Building a new system, need your advice guys.

Entr0py · September 08, 2008, 03:47 AM

Anyways, this is my first build, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Need your advice if this system should comply, and what graphic card i should get for it (22inch monitor).

1 Intel E8400 Core2 Duo (3.0G/6MB/1333MHz FSB/45ns) HKD 1280
2 Gigabyte EP45-DS3L (P45/ICH10/4D2/6SATA/8A/2GBL) 1030
3 [2x2GB] Kingston Hyper-X PC6400 CL5(D2-800) 700 700
4 xFxDDR3-512MB 8800GT T88P-YHF4 (600/1.8G/PCI-E2.0) 1350
5 160GB Seagate ST3160815AS (SATAII/NCQ/8M) 309
6 Lite-On 16x DVD-Rom 白色盒裝 125
7 COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro 550

Only thing im not certain on is the card, hearing a lot of 8800 issues. Also will be running XP, thanks.

snackereen · September 08, 2008, 06:34 AM

Sounds good to me. We use these cards at our office, so playing wow on them should be fine ;)
We had some heat issues with the newest NVIDIA cards and remember that they suck a lot of power!! So be sure to get a decent power supply (550W might be a bit to small overall).

Additionally, you can add a second HDD for swap files. I don't know if it speeds up wow, never tested it, but I'd guess due to unpacking multiple huge files while playing.

RAM: you need a 64bit OS to access more than 2GB RAM. So grab yourself a XP64bit or VISTA64bit.

WoW runs under XP as well as under VISTA. I never had issues running Vista.

chemical whore · September 08, 2008, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snackereen

550W might be a bit to small overall
. . .
RAM: you need a 64bit OS to access more than 2GB RAM. So grab yourself a XP64bit or VISTA64bit.

550 is a bit low. i would recommend around 750. Newegg has a simple calculator, it'll give you a round-about figure. it says your combination needs at least 487W. i would def leave room for error/overclocking/future upgrades.
Newegg - Power Supply Calculator

you do not need 64bit OS for 2GB+ ram. a standard 32bit OS runs up to 4GB, of which, windows accesses up to 3.5GB

as for the rest of your planned system:
1. good choice
2. i've never used Gigabyte mobo (NOTE: this mobo only has 1 PCI-E slot, so you can only run 1 video card)
3. you can do better. try to get something w/ lower timings like cl4 or cl3
i use OCZ XTC Plat. w/ 4-4-4-15 stock timings.
4. forget the GT. go with the 8800GTS
5. meh, i ONLY use Western Digital Caviar SE16's (but will soon upgrade to Raptors)
6. no opinion
7. previously commented on

Alyrienne · September 08, 2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Entr0py

Anyways, this is my first build, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Need your advice if this system should comply, and what graphic card i should get for it (22inch monitor).

1 Intel E8400 Core2 Duo (3.0G/6MB/1333MHz FSB/45ns) HKD 1280
2 Gigabyte EP45-DS3L (P45/ICH10/4D2/6SATA/8A/2GBL) 1030
3 [2x2GB] Kingston Hyper-X PC6400 CL5(D2-800) 700 700
4 xFxDDR3-512MB 8800GT T88P-YHF4 (600/1.8G/PCI-E2.0) 1350
5 160GB Seagate ST3160815AS (SATAII/NCQ/8M) 309
6 Lite-On 16x DVD-Rom 白色盒裝 125
7 COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro 550

Only thing im not certain on is the card, hearing a lot of 8800 issues. Also will be running XP, thanks.

1. Good choice
2. Not familiar with Gigabyte, used ASUS and ABIT
3. Is that 2GB total or 4GB total? If 4GB, 32-bit Windows will only see 3.2GB of it. Also, go for CL3 or CL2 if you can.
4. Try stretch to an 8800GTX if you can

5. Have you considered a RAID0 or a 10K RPM Raptor for the game installs? MMOs are very disk-intensive.
6. No comment
7. 550W might be a bit thin, although I know one guy had a serious P4EE rig running on a 350W Antec...I STILL don't know how he did it...consider 700W+ for your rig.

Absalom · September 08, 2008, 10:49 AM

I've used Gigabyte for a long time and have always loved their boards...

That said i've gone through two recent boards by them and I've been having lockups/reboots when I tab out of WoW or when the system has been on for a long time (i.e. in a raid) and it figures it's time for a nap.

I am trying the memory you have listed now and things are a bit more stable but I managed to get a lockup/reboot after a loooooooong time running (I had nothing else to do on Saturday, ok =P). That said, it may be just my system.. though I'd probably check out some reviews on the motherboard just to be sure. I know there were a few threads on the X38 board I had talking about it not being that stable.

Otherwise, your system you have there should be pretty good. Just make sure you case has good cooling.

cdnVerbal · September 08, 2008, 11:06 AM

I use Sli'd XFX 768mb 8800GTX XXX's and they have been awesome. I realize thats way OP for wow but im more commenting the OP's hesitance towards 8800's. They have been great for me.

As everyone else ahs pointed out going to a 750W PS would prolly help a bit, especially down the road

I also use OCZ ram, its great

Entr0py · September 08, 2008, 06:52 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like at the very least I should up the psu. I'm hearing 12v rails with 22 watts each is a good idea as well.

I'm hearing good things about the asus-p5q pro lga board, i may look at it in the shops.

I'll also look for some cl3-4 ram. Possibly the gts- gtx, and MAYBE vista 64.

Wish me luck, it's my first build. lol. Plus I have to go to the computer district here in hong kong, and speak broken Engrish all day. haha

chemical whore · September 10, 2008, 09:28 AM

i wouldn't recommend Vista 64. it's a bit more difficult to find programs and drivers and such. plus, to make use of the extra computing power you have to really load up on ram (8-16GB). and with your reluctance to buy a high end video card i don't imagine you would want to do that.

also, you may want to consider a Raid 0 hard drive set up. it's something that i wanted to do on my build. i put it off thinking i'd do it later but i now regret it. i finally got Vista working how i want it and i don't want to do a re-install. :-(

El Tanakh · September 10, 2008, 10:03 AM

Noo, i tried to stay out of this topic, but mheee, my geek blood calls:

At this point i really don't see the selling points of the 8800GTX or the 8800GTS, both were good cards a while ago, but if you are willing to invest a bit more than what the 8800GT costs, the Radeon HD 4850 is your best option regarding price/performance.

The only reason not to do this is if you are going to run good ol Linux (last time i checked about 1 year ago the radeon linux drivers were baaad), and if you are thinking in gaming a lot on this machine don't go cheap on the GPU, it's the most important part.

If you wanna see more about cards, check PCI Express Interface: $150 to $310 - Tom's Hardware : Best Video Cards For The Money: Sept '08 , agreed, tom's not the best site, but its non-geek friendly.

September 08, 2008, 03:47 AM	#1 (permalink)
Entr0py Newly Registered User Character Info Sakurai 70 Blood Elf Warlock Oceania PvP	Building a new system, need your advice guys. Anyways, this is my first build, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Need your advice if this system should comply, and what graphic card i should get for it (22inch monitor). 1 Intel E8400 Core2 Duo (3.0G/6MB/1333MHz FSB/45ns) HKD 1280 2 Gigabyte EP45-DS3L (P45/ICH10/4D2/6SATA/8A/2GBL) 1030 3 [2x2GB] Kingston Hyper-X PC6400 CL5(D2-800) 700 700 4 xFxDDR3-512MB 8800GT T88P-YHF4 (600/1.8G/PCI-E2.0) 1350 5 160GB Seagate ST3160815AS (SATAII/NCQ/8M) 309 6 Lite-On 16x DVD-Rom 白色盒裝 125 7 COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro 550 Only thing im not certain on is the card, hearing a lot of 8800 issues. Also will be running XP, thanks.

September 08, 2008, 06:34 AM	#2 (permalink)
snackereen pesky beast Character Info Snacker 70 Gnome Warlock Zirkel des Cenarius Euro RP Guild: Heavens Fall Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 27/34/0	Re: Building a new system, need your advice guys. Sounds good to me. We use these cards at our office, so playing wow on them should be fine ;) We had some heat issues with the newest NVIDIA cards and remember that they suck a lot of power!! So be sure to get a decent power supply (550W might be a bit to small overall). Additionally, you can add a second HDD for swap files. I don't know if it speeds up wow, never tested it, but I'd guess due to unpacking multiple huge files while playing. RAM: you need a 64bit OS to access more than 2GB RAM. So grab yourself a XP64bit or VISTA64bit. WoW runs under XP as well as under VISTA. I never had issues running Vista. Last edited by snackereen; September 08, 2008 at 06:38 AM..

September 08, 2008, 10:49 AM	#5 (permalink)
Absalom Destruction Warlock Character Info Lavath 80 Blood Elf Warlock Shadow Council US RP Guild: Syk Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/14/47	Re: Building a new system, need your advice guys. I've used Gigabyte for a long time and have always loved their boards... That said i've gone through two recent boards by them and I've been having lockups/reboots when I tab out of WoW or when the system has been on for a long time (i.e. in a raid) and it figures it's time for a nap. I am trying the memory you have listed now and things are a bit more stable but I managed to get a lockup/reboot after a loooooooong time running (I had nothing else to do on Saturday, ok =P). That said, it may be just my system.. though I'd probably check out some reviews on the motherboard just to be sure. I know there were a few threads on the X38 board I had talking about it not being that stable. Otherwise, your system you have there should be pretty good. Just make sure you case has good cooling.

September 08, 2008, 11:06 AM	#6 (permalink)
cdnVerbal Lurker Character Info Pureevil 70 Human Warlock Hellscream US PvE Guild: Ancient Hysteria Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/21/40	Re: Building a new system, need your advice guys. I use Sli'd XFX 768mb 8800GTX XXX's and they have been awesome. I realize thats way OP for wow but im more commenting the OP's hesitance towards 8800's. They have been great for me. As everyone else ahs pointed out going to a 750W PS would prolly help a bit, especially down the road I also use OCZ ram, its great

September 08, 2008, 06:52 PM	#7 (permalink)
Entr0py Newly Registered User Character Info Sakurai 70 Blood Elf Warlock Oceania PvP	Re: Building a new system, need your advice guys. Thanks for the replies everyone. Looks like at the very least I should up the psu. I'm hearing 12v rails with 22 watts each is a good idea as well. I'm hearing good things about the asus-p5q pro lga board, i may look at it in the shops. I'll also look for some cl3-4 ram. Possibly the gts- gtx, and MAYBE vista 64. Wish me luck, it's my first build. lol. Plus I have to go to the computer district here in hong kong, and speak broken Engrish all day. haha

September 10, 2008, 09:28 AM	#8 (permalink)
chemical whore Member Character Info Infernally 70 Gnome Warlock Alexstrasza US PvE Guild: Dragon Army Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 56/0/5	Re: Building a new system, need your advice guys. i wouldn't recommend Vista 64. it's a bit more difficult to find programs and drivers and such. plus, to make use of the extra computing power you have to really load up on ram (8-16GB). and with your reluctance to buy a high end video card i don't imagine you would want to do that. also, you may want to consider a Raid 0 hard drive set up. it's something that i wanted to do on my build. i put it off thinking i'd do it later but i now regret it. i finally got Vista working how i want it and i don't want to do a re-install. :-(

September 10, 2008, 10:03 AM	#9 (permalink)
El Tanakh Member Character Info Garii 80 Tauren Druid Cho'gall US PvP Profile: Blizzard Armory	Re: Building a new system, need your advice guys. Noo, i tried to stay out of this topic, but mheee, my geek blood calls: At this point i really don't see the selling points of the 8800GTX or the 8800GTS, both were good cards a while ago, but if you are willing to invest a bit more than what the 8800GT costs, the Radeon HD 4850 is your best option regarding price/performance. The only reason not to do this is if you are going to run good ol Linux (last time i checked about 1 year ago the radeon linux drivers were baaad), and if you are thinking in gaming a lot on this machine don't go cheap on the GPU, it's the most important part. If you wanna see more about cards, check PCI Express Interface: $150 to $310 - Tom's Hardware : Best Video Cards For The Money: Sept '08 , agreed, tom's not the best site, but its non-geek friendly.