PC Done. Final Specs.

Aither

Aither

/Wrists
Adventurer
Joined
Nov 24, 2004
Messages
631
Location
New Brunswick, Canada
Linkshell
HoT
Case: Thermaltake Super Armor
Mobo: Evga 680i A1 Edition
CPU: E6600 2.4G C2D
RAM: OCZ Reaper PC 8500 2Gigs
PSU: OCZ 700W
CPU HSF: Ultra Chilltec
HDD: 2X Seagate Barracuda 320G S-ATA2 - ordered today
GPU: GTX 8800XT KO ACS3 768M - ordered today

Pics to come after this weekend.

Total Build Cost: 3400 CDN Approx. (includes shipping taxes etc.)

Current Rig to compare the upgrades:
Case: Super Alien
Mobo: MSI OC Plat Edition
CPU: P4 2.8 HT
RAM: Kingston Hyper-X PC3200 3Gigs
PSU: Ultra Modular 500W High gloss blue finish
CPU HSF: Can't remember the name of the company who makes it -_-
HDD: 2X 120Gig WD S-ATA1
GPU: ATI 9800 128Meg with a silencer card sleeve fan

Total Build Cost 1100 CND as of April 04


I can't -WAIT- to see the massive amount of difference I am going to see once I have my new baby tuned up. I will actually be able to overkill games like Fear and Quake 4!

Im probably going to go 4 or 5 times when the Canada post mail lady hands me the goods....
 
Give me your old machine. Even that thing is better than mine.
 
Oh, man, I desperately want to build a new PC. I've had mine since before the invasion of Iraq (no joke) -- I'm long overdue. $1100 Canadian, you say?
 
Not to be mean or anything like that.. but is it necessary to tell people your computer and detail about spec? lol this showing me you just wanna show off lol and stuff


oh btw i think 3400CND = 3066.10 in USD i could be wrong, i used

http://coinmill.com/USD_calculator.html

I think you overdo on the Motherboard lol that thing is worth $210+ USD here

overall, look great, gonna be lasting couple years before upgrading.

I would recommend 4gig now-a-day tho, some game out there now need 2GB of ram ._.
 
Very nice specs. New PC parts is always a highlight.

Just one thing of note though, you've gotten an Nvidia 8800 graphics card (not dissing it, I own one and it's awesome). However, there are problems with the stock drivers and ffxi (if you still play, I don't troll enough to know who does and who doesn't, I stopped trying), and hell, a bunch of other games as well. There was a post about this...a few weeks ago I think, which I responded to. I'll save you the details, as it's explained here:

http://www.qcdn.org/ffxi/showthread.php?t=43497

I claim no credit for the website and the drivers found herein, I just found them after searching desperately for about an hour.

Just putting this up in case you didn't know about this and wonder wtf happened to the graphics. (hard to play when all the menu text is white-blasted out)

If Nvidia has fixed this issue officially I don't know. I'm just putting this up as a caution flag. Regardless, the 8800 is a fucking great card.
 
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Vandoura said:
Not to be mean or anything like that.. but is it necessary to tell people your computer and detail about spec? lol this showing me you just wanna show off lol and stuff


oh btw i think 3400CND = 3066.10 in USD i could be wrong, i used

http://coinmill.com/USD_calculator.html

I think you overdo on the Motherboard lol that thing is worth $210+ USD here

overall, look great, gonna be lasting couple years before upgrading.

I would recommend 4gig now-a-day tho, some game out there now need 2GB of ram ._.
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth. What you have spec'ed out there pushes beyond the limits of power-to-cost effective, and clear into bragging-rights. That video card, especially, is way too expensive for the "edge" that it gives you. Not to mention any pangs that typically come with 1st generation hardware.

In the 10+ years I've spent building and modifying machines, the most important role of thumb I've ever learned is "The latest isn't always the greatest."
 
Of course it's bragging rights. This is a primary gland in any enthusiast-gamer's brain, and needs to be satisfied.

Vandy... you post your computer specs every chance you get, nerd.

Razi's right, the leading edge is often the bleeding edge. But it's a minor price to pay for having the e-peen we have come to thrive on.

Good luck Aither. FEAR at maxed settings is something I thought existed only in dreams, god damn I hope they make a sequel or more expansions. Quake4... watching your legs get sawed off at 6xAA and 16xAF is heart-stopping.
 
8800 XT? i think you mean GTX :) or GTS
 
Sorry been busy with work to check back here. Of course I'm bragging about the system. If a gear head just got his hands on a Ford GT500, do you honestly not think he would be showing it off? I'm welllllllllllllllllllll aware this PC is massive overkill for anything out right now, but as they say go big or go home.

"expensive" is a relative term, 3400 is a small price tag for such a system IMHO, and the sheer thrill of building such a machine is -VERY- worth it. I get the satisfaction of seeing it run and watching it fuck every single game out there in the ass without so much as a courtesy spit. ^_^


I do still play FFXi and I am aware of the GTX8800 driver issues with the game, but tyvm for the heads up :)
 
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Anttaru said:
Just couldn't wait any longer for R600 eh ?
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I hate to be the one to say this, but he made the right choice. First rev 600s are less than stellar.

Daryus said:
ATI%20XTX.jpg


ATI R600/ATI 2900 series is finally being released on May 2nd! (nothing at this link, stupid Digg)

AMD has decided to push forward the launch of the Radeon HD 2900 series to May 2nd instead of the original date on May 14th. Products demonstrations and reviews are allowed to appear on that date so it is considered a soft launch. However, AMD is still keeping Radeon HD 2600 and 2400 under wraps until the big day on May 14th...

4560_large_r600xtx_2.jpg


AMD's flagship ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTX fails to usurp the GeForce 8800 GTX's performance crown

AMD is close to unveiling its long-awaited R600-based ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT. DailyTech previously posted benchmarks comparing the Radeon HD 2900 XT and GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB.

Up until March of 2007, the spearhead of the ATI Radeon HD 2900-family was the upcoming ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTX. This model is the big daddy of AMD’s DirectX 10 lineup, poised to take on NVIDIA’s GeForce 8800 GTX and upcoming 8800 Ultra.

ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTX video cards feature 1GB of GDDR4 video memory, besting the GeForce 8800 GTX’s 768MB of GDDR3 video memory. GPU manufacturers often wait to set the exact clock frequencies of bins until just weeks before launch. Our Radeon HD 2900 XTX sample was released to board partners in the second week of April, features memory clocked at 2.02 GHz and a core clock of 750 MHz.

Physically, the Radeon HD 2900 XTX core is identical to the Radeon HD 2900 XT core. Both feature 320 stream processors, but the XTX differs by bringing GDDR4 to the package.

Despite the reference clock speed differences, DailyTech managed to push the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT up to 845 MHz core and 1.99 GHz memory.

Unlike the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT benchmarked yesterday, the HD 2900 XTX is a 12-inch card geared specifically towards OEMs and system integrators. Expect retail box ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTX graphics cards to use the shorter 9.5-inch design, as with the HD 2900 XT.

The test system specifications are as follows:
  • AMD ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT (745 MHz core, 800 MHz GDDR3)
  • AMD ATI Radeon HD 2900 XTX (750 MHz core, 1010 MHz GDDR4)
  • AMD ATI Catalyst v8.361 (drivers slated for retail)
  • NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX (650 MHz core, 1000 MHz GDDR3)
  • ASUS P5N32-E SLI (nForce 680i)
  • Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6800
  • Corsair XMS2 PC2-8500 (800 MHz, 5-5-5-18, 1T)
  • Acer X241W
It's important to note that the GeForce 8800 GTX is a vendor overclocked board that comes shipped with the 650 MHz core clock.

(There is a chart comparing FPS of the XTX, XT and 8800 here)


The benchmarks DailyTech performed yesterday utilized release candidate drivers. Today's tests used retail drivers ATI released to its board partners.

The less than stellar performance benchmarks are no surprise to board partners and AMD insiders. Two independent ATI board builders told DailyTech that Radeon HD 2900 XTX will not be a part of their initial portfolios. Given the additional memory cost and bulky card footprint, it seems unlikely the XTX will ever see the light of day.
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Granted, these first rev boards are approximately one half of what the ultimate edition could be. Current boards run at 1ghz clock (max) whereas the spec allows for up to 2ghz clocks. So I have a feeling the R600s I made the post about a month ago, won't be showing up for another couple months.

:|
 
Aither said:
I'm willing to bet money that my rig would dance circles around yours. Also I can justify these costs. "This piece of hardware can do things faster then this one, ergo it is better. Does it cost more - yes. Oh well I can justify buying this piece because it's better even though the cost is higher." Bottom line is, expensive is relative.
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No no no, you're seriously missing the point. Cost to performance. Let me spell it out with an Example: If one CPU runs at 500Mhz and costs $100 and another runs at 550Mhz and costs $200, that's not cost-efficient and therefore too expensive to justify the difference. Hence, in this case, "expensive" is not relative and instead, directly proportional. Understand?

In the end, your $2000 "edge" is merely marginal compared to hardware that is just behind cutting-edge and costs way less. Personally, I choose to be smarter with my money and can maintain a comfortable gaming experience at max detail settings and wonderful frame rates. But hey, that's just me.
 
Aither said:
I'm willing to bet money that my rig would dance circles around yours. Also I can justify these costs. "This piece of hardware can do things faster then this one, ergo it is better. Does it cost more - yes. Oh well I can justify buying this piece because it's better even though the cost is higher." Bottom line is, expensive is relative.
Click to expand...

No no no, you're seriously missing the point. Cost to performance. Let me spell it out with an Example: If one CPU runs at 500Mhz and costs $100 and another runs at 550Mhz and costs $200, that's not cost-efficient and therefore too expensive to justify the difference. Hence, in this case, "expensive" is not relative and instead, directly proportional. Understand?

In the end, your $2000 "edge" is merely marginal compared to hardware that is just behind cutting-edge and costs way less. Personally, I choose to be smarter with my money and can maintain a comfortable gaming experience at max detail settings and wonderful frame rates. But hey, that's just me.
 
Aither said:
I'm willing to bet money that my rig would dance circles around yours. Also I can justify these costs. "This piece of hardware can do things faster then this one, ergo it is better. Does it cost more - yes. Oh well I can justify buying this piece because it's better even though the cost is higher." Bottom line is, expensive is relative.
Click to expand...

No no no, you're seriously missing the point. Cost to performance. Let me spell it out with an Example: If one CPU runs at 500Mhz and costs $100 and another runs at 550Mhz and costs $200, that's not cost-efficient and therefore too expensive to justify the difference. Hence, in this case, "expensive" is not relative and instead, directly proportional. Understand?

In the end, your $2000 "edge" is merely marginal compared to hardware that is just behind cutting-edge and costs way less. Personally, I choose to be smarter with my money and can maintain a comfortable gaming experience at max detail settings and wonderful frame rates. But hey, that's just me.
 
Man QCDN really shit the bed today. Yea Yea I know it's been reported and all. Raz, I don't want "comfort" I want to touch games in places they might not want to be touched. I think you fail to grasp what happens when you mix a computer junkie with a good paying job, it equals magic.

As for your example 500Mhz vs 550mhz at a 100 dollar price difference, I tap that 550 for the extra hundred bucks, means I have an insignificant gain over those people running @ 500 but none the less a gain. You fail to understand that an inch is an inch.

I am not so insane that I would buy parts and not have money for everyday living. Money is not tight with me, I can afford these parts and still be comphy. If you don't know who Aesop is I suggest you google The fox and the grapes. Because you are totaly being the fox.

I have to ask though Raz, what are you running currently?
 
Wow you paid a lot...

I recently bought a new SLI Asus Mobo, 2gb OCZ Platinum ram, E6600 Core 2 CPU, 8800 GTS 320mb Antec 900 case and a 550W Coolermaster PS and it only cost be about $1300.
 
This whole site is fucked today Deci, I used NCIX for everything except my HSF which I got from tigerdirect.ca. We don't have any "decent" computer stores here so I have to get it all sent from your backyard =P
 
Aither said:
"expensive" is a relative term, 3400 is a small price tag for such a system IMHO, and the sheer thrill of building such a machine is -VERY- worth it. I get the satisfaction of seeing it run and watching it fuck every single game out there in the ass without so much as a courtesy spit. ^_^
Click to expand...

Case a point: My current rig can run any game out right now at max settings and I've only stuck about $1400 US into it between initial cost and progressive additions. Sorry, but expense is not a relative term when the cost isn't justified by the margin of performance.
 
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