New Gaming Rig

[Cervani]

Aight, I'm putting together a new gaming rig purely for myself here. Thought I'd toss it out for you guys to take a look at and give opinion.

Model: Custom
Motherboard: EVGA NVIDIA nForce 790i SLI FTW ATX Intel Motherboard
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0Ghz (Overclocked to 3.6Ghz)
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower W0172RU 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready
Cooling: Gigabyte Galaxy II Water Cooling
Memory : 4GB DDR3-2000 RAM
Hard drive: 1TB 7200RPM (150GB+850GB)
Video card: eVGA 8800GTS KO Edition (Overclocked) x2 SLI
Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 204 20" LCD
Sound Card: RealTek AC97 Audio
Speakers: Digitech
Case: Antec 1200

 

[Rebel4055]

if u want to spen alot more on DDR3 memory get the 790i the 780i is just DDr2 theres no difference between then but DDR2 and DDR3

 

[jdcskillet]

I would also say that if you're going to split the hard drives anyway, why not get a 10,000 rpm one? Especially if you do upgrade to that DDR3 memory.

 

[Cervani]

The HDDs are what I currently have now. I'm reusing what I need to for this rig, and saw no need to buy new drives when I have readily available ones.

I might just use the 850GB one for the gaming, and use the 150 in this one to use it as a general computer.

 

[PewPew]

What I did in mine was raid 0 two 150gb raptors (10k rpm), and use the 750gb for data. The raptor has all programs and the OS on it. Maybe you should consider getting a raptor, as everything else on the system is high end. Also, I've dealt with the 1200 a bit, and don;t like it too much. Good thing you are using WC because that case is noisy. Also, why opting for the 8800gts x2? What will that run you overall for price? Would it be cheaper to opt for the x280, which is faster than the (2) 8800? Overall nicely designed pc.

 

[foxtrotniner]

You sure you want to go the water cooling route? I've tried water cooling in the past and I must say it is a hassle to maintain. Air cooling is easier and cheaper, for me those pros outweighs the cons when you have a heatsink cooler like the ThermalRight Ultra 120 Extreme. If you have your mind set on water cooling I suggest you build your own water cooling kit.

3x Swiftech Radiator
D5 Vario/Swiftech Pump
D-tek Fuzion V2 Cpu water block
Swiftech Northbridge water Block
Swiftech mini reservoir
7/16" clear Tygon tubing
Pentosin or Swiftech Hydrx cooltant additive to prevent the formation of alge in your water loop and damaging your water blocks.
2x Water blocks for your video card..your choice here
~$250 if you find the right place to buy it.

 

[jdcskillet]

What I did in mine was raid 0 two 150gb raptors (10k rpm), and use the 750gb for data. The raptor has all programs and the OS on it. Maybe you should consider getting a raptor, as everything else on the system is high end. Also, I've dealt with the 1200 a bit, and don;t like it too much. Good thing you are using WC because that case is noisy. Also, why opting for the 8800gts x2? What will that run you overall for price? Would it be cheaper to opt for the x280, which is faster than the (2) 8800? Overall nicely designed pc.

I like Raiding the HDD's, just remember the old adage: Raid '0' is exactly what will be left on the HDD's if one of them goes bad.

I also agree with this point, if you are going to go for two 8800GT's why not go for the x280 or the better performing 4850 x2 from ATI? I understand if you have something against ATI, but why not get something that will last (or do you also happen to already have the two 8800's)? Oh, and I would ask Lafinass too, he remembers the calculations for frontside bus, ram, processor speed, etc...to overclock or to just get the best out of your system.

 

[Cervani]

The two 8800GTS's are a unique situation. This rig I'm currently using right now uses one of those 8800 GTS KO editions. I would just be buying an extra one to put in SLI.

To be honest I'm happy with dual 8800GTS in SLI. Its not worth the extra money for the small performance increase I would get with an X2 or 280. If I didn't have a 8800GTS already here, I would probably go the ATI route...with double 4870s in Crossfire.