That time again..Building a new rig

So..long time no see to all of those who remember me. To all you newbies, nice to meet you.

Ok, you ole junkies of the hardware gods.. your thoughts on this would be appreciated. I don't mean, "Hey man, nice set up".. I would like well thought out responses that include suggestions, comments about compatibility, cooling, usage, known issues and/or experience using any of the listed equipment.

I'm an old rig builder so I'm not inept, just not in sync with the times (i.e. LOTS has changed). I sold ALL 3 of my rigs about 2 years ago for an DELL M2010 for work. It's done it's job and will continue to do my WORK... but now it's time for some more play

SPECS
-------------------
CPU:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115042
$359.99


Mobo
ASUS P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131218
$314.99


Memory
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231178
$144.99 2 of them, for a total of 4G


HDD
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136131
$129.99


DVD
"LG Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 4X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-R 24X CD-RW 40X
CD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA Super Multi Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive - Retail "
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136137
$299.99


Video
MSI N9800GX2-M2D1G GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB (512MB per GPU) 512-bit (256-bit per GPU) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127337
$499.99



PWS
"Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V
Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, C-tick, CCC, CB - Retail "
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371012
$209.99

case
LIAN LI PC-B25B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112148
$229.99

monitor
"SAMSUNG 2043BWX High Gloss Piano Black 20"" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
with Height/Pivot Adjustments and 2-port USB Hub 300 cd/m2 DC 8000:1 - Retail" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001253
$269.99

keyboard $40.00


You might be wondering "Why the ginormous PWS?" ... thinking SLI in the future

 

Hi Kodo, long time no hear. :-D

Only comment I make is that if the $$$$'s allow, go to 2 x 2 (4 gigs) of RAM. It seems a shame to limit those great specs to only 2 gigs of RAM, IMO. Bazza

 

hey Bazza! yeah.. looooong time

Yep, I forgot to put that in my original post. I did plan for 4gig's. Original post has been updated.

 

Hello Kodo,

You spending your gubberment giveaway on hardware?

 

Nope.. hard EARNED cash

 

I'm taking "no comments" as a good thing

 

Looks nice.:-D The only thing I would add would be a better aftermarket CPU cooler. I am not sure about the quad you are getting, but my Q6600 runs pretty hot.:cool

I wish I had your budget for the one I am slowly putting together.

E

 

Wait. Why 4GB RAM on a x86 system? Unless I'm missing something, you can't address all that!

 

IIRC, Vista SP1 will show 4 gigs installed. I think the maximum Vista can use is around 3.2 gigs but I am not sure if that includes a graphic card with dedicated RAM, or is separate from the graphics card.

VISTA experts please step in. Bazza

===

 

I had 32 bit vista and yes it showed approx 3.2 gig ram video not included in that figure.Been running 64 bit for a while now and all my games are running fine so 64 it is for me Also if you want to sli in the future check on another psu. That one has been having issues with sli'd 8800 series cards. Some have been lucky some havent. how lucky do ya feel?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703013
this one is dual 8800 ultra certified

 

Your operating system doesn't dictate how much memory you can address; your processor architecture does that. A bit can be one of two states: 1 or 0. 2 states for a bit to the power of 32 bits is 4294967296 bits, or 4GB. That's how much system, video, and audio RAM a 32 bit system can address in total. Your operating system should report a total for system memory representing the 4GB total installed, minus the sum of your audio and video memory. This usually comes to a total around 3.2 GB like you see.

Unless its an integrated card, which would be using a portion of system RAM as its own anyway. You might be able to get closer to the 4GB total in that scenario.

The neat thing about Vista is that it can VOLUNTARILY use physical system memory for virtual video memory, even for a expansion card, much like your hard drive can serve as virtual system memory. This means that the video card can use as much memory as the system has to offer, but doesn't change the amount you can address in total.


Windows Vista Display Driver Model
Physical Memory Limits: Windows Vista
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Display_Driver_Model

P.S. There are some weird, complicated ways of getting more memory using software addressing, but I've not heard of Vista having this feature.

 

Any recommendations on a cooler that doesn't sound like a turbine and has a fan speed control? I was thinking about getting a 5.25 front mounted controller as well.

 

About the RAM not being recognized....Microsoft says "even thought your system will only report 3.25 GB of RAM, most applications can not use the extra .75 GB of RAM. Operating system and most drivers will still use the other .75 GB" Read that in MAXIMUM PC magazine

I just did a ton of research on CPU coolers. The (Thermalright Ultra 120) was rated in the top 5 in many web sites. I also read some not so good reviews about it though. I use the CoolerMaster Hyper TX2 and never had a problem with it, a little Arctic Silver 5 and great case airflow and everything is nice and cool! I also recommend this product for a drive bay fan controller. I have all 4 fans running on it. It has a 4 pin power connector and has 4 channel 3 pin fan connections. Easy to install and works great.

Fan controller - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999137&Tpk=Thermaltake+fan+controller


CPU Cooler - http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_p...r_u120a.html?art=MTQyMywxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

 

If I were you I would look into RAIDing two of those HDD together as the price is amazing!

Other than that it looks great .

 

I've done RAID in the past.. with ATA 100 drives. The speed increase with that config was negligible. Any perf numbers on SATA?

 

GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0

But i think the 9600GT 512 is faster and the price is lower !!!!

Engine Clock 650 MHz
Memory Clock 1.8 GHz ( 900 MHz DDR3 )

 

nice catch on the video card. I just changed it to a MUCH better card for less than 200.00 more.

As for the HSF.. wow. .these things are enormous and LOUD!. That's not going to be happening. So. how about some water cooling? any suggestions? It looks like that has come a long way and companies have some decent plates ....so no more custom mades

So, just like any HSF.. I need to know how the lapping is on those? who makes the best Water cooled HS? and how have others (read: you guys/girls out there) configured their reservoirs for the water? do you use water? or another coolant that doesn't conduct? mineral oil? distilled water? I'm wary of leakage and $2k worth of parts.

 

You could get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835109125

And toss a 120mm fan on it. Should be quiet. Big, but quiet and cool.

E

 

The compatibility chart on Thermalrights' site says it's not compat with Core 2 Quad. I'm not too keen on passive cooling.

 

My NewEgg link might have been the wrong one. This http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_p...x/product_cpu_cooler_u120ex.htm#compatibility

Should be compatable with the quads. Toss a 120mm fan on it, and it is no longer passive... :-D

E

 

jesus.. that's a damn sky scraper in my box..lol a 120 on that? that's like an extra case fan.. yikes! Alright.. I think water cooling is the way I'm going to have to go with this one.

 

Any thoughts on a nice water cooling kit?

 

I would stay away from the kits. Spec it out yourself and you will most likely have better cooling for just a little more $. I like Danger Den's stuff, excellent customer service in my experience. http://www.dangerden.com/store/

Been a while since I cooled with water, not sure what the new stuff is.

E