Could use some advice

[tom5ooo]

I want to build a new computer around $1500 or so. Mostly for gaming and college homwork some computer programing ect. I am not giong watch movies on it. I was thinking quad core like 6600. Not sure on the motherboard maybe 680 or 780? wanted sli so later i can add another card. I really dont know much about water cooling should i just stick with air or is there a easy water kit? Thanks for the advise.

[screwballl]

For gaming, most of the time it is better to use a faster dualcore than a slower quadcore since most games can use 1 or maybe 2 threads (cores) and rarely 4. If you are planning on keeping it the stock speed then air cooling should keep you cool enough.

[onebxr]

HardwareLogic
checkout this link, this should get you started
-1

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

Are you going to need a new monitor with it?
Keyboard?
Mouse?
Are you wanting to overclock the CPU?
What OS will you be using? [Vista 64 Bit?]

I suggest the E8400 for value and max overclock speed "bang for the Buck."
Clubit.com E8400
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB

Stick with 2ea 4gb Ram ... the above are decent and will clock to DDR2 1000 @5-5-5-15

Ballistic are better and so are Corsair Dominators with the lower latencies ... the GSkill are also good.

[tom5ooo]

Wow you guys are fast. I wont need a mointor or anything. Not sure if I want to go vista yet? Want a computer that can keep up with the games for awhile. the board you guys recomend is x38 if i am wright that only suports crossfire not sli? Not sure on the motherboard and cpu I want. Thanks for the fast help.

[screwballl]

if you go with 4GB+ of RAM then you also may want to look into 64-bit Vista... as 32-bit Vista and XP will only see 2.5-3.5GB of your memory

I myself run 32-bit XP, 64-bit Vista and Fedora Core 8 Linux on the machine in my sig (2GB of RAM)

[Tech Geek Deluxe]

Personally I am not convinced that having dual PCI-x video is a good solution ... moneywise and technology wise.
I tried it and essentially found that the technology goes too fast to make SLi or Crossfire a good decision money wise or "best tech" wise.

1. First ... a top flight card at a good price will play games well enough.
2. Money spent yearly on the best card typically beats last years 2x Sli and 2x Crossfire solution for far less money.
3. Demands on the system power are higher with 2 Cards.
4. Case temps are raised with 2 cards ... therefore potentially reducing overall Overclocking and system performance headroom.
5. The case internals get crowded and reduce other expandability.
6. Moneys for card #2 could buy loads of other kewl internal gadgets that make a better system with more utilitarian bang for the buck.

So ... the locked in SLi still may be your bag ... Video Prowess has its merits ... But consider the above maybe

[fstroupe]

Ditto on Tech Geek Deluxe's views on SLI/Crossfire.

Games are finally utilizing multiple cores. You would do fine with either the E8400 (probably my next purchase for an additional rig) or the Q6600. (my present processor that I am more than pleased with)

With new games like Crysis, that are written to utilize multiple cores, the "faster less cores are better than the slower more cores" probably isn't a valid arguement.

So far, I like 64-bit Vista, though I still find programs that don't like it. (yesterday I found that Audacity doesn't work well with it) In the readme for Crysis, they do recommend a 64-bit O/S. Other games will follow.

Everyone has an opinion about water cooling. Admittedly, I haven't tried it, and I don't knock it, but up to this point in time, I don't really see the need. My overclocking tastes are still satisfied with aftermarket air cooling. You didn't mention your living situation, but I really don't think I'd want to screw with water in a dorm or shared apartment with people coming and going all the time.

[Yellowhello]

Unless you have a 30in. monitor at a huge resolution, SLI isn't going to benefit you much. I recommend a fast dual core for gaming (like the E8400), but if you are running other stuff like decoding/encoding videos and stuff like that, you will see a increase in performance with a quad core.

As for a motherboard, I would recommend one based around the P35 chipset from Intel. It's more mature than X38 (which is going to be replaced my X48 soon always), and it's just an all around awesome chipset. Are you going to be trying your hand at overclocking? If so, the P35 chipste generally overclocks very well.

Water cooling, it might be worth it, it might not. It will greatly increase the complexity of building the system, and it's probably not a good idea if this is your first time building a computer. A good air cooler will be just fine, even if you decide to overclock.

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by tom5ooo

Not sure on the motherboard maybe 680 or 780? wanted sli so later i can add another card.

When are you looking to make a purchase? Intel will be releasing their new (affordable) desktop 45nm quad processors soon, and they could help make a processor purchase an easier decision. However, if you are looking to buy now, the E8400 is extremely hard to beat.

As far as 680i or 780i goes, that is going to relate directly to your budget. Right now, you can get an EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 from Newegg for $229.00 plus a $20 MIR. This is a steal if you are looking for an SLI solution in the future. The EVGA 780i though is going for $259 and would provide the most 'future-proof' option of the two. But, if you aren't looking for SLI, you can get a sweet X38 chipset on the cheap which leaves you more money to spend on a better videocard, RAM, and CPU. Which, in my opinion, I would consider if you don't intend to OC or push the limits of your new rig.

And really, the differences between the X38 and X48 chipsets are not that great, which, in retrospect, could be said of the 680i and 780i chipsets by nVidia as well.