New rig.. Few questions..

Sean^DCT4

Hi all,

I have specced out the following rig as a nice present for myself for Christmas

CPU: Intel Quad Core Q6600 2.Ghz
RAM: 4GB DDR3 PC8500
GFX: 2 x nVidia 8800GT's SLi
HDD1: Raptor X 150GB [RAID0]
HDD2: Raptor X 150GB [RAID0]
HDD3: WesterDigital 750GB
MOBO: ASUS P5E3 Deluxe
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=339848
Monitor: 32" Mirai HDTV (1080p).

I was planning on splashing out and getting a motherboard that supports DDR3 loads of SATA and RAID options etc.

Q1.
Could someone tell me if a board has PCI 2.0 Express(16x) slots then is that all you need for it to support SLi or Crossfire?
Does a board need to say "Supports Sli" or "Supports Crossfire" ?

Q2.
Would 2x8800GT's run ok on a 32" Mirai (1080p) HDTV for DX10 gaming?


Thanks people,
Seány

AlmightyCushion

It's a crossfire board so you won't be able to run sli on it. You need to get two ati cards and run them in crossfire.

Sean^DCT4

Thanks for clearing that up.

Next question is, Should I go for:

1. 2x8800GT's in SLi
2. 1x8800Ultra
3. 2xATI 3870's in Crossfire

This is all for the next gen gaming and to be run on a 32" HDTV also.

Suggestions are welcome!

AlmightyCushion

Sean^DCT4 wrote: »

Thanks for clearing that up.

Next question is, Should I go for:

1. 2x8800GT's in SLi
2. 1x8800Ultra
3. 2xATI 3870's in Crossfire

This is all for the next gen gaming and to be run on a 32" HDTV also.

Suggestions are welcome!

You don't really have a choice if you are going with that motherboard. That motherboard is crossfire not sli so that rules out option 1.

There is no point in getting a nVidia card when you have a motherboard that supports crossfire. This is because if you decide to get a second ultra later on to run sli, you'll need to get a motherboard that supports sli. That rules out option 2. Even if it didn't the ultra is at an insane price and is pretty bad value for money.

It looks like the 2x3870's is your man.

The resolution of that tv will be low compared to a monitor the same size or even a 22" monitor. It will be grand if you are sitting a good bit away from the tv but if you are pretty close you may want to get a monitor instead.

TerrorFirmer

The DDR3 ram - waste of money at this point in time. Save yourself a lot of money by going with high quality ddr2 800mhz.

At this stage in time if you're aiming solely for killer gaming performance, I'd be inclined to take a Sli board if you feel a dual set up is a necessity. New Nvidia cards out in feb and the 8800Gt is a consistently better performer then the 3870, even though it costs a bit more. I wouldn't bother going 8800GT sli right now though, maybe get one and wait it out for the new cards, it's not that far away and in the meantime an 8800GT will handle virtually anything bar Crysis at high settings at large resolutions.

WellyJ

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

You don't really have a choice if you are going with that motherboard. That motherboard is crossfire not sli so that rules out option 1.

There is no point in getting a nVidia card when you have a motherboard that supports crossfire. This is because if you decide to get a second ultra later on to run sli, you'll need to get a motherboard that supports sli. That rules out option 2. Even if it didn't the ultra is at an insane price and is pretty bad value for money.

It looks like the 2x3870's is your man.

The resolution of that tv will be low compared to a monitor the same size or even a 22" monitor. It will be grand if you are sitting a good bit away from the tv but if you are pretty close you may want to get a monitor instead.

That tv has a native resolution of 1920x1080

Which I would argue is pefectly fine. Most newer games struggle on any hardware when you go above 2000 vertical lines. See Crysis

Sean^DCT4

thanks for the replies lads, I opted for the 2x ATI HD3870's 512MB GDDR4.

Here's the spec:

Quantity | Product

---

# 1 Monitor Cable DVI M/M 2m high quality cable, dual link
# 0 AKASA SATA2 Cable, 60cm, Blue UV reactive,
# 2 AKASA SATA2 Cable, 60cm, Blue UV reactive,
# 2 AKASA SATA2 Cable, 60cm, Blue UV reactive,
# 1 NZXT ZERO, Aluminum Chassi, 8 Fans, 2xUSB, Screwless design, (Without PSU)
# 1 LG DVD±RW burner, GSA-H55LRB, 20x, LightScribe, SecureDisc, Black and White
# 1 Akasa AK-925 REVO Thermodynamic CPU Cooler 775/939/AM2, SilentFlux
# 2 Gigabyte ATI HD3870 521MB GDDR4
# 2 Western Digital Raptor X 150GB SATA 16MB 10000RPM
# 2 Western Digital Caviar SE16 750GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM
# 1 Asus P5E3 Deluxe/WIFI-AP, X38,Socket-775 ,DDR3, ATX, 2xGbLAN, 2xPCI-Ex(2.0)x16
# 2 OCZ Gold DDR3 PC8500 2048MB KIT, w/two DDR3 1024MB PC8500 XTC, CL7-7-7-21
# 1 Razer MANTIS Control Mat, Precision surface for gaming
# 1 Samsung 22" LCD Syncmaster 226BW TCO03, 1680x1050, 2ms, 3000:1
# 1 Thermaltake Toughpower 750W, 6xSATA, ATX/EPS, 2xPCI-E, 20/24pin
# 1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz Socket LGA775, 8MB, BOXED w/fan
# 2 Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit,
# 1 AKASA ATA133 Round Cable 90cm, UV Blue, 3 Connectors
# 1 Akasa Cable Management Kit
# 1 Akasa Cable Ties, hook & loop, 5 Ties
# 1 Creative Fatal1ty Headset

Oh man I can't wait to get this(Monday).
I'm going to get the 32" Mirai too for a nice dual monitor setup too.

Comes to ~€3200 (without the 32")

RoyalMarine

you would be better off getting ddr2 ram and putting the money into a better processor.

dazftw

Will that cpu cooler fit the mobo? Just something I saw at 1st glance.. the cooler is amd based and the mobo isn't..

Sean^DCT4

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

you would be better off getting ddr2 ram and putting the money into a better processor.

I already ordered it and Q6600 can be overclocked to ~2.7 on air. I should get 3.0 with my cooler.
DDR3 > DDR2

dazftw wrote:

Will that cpu cooler fit the mobo? Just something I saw at 1st glance.. the cooler is amd based and the mobo isn't..

Yes it will, that cooler supports Socket 775.

TerrorFirmer

I already ordered it and Q6600 can be overclocked to ~2.7 on air. I should get 3.0 with my cooler.
DDR3 > DDR2

Not worth the money, by any stretch. You really threw it away there...in my opinion. The ram, that is. How much did it cost?

RoyalMarine

sean, the ddr3 ram will be better. but not for a long time.

the cost of ddr3 ram will drop rapidly over the next 2 years as it becomes more available.
plus there is known latency problems with ddr3 ram and gaming performance could be slack compared to using trusted ddr2 ram.

suggest sending it back within your return warranty.

x keo21

Sean^DCT4 wrote: »

thanks for the replies lads, I opted for the 2x ATI HD3870's 512MB GDDR4.

Here's the spec:

Quantity | Product

---

# 1 Monitor Cable DVI M/M 2m high quality cable, dual link
# 0 AKASA SATA2 Cable, 60cm, Blue UV reactive,
# 2 AKASA SATA2 Cable, 60cm, Blue UV reactive,
# 2 AKASA SATA2 Cable, 60cm, Blue UV reactive,
# 1 NZXT ZERO, Aluminum Chassi, 8 Fans, 2xUSB, Screwless design, (Without PSU)
# 1 LG DVD±RW burner, GSA-H55LRB, 20x, LightScribe, SecureDisc, Black and White
# 1 Akasa AK-925 REVO Thermodynamic CPU Cooler 775/939/AM2, SilentFlux
# 2 Gigabyte ATI HD3870 521MB GDDR4
# 2 Western Digital Raptor X 150GB SATA 16MB 10000RPM
# 2 Western Digital Caviar SE16 750GB SATA2 16MB 7200RPM
# 1 Asus P5E3 Deluxe/WIFI-AP, X38,Socket-775 ,DDR3, ATX, 2xGbLAN, 2xPCI-Ex(2.0)x16
# 2 OCZ Gold DDR3 PC8500 2048MB KIT, w/two DDR3 1024MB PC8500 XTC, CL7-7-7-21
# 1 Razer MANTIS Control Mat, Precision surface for gaming
# 1 Samsung 22" LCD Syncmaster 226BW TCO03, 1680x1050, 2ms, 3000:1
# 1 Thermaltake Toughpower 750W, 6xSATA, ATX/EPS, 2xPCI-E, 20/24pin
# 1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz Socket LGA775, 8MB, BOXED w/fan
# 2 Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit,
# 1 AKASA ATA133 Round Cable 90cm, UV Blue, 3 Connectors
# 1 Akasa Cable Management Kit
# 1 Akasa Cable Ties, hook & loop, 5 Ties
# 1 Creative Fatal1ty Headset

Oh man I can't wait to get this(Monday).
I'm going to get the 32" Mirai too for a nice dual monitor setup too.

Comes to ~€3200 (without the 32")

I dont know alot about computers but what is the significance of a dual monitor setup? I have noticed this mentioned s few times before

RoyalMarine

dual monitor's....

you have 2 screen's to use. multi tasking or splitting the screen in gaming.
lots of different uses.

toco123

your better with the one i think.