That Time of the Year Again

[One4yu2c]

Hey Tormentor, good to see you posting again. Make it a habit, would ya?

As for your questions, there's not much to add that Capper didn't already cover. To reiterate a few points:

Mobo - I'd ditch the uber pricey Striker board and look at some of the more reasonably priced 680i based motherboards (if buying right now). They're a feature-set rich bunch, and pretty much all of them excel in the overclocking department. And as mentioned, Intel's new chipsets are on the horizon, right around the same time as the price cuts.

Processor - The Penryn update to the Core 2 Duo line is supposed to bring with it some impressive performance boosts, so that can muddy the decision making process. Even still however, I'd look long and hard at owning a quad-core processor for $266 (Q6600). Apps that take advantage of the additional cores are still few and far between for the most part, but if this is a long-term build, I'd gamble on quad. And it's not like daily performance would suffer, even before overclocking gets factored in.

Memory - I'm a longtime OCZ whore myself, but have been growing increasing fond of Crucial's Ballistix offerings. For me, it would come down to the OCZ Platinum 2 or the Crucial Ballstix Tracers, both of which Capper linked a few posts above.

PSU - You mention being interested in PC Power & Cooling (recently acquired by OCZ), and no doubt they make some of the finest units in the industry. Along with it, they also charge some of the highest premiums around too, and they're not the only players in town. Antec, Crucial, Enermax, Fortron, OCZ, Seasonic, and Silvertone (Olympia and Decathlon) all make excellent units. I'm particularly fond of OCZ's GameXstream line, along with Silverstone's Olympia and Decathlon series, both of which utilize the same single +12V design as PC Power & Cooling incorporates.

Videocard - As mentioned, BFG, EVGA, and XFX are the go-to guys. All three offer lifetime warranties, so long as you register online with 30 days (this applies to EVGA and XFX). Those latter two also officially allow you to both overclock and remove the heatsink/fan to install a third party solution, so long as you don't physically damage the card in doing so. As for XFX's RMA experience, I haven't used them personally, but did have to listen to Capper complain for about a month while he jumped through hoops.

[garetjax]

This is an absoultely sweet thread. A veritable treasure trove of information and solid advice. Considering that I have the upgrade bug again, and with Intel's new tech and price cuts coming next month, this thread has been a tremendous help in guiding me in the direction that I want to go in.

I wish there was a way I could save this thread on this forum other than adding it to my browser's favorites list.

[Tormentor]

As garetjax already put it, this thread has been absolutely filled with w wealth unrivaled advice. Thanks, guys! To cover everything I'll just go down the list of hardware brought up.

Processor: I think I'll be going for the Q6600 here, as more and more games are taking advantage of dual core processing I think a quad core processor will be helpful than some extra clockspeed over the next few years.

Motherboard: It's Intel's new X38 chipset, that Capper mentioned, that interests me most here. I'm hoping most boards will have DDR2 support when they're released as it seems DDR3 hasn't really reached its potential yet [or... at all]. However if someone thinks otherwise, a recommendation on a DDR3 kit would be nice. Also is there any chance someone could point me in the direction of some sort of previews of upcoming boards sporting the new X38 chipset? My searches have come up fruitless.

Memory: Looks like OCZ wins here, the Platinum Rev. 2 kit looks like a good match for me.

Graphics: I think I'll be going with BFG here.

PSU: Coming in at just $140 the 700w OCZ GamerXstream looks like a sweet deal. At the same time however if the budget allows it the PCP&C Silencer 750 or something similar from Silverstone may steal the show.

Case: I think I'm still liking the TJ09 here, I'm looking for something classy but still with style, and it just fits the bill perfectly. The Z-Machine from Zalman almost seemed like another option, but to be perfectly honest, I don't find the "Z-Machine" logos on it all that much more attractive than the fine print and Fatal1ty logos from before.

CPU Cooler: The CM GeminII looks awesome, currently my number one choice.

Also, I'm still in desperate need of any recommendations of wireless adapters, I'm honestly a complete nub in this field. Any other comments, suggestions, or criticism is still more than welcome as well, thanks again, guys!

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by Tormentor

It's Intel's new X38 chipset, that Capper mentioned, that interests me most here. I'm hoping most boards will have DDR2 support when they're released as it seems DDR3 hasn't really reached its potential yet [or... at all]. However if someone thinks otherwise, a recommendation on a DDR3 kit would be nice. Also is there any chance someone could point me in the direction of some sort of previews of upcoming boards sporting the new X38 chipset? My searches have come up fruitless.

DDR3 is just not starting to come out, and they're predictably overpriced. You're looking at roughly $400 for a 2GB kit with extremely loose timings (9-9-9-24). DDR3 will eventually reach mainstream status, but that's a ways off.

As for theX38, that will be something to revisit next month when they've hit store shelves.

[Yellowhello]

As for a case, take a look at this also:

Newegg.com - SILVERSTONE SST-TJ07-B Black 4.0mm ~ 8.0mm uni-body aluminum outer frame, 2.0mm aluminum body ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

Oh ya, and if not the Striker than I'd look at this:

Newegg.com - ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Or this:

Newegg.com - ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Or any of the P965 boards. As for X38 boards, I couldn't find anything on it either, unless you look at some Computex 2007 coverage for some previews.

[Capper]

As pointed out earlier by someone else in another thread....and something we've touched on a few times ourselves.....DDR3 is where DDR2 was at the same point in its evolutionary cycle....in that the specs are just not impressive enough to warrant you investing your money...... However, within 6-12 months, you'll see a mainstream switch from DDR2 to DDR3 as the specs improve, and as DDR2 reaches its end. you'll see the move coming when companies start pushing the voltage and bandwidth issues that DDR3 will improve.

[Quakindude]

I'll add my thoughts to what Capper has said.

When the x38 mobo's are out, you'll only be able to buy a $400 DDR3 kit of memory. If you plan on 6 months later, upgrading that Ram to a better performing kit and pretty much blowing that $400 initial cost, then go right on ahead. Just realize that an enthusiast level kit of DDR2 will outperform the DDR3 kit for a while to come as mentioned previously. The only Pro I can see going with a x38 board is future proofing. There's a whole nother set of con's that go with future proofing at such an early stage though.

Also, what type of monitor are you running? If you don't have something 24" or larger, getting that GTX is only going to give you some bragging rights. By the time your monitor size starts to really challenge that card, there will be at least another generation of video cards out to choose from. And the thing is, there still isn't a true determining DX10 test out there.

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Tormentor

PSU: Coming in at just $140 the 700w OCZ GamerXstream looks like a sweet deal. At the same time however if the budget allows it the PCP&C Silencer 750 or something similar from Silverstone may steal the show.

While PC Power and Cooling power supplies are top notch, you are also paying top dollar for them. In my opinion, it is a purchase that could be better well spent by going with the OCZ GamerXstream. Seriously, the money that could be saved by going with the OCZ in lieu of the PCP&C is quite substantial; and really, there is little difference between the two other than price.

[Capper]

Consider the marketing......not only do you have PC Power and Cooling telling you "Our products are super", etc......they are better than everyone elses, but in all honesty its overkill, and overpriced. 99% of us will never know the difference, or have any problem if you use a quality PSU from OCZ, Corsair, Fortron, etc

[Yellowhello]

Maybe the Silverstone Decathlon 850W?