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Do I need SLI? Ideas on a build?

Post Date: 2007-12-10
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Mark S. View Drop Down
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  Quote Mark S. Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Do I need SLI? Ideas on a build?
    Posted: 10 Dec 2007 at 5:35pm
Hi,
 
I am currently running on a macbook pro with the 30 inch apple cinema display.  The problem I having is that the macbook pro doesn't drive the monitor well at high resolutions (2560 x 1600) esp if I try to play games at that resolution (or even at 1920x 1200).
 
I am defin considering buying a DS computer, however I am not exactly sure what components/setup I will need, including SLI. My budget is around $3000, but the less the better.  Essentially, I am trying to avoid overkill here.
 
Games I currently (via bootcamp) are WoW and Bioshock.
 
Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2007 at 5:46pm
SLI is recommended for any resolution above 1920x1200. But WoW and Bioshock should be playable without SLI.

You can always go with one card for now and add another later if you are not happy with the performance.

This is what I would recommend: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=100699

The new 8800GTS 512mb card releases tomorrow and that performs better at higher resolutions, so you might want to get that instead of the 8800GT.

If you have any questions or concerns, please ask =d


Edited by skyR - 10 Dec 2007 at 5:52pm
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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Mark S. View Drop Down
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  Quote Mark S. Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2007 at 8:29pm

Quad core worth it at all for gaming? Generally speaking.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2007 at 9:31pm
depends on who you ask, some say it's worth it and some say no.

Games today don't take advantage of more than two cores. And if you just have the game running and nothing else than there really isn't a point to quad.

It also depends on how long you plan on keeping the CPU... if it's for a long time, than a quad might be worth it for you.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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Mark S. View Drop Down
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  Quote Mark S. Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Dec 2007 at 10:43am

skyR, Thank you very much for your replies.  I appreciate it.

Two last questions: If I buy the Twister Extreme rig, would it be worth it to install CPU/GPU liquid cooling?  Will it make a huge difference or should I just stick with a fan?
 
Also- is upgrading to 4gb ram a good idea? Or not really necessary?
 
Thanks again,
 
Mark
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Dec 2007 at 3:47pm
For liquid cooling, it depends on how hard you pushing your pc and what environment your pc will be in. If you are just doing mild overclocks than it won't make a huge difference. If your pc is going to be in a room that gets quite hot than liquid cooling would make a big difference.

4GB isn't necessary unless you multi-task heavily or play games that hog up a lot of the memory. You can always add more later if needed.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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Posts: 74 		  Quote Church Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Dec 2007 at 5:16pm
go for the 8800 gtx or ultra, and you will be able to play in super high resolutions without a hitch
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Mark S. View Drop Down
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  Quote Mark S. Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Dec 2007 at 11:10pm
Thanks for all the input!
 
Here is what I think I am going to buy:
 
Any suggestions?
 
Copy of Specifications:
Case: Digital Storm Twister EXTREME (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 850W SilverStone Decathlon (Dual SLI Compatible) (Model: DA850) (Silent)
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: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance)
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
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)
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800ULTRA 768MB (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: Liquid Chilled CPU & Video Cards (Artic Blue Liquid)
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/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor
Overclock Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
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 Professional (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: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse)
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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Posts: 395 		  Quote Solo Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Dec 2007 at 11:12pm
 
Any suggestions?
 
 
Yes, tell all your girlfriends/friends/family that you'll be going away for a while.
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Posts: 395 		  Quote Solo Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Dec 2007 at 11:13pm

On a more serious note, if you have the money to spend I would recommend G15 keyboard and G7 mouse... I really enjoy mine.

Any other upgraded keyboard/mouse combination would do a system l ike that justice.
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Mark S. View Drop Down
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  Quote Mark S. Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Dec 2007 at 11:25pm
Hrm, maybe.. Kind of at my max budget at the moment, so i'm not sure how much more i want to add.  Also- quick questions: is liquid cooling difficult to maintain? does it break down easily? are there any massive downsides I should know about?
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commast View Drop Down
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Posts: 262 		  Quote commast Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 Dec 2007 at 3:05am
Originally posted by Mark S.

Hrm, maybe.. Kind of at my max budget at the moment, so i'm not sure how much more i want to add.  Also- quick questions: is liquid cooling difficult to maintain? does it break down easily? are there any massive downsides I should know about?


You have to refill the liquid occasionally and the tubes may get clogged overtime. Another drawback to liquid cooling is that when it fails you'll get almost no warnings and it's going to very hard to replace or update your components later on. The cost is too expensive and the gain is minimal. I wouldn't use liquid cooling unless you really want to push your PC to the extreme.
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  Quote Mark S. Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 Dec 2007 at 3:00pm
I place my order!! Yay! Now the really tough part, waiting for it to arrive!
 
Here's is what i finally decided on:
 
Case: Digital Storm Twister ULTRA (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 850W SilverStone Decathlon (Dual SLI Compatible) (Model: DA850) (Silent)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad QX6850 Extreme 3.00GHz (1333MHz FSB)
Motherboard: nVidia 680i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 680i SLI) (A1 Revision)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance)
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Raid Option: Setup hard drive 1 and 2 in a Raid 0 Stripe (Read and Write Performance Boost)
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)
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800ULTRA 768MB (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: Liquid Chilled CPU & Video Cards (Artic Blue Liquid)
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Round Cables: Enhanced Interior Air Flow (Optical Drive & Floppy Cables (Blue Edition)
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
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: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse)
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
 
I decided to go with liquid cooling for two reasons, my apartment gets really hot in the summer (I live in NYC) with no AC and I thought it would be a neat to play with. 
 
Anyway, thanks for everyone's input and help, i really appreciate it.
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