Building computer, need advice

[cbo0485]

I'm probably going to go with something like this. I just need a little advice on a good mobo and what ram works best with nvidia? Is it worth it to go with a higher DDR3 ram, or is the advantage over DDR2 not enough to spend the extra money?

My computer use will mostly be games and regular daily internet stuff. I don't plan to overclock anything majoly. If I do it would be the CPU, I have no intention on overclocking the video card or the memory(I have never done either so I don't want to start).

I'll be going with Vista Ultimate, so will 2 gigs of ram be enough to run Vista and my games w/o seeing any slowdown?

My main game is counter strike source, so I know all this is complete overkill for that. But I am going to play the newest Unreal Tournament as soon as it comes out(assuming I have the computer built), plus some other DX10 titles.

So any advice on what I should get and whether or not an 8600gt would be enough, or if I should go with the GTS(and whether or not it should be the 320 or 640 meg one).

Thanks in advance for all your help.
Core 2 Duo E6750
Some sort of 680i/650i mobo
Nvidia 8800 gts or 8600 gt(depending on budget)
Some 650 or 700 W psu
2 gb ram, probably PC 6400 or 8000 dual channel
150gb Western Digital Raptor X Drive
Acer AL1916Fbd Black 19" 2ms (GTG) DVI LCD Monitor

[cHiNgY1788]

ive played the ut 3 demo (AMD athlon 4000+, 1gb ram, vista ultimate, 6800GT), low settings and its still a bit laggy, though on the monitors native resolution

you should consider 3GB of RAM
and if you go 64 bit vista, go for 4GB

get the 8800GTS its twice as expensive as the 8600GT but its over two times faster
get the 8800GTS, make it crysis ready

[cbo0485]

ive played the ut 3 demo (AMD athlon 4000+, 1gb ram, vista ultimate, 6800GT), low settings and its still a bit laggy, though on the monitors native resolution

you should consider 3GB of RAM
and if you go 64 bit vista, go for 4GB

get the 8800GTS its twice as expensive as the 8600GT but its over two times faster
get the 8800GTS, make it crysis readyIs it actually worth getting the 64 bit of vista now though? Are all the driver bugs worked out? one thing I read about it is that if the driver isn't "signed" that the driver can not be used no matter what. Remember installing something and it has a driver that Windows says doesn't pass the "logo" test? If that happens then in vista it won't let you use that driver correct?

or has all this stuff been corrected and it's actualy worth using the 64 bit version?

[cbo0485]

anyone else have any advice?

[Murf]

Processor:

The only difference between Core 2 Duo E6750 and Core 2 Duo E6700 is really the external clock rate: 1,333 MHz vs. 1,066 MHz. All other specs are the same, like the 4 MB L2 memory cache.

This new external bus works at 333 MHz transferring four data chunks per clock cycle, and that is why it is referred as 1,333 MHz (333 MHz x 4). In reality it doesn’t work at 1,333 MHz.

Your problem will be, because this CPU is based on the new 1,333 MHz FSB, it requires a motherboard supporting this new FSB. So you won’t be able to install this or any other CPU based on the new 1,333 MHz external bus on older socket 775 motherboards, meaning that you probably won’t be able to upgrade your CPU with a new one by just replacing the processor, you will probably need to replace your motherboard as well. So take that into consideration.

Some tests have concluded that the Core 2 Duo E6750 performance was identical to Core 2 Duo E6700, even though it uses a faster front side bus.
So it was determined that there was no advantage of using a Core 2 Duo E6750 instead of a Core 2 Duo E6700?

Intel is launching this new processor because, on quad-core CPUs the higher external clock rate may increase the system performance. This happens because currently on Intel quad-core CPUs the cores are arranged into two pairs. The cores inside each pair can talk directly to each other, but if they need to talk to a core that belongs to the other pair they need to go to the front side bus and make this connection going thru outside the processor. Increasing the CPU external clock rate increases, at least in theory, the speed each core pair can talk to each other.

Also the E6750 to run at maximum performance will require a P35 chip such as the MS-7345 (MSI), again a consideration if going with the new processor. As you indicated nVidia nForce 680i or 650i chipsets will also support.

Memory:

Corsair
Crucial
OCZ

[cbo0485]

Okay. Thanks for the advice. Here is what I think is going to be my final build, although I may look to save a little money and get the E6700 since as you, and many reviews have showed, there isn't a big difference. Everything here is compatible as I can see. The Asus mobo does support the FSB of 1333mHz.

Edit 1:
One more question, the RAM you recommend, is that the order you recommend, or are all three that I should just go by price?

Edit2:
Wow, I just looked and the E6750 is about 130$ cheaper than the E6700, and the E6750 is a little(not much) faster. Kind of weird, but I'm not going to spend more money to get a lesser processor.

Product Description Savings Total Price



Rosewill RCW-903 6ft. /DVI-I(24+5) Digital Dual Link, Male to Male Cable /Black - Retail
Item #: N82E16812119047
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$8.99

(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16812119047)

NZXT GUARDIAN BLU Blue SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811146040
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$35.00 Mail-in Rebate
$49.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811146040)



Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822148262
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy

$69.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148262)


SAMSUNG 906BW Black 19" 2 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Item #: N82E16824001094
Return Policy: [LCD] Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

-$10.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$229.99
$219.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16824001094)


XFX PVT80GGHF4 GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported HDCP Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150171
Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy

$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$279.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814150171)


ABS Tagan ITZ Series ITZ700 ATX12V / EPS12V 700W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817814005
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$139.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817814005)


Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy
$5.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835100007)


OCZ SLI-Ready 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2N800SR2GK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820227198
Return Policy: Memory (Modules, USB) Return Policy

$35.00 Mail-in Rebate
$96.99
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820227198)


ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131142
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy

-$10.00 Instant
$129.99
$119.99

(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131142)

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115029
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

$194.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115029)



MASSCOOL 8WA741 92mm Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835150082
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$20.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835150082)
Subtotal: $1,207.89
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[oracle128]

you should consider 3GB of RAM
and if you go 64 bit vista, go for 4GBNo point in doing this. The 4th GB will still be missing, even on a 64-bit system. If you want to have more than 3GB of usable RAM, you need to get more than 4GB. Most high-end motherboards go up to 8GB now.

[cbo0485]

Okay, so are the 64 bit drivers becoming more stable and would it be worth going 64 bit? My main use for this will be every day computing, internet stuff, video watching, and then a lot of gaming.

Will I need more than 2 GB to run most games and run Vista fast.

And what do you mean there's no use getting 4 GB? 8 GB would be expensive for me. I am taking cost into effect and I can't spend a HUGE amount more, but am I going to have trouble running Vista 64 bit and games if I only go 2 GB? Would it solve that issue going to 4 GB, or do I HAVE to go to 8 GB before I see a difference?

One last question, is PC6400 fast enough for what I'll need, or do i need to get PC8500?

Edit:

Is this a good chart to go by? (http://www.crucial.com/support/howmuch.aspx)

[oracle128]

Okay, so are the 64 bit drivers becoming more stable and would it be worth going 64 bit? My main use for this will be every day computing, internet stuff, video watching, and then a lot of gaming.
Basic drivers, yes. Things like graphics, chipsets and audio. Peripherals like printers and scanners not so much. Is 64-bit worth it? Not for basic PC tasks and games older than 6 months.

Will I need more than 2 GB to run most games and run Vista fast. Vista uses about 1GB. Games like Crysis and UT3 will need a couple GB.

nd what do you mean there's no use getting 4 GB? 8 GB would be expensive for me.The memory addresses between 3GB and 4GB are mostly mapped to other devices. In other words not available for applications to use. So 3GB RAM will give you almost as much available memory as 4GB. Only once you go past 4GB, on a 64-bit system, will more RAM actually become available for use. Detailed info here (http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm).

but am I going to have trouble running Vista 64 bit and games if I only go 2 GB?Yes, it's not enough for quality gaming on Vista.

One last question, is PC6400 fast enough for what I'll need, or do i need to get PC8500?Yes, no.

Is this a good chart to go by? (http://www.crucial.com/support/howmuch.aspx)It looks close enough.

[cbo0485]

Basic drivers, yes. Things like graphics, chipsets and audio. Peripherals like printers and scanners not so much. Is 64-bit worth it? Not for basic PC tasks and games older than 6 months.

Vista uses about 1GB. Games like Crysis and UT3 will need a couple GB.

The memory addresses between 3GB and 4GB is mostly mapped to other devices. In other words not available for applications to use. So 3GB RAM will give you almost as much available memory as 4GB. Only once you go past 4GB, on a 64-bit system, will more RAM actually become available for use. Detailed info here (http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm).

Yes, it's not enough for quality gaming on Vista.

Yes, no.

It looks close enough.
Does Vista 32-bit only take 512 mb Ram? So then with 2 GB of ram I would be able to run the newer DX10 games.

[cHiNgY1788]

Vista 32Bit Home Basic takes minimum 512MB of ram
Vista 32Bit other editions takes minimum 1GB of RAM
once you go 64 bit, instructions sizes are twice the size so effectively halving the memory space (learnt that from digital circuits), so 2GB would be minimum
so
go 4GB or higher

[cbo0485]

Okay, so the build I ordered today was everything the same, except I went up to 4 GB memory, Vista Home Premium 32-bit. I read another article about how in 64-bit vista you can't use any unsigned drivers, and I have had used many unsigned drivers in the past so I didn't want to run into that issue. Plus I figure that if I want to upgrade more later I can simply upgrade my OS and buy 4 2GB modules so I will have 8 GB of RAM.

I figure with my 8800GTS, 4 GB ram, and core2duo e6750(which is strangly about 130$ cheaper than the E6700) i should be able to run most newer dx10 games. I might have to lower settings in them just a little, but I don't think I'll have to that much. My monitor is only a 19" widescreen monitor so the resolution isn't too high. I read somewhere that when comparing the 320 mb and 640mb 8800GTS, you don't really see much of a difference until you get into higher resolutions.