New Build help please

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Gary1951

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May 9, 2007
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It is time for a new computer. I have a P4 3.2. It is old and tired. Budget is not a problem. Looking to build a good quality machine used for Flight Sim X and some photo editing. Sim X is very CPU dependent. Will be running XP Pro and already have a 150 gig raptor drive. Any advice and help would be appreciated. Thanks:)
 
even though budget is not a problem, you may want to provide more specifics for people who are looking to give suggestions.

Are there other games you have your eye on?
How well do you want to run it? (ex: Highest settings on crysis)
Do you upgrade often in small increments? ( new gfx card ever 5-7 months etc)
If you had a budget, what would you want your computer costs to come in at?
Does the cost of your computer include OS/Monitor?
Are you itching to make a Quad system?

The rig in my signature is roughly $1000 shipped from new egg and it runs crysis fine.
(which is more demanding than a flight sim.)

If you are content with your current processing power then possibly all you need is a video card upgrade if your mobo can support PCI-E.

Things to consider.

EDIT- sagan seems to know the requirements of Flight sim:x better - good luck.
 
Hey, I play Flight Sim X all the time. Did you hear about the new expansion called Flight Sim X : ACCELERATION? The performance is way better, and in the new expansion a quad core is better off than a 2 core system, I've seen my q6600 at 100% 4 core usage at some points, they are cheap and I love to overclock them.

Get a 8800GT it will play Flight Sim X : acceleration the way you want it :) Also 4gb ram did it for me. When I only had 2gb of ram FSX ran good but the upgrade to 4gb eliminated any choppy performance on high detailed environments.
 
I'm sorry I was in a hurry to go to work this morning. Simulator X, Tiger woods golf and possibly some raceing sims are what I will play. Also will be doing Photo work with Elements 6 and Olympus Studio 2. I would say budget not over 2,000.00 and that will be with out a monitor. I have 2 CRT"s a Diamond Plus 200 and a PF790. I will probably keep these for now for the photo stuff. I would also like this system to last me for quite a while. I will probably go for a flat panel later on. I want to build a fast Quality system.Here is what I have been thinking about.

Antec 900 case
E6850 Processor
P35DS4 or a IP35Pro or possibly X38 Chipset board
4 gig of ram (I know XP will not recognize all of it but will have it later if I go to Vista.)
I already have a new 150 gig Raptor
Need a new Burner

This is where I"m at. Any help will be appreciated.:confused:
 
Sagan, Yes I have read about it and have seen it a Best Buy. I will be purchasing it soon.I really love to Fly.:D

Gary
 
Other componets im considering.
PC Power and Cooling 750 PSU
8800 GT
Also will probably need new keyboard and mouse.
 
Since you want this system to last you a while, go with a quad-core Q6600 instead for the same price:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping CPU - $274

A lot apps and games are going to be multi-threaded in a few years and that quad-core will be useful when that happens.

You need a 64bit OS in order to use all 4GB of RAM. Going to Vista won't let you use all 4Gb of RAM. Going to Vista 64Bit will. I do recommend going to Vista64bit right now. It's better supported than XP64bit. Though you can always dual-boot if Vista isn't to your liking.

Is there any feature you want in a mobo? like RAID, more than four SATA ports, legacy ports, etc? Also, will you be overclocking?
 
I will be overclocking. I don't need legacy ports.Raid would be nice to have.I use to run raid on this machine. Will need a good cooler also, was thinking about a Tunig Tower.
 
Well you really can't go wrong with either the IP35 Pro or DS4. It's up to you to decide which mobo best fits your needs. Personally I'd go for the DS4 since it doesn't force eSATA on you. But the IP35 Pro might be a better choice if you're using a large HSF like the Tuniq or Ultra 120 Extreme.

Here are some HSF that I recommend:
Tuniq Tower 120 HSF - $45
Thermalright Ultima-90 HSF - $46 & Panaflo FBA09A12M 92mm Fan - $3
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
 
If FS-X were my main performance target, I would aim for a 3.4-3.6ghz OC on the processor, which is about as good as your average G0 Q6600 will get on high-end air cooling. Keep in mind that the original release of FS-X wasn't multicore optimized, and that only through the release of service packs have additional cores provided better performance. Even with SP1 and SP2 (which is available with the Acceleration add-on,) high clock speed will play a crucial role in addition to number of cores.

Also, I understand that your plans are to keep XP, but the DX10 code-path in FSX (again, DX10 is available right now only with the Acceleration add-on) actually provides a substantial performance improvement over DX9. The developers acknowledged a long time ago that FSX is never going to match the famous "DX10 artist rendering" that made the rounds on the net a few years ago. Instead, they've focused on using DX10 to increase performance over current hardware rather than provide increased visuals designed for hardware that hasn't yet come out (ala Crysis.)

As for the RAM, keep in mind that XP-32 will only be able to see and utilize 4 gigs minus the sum amount of component memory you have (i.e. video card memory.) In order to fully utilize four or more gigs of RAM, you will need a 64-bit OS. At this point, I strongly recommend Vista x64 over XP-64, which has always had abysmal hardware and software support (for your average gaming computer.) Vista has matured greatly over the last year, and Vista x64 has proven to be a stable and most satisfactory platform for many [H] users (including myself.)

As for whether or not you actually need 4 gigs, I would get it based on your need to do Photoshop work. As a 32-bit compiled binary without the -3 gig software switch, Flight Simulator X won't actually make use of more than 2 gigs of RAM at any one time. However, four gigs will help your FS-X playing experience in that 2 gigs can go to backround services, leaving 2 for the game.

Good luck on the rig,

Mark.
 
I love how Mark explains things... it saves me from typing, lol. I agree with Danny, too.
 
Thanks guys I really apprecite all you help. The flight sim is very important to me and the photo work also. I will be getting the acelleration pack today. Looks like I need to rethink my OS and go for Vista 64. Which version would you recomend? Also the Quad processor really would be the way to go. Q6600 or maybe Q6700? Definately will go for 4 Gig or ram. Good recomendations? Video card thinking 8800GT or should I go for 8800GTX? I really appreciate all your help!!!
 
Home Premium is the popular flavor of Vista x64 around here.

The Q6700 isn't worth the price (~$250 more for 266Mhz), go for the Q6600 G0 stepping instead. The G0 consumes less power and runs cooler -- an added bonus if you plan on OC'ing.

For 4GB, try for 2x2GB. This G.Skill kit is good, especially for the price:

$120 - G.Skill 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2-800 F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ CL5 ($40 MIR)

The 8800GT is a better value since it performs almost as good as an old GTX (its a newer card with a newer GPU). If you can, you may want to wait for the GTX replacement coming early next year. If you buy an eVGA card and the GTX replacement comes out within 3 months of buying the card, you can "step-up" to the new replacement card.
 
Thanks for all you help!!! One other quick question. I have a 150 gig Raptor and I read somewhere that the IP35 Pro had a problem with them. Do any of you have any info on this? Thanks
 
Haven't read of any problems. Where did you read that?
 
I don"t remember Danny. I"m leaning towards the DS4 . DS4 won"t take a big heatsink very well??
 
It will. Most good HSF are a raised a bit from the mobo.
 
Well here is the list I have come up with.
Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan
ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 Stepping Kentsfield 2.40GHz 8MB L2 LGA 775 Processor
EVGA 512-P3-N806-A1 GeForce 8800GT SSC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail if available when I"m ready to order
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Crossfire Edition) EPS12V 750W Power Supply
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ - 2 of these fo 8 Gig
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B -
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - O
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound -
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm Case Fan

Well what do you think guys, Any sugestions!! Thanks
 
I was thinking the 1000 because I may go with a Penryn. Also thinking about going with a Big Typhoon VX cooler. Have read that the Abit will cool better with this type of cooler.
 
Gary1951 said:
I was thinking the 1000 because I may go with a Penryn. Also thinking about going with a Big Typhoon VX cooler. Have read that the Abit will cool better with this type of cooler.
Click to expand...

Any cooler that directs air to the mosfets will cool the board better. You don't need to worry so much about the mosfets, though, if you don't push the FSB too high; and with a Q6600, you won't reach high enough FSB speeds to need extra cooling for the mosfets. So, stick with one of the tower coolers instead.
 
Well I have decided to wait on Penryn. Quick question? I"m thinking about going with the Ultima 90 and the Paneflo instead of the 120 Extreme. Do you think I will be ok with doing that? Also any other sugestions any of you might have ? Also hopeing to get the new 8800 GTS. Thanks!!
 
Well I will definately be going with penryn. Change case to CM690 also. Now just need to decide , Ultima 90 or 120 Extreme? Also going with EVGA 8800 GTS 512 for Video. Any more opinions? I really want to thank all of you for all you help.You are a great group of people!!!! Thanks
 
If you have cash to burn and want the best air-cooling for the money, go for the Ultra 120 Extreme. If you don't want to deal with such a large cooler, want best bang for your buck, and are willing to settle for a little higher temps than the Ultra 120 Extreme, then go for the Ultima 90.
 
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