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final build

Post Date: 2007-09-04
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nomec View Drop Down
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Posts: 530 		  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: final build
    Posted: 04 Sep 2007 at 5:09pm
Here is what I am looking at and I will make this purchase probably sometime tonight... any last minute suggestions?
 
I went with 4gb of RAM because even tho vista 32-bit wont recognize all of it I will still be able to get at least 3gb which is better than 2gb.  I have been using 2gb of RAM for 3 years now.  Also, are there things on here I really don't need that I can get rid of to make room for a faster CPU or something else?
 
Case: Digital Storm Twister EXTREME (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 1000W Thermaltake (8800 GTX SLI Compatible) (Silent Toughpower Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad (TwisterBoost Enhanced) QX6800 Extreme 3.33GHz (1333MHz FSB)
Motherboard: nVidia 680i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 680i SLI) (A1 Revision)
Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance)
Floppy / Media: Sony 1.44MB Floppy (Black Edition)
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: 160GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Modem: - No Thanks
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800GTX ACS3 768MB (By: eVGA) (Overclocked Edition)
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer (Up to 7.1 Channel) (Recommended)
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 (Silent Artic Cooling (TwisterBoost Overclocked)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
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tummy View Drop Down
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Posts: 78 		  Quote tummy Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2007 at 8:29pm
Just thought you should know.. Your config has 2x Nvidia cards at 768MB Ram, that is 1.5GB...  So your system ram is already limited by that alone on a 32 Bit OS to 2.5GB... Your buying the extra 2 GB for nothing...  Move to the 64bit os and this will solve your issue.....  Either that or, get 2GB and you can buy 512 for like 20 bux and remove it later on down the road.
 
Also, second thing is, there have been alot of reports about 1 Nviida card actually working much better than dual SLI config.  There have been some reported problems with the Dual, and in many cases you dont even need both cards.  Go with 1 card, bump down the power supply
 
I personally do not think the 2 Hard drives are worth it, but thats your call.
 
The CPU looks ok, but for Gamers, I believe the recommendation is for Dual Core for now... Nothing is optimized for quad core....
 
I am not saying your current config isnt good, but I think alot of it is just a waste... Something which 4 months down the line might be regretted.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2007 at 8:56pm
768 + 768 =/= 1536

SLI does not double the video card memory. Both cards will still only be using 768.

SLI GTX outperforms a single Ultra, not by much but still outperforms.

A lot of games that come in 4 months utilize all four cores...


Edited by skyR - 04 Sep 2007 at 8:58pm
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tummy View Drop Down
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Posts: 78 		  Quote tummy Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2007 at 9:42pm
SkyR,
 
SLI means you have 2 or more video cards... Take the momory on one card and multiply it by the number of cards, and in this case yes, 1.5GB for 2 cards will be taken out of the 32bit os hard limit of 4GB.  That leaves 2.5GB of addressible space left for system ram... And this is not including other devices.  Hence my point about not getting the extra 2GB.
 
The SLI is completely unpredictable...Games do not support it, and it freezes, bombs you name it... You can never tell what it will do.. Crossfire is scales much better...  My opinion is that you go with a single high end card...
 
I think crysis will be the first game to support the quad core.. actually thy recommend it with a 64 bit OS, but I still think for th emajority of games right now, dual core is ample, and when the prices drop and quad core goes mainstream.. Pop one in there.
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nomec View Drop Down
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Posts: 530 		  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2007 at 9:49pm
well I am going with this sort of build so I dont have to upgrade for the next 2-3 years.  I am not that great with computers and I will just buy one 3 years down the road.  I have read that 64-bit Vista has problems with drivers and stuff?  I don't want to get it if I am going to have problems.
 
As far as the SLI goes... I am thinking into the future as well on that because hopefully even by this time next year I will be able to play games maxed out.  I am purchasing a 24" widescreen as well and I know an Ultra will play games fine on 1920x1200 but I am not confident it will be able to do that for as long as SLI GTX's.  I could put 2 Ultras in SLI but I feel like that would actually be a waste.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2007 at 10:27pm
Sorry, read that part wrong about the memory. You are right.

However, SLI is awsome. Most games have profiles for it and if they do not, the game will use a single card. If the game is crashing with a SLI setup, it is the builder's fault or something is defective in your build.

A lot of current games supports quad:

Quake
Call of Duty 2
Oblivion
World in Conflict
Supreme Commander
Bioshock
Half Life 2 E2

And more are coming:

Crysis
Alan Wake
WAR
Assassin's Creed
UT 3
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Alex View Drop Down
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Posts: 16314 		  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Sep 2007 at 12:32am

Wow, interesting. We got a problem though, First of all Nomec, I don't want you to learn the wrong information. Both tummy and skyR are right in certain areas.

The memory map is correct, the total amount of available system memory does depend on what other components you have inside the computer. So with a 4GB memory setup, in Windows (Vista or XP) 32-Bit you will see about 2.5GB because of the high-end video card setup you are looking for.
 
Now, the SLI discussion, tummy, the SLI technology was not so effective on the early stages. Example, during the release for XP and also the release for Vista.
 
Vista WAS recently a culprit for that. SLI setups in Vista were getting hardly any benefit from the second video card. Everyone thought it was NVIDIA, but, it turned out that Microsoft had to make some adjustments to allow the driver to fully access the second video card. Now, the SLI issues are resolved. NVIDIA is always on the ball with driver updates to keep up with the latest games.
 
If your looking for a "KICK-ASS" rig, stick with SLI, it's designed for high-resolution gaming. Which, from what I am seeing, is what you are looking for. The only thing I am worried about is the stock on the ACS3 video cards. I believe we are running out and there is a market shortage and we might have to call you to upgrade to the 8800 ULTRA's.
 
Also, tummy is incorrect about the Quad-Core support. there are many games that support Quad-core processors. They are becoming more and more popular with game developers. Recently, [In Maximum PC's latest issue], some top game developers *ahem* Valve stated they don't need a dedicated Physics card and will use the power of quad-core processors for a more immersive gaming environment.


Edited by Alex - 05 Sep 2007 at 12:33am
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Posts: 78 		  Quote tummy Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Sep 2007 at 10:01am
Hmm, I still do see many users having SLI issues.. maybe the driver has made it better, not sure.. I'll retract my original statement based on this response.
 
About the quad core support... gaming still has not set its foot in using all 4 cores efficiently.  You can have 4 cores on your machine, and My processing thread may be able to use 1 of 4, or 2 of 4, but it remains that gaming will not use 4 cores effectively.  This is why I stated that Crysis will be the first game to ACTUALLY use quad core.    Most games are linear and use 1-2 threads...   For example, a game may claim it supports DX10 by adding DX10 Shading, but not implementing anything else.. I would call this a false claim... Similar to what Games which claim Quad core support do.
 
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nomec View Drop Down
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Posts: 530 		  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Sep 2007 at 10:33am
I'll probably just go with vista premium 64-bit to address the memory issue
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tummy View Drop Down
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Posts: 78 		  Quote tummy Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Sep 2007 at 10:54am
In case you didnt see, my whole post is a link :)... 
 
Its a good article.... 
 
 
fyi .. I am not trying to ruffle any feathers here... Just trying to help this guy make a decision on his computer.... Its something I would do..
 
About the 64bit OS... yes there are quite a few driver issues still out there and 32 bit seems like it will be around for a little while longer.. I think the next MS release stated it would only be 64Bit, and it would phase out 32 bit all together.
 
My recommendation:  Go with 32 bit, you'll will have less headaches...   If they sell it, get the retail version of the software (vista) as you would be able to switch to 64 bit without obtaining another license.  You could switch to 64 bit when support becomes more of a primary instead of an after-thought.
 
Its a great rig, hope you enjoy it...
 
 I just see planned obsolesence and I tend to move towards a plan that will benefit me in long run.  I always want a new computer every 2 years.. and for me, I never buy the highest end components because they demand a premium, and I feel guilty if I want to junk it sooner than 4 years.....  hehehehe... Just my guilt.
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nomec View Drop Down
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Posts: 530 		  Quote nomec Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Sep 2007 at 12:02pm
I've been reading a bit on hardforum and it looks like a lot of people running vista 64-bit are only really having issues with the creative drivers.
 
i think there is a SP slated for early 2008 as well which isn't that far.  I just want to have 4gb of RAM and the only way to address that is by going with a 64-bit OS.  What do you think?  Is 4gb of RAM worth it?  I am using this sytem just for gaming.
 
 
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  Quote commast Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Sep 2007 at 8:29pm
Originally posted by nomec

I've been reading a bit on hardforum and it looks like a lot of people running vista 64-bit are only really having issues with the creative drivers.
 
i think there is a SP slated for early 2008 as well which isn't that far.  I just want to have 4gb of RAM and the only way to address that is by going with a 64-bit OS.  What do you think?  Is 4gb of RAM worth it?  I am using this sytem just for gaming.
 
 
 
 
2 GB of RAM should be plenty for games right now. I wouldn't go with the 64bit Vista since you're going to have trouble with the drivers and games won't run as good as the 32bit Vista. Vista 32 bit won't be able to use all 4GB but it still can use about 3.1 to 3.6 GB depends on how many devices you had in your PC. It's a small sacrifice if you want to go with 4GB.
 
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Alex View Drop Down
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Posts: 16314 		  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Sep 2007 at 9:39pm
Yeah, unless you are building a very high end machine, go with a 2GB memory setup.
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