I would choose that any day over two cards that are not as powerful.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Well my plan was to get just the one GFX card now.. then in a year or more when games start struggerling, instead of tossing my £200 GFX card in the bin i was gonna upgrade to sli, and of course by then the same gfx card will be cheap as chips and should make a big differents for low price.

Well.. that was the plan.. Does Sli make a big differents? i was under the impresstion it does.??:4-dontkno


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## Toucan Sam (Jul 5, 2008)

some of the time it does, some of the time it doesn't. It does not always, however, give you twice the performance. Anywhere from the same performance as if you had one card up to twice the power, but usually it will be around the higher side of the middle. (ex. 1.8 times the fps)
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/...-Scrolls-4-Outdoor,Marque_fbrandx876,571.html
might give you some idea of how it scales, but scaling is usually dependant on the game. That's also a slightly outdated list.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Yeah.

Nvidia 8800 GT OC SLI - *55.30*
Nvidia 8800 GT OC - *30.60*

Nvidia 8800 GTX SLI - *53.80*
Nvidia 8800 GTX - *28.70*

Nvidia 8800 GTS SLI - *38.80*
Nvidia 8800 GTS - *20.90*

Just under double.. seems worth it to me. :4-dontkno

But im no expert.. what do you think?

Will it make a nice differents adding a second GTX 260 in a year or so, or should i toss it out and spend another £200-300 on the next best thing??

Thanks for your input. :1angel:


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

me personally? i have had SLI and Crossfire, there are only about 20-30% of games that are scaled for SLI properly, but crossfire will work with about 80% of games, anyways, i am biased, i am ATI fan all the way, so in my opinion, get the 4870 or 2 4850s.... or the 4870x2 but you will def need bigger psu, and probably bigger HDD... imo...


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## Toucan Sam (Jul 5, 2008)

Yeah crossfire>SLI right now. What I would do is get a SINGLE card right now. When that card blows by itself, pick up another for half the price.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Well yeah i was plaining on getting one GTX260 then adding another when it starts struggerling on its own.

I dont really know much about ATI tbh.. im more of a Nvidia person, i thought crossfire and sli we're the same .. :4-dontkno


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

SLI is Nvidia's dual card setup Crossfire is ATI's the motherboards are different for SLI you have to use an Nvidia chip set, for crossfire either Intel or AMD and right now Intel has the better platform,
Tumbleweeds is right the 700w is a little small for 2 cards.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Ok i understand now.. thanks.

And yeah i posted this same thread on another forum and i got the same feed back on the PCU.. This guys suggested this Corsair 750W is this good enough?

And as for the the rest.. without the second gfx card.. will the MOBO, CPU and GPU all work together fine? or do i have to change something?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The Coesair PSU is a very good choice.
I not a fan of the 7xx series at all I have found them buggy, very picky about memory and difficult to get running properly.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Well i can only seem to find a 1000w as the next one up from this.. but i dont feel like adding another £80 to my already pricey pc hehe.

I think i'll go for the 750w.. i good good feedback about it from another forum so im kinda happy with it. :smooch:


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

Um, i think he meant the 7xx series of motherboards, not PSU...


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Ahhh.. well thats ok cause i've changed the mobo to this Asus P5K Premium


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes I meant the MB and the P5K is a better choice.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Ahh ok.. yeah i was told to get this on another forum lol.


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## Fapguy (Oct 2, 2008)

I had a 8800gts before, and well, you dont really need anything better than that for playing wow - a single 4850 will work for most games now.. except crysis in ultra high.. duhh  im building a PC myself atm - ive read alot about nvidia and ati and after all the reading, im actually an ati"fan".. not because ati has some ultra good stuff, but nvidia just has too bad rep in my opinion, im too afraid to use them :O Never hear anything bad about ati, and well, my friend has a 4870, and it kicks butt*cks :O


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Yeah it seems ATI is more popular.. i've always been an NVIDIA 'fan' tbh mostly cause i never tryed or looked into the ATI cards.

I've got a GeForce 6800 atm and im a CoD4 fan which is evil cause this card cannot handle the game what so ever yet i still play it on bare minimal graphics and still lag like hell.

So im gonna give ATI a change and grab the (HD 4870 1GB) i want the x2 version but with building a whole computer i cant afford it.. but i hope to crossfire it in the future.. unless thats a bad idea? :4-dontkno


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## Fapguy (Oct 2, 2008)

A 4850 performs about 20% better than a 8800gts .. and a 8800gts can run cod 4 in full graphics at 50 fps, 1680x1200, so you do the math  its more than enough, except maybe not for crysis .. xD and you can always upgrade later on if you feel its necesarry


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Well the point of building this pc is that i dont wonna have to upgrade it anytime soon lol.. i just might add a second 4870 unless its not worth it.. i dont know much about crossfire/sli, but in the future when new games come and my 4870 start struggerling.. how much better off would i be if i added another 4870?


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## Toucan Sam (Jul 5, 2008)

unless you're playing at very high resolutions (native ~26" or more) a second card won't do you much good now. A single good card (4850/70) will suit your needs just fine. as you said, if you start to see hitches in frame rates down the road, consider picking up another card then (for much cheaper than you would get it now.) Make sure to get a good ~1000w psu from any of these makers to ensure you don't have to buy a new psu when that time comes:
Seasonic - any model
Corsair - any model
Thermaltake - "Toughpower" series only
Coolermaster - "Real Power Pro" series only
PC Power & Cooling - any model
Silverstone - any model
Extra: I have an 8800gt, and it plays crysis warhead at 1440x900, full settings (no AA) just fine. 4850s are much better than the 8800gt's. games a year down the line might equal crysis's standard for graphics. hope that gives you some perspective.


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

the main thing is also, what size monitor are you running?? if you are using 1-2 22" or 24" you wont really need more than one card, the resolution isnt that high, but if you ARE going SLI and planning on getting 2 of the 260s, then i suggest the bigger PSU, because it is either buy it now or buy it when you buy your new card, and rewire it all... up to you... and as an ATI fan i suggest a xfire Mobo and and a single 4850 or 4870... also for xfire, you dont have to buy 2 of the same cards.... you can mix/match, although the benifits arent better than both separate, if that makes sense... but for upgradability xfire is much better than SLI... good luck


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks for the advice.

I probally wont bother with crossfire/sli.. i'll just get the one HD4870 and a 750w Corsair PSU and just get the next best gpu when that time comes.. which shouldnt be for a while.. i hopes!.:smooch:


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## Fapguy (Oct 2, 2008)

did you decide on what motherboard to get? cos im in trouble too.. i dont want Xfire or SLI motherboard, i just need one with good overclock options and quad core support.. any ideas? :S


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm going for this one Asus PK5 Premium its crossfire but it can take both single cards (Nvidia/ATI).. but it can only crossfire not sli.. so im told. :grin:


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## Fapguy (Oct 2, 2008)

oh, smexeh.. do you know if its x8 x8 or x16 x8 or even x16 x16 crossfire?


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

If your not Crossfiring it makes no difference as the 1st slot is x16 and the second unused x4


Expansion Slots

2 x PCIe x16 (blue @ x16 mode, black @ x4 or x1 mode) supports CrossFire Technology
2 x PCIe x1
3 x PCI

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=534&l4=0&model=1749&modelmenu=2


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

:4-dontkno


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## ericgomes (Sep 18, 2008)

Alright. The ONLY time an individual needs more than ONE video card, is if they play video games at very high resolutions, or if you have bigger than a 24" screen.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

ericgomes said:


> Alright. The ONLY time an individual needs more than ONE video card, is if they play video games at very high resolutions, or if you have bigger than a 24" screen.


Exactly!


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

I see.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Ok.. just wonna quick recap of the stuff im going to be getting.. since i've changed so many things lol.. and i wonna add the right list so i dont get confused when buying.

So new PC to build is.
GPU - Radeon HD 4870 1GB
Mobo - Asus P5K Premium
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
Ram - OCZ PC2-8500 Reaper 2GB
PSU - Corsair 750W
Case - Antec 900
HDD - Western Digital 500GB not 100% sure on the HDD.. just looked this one up very quick as im not sure what to look for.

Total Price: £ 701.05

Hope this is all good enough and i dont have to change anymore.. hehe.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Looks Good, Do you have a copy of Windows?


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Hm.. yeah im not sure what to get yet.. i've got Windows XP Home atm and im happy with it.. im not sure if i should make the jump to Vista yet since almost everyone i know has said they hated it inculding my brother, he brought a new pc that came with vista and a couple weeks later he uninstalled vista and got xp.

Could be because most of them play old games.. but so do i some times.. like Worms Armageddon im ADDICTED to that game, and everyone i know from it HATES Vista so im scared of it.

But Vista has DirectX 10.. so.. I donno.

:4-dontkno


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Sounds like your going to learn how to dual boot
Works best on a new system when you install XP first then Vista
If you are interested in doing that I would use XP32 and Vista 64 because whatever compatibility problems you would have in 64 bit you could use that program in XP 32 and the newer stuff in Vista 64.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Yeah my brother said about that too.. but im not sure how much i would like that.. having to reboot everytime i wonna play a different game i think that was get on my nevus.
But i'll definatly have a think about that.


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

i agree with the dual boot, but in my opinion, with the amount of memory you are getting... (more than 2 GB) i suggest using vista, i also suggest multiple hdds, 2 500s, that way you can use one for each, and if one fails you have another one to boot from...that is how i have it situated.... and that way you dont have to deal with partitions...


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Yeah its a good idea i guess.. but i think i'd get annoyed if some things worked and vista and some didnt so i had to keep restarting my computer for different things.
But i'll still do the dual boot.. install XP 32 first then install Vista 64 and what i like better i'll keep and uninstall the other.
ray:


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Ram update:

I was set on getting this OCZ Reaper PC2-8500 Ram but i've found one that i've seen b4 and i like it Corsair Dominator PC2-8500

I know this sounds corny but i like the look of the Corsair more.. but is it worth paying £5 more for looks if theres no differents?
With one would you guys recommend??



Eminef said:


> *My Rig.*
> GPU - Radeon HD 4870 1GB
> Mobo - Asus P5K Premium
> CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
> ...


And will it still work.. im guessing yes (duh) but gotta make sure!

Thanks. ray:


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

As long as the Corasir part number id on this list (scroll down)> http://www.corsair.com/configurator/product_results.aspx?id=205144


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

This one is on the list.. is this the same one?? the only differents is mine dont say C5*D*.. is that a big diff?

*TWIN2X2048-8500C5D DDR2-1066 (Dominator-8500C5*EPP)*

Mine:

Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5 TwinX (2x1GB)

Same?

And also.. why does it need to be on that list? are there fakes or something?

Oh edit*** Yeah this part number is the Same on both my link and that site.. (Twin2X2048-8500C5D)

Good??


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Not all Ram sticks are compatible even if they are the same specs otherwise the major manufactures like Corsair, Crucial, Kingston would not have configuration lists if you pick the memory from their list of tested modules then if you have problems you have support from them if you just pick some ram your on your own.

Look in the description text of the link you posted it say's it's Twin2X2048-8500C5D
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-119-CS


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Yeah i noticed that after.. did u see my *edit*.. so does that mean im good to go with this ram??? all good?

And in your option.. should i go for this over the OCZ? that was my main question.. hehe.

Thanks tho!!!


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Didn't see the edit, it's a toss up which ever is cheaper.


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Do you mean toss out which ever is cheaper.

or toss up, GET which ever is cheaper? lol

Sry lol.. weird play on words.. hehe.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

They are about equal get the cheapest.


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

for memory, i have tried lots of brands, i cant suggest any brand other than G.skill.... IMO the best memory. Period. Decent price, great customer service, and same timings as Corsair anything, also i have found it has the same compatablity as Corsair


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Hey, i just wonna thank everyone here for there awesome advise, i've finished building my pc and thoguht i'd upload a couple pictures!

*My finished result was:*

Mobo - Asus P5K Premium
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0GHz) _cooled by Zalman heat sink_
GPU - ATI Radeon HD 4870 (1GB)
Ram - Corsair Dominator 1066MHz/PS2-8500 4GB (2x2GB) _plus cooling fan_
HDD - Seagate 500GB 7200rpm *32MB Cache*
Case - Antec 900
PSU - Corsair 750W TX

I played Call of Duty 4 on MAX with that 32" LCD TV (1920 x 1080p) and still got (80
-180 FPS) and Crysis i got (30-40 FPS) on High, not VERY HIGH cause i couldnt select it for some reason, but i didnt see any lag what so ever!

*Motherboard with CPU and Ram installed.*









*MONSTER Graphics Card!* rawr!









*Everything setup and in place!* Sooo hot!!!!! _not literally of course_









*Finished setup* what a beauty!









*My INSANE Setup* including the 32" LCD TV (1920 x 1080p) (not for keeps, just testing GPU to the max!)









Less said about the pokémon curtains the better!!!:4-dontkno

Thanks! :wave:


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Good to hear, good luck with it


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

one quick suggestion, i would move your sub from next to your case, and your hard drives/monitor, big magnet could spell bad news....


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Yeah didnt think of that, but they we're only like that for a short time, i've gone back to me old (19") monitor now so i got more room, my monitors about just over a foot away from my pc now, and the subs 5" away from the pc.
That should be ok, right? :4-dontkno


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## Toucan Sam (Jul 5, 2008)

sounds great.
fyi if i was going to build a computer today that's it right there.
awesome.


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

Eminef said:


> Yeah didnt think of that, but they we're only like that for a short time, i've gone back to me old (19") monitor now so i got more room, my monitors about just over a foot away from my pc now, and the subs 5" away from the pc.
> That should be ok, right? :4-dontkno


i realize it is a small sub, and it is probably shielded a bit, but i always try to keep my sub as far away from the case as possible (on the floor) they do produce a huge magnetic field, which can ruin your monitor and HDD's 
Just a suggestion...


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Aiight thx for the advise, the annoying thing about these speakers/sub is the volume is on the sub not the speakers, so bending down to turn it on/off or up/down will be a pain.
And it cant be doing much harm, i've had this sub next to my monitor for 2-3 years now with no troubles, plus its ****ty sub lol.. couldnt give out a magnetic field even if it tryed.:laugh:


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

lol perhaps you need a sound system to match your badass computer....


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## Eminef (Sep 29, 2008)

Hehe yeah i agree, i will upgrade my speakers soon lol.


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## Hardwarenerd (Sep 24, 2008)

i have the bose 2.1 and LOVE IT!!! btw, just my suggestion... oh and i have to say, nice mouse selection, i have had that mouse since it came out, by far my favorite...


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