Salutations from Down Under! After much thought, I have come to the conclusion that I need a new computer. Thoroughly agitated by the expense of pre-built 'high-end' machines, I have decided that I will take the plunge and build the computer myself. After living with a Compaq Presario SR1710AN for several years now (1.8GHz processor anyone? ), I have futhermore decided for it to be somewhat of a powerhouse (at least by my standards). So, without further ado I present to you the specifications: (Case) Gigabyte Poseidon 310 (Black) (Motherboard) Asus P5N32-E SLi (CPU) Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40GHz (Memory) 4GB Corsair TwinX PC6400 DDR2-800 C4 (4x 1GB modules) (Hard disk) 2x Seagate 500Gb SATA HDDs (Graphics) 2x Leadtek nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512Mb (Optical drive) ASUS 1814BLT SATA (Monitor) BenQ FP222W-B Widescreen LCD Monitor Those of you who haven't gone 'tl;dr' or 'Another build thread?!' have probably noticed that I am lacking a PSU. A 'friend' (more like an acquaintance) of mine told me that I'd need at least a 900W PSU, but I however think that something lesser will suffice. Additionally, I haven't decided on cooling yet. The Poseidon supports water cooling, so my options are open. Ideally, I'm looking for the best 'choice' in a system like this. Also bear in mind that I may eventually wish to overclock a few components. To summarise what I am asking, > Will this 'build' work? (And are there any noticeable flaws/better options), > What degree of wattage will my PSU require to power this 'rig', and > Is water cooling necessary, or would air cooling be a better idea? If all goes well, you may even see a case mod for my new PC in the near future. Many Thanks.
its a little late for me, but 2 quick things, yes can get away with a bit less than 900W. im not sure how much less but im sure that someone else will suggest something. second, dont do 4 sticks of ram. i've seen a lot of people have problems with 4 sticks compared to 2 2gb sticks. you are running a 64bit OS right? otherwise you wont get the full 4gb.
Thanks Chris. With that suggestion in mind, I have opted to use continue using the Corsair TwinX PC6400 DDR2-800 RAM, but now with 2x 2Gb modules instead of the 4x 1Gb modules. I did however, notice a slight difference between this new choice in RAM and my existing choice (besides it being cheaper). The original batch were denoted with a 'C4', and the new ones 'C5'. I don't think this is of any concern, but rather am just curious as to why this difference exists.
2 8800gt? ~700w should do it, as long as it's a good one. corsair, pcp&c, etc. but you don't need 2 8800gt cards to drive that 22" monitor. get one, or a gts 512. you can always add another one later if you feel the need for power. and definitely get 2x2gb ram. 4x1gb is asking for compatability problems, and leaves no empty slots for upgrading later.
I understand where you're coming from supertoad. The specs I have given are for the machine when it is complete. Me being the poor and (currently) unemployed person that I am, this computer will be built in segments. The primary goal is for a 'base system', and then beef it up till it reaches what I have listed. The second 8800GT gives me room for an additional monitor, but will also prove helpful some of the graphics work that I occasionally dabble in (mmmmm ray-tracing).
The 8800GT has actually (as many other cards) two DVI connectors, so you could have two monitors on one card.
The casing part is a personal thing. but i recently got a CM690 and found it to be very well priced, highly functional. not exceedingly bad looking. if your motherboard doesn't have clock skew options, then it's impossible (in my knowledge) to recover from instability while maintaining existing RAM specs. in most cases, underclocking is the only option. Some Corsair XMS(2) series have these issues. IMHO, a lot in the XMS felt like budget ram with heat-spreaders. Ironically, our lab tests found Kingston ValueRam to have better signal characteristics than some XMS versions. Go for the Dominator Series, yet OCZ and others may have similar products but cheaper. If any of you got 4 sticks of Corsair RAM that fails to run in a stable manner, go directly to Corsair Forum (Ram Guy) to complained and get direct exchange. They'll most likely give a new lot with better ICs and DIMM signalling characteristics. Of course, you have to pay the shipping and wait a while. The simple rule is - [1] for better Overclocking, use 2 high density DIMMs instead of 4. Expensive. [2] for cheaper 4GB with no OC, use 4 DIMMs purchased at the same time, with same version and IC. In my experience, 4 DIMMs of Kingston ValueRam works on finicky board. [3] Lower default operating voltage is a bonus, may mean better IC-PCB. It's not exactly Watt, but how the PSU was design to manage Current (A) load. It's usually a problem with insufficient Amp on the +12DCV. 6-8 months ago, we found CoolerMaster 800W PSU to be unreliable because of the weak +12V Rails. Ironically, a Zalman single strong +12V at 450W was very solid. I haven't tested wide range of PSU, but have worked with Corsair HX620 and loved it due to having current load-balancing feature. When a 12V rail draws too much current, a circuit logic will allow it to draw from other rails. the PSU will maintain some isolation between rails when not load sharing. What ever you choose, get a PSU with strong 12V rail(s). 18A per rail may be insufficient now days, as 8800GT can consume 20-23A when maxed out. Do a PSU search at Bit-Tech
Wow Ryan, cheers for the input. But first, Yes, I am aware of this, but I somewhat recall somewhere saying that the monitor required 2 connectors to allow for visuals on the BenQ. I could be completely wrong, and I can't find this 'source' anymore either. My guess is they may have possibly got confused because this monitor has DVI and D-Sub connectors. I chose to err on the side of caution - better to overestimate something than underestimate it. And now onto Ryan's suggestions... RAM: After doing a little bit of research on the issues that plague various Corsair RAM modules, I have decided to reconsider my RAM choice (From what I read issues span much of their RAM range and I want this machine to 'just work' - no hassles). I had a fleeting look at OCZ RAM modules, and from what I can see they do not sell 2GB RAM Modules, rather you have to buy the 2GB Kits which contain 2x 1GB Modules. Which once again leaves us back at Square One in terms of using 2x 2GB Modules to avoid the possibility of errors/complications with 4x 1GB sticks. PSU: Unlike their RAM, Corsair PSUs seem to be hassle-free. The HX series seem to be quite promising, but the largest 'size' they come in is 620W. This may be adequate for my system, but I'm not sure. I'm a newbie when it comes to powering systems, so any additionally advice would be greatly appreciated.
corsairs power supplies are (very) underrated to ensure quiet opperation, the 620 is closer to 700w and has been shown to handle a overclocked quad core and two 8800gtx's so you will be fine with one. (give your 900w + friend a slap around the head) if you do get two 8800gt's and put them into sli mode then you can only have one monitor
if you are looking for ram that "just works" then check the qualified vendor list for the motherboard. the ram on that list should work no problems. On the other hand I bought 2 1gb 8500 Mushkin sticks which required me to set the voltage and the timings, but that wasn't really that hard. and the customer service at mushkin is awsome. just a thought.
Kudos to Woodstock for verifying that the Corsair 620HX would be a good choice for a power supply. And Chris, good to hear from you again. After checking the Vendor List for my motherboard, I found one OCZ RAM configuration. Funnily enough, it comes in 2GB modules... Must have missed it earlier. The 'OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Titanium EPP-Ready Dual Channel' RAM now appears to be what I'll get. And I (with the help of the bit-tech community) now have all the hardware for my new machine sorted. Thank you so very much to everyone who has given me advice. As for cooling, I've decided on water cooling to go with my upcoming case mod. I won't give any spoilers yet, as it may be quite some time till I get around to doing it...
