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Congifuration Review - Advice Welcome

Post Date: 2007-12-22
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TheDagger View Drop Down
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Posts: 36 		  Quote TheDagger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Congifuration Review - Advice Welcome
    Posted: 22 Dec 2007 at 5:49pm
I'm an avid gamer, but not too technical.  I'll upgrade memory myself, but that's about it, I don't overclock or anything.
 
I don't want to spend more than $100-200 over the config below.
 
I'm pretty clueless when it comes to motherboard, power supply, and cooling.
 
I'd like to make sure my config is upgradeable in 2-3 years if I want a new/additional video card.
 
Thanks for your help!!!
 
--Matt
 
 
Specifications:
Case: Digital Storm Twister LITE (Black Aluminum Edition)
Power Supply: 560W SilverStone Strider (Model: ST56F) (Silent)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3.00GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (4MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Performance)
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - 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)
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express)
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 1 (Certified Digital Storm Heat-sink)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes
Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: - No Thanks
Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks
Overclock Memory: - No Thanks
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Dec 2007 at 6:01pm
If you want to add another card for SLI, you will need to upgrade to a 680i motherboard as the 650i does not support SLI.

Stick with Windows XP or get Vista Premium. Vista Basic is totally useless...

Nothing to worry about for PSU. 560W is plenty to power the setup. Both Corsair and Silverstone are top quality.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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Kenny View Drop Down
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Posts: 509 		  Quote Kenny Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Dec 2007 at 2:53am
great rig, welcome to the DS family.
We're here with you !    &(*_~)&
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TheDagger View Drop Down
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Posts: 36 		  Quote TheDagger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Dec 2007 at 11:55am
Thanks for the input, I REALLY appreciate it!  I'm excited about the build, being a part of DS, and learning more.
 
On the Vista vs XP issue, ...is there a widely accepted estimate of when games will be released which can't be played on XP?  If I go XP now, when will I have to buy Vista to play the latest games?
 
Oh yeah, ...are cooling upgades generally only needed when components are overclocked?
 
Thanks for the help!!
 
--Matt
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Kenny View Drop Down
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Posts: 509 		  Quote Kenny Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Dec 2007 at 12:16pm
Any Windows Operating Systems are good to play the latest games except Vista Home Basis.
Yeap, the cooling upgrades generally only needed whenever components are overclocked.
We're here with you !    &(*_~)&
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MarkNY View Drop Down
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Posts: 476 		  Quote MarkNY Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Dec 2007 at 3:42pm
out of curiousity- why is windows vista home basic bad for gaming?
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TheDagger View Drop Down
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Posts: 36 		  Quote TheDagger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 26 Dec 2007 at 6:29pm
Okay, I'm pretty set on this config.  I hope these are my last questions before pulling the trigger. 
 
1) Going with the 680i motherboard and the basic Twister LITE case, I can't seem to tell how many USB ports there will be and where they will be?
 
2) I was thinking about keeping my current keyboard, but it has a PS2 connector, not USB.  Will I need to get a new keyboard with a USB connection?  (I heard plugs to connect between PS2 and USB are not 100% reliable, although I have 1 for my mouse and it works fine).
 
Thanks for the help!!
 
--Matt
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 26 Dec 2007 at 7:22pm
1. The motherboard backplate will have 6 usb ports and can support 4 additional usb ports on either the front or back.

2. The 680i has PS2 ports.

**this is the A1


Edited by skyR - 26 Dec 2007 at 7:22pm
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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TheDagger View Drop Down
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Posts: 36 		  Quote TheDagger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 28 Dec 2007 at 4:24pm
I decided I'll pay for a bit more performance with the 8800 GTS 512.
 
When I get another 8800 GTS 512 in a couple years to go SLi, will the power from the 520W Corsair be adequate?  Everything else about the config above is the same (1 hard drive, 1 optical drive, etc).  Thanks!!!
 
 
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syn View Drop Down
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Posts: 150 		  Quote syn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 28 Dec 2007 at 10:39pm
Browser just ate my post, guess I'm typing it again. Angry

Unless you've got a truckload of money to blow, get a single 8800gt or gts and don't make any plans to SLI it.


The 9 series is looming on the horizon. It wouldn't be very smart to invest in an 8800gts with the idea of SLIing it a couple years from now since a single 9 series (or hell, the next series after that could be out) card will likely trump that setup for less money, and leave room to expand.

My 2¢
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TheDagger View Drop Down
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Posts: 36 		  Quote TheDagger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Dec 2007 at 10:17am
Thanks for the post Syn, but I'm not sure I understand it.  It sounds like you're saying don't bother going SLI-able unless I use 2 cards right off the bat:  
 
In 2-3 years, one top-of-the-line card (est $300+) will outperform 2 SLI 8800 GT or GTS cards (about $100 now to enable SLI, and $200ish for the 2nd 8800 card in 2-3 years)?
 
I don't know enough to agree or disagree, but I dont' see a big price diff between the 2 routes. 
 
Welp, I guess I'm still undecided (and getting confused Confused), maybe I'll just scrap it and break out the Nintendo 64.  : )
 
 
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Dec 2007 at 1:20pm

If you start trying to predict what might be in 3 years, you'll drive yourself nuts and never commit to buying anything.

Reasons to SLI (in my opinion):
 
1. You need the support for a large monitor, and no single graphics card is going to cut it at the resolutions you intend to game at.
 
2. You already selected the top end graphics card (think 8800 GTX or Ultra) and the performance is *still* not good enough.
 
3. There's a large enough inbalance between the lower priced card and an upper end card that gaining 15% performance will put the mid ranged card past the upper end card in performance, yet still cost less than the next level of upgrade that would outperform the two cards.
 
4. You simply like having the latest and greatest, and have the money to spend on getting what you want because it pleases you.
 
 
Reason #3 doesn't happen very often. Think about it. Why would any company make their more expensive (and more profitable) offerings less appealing by design? The only reason you are seeing this sort of thing with the 8800GT is because NVidia had to do *something* to combat the HD38xx series while they get their midrange in order.
 
Sooo...
 
The hierachy of cards right now:
 
2*8800GT($688)> 8800 GTX ($493) > 8800GTS ($461) > 8800GT ($344)
 
The 8800GTS and the GTX are basically neck and neck in most testing with the GTX gaining a very slight edge.
 
Everyone has their own opinion about this. My advice is to think about what you want for performance *right now* and how much you want to spend on that performance today, rather than worrying overly about what 3 years from now will bring. Right now, the best bang for the buck is the 8800GT. The only downside it brings to the table is the heat it throws off.
 
This is not the normal situation though. Normally, the better, more expensive card will beat two lesser cards in SLI. I think that is why you will get advice against planning to add a card 2 years down the road. Normally, SLI isn't a great investment even within a current generation except for select needs, let alone comparison to future generations of GPU.
 
I hope I'm not confusing the issue for you further. Bottom line IMO: decide how much you want to spend, and pick that card (s) for the here and now. If you plan to go to an 8800 SLI after an initial purchase of a system with one GPU, plan on doing it within a year, not two or three years or the advantage will be lost. If you think of all tech buys as more like a rental, it gets easier to make decisions Wink.


Edited by Tyler Lowe - 29 Dec 2007 at 1:23pm
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Dec 2007 at 1:37pm
You don't need SLI for resolutions under 1600x1200 unless you are a numbers freak a course.

Unless you get the second card for FREE. A single next-gen card will always be better for performance and your wallet.

If you want to think of the future.. in 3 years time, we will be on DX11. And Nvidia will be on D12 which will probably be on a 32nm process tripling the performance and lowering power consumption by 3x...
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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TheDagger View Drop Down
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Posts: 36 		  Quote TheDagger Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Dec 2007 at 5:32pm
Wow, thank you Tyler and SkyR for the very insightful posts, that really helps.
 
Considering I'm not a numbers/technical guy, I just want to enjoy fun/smooth games, and I just bought a 1680x1050 22" widescreen, I'm going to scrap SLI from the config and go with a single card.  This makes my decision a lot easier, thank you!!
 
Thanks again to Digital Storm and all the contributors to this forum.
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