# Building a New Computer



## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

Hi

I know there are loads of threads about building new computers all over the net but I haven't managed to find the answers to all the questions I have about the computer I'm planning to build:

Intel Quad Core Q6600 (G0 Stepping) - £168.01
Asus Striker Extreme - £152.74
OcUK 2x1GB PC2-8500 x 2 - £117.84
Xilence 800w Gaming Edition PSU - £88.07
NZXT Hush Case - £61.09
Geforce 8800GTX (Own brand) 768mb - £299.61
Samsung SM-2032BW Pebble 20" - £182.11
Logitech Z-4 2.1 40watts - £52.82
Vista Premium 64-bit - £62.55
Pioneer DVD-RW 212 Black (SATA) - £20.16
Seagate FreeAgent Desktop 250GB (External) - £50.11

That's what I'm planning on getting. I already have a 250GB internal SATA hard drive which I'm going to continue using and the external drive is just for a bit of extra space. These are the questions I had:


Is there any point in having the Asus Striker Motherboard if you're not definately going to overclock
The NZXT Hush case has a lot of sound proofing, will that keep in the heat and cause overheating?
Is there any point in getting a SATA DVD drive baring in mind they're only a couple of £ more?
Is there much point in getting Vista yet?
Should I go with the own brand OcUK RAM or pay an extra £120 for some Geil Black Dragon RAM, I don't really want to spend much more than I already am...
Does anyone know if these speakers will be ok?
This power supply should be enough for what I've got here but would I be able to add another GTX at a later date if necessary?
Does anyone have any other recommended changes?

Here are some links for some of the other own brand things and components which are harder to find:

RAM - 
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-013-OK&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=817

Gfx:
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-051-OK

PSU:
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...ence+800w+Gaming+Edition+PSU+?productId=26716


I've read that there's no difference between each of the brands with the 8800GTX, does anyone know if that is true?


Thankyou for absolutely any help or advice you can give! :grin:


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

#1 thats a very top shelf motherboard, not much sense in having it if you are not going to chase dual video cards (SLI) and I dont see anyone as having a need for two 8800 GTX cards

dont be so fast to rule out overclocking, its not hard and it will deliver improvements in gaming


#2 no increased heat , "sound proofing" is mainly just a nice way of saying well built and rubber grommets and such >>>>>> if you dont like alot of computer noise, then you want such a case


#3 I personally see no advantage or disadvantage to sata DVD but remember when trying to load the OS for the first time, there will be no drivers to make the sata dvd operate ????? this can be trouble >>>> it can be over come as long as you are prepared 

I prefer IDE cd-rom drive just because almost all diagnostic utilities will boot from an IDE cd-rom drive, not all will boot from a scsi or sata dvd drive

#4 I think Vista is darn close to mature >>>> the release of SP-1 will complete that journey sooner or later its gonna be vista your call


#5: I personally dont believe in the really top shelf high dollar ram sticks
and I actually question the use of any ram above PC 6400
I have used some of the wiz bang stuff PC2 8500 & wasnt impressed not for the $$$ >>>>> as long as you are getting cas 4 memory then dont waste your $$$$


#6 speakers are like judging beauty what I like may well not be what you think is good I am not fussy on speakers; therefore........ I pass


#7 Your PSU choice is horrible its a cheap, fraud junker you have picked out the elite of motherboards, CPU, Memory and video card and want to run it with trash power >>>>>>>>> you are headed for night mares Thermaltake Toughpower 750 watt for single GTX or Toughpower 850 wat for dual GTX cheaper = Antec Trio 650 watt for single GTX >>>> but not for dual GTX

nobody needs dual GTX's IMHO big waste of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


#8 Do you really need such a high priced motherboard ??????? unless you want to become an overclocking wizard, then you are over spending


The Gigabyte 650i is plenty of board

http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=4939&s=1

and if you want the King >>>> its the Gigabyte 680i-sli it beat out the striker extreme by a whisker but thats tough competition, over priced in my book


how about CPU cooler ?????? I didnt see one in your shopping cart ?

tuniq T-120 or Zalman 9500 or Zalman 9500 or http://www.thermalright.com/a_page/main_product_ultra120_extreme.htm


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

#1 

In terms of the motherboard and power supply I'm not sure if I will eventually go for SLI 8800GTX it just depends whether I'll need it; I don't want to be having to change a lot of parts anytime soon. You said about a cheaper motherboard, another one I was thinking about was the Asus P5N32-E Plus, which is about £100 and has good overclocking features and also takes PC2-8500 RAM.


#3 

I hadn't really thought before about what you said about not having drivers with a SATA DVD drive so I think I'm just going to stick with IDE. There's not really meant to be much performance increase anyway...

#4 

My main reason for wanting to get Vista now was because XP Pro, which I have now, won't support a full 4GB of RAM because it's only 32-bit whereas a 64-bit copy of Vista would. And also, I don't want to be formatting and re-installing everything again in a couple of months.

#5 

The RAM that I've found is _really_ cheap anyway so I don't think it makes much sense not to get it. I've never really understood the CAS timings and things with RAM apart from lower timings = better. But this is what it says:

- PC8500 1066MHz CAS 5-5-5-15
- 240pin, Non-ECC, Un-buffered DDR2 SDRAM DIMM
- 6 Layers Ultra Low Noises Shielded PCB
- 2.0V-2.3V Power Supply

Is that good/bad/average?

#7 

Power supplies are another thing which I get confused with; I used a calculator and it was telling me 400w which obviously couldn't be right? But I'll take your advice with the PSU; probably go for the Thermaltake 750w. But what difference does it being modular make? I'd wanted to go for a PSU capable of dual 8800gtx aswell; again because I don't want to have to buy a new PSU if I do choose to upgrade in this way. Surely it's better to spend an extra £20 now than another £100 later...

#8

Does that gigabyte board (650) take PC2-8500 RAM? The review says it only goes upto 800mhz.

I had thought about getting additional fans but I don't think that case has room for anymore fans apart from the two 12cm's already on there. As for CPU coolers; I had looked at the Tuniq tower but it's massive and I don't know if it would actually fit in the case. Also with some of these boards, the copper pipes on the board may get in the way? At least I'd read that about one board; can't remember if it was the striker. Plus the Tuniq tower is quite expensive for what it is: £35 on offer 

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-039-TR&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=821

Also, does it matter what 12cm fan I would get with it?


Thanks for your help Linderman!


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

I couldn't find the button for editing my last post but another big reason for me wanting Vista was for DirectX 10; I'm most likely not going to be getting the computer until end of this month/start of november but would like to be able to play Crysis top spec with the DX10 features. Same goes for UT3.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

hello; here we go with some info, hope I dont miss anything


#1 The P5 Asus board you choose is a very good board, I would go with that one. Its has all the feautres you want with out un-needed bloat which costs $$$$ I dont reccomend any board which will not deliver all the performance any serious overclocker will need.


#3 Yes, stick with an IDE cd/dvd rom drive most bootable diagnostic utilities come with a generic atapi driver which will allow most any IDE rom drive to function, not so for sata rom drives

#4 64 bit Vista is a good choice, it can handle 4 gigs of memory and more, make sure all the programs you intend to run are 64 bit vista compatible, yes direct X 10 is only in vista OS

#5 being as your ram choice is affordable, then I would get that memory, the specs look very good


#7 if you plan on running *two* GTX cards you will need the toughpower 850 >>>> the 750 watt will not be enough you can check this link for REAL power verification
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

#8 You are correct the Gigabyte 650 is limited to DDR2 800 / better choice for your specs is the asus board >>>>>> without getting back into the boards with a crazy price tag



The "sounds & description" of your case scares me, two GTX cards will make alot of heat >>>>> typical cases that are built for dual GTX generally have 7 fan mounts and more 

a perfect example; although VERY over priced is the coolermaster 8210 case
http://www.coolermaster.com/index.p...ial=RC-830&other_title=+RC-830+CM Stacker 830

the GTX card is VERY long many cases cant take the GTX


as for your cooler, it really depends how hard to want to push the overclocking for your rig, if you want the MOST out of it, then you will need the tuniq or extreme 120

if you will be content with about an 80-90% cpability of your rig to overclock, then look for the Zalman 9500 to save money

if you are not going to overclock the stock cooler will work ?????


I dont think anyone can really benefit from two GTX cards in reality, one GTX card has the ability to bottleneck or almost bottleneck any CPU available right now! so what is the point in having two of them ?????

try *one* and see; I have NEVER yet seen anyone find fault or need for improvement when running ONE GTX >>>>>> IMHO the users that have dual GTX are after attention from their peers


enjoy and dont hesitate to ask more questions


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

BTW: I would stick with a case that has a 25CM case side cover fan !!


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

The thing is you can always get cheaper RAM. You will never be able to use the full bandwidth in any current system.

This RAM will actually be _faster_ because of the lower latencies.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-072-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

I agree with Matt




its kind of like buying a bucket to carry water


your job is to carry 5 gallons of water to the kennel twice per day, is a 10 gallon bucket doing to do the job better ????? NO

the PC2 8500 is not going to be any faster than the PC2 6400


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

I'm definately going to go with the cheaper Asus P5n32-e board now after the advice you've given. It makes much more sense. The same with the IDE DVD drive and I'm also going to stick with the 64 bit Vista.

The thing with the graphics cards is that I'm only buying one for the moment and if, eventually, I did decide to go for a second it would be at least this time this year; it just depends on whether the computer has any problems running games at top spec.

I was originally going to buy the Antec Nine Hundred case because that has plenty of room and plenty of cooling but found that it wouldn't actually fit where I wanted to put it. Which is why I decided on the NZXT Hush. The description for it says that it can fit 2 8800GTX cards but like you said it may overheat. I'm starting to think that I may aswell build the computer for just one card and forget about the second altogether... It could be a big waste of money buying extra bits for the computer in the event that I _may_ buy a second gtx. 

If I'm running just one GTX, will I still need a 25cm fan?

Think it may be better to go for a CPU cooler like you said aswell; I suppose it can never really hurt to have extra fans and things in your computer. I'll just need to check measurements with the case and fans online.

I like the analogy of the bucket. I suppose it makes sense... But I've read that the GTX makes the CPU a bottleneck so would this still be the case with memory? Is there no difference between the pc2-8500 and 6400? I'd also, still like to for 4GB; but the 4gb of 6400 compared to 8500 is more (but only 2 sticks, leaving room for 8GB) but it looks like this:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-086-OC&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=813

is actually worse than the memory I looked at before...


Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it! ray:ray:


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

I'd say always go for the 25cm fan since its silent and i mean NO NOISE and decent airflow. Cooler you keep everything the better it will run and the longer it will last.

I've got a sata drive guys and requires no drivers or anything when first installing the os so no idea what you guys are talking about. Reason you want sata is the much smaller wiring so why not get it. 

Q6600 run hot so yeah a cpu cooler is always recommended and you could also do some overclocking. pretty sure the zalman 9500 would fit into either of those cases. 

So what case are you looking at? you have dimension requirements, because if not cheap alternative would be the thermaltake armor, that will fit everything you want.


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

The case I'm looking at, at the moment is the NZXT Hush, there's a review here:
http://www.xsreviews.co.uk/reviews/cases/nzxt-hush/

I also couldn't find the coolermaster case mentioned earlier. Had a look at the Thermaltake Armour and I don't think that has a 25cm fan either. I can't really find many cases with a 25cm fan which aren't priced extremely high. Besides the Nine Hundred, which is too big...

Found on another forum while searching google that someone has managed to fit the Hush with a Tuniq Tower 120 on a Q6600, but he's saying it only just fits again the power supply and its "very tight". Could this cause problems? Also found that it fits with the motherboard too. Since the Zalman 9500 and Tuniq Tower are around the same price I guess it depends on their performance? And also whether it being so close to the PSU would make a difference? Oh!, and whether a different PSU would make a difference...

Another problem, just read this review: http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxthush/page5.shtml

It seems that the case can't handle two GTXs because of the heat and that it's still a little hot with just one GTX. Really don't know what to do with the case now? Don't want to spend more than £60/70 but it has to look good and keep cool...


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

To clarify, the PC2-8500 RAM will run faster, but the CPU bus will be a bottleneck so the RAM will sit in idle nearly half the time. With the 4 GB of RAM, 64-bit Vista will appreciate it. Both 32-bit and 64-bit Linux distros will also use all 4 GB.

As for the graphics bottleneck, I will tell you that an 8800GTX or Ultra will _not_ be bottlenecked by a Core 2 Quad. Go with the 8800GTX or GTS 64 MB if its in the budget.

For the Case, I would still seriously consider the Antec Nine Hundred or Thermaltake Armor Full Tower. Either one of those (even without the 250mm fan on the Armor) will be excellent. If you don't go for the 250mm fan on the armor, I would mount the extra 90mm fan it comes with in the front.

The Zalman 9500 Will be plenty even for the G0 stepping of the C2Q. Make sure to follow the mounting instructions though because it is heavy and many motherboards can't hold up the weight without the special mounts.


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

Are you talking about the Thermaltake Armour @ about £80 or the Thermaltake Armour Jr @ about £65. Because I didn't really want to spend that much on a case, £65 was more than I was originally planning on spending as it is... Plus, the Jr doesn't seem to feature a 25cm fan. 

The Antec Nine Hundred was actually my first choice of case but i've checked the measurements and its too tall to fit into the 'caddy' space underneath my desk... Even if I did manage to fit in the case, I wouldn't be able to reach the USB ports and there wouldn't be good ventilation to the fan at the top... On that note, definately couldn't fit the Thermaltake Armor Full Tower either; I've just seen the dimensions :O

I think I'll go with the Zalman cooler then, think it's a little bit smaller so think it may be the better choice.

I'm definately staying with the GTX, don't see much point in the Ultra because there isn't much performance increase from what I've seen.

If I do go with a case like the Hush, would water cooling be a good option? I've never really like the sound of it to be honest but what do you think?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

You probably won't need it. The Hush has two 120mm fans so you should be good if you add a PCI slot cooler and go with the 9500.


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

Ok then. Just don't think mixing water and electrical components can ever be a good idea... When looking for a PCI slot cooler are there are any specific things that I need to look out for? Am I also still going to have enough PCI slots; most of these take up 2 slots I guess, plus room for the sound card that comes with the P5N32-e plus... 

Also, what would you personally go for in terms of RAM? 8500 or 6400?


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

With the 6400 you will be ready for Intel's future 1600 MHz FSB CPUs. I would go for that. 8500 is just a waste of money right now.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Scarn:



if there are no drivers available to operate the sata hard drive during the first loading of the OS, then where is the sata ROM driver getting its drivers from to allow it to function ?????? and if "YOU" are correct why all the info available to slipstream the sata drivers onto the Windows disk ?????


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

I have no idea man but i have both sata hdds and sata dvd drives and have not installed any drivers, first boot with my 680i sli I put it in raid and everything showed up and worked perfectly. I've never heard of anyone else having problems with first boot needing drivers but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen :wink: I garantee that did not happen to me


If you like that case, and are concerned about noise and temperature you might just want to go water cooling. It is very easy, damn near silent and will give you better temps. Sure you run the risk of something going wrong, I do but has not happened to me or anyone else i know, just take your time and research good products. Only downside is going to be that initial cost, but I would seriously consider it if your getting a computer that good.


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

I'm guessing it just depends on what SATA DVD drive you have. XP most likely wouldn't have a driver, but Vista is more likely to... If for whatever reason it doesn't find my SATA drive on first boot up, I've still got my old IDE drive which I'm using now which would work for installing vista...

How expensive are you talking for Water cooling; I've heard that it's best not to go with one of the kits? Is that true?

Also, my brother has a GTX and his computer doesn't run particularly hot and he's using a really cheap case with no extra fans...Although, he doesn't have a Q6600...

I think I might follow your advice and go with 4GB of 6400 then, that will only take up 2 slots aswell, opposed to the four that the 8500 will take up. Not sure if you had a look, but is this RAM any good?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...d=8&subcat=813

What should I be looking out for?

Thanks again!


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

yes your selection ram is very good spending any more money than that is waste


I would really try running your system on air cooling; if you hit any heat issues then adopt water cooling

keeping the case in any sort of enclosed cubby is going to present problems regardless water or air >>>>> even the water cooler needs fresh cool air to cool the radiator ??


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

It's not completely enclosed; with my current case there is plenty of room down the sides and openings at the back and front with a tray for my scanner above. Here are some measurements: 

Really appreciate your help with the RAM, never realised what you've said about the 8500. I just figured that because it was 1066mhz (i think) that it would work well with the FSB of the Q6600 which is also 1066mhz. I still don't completely understand it, but I'll take your word on it.

I would prefer to stay away from the water cooling; seems like a waste tbh.

Current edited specs are now(changes are in bold):

*Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus Motherboard* @ £105.16
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...2-E+SLI+PLUS+775+Motherboard+?productId=26710

Intel Q6600 Quad Core CPU @ £167.97
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...GHz+*+95W+G0+Stepping*+(775)+?productId=28356

*OCZ 4GB PC2-6400C5 Dual Channel Vista Gold Series* @ £158.57
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...2-6400+Vista+Upgrade+(2x2GB)+?productId=26722

*Thermaltake Toughpower 750w* @ £82.24
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-064-TT

NZXT Hush @ £63.44
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-004-NX

Geforce 8800GTX @ £299.61
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-051-OK

Samsung SM-2032BW Pebble 20" @ £182.11
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MO-063-SA&groupid=17&catid=948&subcat=

Logitech Z-4 2.1 40w Speakers @ £52.82
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SP-032-LG&groupid=702&catid=22&subcat=173

Windows Vista Premium 64-bit @ £62.55
http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Soft...ows+Vista+Home+Premium+64+OEM?productId=25906

*Samsung SH-S203BEBN SATA DVD Writer* @ £19.96
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-088-SA&groupid=701&catid=10&subcat=951

Seagate Freeagent 250GB External HD @ £52.86
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-110-SE

*Zalman CNPS9500-AT CPU Cooler* @ £26.32
https://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Com...lman+CNPS9500-AT+Intel+LGA775?productId=23396


This gives me a total of £1309.87 including delivery! (£25 from overclockers!!) Which is more than I was planning on spending... So I will have to delay the order a little. Are there any parts above that I'm missing or that you think should be changed?

Also, is the only difference with a modular power supply that you don't have to have cables you don't need attached?


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

your rig looks great to me! ray:


the only changes I can see would be finding CAS 4 memory instead of CAS 5 >>>>>> I am assuming the "C5" in the model number means CAS 5 ???? if not, please ignore this comment

all else looks great


I am not really sure you need such a full boat video card ?????? I havent seen or heard of one single disappointed gamer yet that bought the 8800 GTS 640 meg ????????????? your call ??

you look like you have things shaped up well


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

Also, I am not sure about the quality of the "OcUK" cards. I would personally take a look at these options:

BFG GeForce 8800 GTX OC 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - £282.99 (this week only)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-035-BG&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=877

EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - £214.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-017-EA&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=927


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

i love my gtx i say go for it but my bro has a 320mb gts and a better screen with higher resolutions and he plays all games I do like me on all high settings. 

I've got the same sata dvd drive and worked fine for me so enjoy it. Actually got an extra one but you live far away . 

My reason for suggesting water cooling is if you were going to do it, do it now that way you won't have to spend that money on a cpu cooler. But at this point I'd say cooling with air should be just fine, water cooling is just an extra


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Scharnhost you are in an excellent position to evaluate the two video cards as you both play the same games


if your GTX crapped out tomm, whould you replace it with a GTX or a GTS if you had to spend the cash ????????????


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

hmmmm thats a tough choice. I'm really looking forward to the new lineup of nvidia cards so I'd prob buy evga that way i can use the step up program and get a new 9series when they come out. But if this was not an option the gts will be just fine and when eventually down the line it needs replacing newer and better cards will be out. 

I see very little difference between the too, since ever game is on max and his is even having to work harder since his screen resolution is more than mine. But now that I've learned that upgrading is a very easy and cost effective way to go about deciding what components are worth buying, gts is the way to go, that money you save can be spent elsewhere. 

All that said I love my gtx and q6600 and have no regrets about purchasing either one.


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

Which games are these, because I would have thought with games like Crysis and Unreal Tournament coming out that the GTX would fare better. Plus, surely it would have better longevity.

If I can, I will go for the BFG one because it's a bit faster, has a lifetime warranty and its also retail. It just depends on the money situation because this computer is getting more and more expensive...

I might in the end have to downgrade the monitor to a cheaper one; my brother had an LG 19" for about £120 which is excellent value for performance.


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

Supreme commander, quake wars, world in conflict, and half life 2 among others. 

Sir you are buying a graphics card when in no more than 2-3 months a new series will be coming out, much better and much faster than the current 8series. I bought my gtx long ago when these new cards were not even being considered so I’ll be sticking with my gtx for awhile. But for you the gts will work wonders (besides saving money) and if and when you find it’s no longer meeting your expectations much better cards will be out roughly the same time the gtx will be showing its age. 

I would go with evga that way the money you spend now you could later use towards purchasing another evga 9series card which will last you an extremely long time and for the next 3 months the 8series will satisfy you for now. But your choice and think you will be happy either way. Its called their step up program and you have 3 months from the date purchase to send your card in for the amount you purchased it for and use that money towards a new card. 
Q6600 is fantastic and any of your 8series choices will perform extremely well.


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

I'm assuming though, that the new 9 series will be just as or more expensive than the 8 series is at current. If I buy a GTS now then I'm going to be have to pay extra ontop of this to get the new card. I think I'd rather just get the GTX and stay with that for a while. It should be able to play all of the upcoming games no problems for plenty of time.

Is this step-up program also running in the UK? I've never heard of it over here...


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

thanks for the strait forward input Scarnhorst



Its nice to have a group conversation that feels legit and correctly evaluated, anyone can praise the latest and greatest, but the real evaluation being, was the money spent worth it ?????????????????


in actuality you cant go wrong with any of the parts we are talking about now, we are just splitting hairs now ray::wave:


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

I feel my money was well spent on the gtx, but if i was building today I would have to make a choice, between spending the money for the gtx now and step up later or buying the gts and paying the extra cost later. I know thats what I would consider doing but honestly these current gen cards are very good. Linderman is right neither is a bad choice, the gtx will exceed your expectations and should be great for a long time, or atleast thats what I hoping for too. Games requirements are always reaching new heights just seems like lately they are jumping from each game to the next where as before it was only a step


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

harvey_mistry said:


> I'm assuming though, that the new 9 series will be just as or more expensive than the 8 series is at current. If I buy a GTS now then I'm going to be have to pay extra ontop of this to get the new card. I think I'd rather just get the GTX and stay with that for a while. It should be able to play all of the upcoming games no problems for plenty of time.
> 
> Is this step-up program also running in the UK? I've never heard of it over here...


Yes, the EVGA Step up program is valid in the Continental US, Canada and Europe. Here are the Terms and Conditions of the program.
http://evga.com/stepup/default.asp?switch=2


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

I think I'll still go for the GTX, even if I did go for the EVGA and then step-up I'd most likely ending up paying more than the card usually would be because it's buying from them and none of their listed retailers are based in the UK.

I'll hold on to the GTX for a couple of years I hope before I have to get an entirely new card; theirs still a second GTX I could get. I just hope it'll last longer than my current 7900GS; only bought that last summer thinking it was DX10 compatible but it's only "Vista Ready" (obviously not enough research done there)

Also, how much did you originally pay for your GTX; I'm assuming it's dropped quite a bit in price by now...

I'm glad I asked for help here; I really appreciate all of the straight forward advice you guys give!

Thanks

EDIT: Is there any real benefit in buying retail over OEM. Only reason I ask is that the Q6600 is on offer for OEM at about £20 less than Retail.


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## mattlock (Dec 28, 2005)

Retail comes with the heatsink/fan and a 3 year manufacturers warranty.
OEM comes with no heatsink/fan and no manufacturers warranty.


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

Warranty is worth having. I paid $600 for my gtx which was superclocked. Basically when new cards come out they replace the current prices for the current top of the line cards and the 8series will drop in price. early on the new 9800series will be around that same $600 price. Sure you will shell out that extra money for the 9series but hell that going to last you atleast another year longer than the 8800gtx.


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

Oh right, warranty is definately worth that extra £20 in my opinion


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

Generally only overclockers go for the OEM chips because they end up using third party heatsinks and voiding the warranty by overclocking.


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

how does intel even prove you were overclocking unless you tell them. Hell my cpu was overclocked and sent mine in and sent me a new one. It probably wasn't broken but still had been overclocked


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## TheMatt (May 9, 2006)

To be honest, I don't know. Many times manufacturers will accept items through RMA even though they were broken and the customer was at fault.

Generally CPUs don't just 'die' on you because they are solid state objects and in reality are just globs of silicon on some PCB with either pins or lands. They really don't fail that often except when you bend the pins.

With overclocking the processor, the motherboard is the most common item to fail.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

when overclocking gets too agressive, signs of burning / overheat are present with a magnifying glass >>>>> under the metal lid which the heat sink attaches to


but as stated above, generally the mobo will die first


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

I'm guessing that they'll rarely actually check the chip to look for signs of overclocking so the majority of people will just 'get away with it'. I don't plan on doing any over the top overclocking to be honest; I'm hoping that I won't have to...


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## scharnhorst (Apr 6, 2007)

you won't have to, its a very good cpu


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the benefits of overclocking are mostly "over stated" so dont stretch the line really hard

*
BTW check your PM's*


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## harvey_mistry (Oct 7, 2007)

I wasn't planning on overclocking much simply because I don't feel that I'd particularly need to. Like scharnhorst said; it's a very good CPU. Plus, I don't want it to break and find that they won't replace it because it's been overclocked.


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