I am not bashing intel by any means, used to be an intel die hard, but lately, Im using AMD, and not regretting it, it runs ALL my 3d games excellently, and while Processors use less power its the video cards these days that use more. . .I like intel, they make excellent processors, however from what I personally have used, AMD makes a comparable processor. my 3 ghz proccessor has given me at least equal performance to 3 ghz core 2 duos Ive used, they both have their strong points in my mind. but yeah, if you have the money to spend, I see no reason not to go with a quad. AMDs phenom is, well phenomenal, but its not up to the quad yet, and prolly wont catch up for awhile, AMD seems to have this thing where they can make great processors but they take to long to do it, so in your case, I would go intel myself. I still say if u want the new 9800 gx2 or 3870 x2s, u make sure u have a PSU that can handle them, i garentee a 300 watt PSU will not run them, a 500 watt might if its a high quality one.

And a 800W or 1000W or higher?

Thanks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...24300+-+%24400

I have been looking at these motherboards, the ones you said to look at. I dont mind the price of these as you probably know as i have stated my budget. I am confused which one is the 'best' or will work to the 'high end' side of gaming.

As mentioned the PSU Wattage would depend on what you are going to install.

If you are going with a high end DDR3 mobo and if you are going with dual PCI_E / Sli plus multiple 500 GB hard drives and possibly liquid cooling I'd suggest 1,000 Watts although you probably only need 750 / 850.

Enermax makes a sweet 1,000 Watt PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817194019

This is both Quad Core ready and PCI_E 2 ready. I have used a few of these and they are very sweet.

If you do go for all of the above I strongly suggest a "Full Tower" case. The size of both the PSU and the graphics cards make a "Mid Tower" very difficult to fit.

As to the mobo's that list suggests the high end models at this point in time. Read some reviews.

The major difference in that selection is the chipset. Some are Intel and some are Nvidia:

nForce 780i

nForce 790i

Intel X38

Intel X48

Just two brief Googles on those chipsets:

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...+X38+Intel+X48

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&n...0i&btnG=Search

The Nvidia chip sets have had some issues and many are still being ironed out. Many of those boards are updating the BIOS on a regular basis.

When you are working with these boards I'd say at least some serious interest in computer building is involved. There are many options and tweaks with these boards. Also perhaps some difficulties to work out.

If you want a board that you don't have to think too much about then a more tried and tested model might be better for you.

You should read the reviews at Newegg and also copy / paste the board model into Google and read some more reviews.

There are a few sites in this Google that review boards:

http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...erboard+review

From the Newegg list I would choose this myself:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131276

The only mechanical issue I see here is that with two "double sized" graphics cards such as the 8800 mentioned you loose one PCI slot and also the PCI_E X 1 slot. However on such a board the need for those slots is very questionable anyway. You still have one PCI slot if needed. The third PCI_E X 16 @ 4 slot would still be accessible for a Physics card if any actually do become developed.

The tools that Digerati posted are also good to read.

My own approach to gaming computers is to start with the graphics card.

If you decide to run two 8800's with 1GB VRAM each, for example, then find the motherboards capable of handling that. Such boards should also have no issue with Quad Core CPU's.

When you turn your eye to the CPU here is the top list from Intel via Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...me=Core+2+Quad

The very latest models (9770) are very expensive: $1,500. Over the course of a year these prices tend to drop drastically. I paid $1,200 a year ago for this Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield now at $540.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115027

This is a very nice CPU and now at a very good price.

The board will lead you to RAM. As mentioned this selection I listed some are DDR3 for starters. You will then need to narrow down specific compatibility with the board.


Just to add a brief summary of the above in $$$:

mobo: $350

CPU: $540

Graphics: $600

RAM DDR3: $350

PSU: $275


sub total: $2,115


Plus: Hard drives; Case; DVD drives; Monitor; Operating System; Games

@ $3,000. This would be a high end system. Everything with the exception of the CPU would be the latest state of the art.


Anyway take some time and do some reading and kick around any ideas you have.

The case dimensions at the moment are:
Length 200 mm
Depth 460 mm
Height 440 mm

The case link is: http://www.watercoolinguk.co.uk/cata...roducts_id=662
Should i go with this case? or find a big gaming case?

Ive been searching 'water cooling cases'. I'd imagine i would need these cases from any other case but is it possible to turn a simple case into a water cooling case? Would this £250 water cooling case come out cheaper than actually getting all the water cooling accessories one by one?

I am seriously thinking to go with this for my motherboard - ASUS P5E3 PREMIUM/WIFI-AP @n LGA 775 DDR3 Intel X48 ATX Intel.

I shall have a long read of everything that has been posted here. Come back to you guys just to make sure everything i have chosen is all compactable etc.

Just to double check. This CPU [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16819115027] is compatible to the ASUS P5E3 PREMIUM motherboard.

I am not bashing intel by any means, used to be an intel die hard, but lately, Im using AMD, and not regretting it

And I am not bashing AMD either - they make great, reliable and quality CPUs - and that to many is more important then choosing the performance king in any price range.

But there's more to top performance that matters too. Power consumption is one - some CPUs consume up to 130 Watts of power and generate enough BTUs to heat a closed room up nicely. Intel, with their 45nm and associated technologies has created a whole lines of CPUs that consume less power and generates less heat. This reduces electricity costs for running the computer, and for cooling the room. The higher consumption and cost may not be significant - 30 watts, some times more, some times less. But if you run your PCs 24/7 like I do, 30 watts X 24 hours X 365 days is 262.8 KW Hours. US national average is about $.10/KWH so 262.8 X $.10 = $26.28/year. You need to decide if it is worth it.

I do agree with patriot AMD will certainly meet your needs too. As for performance, unless the two computers are sitting side-by-side, you will not see any difference - if all else is equal and setup properly.

I just noticed you were in the UK from that link and your profile.

Sorry for all the Newegg links. Do you have a favorite online store in the UK?

As to that CPU and motherboard: yes they work together.

As to the case: that is quite expensive for only a CPU cooler. I, for example, cool my CPU plus both graphics cards. You can also add your Northbridge and Southbridge into your loop if you want although that particular motherboard has a very intricate pipe cooling setup on the bridges.

I would build my own cooling system especially if you want to cool the graphics cards. Either way building your own would be cheaper.

Of course the unit you post is basically all setup for you if you'd rather not bother with the plumbing.

It is quite easy actually but still it adds another dimension to the building process.

As with the pounds as well as the millimeters I am a bit unfamiliar.

My Full Tower measures: 22" x 22" x 9"

Yes i am from the UK, but i have been looking at certain websites like Newegg. If i was to buy components i would probably use this site more = http://www.ebuyer.com/ or http://www.nextag.co.uk isn't bad or http://www.amazon.co.uk// can do it fairly cheap.


I didn't realise that the water cooling system was only for CPU. I thought it was a tad expensive but wasn't sure obviously. I was looking at the website for individual parts and to be quite honest that website looks expensive. So if i read that correctly, i need to only really cool down my CPU and Graphics Card?

Sorry i could of thought you are from America. Pounds is basically doubled to make Dollars and Dollars is halved to make Pounds. I shall try and see what the measurements are in inches.

I have found a Coolermaster case with the dimensions:
Height = Approx. 22"
Depth = Approx. 25"
Width = 9.8"

I didn't realise that the water cooling system was only for CPU.

It's not. Jephree mentions cooling his graphics cards. But CPU is the most common. That said, water cooling is still for the hobbyist/enthusiasts - and there are many risks, not to mention something about water and electricity. The problems I have seen is users not doing their homework first. It is critical to understand, for example, the CPU fan cools more than just the CPU - but also draws or blows cooling air across other critical components too - including chipsets, voltage regulars, and RAM. Too many times, the cooling demands of other components are overlooked - often a big mistake, realized too late.