[RESOLVED] New System

I'm building a new system and trying to decide if this Asus board is worth the extra $50+ vs. the Intel board. My Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU should be coming by next week! :)

Asus - P5W64 WS Professional $314.99

Asus - P5W DH Deluxe $273.63

Intel - D975XBX (Bad Axe) $234.99

I also was wondering since the Intel board needs to be OC'd to 800MHz for the RAM as it supports 533/667 would that be just as good as the Asus boards that support 800 without OC'ing?

Plus,has anyone used the ATI Crossfire feature yet?


Thanks

I would go for P5W DH Deluxe .

Found pricing for the 4Gigs of ram and its too much ~865 for 533.
Guess its the 667MHz ram as 2 gigs are $276.

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/conf...submit1=Search


Why do you think the asus board is better? I heard the Intel board is awesome.

its cheaper than its other counterpart and has nearly the same config as the intel one.and as you said intel one needs to be overclocked.

btw i found this one more interesting
http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/conf...VR800D2N5K2/2G

It costs around 347USD(185GBP) .I guess 2 gb 800 mhz would be a better buy than a 4gb 533 .

heres the link to the uk page
http://www.kingston.com/ukroot/press/2006/prmn0606c.asp

p.s:Have a look at this:kingston says a gb of ram is enuf!.You are way ahead of the generation!

The intel board is the cheapest overall but it doesnt support 800 ram but can be OC'd to do it. This will free up more $ to pay for the ram. Just afraid if its going to create any issues.

I'm trying to get the most for a reasonable amount of $. It would be great to get 800 ram but I think it just may be too much for me.

BUt then you need to check out the cooling solns also.Asus is also providing a cooling soln .You definetely need a powerful cooling system(a liquid based one if you ask me).

Yea you are not a hard core gamer(are you ?).So intel would be better.Asus's models(like this one) are better suited for gamers.

Yes, thats what I was thinking and no I'm not a big gamer. I do allot of multi-tasking and run intense programs so I need plenty of power.

My CPU is ariving this weekend! :D

So I need to get the mobo ordered in the morning. Probably get the Intel board and 2 Gbs of 667 RAM.
Now I just need 2 PCIe video cards, one or both with dual monitor support as I have 3 LCDs. Looking at the ATI cards but could use a recommendation. Would be cool if I could use the crossfire ones but I understand the way the technology works is to shotgun the two carrds to one DVI output. Also, got a inexpensive cooling system/fan recommendation too?

Yea its called a sli(scalabl link interface) for nvidia.The following links could help you
Compare products:
http://apps.ati.com/ATIcompare/
List of ati pcie cards
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_...ologies&page=1
About Crossfire
http://www.directron.com/whatiscf.html#How%20it%20work

The folowing links regarding multiple monitors could be useful
faq
http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/faq.asp
database of multi-monitor configs
http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/db.asp
tool to help manage multiple monitors
http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/overview/

As far as cooling is concerned go for a 120 or 200mm fan .Antec is one of my favourites though when it comes to casing and cooling.

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Originally Posted by litlewiki

I would go for P5W DH Deluxe .

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Fantastic board, it's actually the one i will be buying in time, along with an e4300 (when it hits the shops).

The stock cooling should be more than enough RD, these processors can survive easily on the stock settings with the stock fan. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell them packaged as they are. However, if you're getting an OEM X6800 (without heatsink and fan) then you may wish to look into The "Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 7" which is, in my opinion the best heatsink/fan combination for Socket 775 there is :) (I have one on my dual core Pent D 805 @ 3.8Ghz, which idles around 31'C with this cooler)

Hope this helps :)

WOOT! My X6800 CPU came today! Now I really have to get the board ordered asap.

I did decide on the 667 RAM though as its all I can aford right now.

Cant decide between the Intel board and the Asus P5W DH Deluxe :(

My E6300 came today :D Fast as <expletive deleted>

Easily beats my dual core 805D @ 3.8Ghz... And this is when it's running at 1.86Ghz... Amazing performance!

This is on a Gigabyte 965p-DS3 board :)
Currently only have 533 Ram, so i am ordering 800mhz Ram now :) Just need a buyer for my 1Gb of 533 Ram :(

You'll love the performance Rob!
I have one bad thing to say about the Intel board, although it is fantastic it does suffer with vDroop issues, but, with the Core 2's it won't really matter unless you are overclocking (which i doubt you will be)

I finally ordered the board and RAM. Decided on the Intel board and 2GBs of DDR2 667MHz Kingston ram. It was on special promotion at newegg.com for $214. :thumb:

Should have them both by Thursday! :D

Next I'm looking at the ATI X1300 PCIe cards. On sale for $99 at Best Buy. Probably get 2. Would like to have a dual monitor card and get two for a possibility of having up to 4 monitors.

http://www.ati.com/products/RadeonX1300/index.html

Why stop at 4? :P http://www.digitaltigers.com/products.shtml

Ohhhhh your getting me an early x-mas present :thumb:
The 6 screens looks like it may be enough :lol:


But too bad I already have two 17" ViewSonics and replacing my third with another 17" ViewSonic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RobDog888

I finally ordered the board and RAM. Decided on the Intel board and 2GBs of DDR2 667MHz Kingston ram. It was on special promotion at newegg.com for $214. :thumb:

Should have them both by Thursday! :D

Next I'm looking at the ATI X1300 PCIe cards. On sale for $99 at Best Buy. Probably get 2. Would like to have a dual monitor card and get two for a possibility of having up to 4 monitors.

http://www.ati.com/products/RadeonX1300/index.html

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Nice :thumb: I'm currently upgrading once more, getting 1Gb of DDR2-800 RAM (Corsair XMS2 if you must know) a Gigabyte DS3 (I've broken my S3 board, woops), or Asus P5W. I've found a buyer for my old stuff, so the next lot of upgrades will cost me about £50 (about $85). This will allow me to overclock the Core 2 Duo i now possess.... Nice!

I had it wavering at 2Ghz earlier,and i must say, the performance is unreal! It hardly broke 33'C, smashed my old records in benching and smashed an AMD Fx62 allover... I like it :)

Rob, The x1300's, is one a crossfire master card and one not? I'm not sure if you can run two of these in the same system and run 4 monitors off them, not had the money to test it, and not found anywhere with a definitive answer...
~Googles one last time and finds somewhere stating there are 2 modes, Dual Card, or Crossfire. So, 4 displays should be good for you :D

The Crossfire mode should contain 4 modes. I cant get verification of if they can run dual monitors off of a single card. If its true then it should be no problem running 2 cards perhaps not in crossfire but both at the same speed of 8x see how the Intel board can reduce its 16x PCIe socket down to 8x to match its second PCIe of 8x resulting in two PCIe's in 8x speed. Also, I'm loking for a card with dual DVI ports and no vga d-sub port.

http://www.ajump.com/ajump/product.a...dept%5Fid=2732

http://www.ajump.com/ajump/assets/pr...00-7440151.jpg


Going to order a new case tonight and PSU (Antec 430 watt). Probably be building it this weekend or early next week. Cant wait to fire up Vista or XP 64 on this system :D

Found a dual DVI PCIe card thats not too expensive ($139) so I can get two but is it a good card?

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-G...&s=electronics

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...V39741472_.jpg http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...V39741472_.jpg

Edit:

Just noticed that it requires x16 slot. My board only does (1) x16/8 and (1) x8

Could I run two 6600's, one on the x16 slot and the other on the x8 slot?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RobDog888

Found a dual DVI PCIe card thats not too expensive ($139) so I can get two but is it a good card?

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-G...&s=electronics

http://www.vbforums.com/images/ieimages/2006/10/1.jpg http://www.vbforums.com/images/ieimages/2006/10/1.jpg

Edit:

Just noticed that it requires x16 slot. My board only does (1) x16/8 and (1) x8

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About that... Here is the card i have : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16814102657R
Only i bought it in the UK. It works fine in PCI Express x8 mode, so two of them for quad monitor support should be pretty good. (Mine came with DVI -> VGA conenctors, which would mean you'd need the opposite converter to convert from VGA to DVI, they aren't expensive)

The card is relatively cheap, in fact it's cheaper in the states, as most things seem to be. It provides decent performance, can be overclocked if you ever decided you really needed to (which i doubt). It's not a business card, but it's more of a mid-range gamer card, as is the 6600 (which is beaten by this card in performance terms, oh and the X1600Xt is prettier :p)

Hope this helps slightly Rob. Must note however, i've never tried running two X1600XT's in one motherboard to gain 4 monitor outputs, but i would imagine it's possible.

Hmm, it does look good from its specs as a mid range card. I like the price but I dont like the VGA port. What if I used the 6600 and the 1600?


Looks cool but not important as I am not getting a clear case.

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggIma...102-657-08.jpg

Now, this is the part i have no idea on, because they would both require different driver sets...

I've only ever seen 2cards form the same manufacturer, and even then i've only seen them joined by SLI or Crossfire mode.

See thats what I feel is best to prevent incompatibility issues is to use two of the same model and brand cards. So if I do that I need to use two cards that are around $100 or so each. I could just get an awesome card for 200 but then I will loose that third monitor output and defeat the purpose of optimising my systems. One of the three LCDs will be hooked up to a KVM for use on the other 3 systems I am running. I guess I can use the two DVI ports between the two cards for the non-KVM LCDs and have the third (VGA) port connected to the LCD that will be KVM'ed. Probably the best scenerio for the money?

That's a pretty good scenario, or at least i think it is from what i understand of it. (Never was any good understanding what KVM's did, as some do more than others etc...)
KVM -? Keyboard Visual Mouse (Is that what they're meant to do?)

The 6600's are better than your average graphics card, and would be up to the job i'm sure. (forgot to answer that one from earlier)

But the 6600 is 50 more each. :( and then the question of if it will run on a x8 port.

A KVM is a Keyboard Video Mouse hub. It allows you to connect a keyboard, video and mouse to it and then have from 2 - 4 output keyboard video and mouse ports so you can control from 2 - 4 systems without needing 4 keyboards, 4 mice and 4 video monitors. Basically allows controlling of multiple systems with a single set of input devices. :)

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Originally Posted by RobDog888

But the 6600 is 50 more each. :( and then the question of if it will run on a x8 port.

A KVM is a Keyboard Video Mouse hub. It allows you to connect a keyboard, video and mouse to it and then have from 2 - 4 output keyboard video and mouse ports so you can control from 2 - 4 systems without needing 4 keyboards, 4 mice and 4 video monitors. Basically allows controlling of multiple systems with a single set of input devices. :)

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I just noitced the X1600XT on newegg is an open box, so, maybe they're not so cheap afterall in the states, the cheapest i can get one here for is around £79/80.

The other option is crossfiring two ATI cards. Again, expensive as you have to buy a crossfire master card :(

But crossfire technology is basically connecting two cards together and outputting to a single vga or dvi port for a single monitor. ;)

Open box sounds like OEM to me but I guess its ok as you can probably download the software and drivers and buy any cables that may be needed. I dont think there are any cables I would need other then maybe PCIe cables for power?

You won't even need PCI-E cables for power on this card, it doesn't draw too much at all :)

Open Box usually just means the box got opened at some point, and obviously you can reject the sale if somethings not quite right with the card itself. Usually however everything is fine. The only software you'd need to download is the latest ATI Catalyst drivers.

The X1600 from the link you posted is an OEM and no longer says Open box?

If its OEM then it is just bulk packaged and no manuals or cables.

I think for now the 89 price is really good since it will be about 200 total. i can use two of the DVIs and one VGA. Should be ok I think. Need to order tomorrow night so it will arive on Tuesday. Newegg's warehouse is only about 5 miles from my house. :D

Going to order first thing in the morning.

Trying to see which is better between these two video cards (need 2)...

$84
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814241025

$119
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130064



And these PSU's...


$74
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817103937

$89
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817103933

Ok, decided on 2 of the $84 video cards and the $74 PSU (now indcludes a $10 mail in rebate so its $64).

Only thing left is that the x16 PCIe cards are required or can I run one in x8 ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RobDog888

Ok, decided on 2 of the $84 video cards and the $74 PSU (now indcludes a $10 mail in rebate so its $64).

Only thing left is that the x16 PCIe cards are required or can I run one in x8 ?

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I'm pretty sure the X1600PRO cards will run on X8. To be honest X1600PRO cards aren't excellent for gaming. BUT, they will be fine for you and normal tasks etc...

On the PSU front i would of gone with the Truepower model. Very highly rated, however a you definitely won't be overclocking way above what the chipshould run at there should be no problems at all :)

Hope everything goes well RD :)

(My new components are here wednesday! 1Gb or DDR2-800 RAM & new mobo)

Yes, I want the $89 one but the other is $25 less. Havent ordered yet as I'm getting everything else together to place a single order.I was torn between spending the extra $ as the true power has higher amps on the +12 outputs of 19/19 vs 17/19.

I doubt I will be playing Quake or anything so as long as the psu can power both cards and 4 hds 2 cd/dvds etc. I should be ok with the 17/19?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RobDog888

Yes, I want the $89 one but the other is $25 less. Havent ordered yet as I'm getting everything else together to place a single order.I was torn between spending the extra $ as the true power has higher amps on the +12 outputs of 19/19 vs 17/19.

I doubt I will be playing Quake or anything so as long as the psu can power both cards and 4 hds 2 cd/dvds etc. I should be ok with the 17/19?

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You should be :) And fyi Quake doesn't require much power at all, after all it is about 8 years old now :p

You should get away with it quite easily, it's just recommended alot to go for higher amped rails.

I was on hold with the video card manufacturer but seems they arent answering their presales support calls :mad:
Just trying to verify that their card can run fine at x8 speed.

Looks like I will just purchase the case, floppy, psu, dvd burner today. At least it can still be processed today. The place another order tomorrow if I even find out about the card.

Why cant anyone just do their job? :lol:

You expect a company to... Do thier job :o That's crazy Rob... Crazy i tell ya...

I have to admit, it's bad when they keep you on hold for so long, i tend to hang up. Then search online some more :p:

Which card were you rining about? I'll do the rounds on google for a few mins :)

This one - http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814241025

Thanks.

Just need to verify that it will run at x8 speed. If not then I need to find two x8 speed cards. :)

Oddly, over here -> http://www.computerpoweruser.com/edi...7c07.asp&guid=

In Corssfire mode, they can run at x8, or so it seems... (2nd question i think)

I read it that way too but if I'm not running crossfire as I am using both dvi's on each card on a separate monitor its not really being placed into crossfire mode. So I would assume that it will still be running in x16 bus rate?

I found this very good FAQ on PCIe :thumb:

http://www.gen-x-pc.com/pci_basic.htm

Seems after reading it it appears that the two cards of different xX's can work together as they are all connected with a root much like USB. So if one card is slower then another it should balance out to the slower speed. Now finding a video card that is x8 may be hard. :(

If they can run happily at x8 mode then i would assume they can do it normally... I think your best bet is to order them and see... Whch sadly isn't the best thing to have to do.

Doh, after reading that entire article I think I understand how it is now.

x16 is like the pin count so to speak and the secondary number is the speed.

So I have this board - http://support.intel.com/products/mo...5XBX/index.htm

Shows:

* Two PCI Conventional bus add-in card connectors (SMBus routed to both PCI Conventional bus add-in card connectors)

* One Primary PCI Express x16 (electrical x16 or x8) bus add-in card connector

* One Secondary PCI Express x16 (electrical x8) bus add-in card connector

* One PCI Express* x16 (electrical x4) bus add-in card connector

So here Intel is saying "electrical x16 or x8" is the speed not the socket size.

Guess I should have read the manual first instead of going on memory from when I bought it. :(
Looks like I should be fine to order both x16 cards then. :)


Ps, I hate researching hardware for purchase. :(

I have had email conversations with the video card manufacture's support system and seems they are of little help. They say the two cards will work in the same system if running in Crossfire mode but that wasnt my question. I want them both to run in normal mode. Well at least if they both can be installed then they both should be able to run in normal mode one would assume logically. Guess I will just order both cards and find out. :)

Just ordered my new black case, black dvdrom, black dvd burner, black floppy, power supply, 2 extra dvi to vga adapters = $417.22. Should be here tomorrow :)

Just need to order that Artic heat transfer grease for the cpu to heatsink seal and I will be ready to build.

Thanks guys for the help. :thumb:

Nice, i take it you mean Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste? Excellent stuff. i have a spare syringe of it right here (albeit i am over 5000miles away).

The cards should run just fine, and if not, then, get the extra dual DVI PCI card... You know, the on you had before to extend displays?

Cant, still need to use that older one in my old system which I am using to for testing porobably. Like installing Vista and Office 2007.

Yes, Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is what I need to purchase tomorrow.

My system parts showed as only taking 1 day to arrive as they will be shipped tomorrow and arive tomorrow :D

Did they arrive yet? :p

Yes, I got everything but the artic thermal stuff.

Which should I get?
http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/Su...SubCategory=85

Been building it off and on for a week. I really need to get it completed. :lol:
Oh ya, and I need another 120mm case fan too. :(

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

That's what i have, i have 2 syringes of it. It's cheaper in the states!

You need hardly any of it, look it up on their website on how to do it properly :)

:lol: I like the first precaution they mention - "Dont put it in your mouth"

http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appi..._dual_wcap.pdf

Geez, they make all this out of it. Guess I will have to really read their directions.

It doesn't taste very nice, i'll tell you that for nothing. Obviously not what i wanted to do, but it is awful! And probably toxic.

Just follow the guide, they've updated it since last time :) Which is always good. small tiny blob on the heatspreader on Intel chips, spread it really thing with something like the edge of a credit card (obviously don't use one! it doesn't come off too easily..) and then mount the heatsink.

To prepare the CPU i use some really really fie sandpaper, to add really tiny grooves for better heat transfer. Obviously remove any other thermal pads/paste while you're at it as well. Oh, and DON'T use nail varnish remover on them... Not a good idea at all.

Here's the guide i tend to follow: http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_s...tions_big2.htm

Ya I read that part but it also stated not to scratch the cpu core either.

I don't scratch the core, just the spreader on top.

Still, oddly i note better temperatures after my sandpaper treatment, i think i should stop doing it though if it states not to. Woops.

Looks like the order I placed yesterday should be here today but nada yet. :(

The artic silver and 120mm case fan were ordered.

11/02/2006 04:13:00 IN TRANSIT TO[I] CERRITOS, CA, US
11/02/2006 06:12:00 DEPARTURE SCAN[I] MEMPHIS, TN, US
11/01/2006 18:10:00 ORIGIN SCAN[I] MEMPHIS, TN, US
11/01/2006 16:11:49 BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED[M] MEMPHIS, TN, US


* tapping fingers impatiently waiting *

:)

Ps, TN to CA in 1 hour? Given there is a 3 hour time difference but thats one fast plane.

Checked the tracking number and this cant be right. :(

Estimated delivery
11/07/2006

lol 5 days !.Must be a really fast plane

Its probably the Artic silver that has to come on down from Alaska :(

Usually they are fast. Only 1 day and sometimes 2 at most. Oh well. Just have to sit and look at it half way put together with all the other hardware sitting there waiting.

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Just have to sit and look at it half way put together with all the other hardware sitting there waiting.

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That must be really hard :( btw i was wondering if its possible to apply the thermals after everything is setup??

Well you can if you have room in the case after all the video cards and hds are installed but its just a bit harder as there is less room. Whats the point of putting all that in when you still cant boot it up anyways. :(

Working on my system tonight as I finally have it all! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RobDog888

Working on my system tonight as I finally have it all! :D

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Ohh finally.Thats great .Do post a snap of your rig :)