Building my first game PC

[Rednax]

I've built computers before, but never with this much thought involved. But i need help.

Currently i have most of my items decided. The only thing i can't decide on is my motherboard, especially after reading the review this site gave the Asus striker II extreme. (the nvidia 790i ultra chip).

I plan on getting a 9800gtx+ card. The review from this site gave fairly low scores for the 790i ultra asus board compared to the intel chip boards. I was wondering if i should stick with this 790i ultra or go for an intel chip board and loose any advantages of having an nvidia card and an nvidia chipset. The DDR3 thing with this board is a big factor as i can save a bit of money and perhaps go for 9800gtx+ SLI if i save enough.

(I am rushing at the moment, so sorry if my post makes no sense at all)

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Why go for a 9800GTX+ in the first place, when the HD 4850 is a better performer for the same price, and can be paired with a P45-based Crossfire motherboard like the GA-EP45-DS3R or the P5Q Pro for far lesser than the cost of a similar SLI motherboard. Also, you wouldn't need to be restricted to DDR2 only, since boards like the GA-EP45C-DS3R provide support for both DDR2 and DDR3 as well as Crossfire and PCI-E 2.0 slots.

 

[LinkedKube]

if your'e going 790 chipset you'll have room eventually for tri sli, although rage does have a point, if money is an issue.

 

[Rednax]

Good points.

Both the 4870 and the 4870x2 cards have good reviews, so i've decided to go with one of them (probably the 4870, thought the x2 looks sweet). Tri SLI was never a big thing for me and i only choose nvidia to begin with because i have been with them since the 4 series.
I would like to keep dual cards as an option however.

The GA-X48-DS4 looks like a good choice. Lots of USB slots, lots of eSata slots. Good reviews on newegg. Anyone here have thoughts on it? I'm hoping it will perform well with my Q9550 proc.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

That motherboard is a fine choice. Go for it, you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[nickc]

that board will work with the Q9550 without a problem. generally newegg turns boards fast enough the one u get will have the latest BIOS.