Configuration Check and QuestionsPost Date: 2008-05-19 |
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tksuther 
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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 Topic: Configuration Check and QuestionsPosted: 19 May 2008 at 1:01pm |
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Here's what I've put together. I'm still up-in-the-air over some items. Also, I'm a complete amateur when it comes to configuring a machine, so experienced help is appreciated.
1) The Processor. I'm trying to decide between what's shown below (Q9300) and the Q9450. I've read that the Q9450 gets really hot and does not perform noticeably better than the Q9300. My other consideration is the Core Duo (not Quad) E8400 @ 3.0 Ghz. The more I read, the more indecisive I become. 2) The Sound Card. Is it worth $100 for the XtremeGamer or does the on-board sound perform close to the same? 3) Connectivity. If I go with a wireless card will I still have (a wired) network port on the motherboard I selected? 4) Overclocking. Is it worth doing? I do a lot of intense photo editing and not sure if it would help or in the long term, hinder because of the general risk of overclocking. Thanks!! Case: Digital Storm 750Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish) Power Supply: 620W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.5GHz (1333MHz FSB) (6MB Cache) Motherboard: nVidia 780i Core 2 Quad (nForce 780i SLI) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator DHX (Extreme-Performance) Floppy / Card: Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive 1: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive 2: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Raid Option: - No Thanks Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) Network Card: D-Link Wireless-G 54Mbps (Supports 802.11g/b) Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 512MB TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer (Recommended) Physics Card: - No Thanks Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes) Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) Round Cables: - No Thanks User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs Overclock Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Overclock Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks LCD Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support |
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skyR
Newbie 
Digital Storm Apprentice 
Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220 |
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Posted: 19 May 2008 at 2:06pm |
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1. If you do photo editing, definitely get a quad core. Don't even consider getting a duo for editing. The Q9300 and Q9450 are identical chips with the only difference being multiplier and cache size. The Q9450 does overclock better due to it's higher multiplier but the Q9300 should be fine for your needs.
2. Well do you listen to a lot of stuff everyday? If so, it might be worth it. 3. Yes, your motherboard will still have ethernet ports. 4. If you can boost clock speed without bumping your vcore, it's definitely worth it. In simple words, if you can get more performance outta your chip without raising the temperatures. |
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SunfighterLC
DS Veteran 
Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1527 |
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Posted: 19 May 2008 at 2:23pm |
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I wish i could help more, but I dont know very much about the Quad Cores, When i planned for my computer I knew i was doing pure gaming so I was totally wrapped around the Core 2 Duo's.
Though I do know that both the 9300 and 9450 are based on 45NM vs the Q6600s 65NM What that does is reduce the power needed and thereby reduces the heat generated, the Q6600 didnt seem to have a heat problem, so i find it hard to believe the 9450 would have one. Especially with the aftermarket heat sink you would have on it.
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E8500@ 4.03Ghz
XFX 790i Ultra 1000W Corsair HX 2 280 GTX EVGA FTW 4GB OCZ Reaper 1800Mhz 250-80-300GB VR HD Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers Asus Xonar 7.1 Hanns-G HG 281D 28" HDMI Monitor |
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e.fruman
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Joined: 14 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 140 |
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Posted: 19 May 2008 at 10:52pm |
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heres a few questions / suggestions
1.get the q450 its better because of the cache in the long run 2.dont get the xtreme gamer you wont need it unless you use your computer to listen to music everyday and watch movies and such, 3.yes 4.Defiantly more performance for maximum stability theres alot of research showing it's worth it. 5. Get a raptor for os and then a storage harddrive i doubt you will need 1tb of data 6. 3rd stage cooling highly recommend it. 7. if you can afford get the 9800gx2 only one though. 8. upgrade your power supply if you get the 9800 and stage 3 again depends on your budget but very good upgrades. |
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LogicHazard
Newbie
Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7 |
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Posted: 20 May 2008 at 7:05am |
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Going with that MB, 2 HDD's, 2 optical drives, aftermarket cooling, a sound card, and lighting: I'd probably move up one on the power supply to 750 just to be safe. that kind of config is going to draw about 500-550 under load, and could reduce the life of a 620w supply pretty quickly.
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950Si (black)
1000W Silverstone (silent) Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 4GB DDR2 Corsaur Dominator DHX SLi Dual 8800 Ultras FrostBite Dual Loop (Blue) (Stage 2) |
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Tyler Lowe
Newbie
Joined: 14 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
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Posted: 20 May 2008 at 11:07am |
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1. The real world difference between the L2 cache size of the 9300 and the 9450 is zero in every application I have seen benchmarked. The best value for the dollar is an overclocked Q9300.
2. I would spend the extra money on a better case, or better cooling before spending money on a sound card. Buying a sound card for a machine built in a 750i case is like buying retreads for a touring car to save money for a leather interior. 3. yes. 4. Yes, it's worth it. However, you want to plan for the additional heat with better than stock cooling. If you were to go with the cheaper of the two quads, and drop the sound card you could probably stay within budget and still be able to upgrade the case to an 850i and stage 2 cooling. If you can afford to go with stage 3 cooling, that's even better, but you can also always add fans on your own later. |
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tksuther
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 20 May 2008 at 11:32am |
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Tyler - thanks. I really don't have room for the 850i case - it's too deep for the space I have available. I'm thinking the 750i with stage 3 cooling and overclock the processor only - drop the sound card and go to 320 GB on the main hard drive. I want the machine to be as quiet as possible. Is a 620 watt power supply enough?
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skyR
Newbie
Digital Storm Apprentice
Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220 |
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Posted: 20 May 2008 at 1:05pm |
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620W is more than enough if you aren't planning to add another GPU down the road.
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tksuther
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 20 May 2008 at 6:29pm |
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Thanks for all the input......... here's my config. with the changes. Any other suggestions before I pull the trigger?
Specifications: Case: Digital Storm 750Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish) Power Supply: 620W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.5GHz (1333MHz FSB) (6MB Cache) Motherboard: nVidia 780i Core 2 Quad (nForce 780i SLI) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz Dominator DHX (High-Performance) Floppy / Card: Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive 1: 320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive 2: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Raid Option: - No Thanks Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) Network Card: D-Link Wireless-G 54Mbps (Supports 802.11g/b) Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 512MB TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio Physics Card: - No Thanks Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Zalman Case Fans) Case Lighting: - No Thanks Round Cables: - No Thanks User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Overclock Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks LCD Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support |
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e.fruman
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Joined: 14 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 140 |
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Posted: 20 May 2008 at 8:23pm |
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looks good
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Kain
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Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 78 |
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Posted: 21 May 2008 at 4:49pm |
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Hate to burst your financial bubble here.... but I asked the same question about the sound card way back when... and Im glad I spent the extra for the Creative Extreme...the software coming with it has a very nice interface and allows you to play with all kinds of toys to adjust to your liking....etc.
If you want to game... it has a gaming interface.... movies/entertainment interface and a music/mixing interface. All 3 of those are setup to fulfill the needs of how gamers, movie buffs or musicians think, and I think it's pretty nice. Very easy, crisp and nice sounding....
I was having problems with audio... so I switched to the music interface to see all of the sound channels and inputs ... and which one was receiving and which one was dead...etc.
Alot of people make arguments to keep the stock card, but I had to put it out there. Edited by Kain - 21 May 2008 at 4:54pm |
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Q9450 2.66 GHZ, 1333fsb/12mb
No overclockage yet! 780i core 2 quad 4gb DDR 2 @ 1066mhz 8800GTX @ 768mb Sblaster Xfi Xtreme |
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tksuther
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 21 May 2008 at 5:22pm |
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Thanks Kain. I'm actually considering a compromise and going with the SB Audigy 2 - not sure yet. What audio "problems" were you having? Was it related to the Xtreme board?
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tksuther
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 21 May 2008 at 8:52pm |
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Alright........... I may have an opportunity to increase my budget for a system. Check this and please critique. Config 151007
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 22 May 2008 at 12:20am |
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personally i would make several changes:
make that a lot of changes
ill start at the top:
i personally hate the 750i case, i think the thing is a nice looking design clusterf**k; the whole thing is like a thermos with a weak singluar intake
the cooling difference between it and the 850i is 100 times worth the cost difference.
love the mobo
the ram is decent, but with that processor id advise a higher speed or more of it, IE 2gb @ 1600 or 4 @ 800
the idea of 2 hdds has never sat well with me, for 65 bucks less you can get 1 500gb and partition it, you save power, heat, space/cooling
if you plan on 2 optical drives, look closely, only lightscribe and bluray are SATA, its worth the couple extra bucks to save the hassle of a massive IDE cable taking up extra room
unless you really really really need wireless internet, id advise against it, ive heard more than a fair share of horror stories about wireless net being unreliable, let alone very easy to steal and lose con, the room will be covered with cables anyway, its not any neater
solid GPU.. last month, but for 2 bucks youd be much better off getting the GTX
i like the sound card but if your budget is below 2500 id drop it
if you are going to OC the processor, youll get two fold the power out of it if you OC the ram to match, i can post my benchmarks on this, but im already taking up enough of your thread
personally i feel that XP is dead, the switch to vista was NOT something i wanted to do, but im very happy that i did. it works great, and its very customizable
alternatively, if your budjet is a little lower, id pack the power into a smaller case:
much more of a budget build, still very considerable power and bang for the buck; i dont know your exact needs or budget, posting more of that will help
obviously your computer is your choice, just trying to add in my 2 cents Edited by !ender_ - 22 May 2008 at 12:38am |
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tksuther
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 22 May 2008 at 9:32am |
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!ender - thanks a lot for taking time to do this. I have a lot to learn about the current technology. The main reason I went with the 750 case is due to space restraints but if I'm going to make the investment I should try to make a large case fit in my work space. The smaller 450 case is too flashy for my taste. I did some research on the GPU and went with the 8800 GTS because of noise. I understand it performs nearly as well as the GTX but quieter. Ouiet is one of my goals. I currently have an Antec case that I insulated and installed a fan controller. It's nearly silent. I looked into re-fitting this case and at the end of the day it really isn't worth it. Anyway, I like the rig you proposed with the 850 case except for the GPU. If I can make it fit this may be the way to go. The most intense use for me is photo editing and running several applications at once. Is 2GB ram good or would it be best to go with 4GB @ 800 MHz, assuming I go with Vista Premium?
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Tyler Lowe
Newbie
Joined: 14 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0 |
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Posted: 22 May 2008 at 11:27am |
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Some counterpoints to !ender's post for you to consider:
!ender takes a rather hard line and extreme position on the 750i. Don't let that put you off if you feel that case is the best way to go to fit your situation. With one intake, it is indeed, weak on cooling, but with stage 3 cooling selected, it does very well. The intake DSO adds in place of the empty 5.25" drive bays will yield temps on par with much more expensive cases. I know, first hand- I modified my own 750i case. I would agree that the 850i is a better case.... *however* - If you can accommodate the larger size and prefer the more understated styling of the 750i, look into a 950i. The cooling is phenomenal, more than capable of handling the components you have selected, and the case looks very much like the 750i. The stock cooling on the 950i will give you temps in line with a stage 3 modified 750i as well, so the price difference is not as much as it appears at first. 2 HDD's will grant you a performance advantage over one. Having two heads reading is different from having two logical drives. The 8800GTS is also over an inch shorter than the the 9800GTX, and requires only one power connection. It's still a very solid card. The 9800GTX is an 8800GTS with a slightly improved VRM and larger fan which allows higher clock speeds. Personally, I would go Vista 64 bit and 4GB of RAM. Edited by Tyler Lowe - 22 May 2008 at 11:29am |
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kclemens
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 147 |
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Posted: 22 May 2008 at 1:03pm |
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I went with the 9800GTX, 750i case, Vista 64 bit, and 4GB ram @ 800. I also got stage 3 cooling. I don't know if that helps you with your decision or not. I wont pretend to be as knowledgeable as the above people.
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 22 May 2008 at 6:28pm |
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if quiet is your goal i would revoke my suggestion for the 850i case, while it is the best air cooling case on the market (imo) it is far from quiet. I may, though, suggest that if crisp appearence and quiet running is your goal, that you lean more towards tylers suggestions.
im the guy who loves cases that are loud, big, ugly and are based on pure performance, so when i make a personal suggestion those are the lines i stay within. thats what i mean by the more we know the better we can advise, no one ever sees my case, so i could care less how cool it looks, i just want the bullets to go where i aim
that being said, quiet and sleek i believe would be best met by the 750 case / stage 3 cooling.
if your main uses are photo editing and multi tasking, (and if the computer will be in your clients' view) i might even suggest taking the 750 with stage 3 and not overclocking. this will allow you to tune your fans down a bit and still have a good volume of airflow.
as far as the cards, i still say the 9800 gtx, its the 8800 but better... for $2, within a closed case (unlike mine) with several fans running, i sincerely doubt you would be able to hear it.
as far as the HDDs, tyler makes a valid point, but i believe the difference would be close to negligible, short of a professional video editor pulling multiple forms of media from several different drives and rendering, i've yet to see a viable need for more than one hdd
realistically, a system with a 9450, 4gb of 800mhz ram and vista prem(64) (( nothing overclocked ))is more than you could ask for in a system based on photo editing and multi tasking, and would serve you quite well
Edited by !ender_ - 22 May 2008 at 6:34pm |
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Wallyguitar
Senior Member 
Joined: 21 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 100 |
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Posted: 22 May 2008 at 7:10pm |
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XP won't be dead for a while in my opinion. There are still tons of bugs with Vista coming out everyday, and, from what I've read in Maximum PC magazine, Microsoft is talking about a "new" OS to be out late 2009. Remember when Win98 came out... within 3 years they had 3 new OSs. Additionally, I have Vista Ultimate on my laptop. I've had several BSOD and required system restoration more times on that machine than I've ever had in years of using XP.
I'd say stick with good ole'/reliable XP Pro. But that's just my opinion.
EDIT (just read up more on this):
Microsoft just released service Pack 3 for XP 3 weeks ago. If it was a dead OS, they wouldn't still be investing time/resources into it. Which will eventually go the way of Windows ME.
Windows 7 is the new OS that will be out in 2009 - 2010.
Vista has DX10 support... but there are only 9 DX10 games out and they have all been
 (aside from Crysis).Once again, just my opinion. Edited by Wallyguitar - 22 May 2008 at 8:16pm |
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Click pic to see config |
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 22 May 2008 at 8:39pm |
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exact same thing everyone said about xp when it came out
project longhorn was being talked about years before they could even think of releasing it, and i mean talked about as if it was right around the corner
the fact is that vista is hardly a "new" os, its just microsoft "the next chapter". it boggles me that people(previously including myself) seem to speak of vista to xp as linux to xp. When you get down to it, vista can be basically made into xp, with the right tweaks, then you get all the new toys and security along with it.
xp2 was an overhaul, a complete upgrade for the system, but while microsoft is a corporate giant, they have continued to provide support for many outdated products, which hardly justifies calling them mainstream
this is appx 8 years after the legal release of windows 98. Edited by !ender_ - 22 May 2008 at 8:42pm |
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tksuther
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Joined: 19 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 45 |
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Posted: 23 May 2008 at 10:05pm |
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Well I think I'm done agonizing over size, speed, noise level, price, stability, etc. I think this should perform well for my needs and if I decide to overclock in the future I should be equipped to do so. Unless DS has an issue with this configuration, I'm ready to pull the trigger. Any last comments are appreciated. Everyone in the forum has been great! Thanks to all for the help and guidance.
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=151902 Edited by tksuther - 23 May 2008 at 10:08pm |
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