I'd Love Some Suggestions

[Torner]

Hello there. I've been bored with my tired-*** compy and am going to do a whole new build, where cash is not really an issue (within some semblance of reason, of course). Really, I mean maxing EVERYTHING out. Like so:

WD 1 TB Hard Drive - WD10EACS
WD 10,000 RPM Hard Drive WD1500AHFD
2 x XFX GeForce 8800 Ultra
8 GB GSkill DDR2-800
ThermalTake ATX Power Supply – W0133
CoolerMaster ATX Tower Case – RC-830
Lite-On CD/DVD Writer – LH-20A1P
Mitsumi Floppy Drive with Card Readers – FA404M
Razer Gaming Keyboard – Tarantula
Razer Gaming Mouse – DeathAdder
Intel Quad Core Processor – BX80562QX6850
ECS Quad Core Motherboard with SLI and DDR2 - NF650ISLIT-A
Windows Vista Operating System – Ultimate

Couple of questions, really.

1) How maxed out is this system? Any suggestions for higher-end parts? Even if it's just a suggestion to a different brand that will give me better specs, let me know!

2) What's the estimated overclock on these parts (videocards, memory, and processor, namely)? Is it worth the cost of brand new parts (I've heard top of the line parts don't tend to overclock as well, since they often push near their true peaks nowadays)?

3) Are there any substitutions I could/should make that would cut costs (any parts that overclock high enough to match or surpass these parts that I can get much cheaper)? I know there are lots that will overclock to similar speeds as the stock here, but I mean is there anything that will go past even this rigs overclocking potential?

4) As you can see, I picked a nice, spacious case, that can hold up to nine 120 mm fans, and should hold two 8800 Ultras (right?). Question is, is that enough? I *know* if I do any MAJOR overclocking, I need some direct cooling for the CPU, and possibly the RAM and GPU - any suggestions? I should also note that I'm not really interested in water cooling - yeah, I know it's quieter and better for overclocking, but it's a hassle (in my mind, at least), and I likes my big fans!

Your thoughts are welcome and much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Torn

[V2-V3]

there are a few problems with your hardware configuration. but overall it is a very nice system build!
if you want the best you need to invest in some more advanced cooling for your PC.

Ill make a hardware list for you later today and will be glad to show you some cooling systems that will take your system to the next level and beyond.

[markkleb]

definately get rid of the ECS mobo..its fine for a simple comp but why would you want one for a high end one?

[SoundEvolution]

a couple suggestions just my 2 cents
g5 mouse

g15 keyboard

different power supply, Pc Power and Cooling, OCZ, Mushkin, all made by the same....

why 8 gigs 4 is more then enough but ok, Crucial Ballistix, Team Group, Super Talent.
Newegg.com - OCZ ReaperX HPC 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

cpu Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail mine well be here shortly

2 of these in crossfire hummm
Newegg.com - ASUS EAH3870X2/G/HTDI/1G Radeon HD 3870 X2 1GB (512MB x 2) 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
would be cheaper then the ultras and prob better speed.. cause of pci ex 2.0

Motherboard= Maximus Formula
and then either koolance, DD, EK cooling... I have used all they are all with in a 3c of each other..
Cool cpu, north, south bridge, vregs.
Tygon tubing

Like I said just my 2 cents that would be a killer system with that cpu and the right cooling could overclock that to like 4.5 all day long...

[Exterminator]

I also agree with SoundEvo on the processor and the alternative cooling solution, a wolfdale will give you max performance when its accompanied by a higher end motherboard and decent ram. I will also say go with water cooling to get high performance and it will be better for your hardware in the long run.

[blue_fire]

Next post...

[blue_fire]

High end parts overclock better, that case is probably perfect for ya (definatly good size wize)
Every link i post is an in-stock item. They were not all in stock at the same place.

Case: CM Stacker 830 If you like this case, go for it. 379.99

Hard Drives:Samsung Spinpoint F1 Best performing drive you can buy in almost all areas of hdd usage. However a raid of these can be spendy. 279.99 a drive.
To raid WD Raptor X 150Gig raid would be cheaper and you won't notice the diffrence except in windows boot time...

Memory:2x Cell shock A slightly less heard of brand, but they offer the best memory with a neat touch: Guaranteed D9GKX in every stick. 2 Gig kit 243.36 *note getting 4 gigs would use every ram slot, which will limit performance minutely on the intel board. The 780i board may not like it a bit more, But this memory will run at 1111mhz 24/7 easily with stock cooling. With water you could run these 1200mhz+ 24/7, without hurting them.

CPU:QX9650 Without a doubt the single best processor on the market. Will run at 4.5ghz on water 24/7 1099.99

Power:Koolance 1200W Liquid cooled 1200watts of awsome... 499

I/O drives is personal preference, however blu-ray burners are out. So to be maxed you would need one of them (waste, just get the lite-on). 35 for the lite-on and 200 for the blu-ray.

Sound Card:Auzentech X-Fi Prelude best soundcard for a reason, high-end caps, opamp, DAC, and optical sound output. *note you will need to water cool the 8800's to fit this card in Tri-SLi setup. 189

This is where things get tricky, the motherboard. nVidia currently has the second best performing card, the 8800 Ultra. The best being currently the 3870X2. But three way SLI is the best performing graphics option right now (quad-fire isn't out). All you need to decide is this: Do i want the absolute overall best system, or do i want the best graphics performance...?

For best overall graphics you need:

Asus Striker II Formula a 780i masterpiece. 319.00

3x 8800 Ultras will be hard to find, as they have been officially retired. Plus they are a waste of money as they are just overclocked 8800GTXs
So instead go with three Asus 8800GTXs. 474.99 a card. Each will overclock very far on water, and will run stay at these clocks 24/7.

For overall best performing system:

Asus Maximus Formula x38 Best possible crossfire board to date (will do quadfire with 3870x2's when the drivers come out) 259.99

2x Asus 3870x2 The best graphics card on the market, 1 gig of vram, a 512bit ring bus, all on one pcb. 494.34 which is a damn good deal. Each will overclock crazily high on water. Best overclocking video card (other than the standard HD3870). It will run the highest stable clock you can reach 24/7 stable.

Gaming peripherals are personal choice.
Razer Lycosa being the "best" (most technologically up-to-date) gaming keyboard to date.
G15-Hands down the most purchased gaming keyboard to date, and the most loved. The amber version is a bit more up-to-date, but has less buttons and no flip screen (it's built in).

Razer Death adder is the "best" (yet again up-to-date) gaming opticle mouse. However the boomslang is the same pcb and engine with a different design.
Logitech MX518 has been praised for years and is a top for most gamers (uses same opticle engine as the dimondback)

Razer Lachesis Tied for best laser gaming mouse. 4000dpi, on the fly switching, 145grams, Teflon feet, glowing scroll wheel, straight mouse.
Logitech G9 Tied for best laser gaming mouse. 3200dpi, on the fly with display, changable weight (120-185 grams i believe), Teflon feet, changeable hand grip: straight or thumb rest, free-scroll mouse wheel.

Headphones: This is my area of specialty. For the best sound quality (for gaming, and music) get a pair of audio-technica ath-a900's with a clip on zalman ZM mic1 would get the best of of your gaming experience. Surround headphones are a gimmick (very bad quality drivers, diaphrams, etc...). You wont need a amp to power them, and people around you won't hear them. circumaural is what your looking for in lan headphones.
However if you are looking for headphones that are not really designed for the lan environment (and this really depends on the music you listen too), get a pair of grado sr 225 or 325i's.
However if you want a built in mic sennheiser pc 350's are top, with razer barracuda's and icemat siberias in close second. Perfect for gamers but not the best gaming sound you can get.

[Backburn]

Dual 7200RPM drives with 16MB caches in RAID0 will outperform a Raptor (10k drive) hands down.

[blue_fire]

lol the spinpoint f1's have 32meg cache.

[Backburn]

Originally Posted by blue_fire

lol the spinpoint f1's have 32meg cache.

Whoopty shit, big caches only help with sequential reads and SMALL burst writes.