PC Upgrading Discussion

[Abdul Al-Amry]

Much much better seeing how the HDD will fit in.Thanks. Excellent idea. I have finished the buying process. Bought Core 2 Quad Q6600 from Ebuyer(Almost all items bought from them except DVD drive. Excellent service). I have Windows 7 to play with until I purchase Vista Premium 64bit.

 

[Mehmet Arikan]

u you are welcome Abdul now have fun with your new machine

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

Thinking of building a new computer

Hi everyone. I need some help from you. I've been playing GTRevo for some weeks now and I am totally hooked.

My computer is a Dell XPS M1330 laptop. Its not working very well as I lost many races due to frame rate dropping to zero basically at lowest graphic settings. After I quit the game the temperature of the graphics card was 89 degree C. That can't be :good:.

I'm looking for a good computer to get a good experience (maybe full experience?) of playing GTRevo. I also do some CAD and regularly run calculations on my computer. So I guess I would need a fast processor and and enough ram. IIRC the numbercrunching takes full advantage of Quad core so I guess thats on the list.

I have no experience with building, just replaced a hardrive So I've been looking around for some tips and pointers as to what I should get. I ended up with 3 build kits from a internet shop. Since it is sold as a kit they guarantee it works optimal and I think its a good price.(Is it?) These options are what I got so far:

#1 Intel at 880 Euros
APLUS Case Seenium, ATX, Black, (Without PSU)
Corsair Powersupply 550W Bulk, black, ATX/EPS, 120mm fan, 4xSATA, SLI
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L, P45, Socket-775, ATX, GbLAN, DDR2, PCI-Ex(2.0)x16
Intel Core™ 2 Quad Q8200 2,33GHz, Socket 775, 4MB, 1333MHz, Boxed w/Fan
Corsair TWIN2X 6400 DDR2, 4096MB CL5, Kit w/two matched CM2X2048-6400 Dimm's
GEVGA GeForce GTX 260 896MB PhysX CUDA, PCI-Express 2.0, 2xDVI, HDCP, Core 216, Graphics Plus, 3D Stereo, 55nm
Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB SATA2 32MB 7200RPM
Sony NEC Optiarc DVD±RW burner AD-5200A, DVD+R/+RW/DVD-R/-RW, OEM, IDE, Black
Power kabel PC 2m Straight plug

#2 AMD at 660 Euros

APLUS Case Seenium, ATX, Black, (Without PSU)
Seasonic S12-II PSU 500W, 120mm Fan, ATX/EPS, 2xPCI-E, 6xSATA, 20/24pin
AMD Phenom 9850 Black Edition Quad-Core 2.5 GHz Boxed, 4MB Cache, Socket AM2+
Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4, AMD 790X, DDR2, Socket-AM2+, ATX,GbLAN, 2xPCI-Ex(2.0)x16
Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3, PCI-Express 2.0, 2xDVI/HDMI/HDCP
Kingston ValueR. DDR2 PC6400 4096MB CL5, Kit w/two matched ValueRAM 2048MB DDR2
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB, SATA-300, 32MB, 7200RPM
Sony NEC Optiarc DVD±RW burner AD-5200A, DVD+R/+RW/DVD-R/-RW, OEM, IDE, Black

I think this is an OK price range, but I could move up if theres good reasons. But I would like your opinion. Should I go up in performance? Some components you would replace?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jari Vinnari]

I would change CPU´s in both setups.
Q8200 (172€ here in Finland)->Q9400 or Q9550 (224€/259€)
AMD Phenom 9850 (155€)->AMD Phenom II 920 or 940BE (192€/219€)

peace
Jari

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

I would change CPU´s in both setups.
Q8200 (172€ here in Finland)->Q9400 or Q9550 (224€/259€)
AMD Phenom 9850 (155€)->AMD Phenom II 920 or 940BE (192€/219€)

peace
Jari

OK, I was a little unsure about the cpu. I see now that 8200 is the lowest spec quadcore. What about AMD vs. Intel? (or will that question cause a riot?)

I checked the price aswell: Save about 12% over buying individual parts for the kits.

Might have found something better: 880 Euros.

Thermaltake M9 , Black Midi tower, (No PSU)
Corsair Powersupply 550W Bulk, black, ATX/EPS, 120mm fläkt, 4xSATA, SLI
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L, P45, Socket-775, ATX, GbLAN, DDR2, PCI-Ex(2.0)x16
Intel Core™ 2 Quad Q9400 2,66GHz, Socket 775, 6MB, 1333MHz, Boxed w/Fan
Corsair Dominator TWIN2X8500C5D 4096MB, DDR2,2x2GB(KIT),DHX,E.P.P, CL5-5-5-15-2T
Asus GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB PhysX CUDA, PCI-Express 2.0, "Dark Knight" 2xDVI, HDMI, HDCP, Graphics Plus, 3D Stereo
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB, SATA-300, 32MB, 7200RPM
Zalman CNPS9500AT Ultra Quiet CPU-cooler, Socket 775
Sony NEC Optiarc DVD±RW burner AD-5200A, DVD+R/+RW/DVD-R/-RW, OEM, IDE, Black

 

[Jari Vinnari]

Its very difficult to choose between Amd or Intel.

Here are some reviews-> http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3492&p=1
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/phenomii940/

peace
Jari

 

[Steven Palmer]

Might have found something better: 880 Euros.

Thermaltake M9 , Black Midi tower, (No PSU)
Corsair Powersupply 550W Bulk, black, ATX/EPS, 120mm fläkt, 4xSATA, SLI
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L, P45, Socket-775, ATX, GbLAN, DDR2, PCI-Ex(2.0)x16
Intel Core™ 2 Quad Q9400 2,66GHz, Socket 775, 6MB, 1333MHz, Boxed w/Fan
Corsair Dominator TWIN2X8500C5D 4096MB, DDR2,2x2GB(KIT),DHX,E.P.P, CL5-5-5-15-2T
Asus GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB PhysX CUDA, PCI-Express 2.0, "Dark Knight" 2xDVI, HDMI, HDCP, Graphics Plus, 3D Stereo
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB, SATA-300, 32MB, 7200RPM
Zalman CNPS9500AT Ultra Quiet CPU-cooler, Socket 775
Sony NEC Optiarc DVD±RW burner AD-5200A, DVD+R/+RW/DVD-R/-RW, OEM, IDE, Black

This is better than the previous two offerings IMHO, not sure about the PSU though, if you can go for more Watts, it'll give you better stability and better scope to upgrade in the future.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

Thanks for replies. Appreciate it.

The last one does look better. About the PSU, I don't think I will upgrade in quite a while if I buy it, but good to know

 

[Abdul Al-Amry]

Knut check this thread out

http://forum.racedepartment.com/member-support-forum/9492-i-trust-your-advice-need-your-help.html

 

[Marcel Hulsbergen]

My choice would be Intel, as i have had so many systems now and Intel always seemed to be more stable to me, here is my advise:

#1 Intel at 880 Euros
APLUS Case Seenium, ATX, Black, (Without PSU) Good choice, kinda cheap and the powersupply is mounten below which is way better.

Corsair Powersupply 550W Bulk, black, ATX/EPS, 120mm fan, 4xSATA, SLI
I should choose the 620W version, as this one can be loaded over 750Watts and i use it too and it is very rock solid.

Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L, P45, Socket-775, ATX, GbLAN, DDR2, PCI-Ex(2.0)x16 Good board.

Intel Core™ 2 Quad Q8200 2,33GHz, Socket 775, 4MB, 1333MHz, Boxed w/Fan Good choice, you can even go for the Q6600, mine runs at 3.6 GHZ.

Corsair TWIN2X 6400 DDR2, 4096MB CL5, Kit w/two matched CM2X2048-6400 Dimm's Good choice, you can also take OCZ Platinums if money is an issue.

GEVGA GeForce GTX 260 896MB PhysX CUDA, PCI-Express 2.0, 2xDVI, HDCP, Core 216, Graphics Plus, 3D Stereo, 55nm Love this card!!

Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB SATA2 32MB 7200RPM Great!

Sony NEC Optiarc DVD±RW burner AD-5200A, DVD+R/+RW/DVD-R/-RW, OEM, IDE, Black OK.

Power kabel PC 2m Straight plug I would suggest a black cable

I miss a CPU cooler, do not mount the Intel cooler, go for eg a Skythe Mugen.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

Thanks for the link Abdul. Will read through it later.

Marcel, thank you for your evaluation. It seems like a good kit then So you prefer the first one over the one in post nr. 3? How much effect will the CPU difference give? Is the Graphics card better on the first?

 

[Christopher Aponte]

I also would advice to go a little higher on the PSU...like around 650 watt of power
as for cpu, the Q9400 is good i guess.....not familiar with that
normally these last times a intel cpu runs much better than an amd cpu

also if you go for a cpu cooler, i think a Arctic freezer 7 pro is not bad....cheap and good for cooling....i know because i have it in my pc

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

Alright Chris. Seems like everyone agree on that. Will get a hold of a Corsair Powersupply but 620W like Marcel recommended.

But I was wondering how much difference 8200(2.33GHz) vs 9400(2.66GHz). Is it worth the extra cost (190 vs 270 Euros).

 

[Christopher Aponte]

oops didn't realize it was Marcel who replied above me...
if he says the Q8200 is a good choice, then it is indeed a good choice

sometimes you don't only look at the clock speed, but also the cache that it has

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

OK. Seems like the first setup is the way to go then.

I checked some more and found out all kits include a cpu cooler:good:

By the way, I save 110 Euros on the kit compared to buing individual components, so I would have to go with 550 W. (It would be cheaper to buy an extra 620W with the kit, than changing the setup and buy individual components, losing the discount)

They seem very confident that its a solid package, but do you recommend I up the PSU? I would have to change it if I upgrade, but do I need it until then?

 

[Marcel Hulsbergen]

Alright Chris. Seems like everyone agree on that. Will get a hold of a Corsair Powersupply but 620W like Marcel recommended.

But I was wondering how much difference 8200(2.33GHz) vs 9400(2.66GHz). Is it worth the extra cost (190 vs 270 Euros).

here is an overview:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 CPU, 2.33 GHz, FSB 1333MHz, 2x2MB L2 Cache 190 euro
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU, 2.66 GHz, FSB 1333MHz, 2x3MB L2 Cache 270 euro
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU, 2.40 GHz, FSB 1066MHz, 2x4MB L2 Cache 170 euro

If costs are no issue then take a Q9400, it has a multiplier default at 8, you will outperform this one with the Q6600 if you run it at 3.6GHZ like i do.

The Q8200 is a great cpu too as it runs much cooler becasue it has less cache so higher fsb can be set, but the multiplyer is set to 7 this is not the best thing for overclocking.

The Q6600 still is a great cpu and loved by overclockers, becasue of its 266 fsb it has a multiplier of 9. You can reach high speeds with this cpu only by adding a bit more fsb, the multiplier 9 helps you a lot to get good speeds.

So if i had to choose between the 2 systems, i should go for the Q8200 system but my advise is take a Q6600, it's cheap fast and very loved by many overclockers, be sure there is SLACR on the Intel box so you have a G0. But this cpu is still hard to get, it's sold out fast.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

OK. I checked with their website and the 6600 is not listed. I could get it elsewhere maybe, but I understand it's sought after.

I have never done any overclocking either, so I guess Q8200 keeps pole position.

 

[Marcel Hulsbergen]

OK. I checked with their website and the 6600 is not listed. I could get it elsewhere maybe, but I understand it's sought after.

I have never done any overclocking either, so I guess Q8200 keeps pole position.

It's kinda easy to overclock i have made a topic with a few screenshots and explanations about overclocking.

The Q8200 can be arround 3.5GHZ at the top, so 3.0 is easy to reach i am sure.

Maybe if you call the store they have a Q6600 somewhere in the store, take off the dust and use that one lol.

Don't forget the proper cooling, don't use the Intel stock cooler.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

Alright man. Will look into that.

It includes cooling, doesn't say which one. A customer reported in-game temperatures in a comment:
CPU is about 43 - 48 degrees C, graphics card about 65 degrees C with the original fans.

And thanks again Marcel. Appreciate the replies

 

[Marcel Hulsbergen]

Alright man. Will look into that.

It includes cooling, doesn't say which one. A customer reported in-game temperatures in a comment:
CPU is about 43 - 48 degrees C, graphics card about 65 degrees C with the original fans.

And thanks again Marcel. Appreciate the replies

I know it includes a cooler but it is the Intel stock cooler, you really need to buy a Scythe Mugen or simular product. They are about 35 euro, very silent and your cpu will be arround 25 degrees idle, it will be atleast 10 till 15 degrees cooler then the Intel stock cooler.