Good gaming computer

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mako man

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Hello i'm a long time lurker but now I have to post. I'm having a problem picking out a system for gaming. I want a good system but would only like to spend between 1,500 and 2,000. I am not very computer smart so please bear with me.

I'm looking at the following computer:

Intel core 2 quad Q9450 oem 2.66 I believe
Motherboard p-35 --- please help with a selection?
4 gb ddr2 memory/800 What manufacturer and part # ?
GEForce 8800 GTS 512
Hard drive WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200RPM
Corsairs PSU probably 550 watts?
Vista home premium 64 bit
Tower unknown please advise
Fans type and amount?
Heat sink?

Is this a good system for online multi player gaming, and is there anything I should change or reconsider?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.
 
What currency are you looking at and what is your location? I could recommend a build for you given that information.
 

Grand Total = $1488.19, including rebates and shipping. A top-of-the-range PC that will rip through anything and stay cool. The prices also leave you with enough cash for a suitable DVD drive, monitor and other peripherals you might want.
 
Rage,

I want to thank you for taking your valuable time to help me out.
I have a couple of questions before I make my final decision.
Since I haven't any real knowledge with computer sytems I will defer to your expertise.

I have these questions:

1) Why not use the Intel core 2 quad and the P-35 motherboard. Wouldn't this system be faster and better for all the new games and programs coming out in the near future?

2). I don't fully understand the placement of the 6 fans, where do you place the 6 fans, and the zerotherm Nirvana?

If I spend a few dollars more now on the system I thought would be better going forward would that be the correct move or not. I don't want slow game playing at all, and I don't want to replace the syatem in a couple of years. Thanks again
 
Quad-core CPUs have no real advantage over dual-core ones as far as most games and apps go. So no point in spending extra for two more cores. If you want the extra cores, be my guest but you won't see any significant improvements over the dual-core CPU, barring certain apps.
As for the chipset, the X38 is an improved version of the P35 chipset, featuring two PCI-E 2.0 slots for Crossfire. Thus there's no advantage to getting a mobo with the older P35 chipset.
Lastly, the fans are to be used in the case, with one of them being put in the ZeroTherm Nirvana, which is a cooler for your CPU.
 
Rage;

Thank you very much I appreciate your assistance. In looking at the tower in your build it comes with fans installed, do I keep these fans mounted inside or am I removing them to install the ones you recommend? Also is this setup quiet or loud?

Thanks again and I hope I'm not a pain..
 
Rage;

Can I also add two more gb for memory and what part number would you recommend for this upgrade? I would like 4 gb of mem
 
I'd recommend any DDR2-1066MHz 4GB memory kit from Crucial's Ballistix, Corsair's Dominator,OCZ's Reaper or Mushkin's Extreme Performance series.
As for the case, remove the ones that come with it and install the new ones. It's a fairly quiet setup and will also keep the PC's insides fairly cool.
 
Everything looks good to me except the $350 Case + PSU. You can get a nice case for $50 and a good PSU for $80-120.
 
I recommended the case since it's a full tower case that will accomodate any motherboard size, plus it can accomodate nine fans for superb cooling. It also allows you to install the PSU upside down for better airflow. The cooling is the main factor I've taken into consideration, but if the OP wants a different case, the Antec 900 is a good alternative along with the Corsair VX550W as a suitable PSU.
 
Rage;

So far i love you build. As I 'm researching the reviews on your selection I see one possible problem with the GEForce 9800GX2. It says in the reviews that the 9800 GX2 doesn't support DirectX10.1. Is this a problem? I see many games running on Vista are using DirectX10. If this would hurt me with the more advanced games should I use another model. I really like the speed on the 9800GX2. Any ideas?
 
DX 10.1 isn't such a big deal, since it's just an extension of DX10 that makes some stuff from DX10 mandatory so game designers have to work within a slightly more restrictive set of rules when designing game environments. It's not going to produce very noticeable changes at all. Look here for more details.
So don't sweat it, because the 9800GX2 is the most powerful single-card solution out there ATM. :)
 
Rage;

I really want to thank you for taking so much of your time to help. I'm sure this thread is also helping other people as well.

Ok that answers that question I see no problem since it has DirectX10. TY

I was also considering the Antec 900 due to the space limitations I have in the desk. If I went with the Antec do you think all the pieces will fit properly?

Would you order the six fans as listed above or decrease due to area?

I'm reading about SLI, crossfire, and the regular cards. Which one would I want in my computer for gaming? I don't know anything about any of them.

Is the Seagate 500GB sata as good or better than my original choice being the WD640AAKS? I have had WD before but never Seagate.

Again thank you
 
If your considering the Antec Nine Hundred then you won't need any fans to put in it except for maybe on the side mount. The fans in that case are extremely strong and quiet. The leds look really good on the fans and the huge fan on top is good. You can change the fan speeds ( 3 Speeds ) with the switch inside, each fan has its own. The fans plugs are also double-sided so they don't take up all your pin connectors. This case is really good I've had it before. Lots of room also.
 
SLI and Crossfire is possible with any PCI-Express card, provided you have the right motherboard. SLI motherboards have NVIDIA nForce SLI chipsets and Crossfire is supported on Intel's 975X, P35 and X38 chipsets, along with certain AMD chipsets.

As for the case, the Nine Hundred comes with excellent case fans as reported before so no need for any extra fans, barring one on the side, which you may or may not want. IMO, you can never overcool a PC, so it wouldn't hurt to have it.

Lastly, the 7200.11 Seagate drives are some of the fastest on the market, having faster transfer rates than the 10,000RPM Raptors, and come with a 5-year warranty compared to the 3-year warranty on similar WD drives.
 
I dont know anything about SLI or crossfire. Which system SLI , crossfire or another would be best for me?

I'm only days away from ordering the system you reccomended.

I know I'm asking many questions, but I don't want to order a system to find out I made a mistake.

I play Counterstrike, COD, Halo and I want to try crysis I want great speed, and even greater accuracy. Thanks again. If you were in the States I would owe you lunch for all your help.
 
If your going to get that NVIDIA 9800 then, SLI, but you won't need to SLI that unless you want the ultimate computer. That card is 2x 8800's in one almost like a dual core processor.
 
WD.....The Evil Empire......

Rage_3K_Moiz said:
.
Lastly, the 7200.11 Seagate drives are some of the fastest on the market, having faster transfer rates than the 10,000RPM Raptors, and come with a 5-year warranty compared to the 3-year warranty on similar WD drives.
Click to expand...
Actually, WD only offers the 3 years warranty on OEM drives. The last time I checked it was only 1 year on a retail drive purchase, which is kinda lame.

With WD Raptors only the 150GB model supports "NCQ", whereas any Seagate SATA2 from 80GB on up supports it. This matters if you decide on a Raid arrangement.

I'm onboard with the sustained data transfer rates being faster in the Seagates, with one reservation. The "seek" times are somewhat lower in the 10,000 RPM drives. In a 7200 RPM RAID 0 setup this is easily offset.

I don't know what's up with the Antec 900 at the moment, it seems that none of the normal suppliers (US) have it at the moment. Perhaps, Antec is between models, and everybody's waiting for the "901" or "910". No matter, as I said earlier Amazon has it for a hundred bucks. When I searched Tiger Direct for the 900, what the search returned was this outrageous, over the top game box! Here, have a look: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...?EdpNo=3774992&sku=V133-75000&srkey=antec 900
 
Thanks for the update captaincranky, I didn't know about that. There are many who have fallen to the dark side though...;)
@mako man, the P5E comes with Crossfire as standard. You don't need SLI or Crossfire IMO, especially with a powerful card such as the 9800GX2. Forget about it and enjoy your new system.
 
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