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Old 10-21-08, 03:39 PM   #61
Onkel Neal
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Oh? Well, ok
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Old 10-21-08, 04:31 PM   #62
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I have never run SLI or Crossfire, but I have had several SLI motherboards. It really doesnt matter if it has that option, just get a good motherboard.

But I agree with Subman on the HD 4870, its incredibly powerful, and clearly more bang per buck than any of the current from nVidia. You have a 6800 now, no? I would say the 4870 is 300-400% faster. I pulled those numbers out of my behind, but it will be awesome for you to upgrade now, it will be night and day.
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Old 10-22-08, 12:41 PM   #63
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I upgraded in the spring. Just to add to the mix, here's the thread where various points were kicked around ... http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=133043
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Old 10-23-08, 12:22 AM   #64
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bert8for3
Well, to wind this up, I thought I'd mention what I finally went for:

Mobo Abit IP35 Pro
Intel Core Duo Wolfdale 3 GHz
4G Crucial ram
Zerotherm Butterfly cpu cooler
ATI Radeon 3870 512M
+ other bits and pieces

Put it all together Friday and yesterday and booted up ... wow!

I reinstalled SH3 up to GWX2.0 (haven't yet added mods in) and started it up to see how it is. The comp doesn't even break into mild condensation, never mind a sweat.

My thanks again to everyone for all the comments and advice.
Nice! That sounds like what I was aiming for. Two questions; if I search New Egg for the mobo and Ram you listed

Mobo Abit IP35 Pro
4G Crucial ram

Will I see the same speed ram, type mobo? Don't the mobo and ram have to "match"?

Have you had any problems or learned anything since you built your system?

Which O/S are you running?

Is that CPU the E8400?

Ok, that's more than 2 questions, but thanks! And what case? Power supply?

(Got any pics?)
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Old 10-23-08, 02:26 AM   #65
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An ATI 3870 is a nice card, but right now I would spend money on the ATI 4870 that kicks ass, or alternatively on the Nvidia GTX 260.
Remember that the graphic card improves performance in games much more than the cpu, at least with high resolutions.
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Old 10-23-08, 05:32 AM   #66
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@Neal
Re the mobo/ram, IIRC I looked at the mobo manual online before buying and got specs for RAM. But mainly, 'cause I'm no expert, I got on the phone with tigerdirect and ran through the list to check that everything was compatible.

The trouble is, things change so fast. eg I don't see that mobo anymore on tigerdirect.

The RAM is @1GB 240pin unbuff DIMM 128Mx64 DDR2 (from the box).

Running XP Home.

Yes, the CPU is the E8400.

Honestly, I had no problems putting it together. At least serious ones, just a little fumbling here and there. No problems since at all.

Learned: SATA connections are terrific, so much easier. And the cables take up much less space, so better cooling flow. Watch for sharp edges, amazing how much opportunity there is for slicing a finger. Go for a modular PSU, then you just use the cables that you need, again better cooling flow. And make sure the PSU has good wattage.

The PSU is a Corsair HX620W.

The case is an Ultra Aluminus black mid-tower. Love the case, which I chose after reading some reviews on the mobo and somebody mentioned having combo'd with the Aluminus case. Then looked at reviews on the Aluminus. Nice front and side access, good cooling with front and back fan locations plus side ventilation panels. Had to remove the cone thingie for venting off the cpu cooler as the CPU cooler is so big.

Here are a couple of photos (lousy, sorry).





Finally, ref Goldorak about the 4870 card. IIRC that had just come out, but I was already over budget, so went for the 3870. Otherwise, I would go for the 4870. But the 3870 seems to do just fine.

Hope that helps.
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Old 10-23-08, 06:31 AM   #67
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Such a nice case spoiled by those awful fingerprint marks on the side.
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Old 10-23-08, 07:19 AM   #68
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goldorak
Such a nice case spoiled by those awful fingerprint marks on the side.
It's true :rotfl: . Must be Bernard's; they're not mine. edit/add: reminder to self: clean up before the company arrives
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Old 10-23-08, 11:12 AM   #69
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neal Stevens
Nice! That sounds like what I was aiming for. Two questions; if I search New Egg for the mobo and Ram you listed

Mobo Abit IP35 Pro
4G Crucial ram

Will I see the same speed ram, type mobo? Don't the mobo and ram have to "match"?

Have you had any problems or learned anything since you built your system?

Which O/S are you running?

Is that CPU the E8400?
If I remember right I was the one who recommended bert the IP35Pro. I think it's still a great choice. But there is a little problem, and that is Abit. They are going out of the mainboard business at the end of the year. So there could be problems with BIOS support. At the moment nobody knows exactly how they will support their mainboards from next year on.

If you order the CPU now you will probably get a E8400 E0, which is the current stepping. I use myself that said E8400 E0 on a IP35-E board, which is the little brother of the IP35-Pro (no RAID, no Crossfire, but a very fast and reliable board with exactly the features I will need). And all IP35 boards have a serious problem with the temperature reading of the E0 (sensor is stuck at 98C on mine). So I don't know what to recommend you. I have disabled temperature alarm, and fan control, and apart from that the board works excellent, stable and fast, I really like it. But a bug is a bug for sure. And no one knows if Abit will release a BIOS with a fix for the E0.

I can live with it, but if you're looking for an alternative, I keep hearing great things about the Biostar TPower IP45, or you might have a look at the various Gigabyte boards.

Concerning the RAM, the Crucial Ballistix RAM I recommended in my link works perfect with the IP35, and a lot of other people use GSkill RAMs with that board. In any case you should run DDR2-800 or DDR2-1066 RAM in that combo.

Hope that helps and does not confuse you more than anything.

I can also recommend the Corsair PSU, but don't go for the HX, some people reported problems. The TX have no such issues. And if you don't mind some extra noise, have a look at PCPower and Cooling, which is the best PSU brand, except noise.
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Old 10-23-08, 11:15 AM   #70
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I'd recommend Gigabyte or Intel branded motherboards. The later if you're not interested in overclocking, the former in case you're interested in overclocking.
Both manufacturers produce feature rich motherboards at "acceptable"prices.
Nothing like the price gouging that goes on in asus-land with the rog series motherboards.
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Old 10-23-08, 11:25 AM   #71
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Yes, Asus just lives from their past, I would look elsewhere.

Gigabyte is a good choice if you just want a running system and dont mind the silly colors.

I also keep hearing good things about Biostar. Allegedly a lot of the former Abit engineers have switched to Biostar.

But I don't know about the intel boards, imo they are really very basic and overpriced.
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Old 10-23-08, 11:31 AM   #72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GlobalExplorer
Gigabyte is a good choice if you just want a running system and dont mind the silly colors.
Color is not an issue unless your computer case has a side window. :p

Quote:
I also keep hearing good things about Biostar. Allegedly a lot of the former Abit engineers have switched to Biostar.

But I don't know about the intel boards, imo they are really very basic and overpriced.
Intel boards are quite good.
They have 3 year warranty and most are feature rich.
Don't try to do heavy overclocking though.
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Old 10-23-08, 07:18 PM   #73
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OK I have to jump in here.... Neal, if your going to go with an intel cpu - go with an nvidia gpu. If you go AMD, get an ATI gpu. While I have been an AMD and ATI guy for a long time, the fact is that Intel is kicking AMD's tail when it comes to gaming right now (price/performance). Since intel now owns nvidia, there are some under the hood benefits that come with running "matching" hardware.

Now, I wont touch the issue of the PS other than go bigger than what you need.

The biggest thing you need to look at when your building any box is cooling. Whatever you build is going to make heat, and its looking like its going to make lots of it. Is noise an issue for you? If not, then make sure you just use 120mm case fans to both push hot air out and pull good "cool" air in. Don't use smaller fans because you will need more to accomplish the same rate of airflow. If noise IS an issue for you - go with Zalman fans (or another high quality maker). If you really want it quiet - go with water cooling. Contrary to what most think, its safe, VERY effective and real quite. If you go liquid - plan on 2-3 hundred for the cooling system and blocks (CPU, GPU, Memory, even HD coolers), but you can always move it from this rig to another in the future.
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Old 10-24-08, 01:43 PM   #74
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I agree on the 120mm fans. I was used to my old Athlon system that mostly used 80mm's, and the 12cm fans are now almost inaudible.

I use several of the Japanese Scythe Slipstream 500 upm fans, they dont move that much air but more than enough. 500 upm are practically noise free except some weak air stream, and they don't cost much (~8€ per fan).

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article832-page1.html

But I'm not interested in water cooling, they still use fans, and I can get a cool and quiet system on air for much less money and hassle.
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Old 10-24-08, 01:47 PM   #75
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Noctua fans are top quality, 12cm and 8 cm variants.
They come with a full 6 years warranty. !!!
The brand is pretty known in europe, don't know about usa though.
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