Going To Buy This Rig. Share Your Suggestions/Comments

CPU - intel q9450
[EDIT: availability in the market is next to zero. one guy said he could get it for me, but would charge 19k ]
last piece of hardware reqd... waiting... :-|

[RE-EDIT: got it at last after waiting 2 weeks, price:Rs.15400/-]

____________________

DVDRW - liteon 20x with lightscribe
[EDIT:decided to go for sony DRU190A, is it a good idea?]
[RE-EDIT: got sony dru-845s (sata)]

____________________

MOBO - xfx 780i
[EDIT:again availability is a problem. and xfx is costing rs.16500, thinking of going for evga for around rs.14800]
[RE-EDIT: bought evga 750i ftw]

GPU - xfx 9800gtx
[EDIT:once more xfx is costly at rs.22500, while i got quotes for gigabyte for rs.18900. thinking of going for gigabyte, do you think its a good idea?]
[RE-EDIT: bought msi 8800gt 512mb OC edition]

RAM - corsair/gskill 4GB DDR2 800Mhz CAS4 (4-4-4-12)
plz help me decide b/n corsair and gskill
[EDIT:thinking of going for corsair @ rs.7250. is this a good buy?]
[RE-EDIT: bought corsair 4GB DDR2 800Mhz C4]

PSU - CM real power pro 1000w or Antec quattro 1000w (help me decide)
[EDIT: i selected "quad socket" on this page, instead of "single socket", by mistake. and it grossly overestimated the wattage required. So now i am most probably going for "CM real power pro 650w @ rs.8000"]
[RE-EDIT: bought corsair TX750]

_____________________________

HDD - seagate sata2 750GB
[EDIT:bought it]

CASE - CM 832 or CM 830 Nvidia Edition (help me decide)
[EDIT:bought CM 830 nvidia edition]

thanks
edited my post. plz help me out.

H

Excellent choice. Only I'd wait for amd to release 4870 (one more month). It'd be in price range of 9800gtx and should beats it by quite a margin.
For ram, I think g.skill has been popular because of its relatively low price for good overclockability, but Corsair is still no. 1.

Suggest you go for a samsung DVD RW

M

4 GB RAM? No use of it if not opting for 64-bit OS. Save some money for getting 2 GB CAS4 Corsair DHX RAM modules. Better still to get Corsair Dominators - excellent RAMs and are supported by your Mobo too.

For PSU think of Tagan too. Very solid PSU and is modular too. CM 1000 is good but doesn't have modular design.

For case CM NVidia Edition is green in color. C if matches the overall look. Or else get Stalker 832. Its similar to NVidia Edition but is black in color. And don't forget to buy some 120 mm fans for good ventilation.

What r the prices u r getting for Mobo and GFX card?

N

+1 for tagan PSU and CM Nvidia edition

B

go for Gigabyte Graphic card it cost much less than XFX one & don't buy that PSU it is much more powerful than you ever require instead buy Corsair 620HX it will be perfect for you it costs just 6.2k

thanks for the replies. also edited my first post.

nish_higher said:
+1 for tagan PSU and CM Nvidia edition

i just want to know if ur saying this from firsthand experience.

because, i did realize that tagan is quite cheaper compared to the competition. also its modular design will drastically reduce clutter. but there has got to be a catch somewhere right? one cant expect both quality/performance as well as cheap price.

what do others think of TAGAN PSUs?

Blackfire said:
go for Gigabyte Graphic card it cost much less than XFX one & don't buy that PSU it is much more powerful than you ever require instead buy Corsair 620HX it will be perfect for you it costs just 6.2k

i read ur post after editing my post. and i agree with both of ur points.

BTW - my present GPU is an XFX. thats why i wanted XFX. but since rs.3600 difference is too much, thinking of GIGABYTE. do you think performance will be at par with XFX?

dont go for 780i mobo...go for 790i, although i dont knw its availability. still 790i is the one to go for as it supports DDR3.

but if ur budget does not allow 790i then going for 780i is a good idea.

moshel said:
dont go for 780i mobo...go for 790i, although i dont knw its availability. still 790i is the one to go for as it supports DDR3.

but if ur budget does not allow 790i then going for 780i is a good idea.

790i is 24k minimum. my budget doesn't allow it. period.

Yeah u don't need that much of a monstrous PSU! U can settle for Corsair TX750. Darklord has it, ask him about it! or like blackfire earlier posted HX620!
Don't buy 9800GTX, its not worthy enough. Go for 8800GTS 512MB instead, if really need a high end GPU, then wait for HD4870 or 9900GTX!

keith_j_snyder2 said:
Yeah u don't need that much of a monstrous PSU! U can settle for Corsair TX750. Darklord has it, ask him about it! or like blackfire earlier posted HX620!

agree. how much is that TX750?

keith_j_snyder2 said:
Don't buy 9800GTX, its not worthy enough. Go for 8800GTS 512MB instead, if really need a high end GPU, then wait for HD4870 or 9900GTX!

hey man, i am stuck with a semi-junk pc here. have about 2 1/2 months vacation. i dont intend to spend most of it waiting for "the next best GPU".

i know that although 9800gtx is only a few frames faster than 8800gts, and is 2k costlier. but the thought of tri-sli-ing a few years down the line is salivating.

Corsair TX750 @ 7500/- approx.

Well i respect ur thought!

^^thanks

@confused: please post pics of your purchases.

^^i'll do it, once i have assembled the rig. (its going to take atleast 3-4 days to get the remaining stuff)

(i mean do u really want to see a pic of an empty cabinet, and pic of a HDD in a anti-static bag?

if u insist, i'll post them)

B

bro its all same whether you buy XFX or gigabyte because both are stock. the catch in tagan that i have found is that it comes with only 3 years warranty & acc to me GTX is the replacement of 8800GTS 512MB & i think that nivida will launch its 1GB version which will replace 8800GTX but i am not sure i might be wrong also.

but i want to say to you something if i were in your shoes & making a gaming PC in this budget i will cut down price on many components & buy 9800GX2 instead of GTX, just think this bro your cabinet cost 13-14k(as far i remember).bye

^^i want to have a balance in the performance of the components. i dont want to buy one GPU which is very advanced at the cost that i have to buy others components a level or two below.
+cabinet is that good, it will easily last a decade.

what do think about evga 9800gtx SSC (oCed edition) @ rs.18560??

you have selected very good rig

H

@confused i think its better to buy 3870X2 for 22k instead of 9800GTX.

N

i'd rather buy 2 9600GT's..

*www.motherboards.org/reviews/hardware/1763_8.html

+1 to two EVGA 9600gt KO 512 MB's in SLI.

Tagan PSU ROCKSS !!

B

Evga makes best graphic cards & it is also OC but OC in 9800GTX is a piece of cake . but the real power of Egva is in its 10years warranty.So i will advice you to buy EGVA one.

R u sure abt Evga price.

& bro y have not u plan to buy raptor series HDD in this budget.

i know what you are talking abt buying a balance PC & i am very happy to hear that there r guys which doesn't give importance to just one or two components but every components. i am also making my confi for gaming PC for last 3 months to make a perfectly balance gaming PC but i still feel that spending 14k on a cabinet is too much you can adopt for CM690 or Antec 900 they are also one of the best cabinets in the market yet priced very low compare to CM 830 Nvidia Edition but everybody thinks different & at last best of luck for your PC.

N

^ read those benchmarks first.
Asus 9600GT OC or EVGA 9600 GT in SLi certainly beats 9800GTX Sli

and Raptor HDDS are good until u require some large space coz they dont have any option beyond 150gb which costs 9-10k approx .

@confused : post the pics after you assembled everything

hellgate said:
@confused i think its better to buy 3870X2 for 22k instead of 9800GTX.

i agree after reading this comparison.

ok, i after a lot of comments/criticism by many people against, 9800gtx, and also reading comparisions on the net, i agree "9800gtx may perform well, but there are other cards with better performance/price ratio"

so what other options do i have?
1>2x 9600gt in SLI @ 19k
pros:beats 9800gtx, costs same as 9800gtx
cons: cant upgrade anymore. will have to dispose both cards if i want any upgrades.

2>1x 8800gts @ 16-16.5k
pros:costs less
cons: only does 2xSLI, no 3xSLI

3>1x 3870X2 @ 23k
pros:beats 9800gtx by a huge margin
cons:costs 4-5k more

my line of thought:
1>out of question, bcoz not upgradable

2>best option.

3>2nd best, because i will have to spend 5 more.

tell me what to do.........

N

Option 2-the best.add another card later and u have a mean machine.

ok thanks. i have almost made up my mind.

if i'll be running only 2 GPUs max, then which nforce mobo should i buy?
750i? will save 2-3ks?

confused said:
i agree after reading this comparison.

ok, i after a lot of comments/criticism by many people against, 9800gtx, and also reading comparisions on the net, i agree "9800gtx may perform well, but there are other cards with better performance/price ratio"

so what other options do i have?
1>2x 9600gt in SLI @ 19k
pros:beats 9800gtx, costs same as 9800gtx
cons: cant upgrade anymore. will have to dispose both cards if i want any upgrades.

2>1x 8800gts @ 16-16.5k
pros:costs less
cons: only does 2xSLI, no 3xSLI

3>1x 3870X2 @ 23k
pros:beats 9800gtx by a huge margin
cons:costs 4-5k more

my line of thought:
1>out of question, bcoz not upgradable

2>best option.

3>2nd best, because i will have to spend 5 more.

tell me what to do.........

Dude...imho u should wait for the Rv770 launch aka the ATI 4xxx series, as suggested by Keith, but I also read you reply, which again i totally respect.

As suggested above option 3 would defeat the purpose of your mobo, if you go for opt 3 u should opt for x38/48 chipsets, will also give u future upgradabillty.

Good idea would be to go for the 3870x2 and prolly hybrid crossfilre it with a 4870!

But if u just want the best today.....go for one 8800GTS, keep the option of buyin another wen the G200 launches, you will get ur second one quite cheap.

You havent mentioned, as wat resolutions you would be gaming, but with the choice of your components, I am guessing it would be 22-24', if so 8800GTS for now and add another later.

My 2 cents worth.

i have VX2235-wm5, whose native resolution is 1680x1050.

and to be honest, i havent researched ATI gpus even a little bit.
could u explain why i need to go for intel mobo, if i buy 3870X2??

N

^ to have crossfire

u'll need x38 or x48 chipset.the best board by intel itself is Bonetrail-but its ddr3.. Abit IX38 is best DDR2 crossfire board for the price and performance

And within 2 months Intel will launh X48 but there is not much of a performance and features difference between X38 and X48, its just X48 sports DDR3 so do some X38.

X38 Auad GT is best X38 board because it also sports 1600MHz FSB for future upgrade, but u will be bound to X-fire only not SLI. But u can use single nVidia card with Quad GT.
So choice is upto u.

B

i will not suggest you to got to ATi you should either buy GX2 or stick to gtx because Performance of every Nvidia GF increases when company releases Good set of drivers after few months of launch.So stick to nvidia.

thanks for the info guys.

will read more reviews, before deciding.

BTW - does a 3870x2 take two pci-e power connectors or one?

B

in my opinion ur config great except the graphics card. i could only suggest the new "PALiT NE/960TSX0202 GeForce 9600GT SONIC 1GB 256-bit GDDR3" *www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261013
or
PALiT NE/960TSX0252 GeForce 9600GT SONIC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 *www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261001

but the choice is urs. i can only suggest

confused said:
thanks for the info guys.

will read more reviews, before deciding.

BTW - does a 3870x2 take two pci-e power connectors or one?

It takes one 8-pin and one 6-pin connector.

Blackfire said:
i will not suggest you to got to ATi you should either buy GX2 or stick to gtx because Performance of every Nvidia GF increases when company releases Good set of drivers after few months of launch.So stick to nvidia.

I absolutely agree with this man! 9800GX2 kills 3870X2 in almost every game! But better performance comes with better expenses.

Cheapest 9800GX2 at newegg is $525 and Cheapest 3870X2 is for $370, thats a $155 difference. Acc. to me this is a big price/performance difference!

Hey guys, i have one final decision to make:

the 8800GTS 512MB doesnt seem to be available. only 320MB and 640MB are available. And as everyone knows those cards are beaten even by the 8800GT.

So should i go for
1>nforce 780i + geforce 9800GTX @ 33k

OR

2>abit IX38 + ATI 3870x2 @ 32k

please help me out. what will be the drawbacks and advantages of each?

I will say... go with the SECOND OPTION

^^ok thanks. what do others say?

N

hmm..both are good setups btw.i dont know why u are crazy abt tri sli for 9800GTX
but if i were to buy i'd choose either-
780i + 8800GTS or GT in Sli- this can also be done with MSI 750i which gives better overclocking than EVGA 780i
or
IX38 Quad GT/Bonetrail + 3870X2 and later add another one.

^^im not exactly "crazy", but i am/was looking for tri-sli because it enables a longer life of the present hardware i am buying. hope u get the point.

+8800GTS 512MB ->very difficult to get.

B

confused said:
Hey guys, i have one final decision to make:

the 8800GTS 512MB doesnt seem to be available. only 320MB and 640MB are available. And as everyone knows those cards are beaten even by the 8800GT.

So should i go for
1>nforce 780i + geforce 9800GTX @ 33k

OR

2>abit IX38 + ATI 3870x2 @ 32k

please help me out. what will be the drawbacks and advantages of each?

bro why have you chosen 780i r u interested in sli, if not than buy a abit ip35-e & 9800GX2

& if you have only these two option then my take is First one.

bro it is sensible to buy one powerful GF rather buying two average cards & pairing them, so if you have any idea to buy two 9800gtx then i will advice you to drop it & buy a single GX2. rest it is upto you

Blackfire said:
if not than buy a abit ip35-e & 9800GX2

this is will cost 9+32=>41k. way too much than the 32-33k i intend to spend.

Blackfire said:
bro why have you chosen 780i r u interested in sli,

& if you have only these two option then my take is First one.

bro it is sensible to buy one powerful GF rather buying two average cards & pairing them, so if you have any idea to buy two 9800gtx then i will advice you to drop it & buy a single GX2. rest it is upto you

i have chosen 780i, because i want to SLI, only when the prices drop, and the card i buy now struggles to perform with games.

dude my suggestion is just one... dont wait for a price drop for SLI... just think this way....

u buy 8800GT now and wait for another for after some months... but then a better card is out... will it be not better to but that instead of using the same old card for SLI purpose...

I suggest you buy ATI Radeon™ HD 3870 X2 as GPU

^^^ i am buying a new rig this week as well.... better do one thing... get a cheap card like 7200 for now and wait for the new 4XXX series from ATI ( as heard it is the most powerful card and will not be very costly as well)...

N

^ +1
if u can wait for 4xxx series.

*forums.legitreviews.com/about15370.html?sid=9bbe021ad607b34109f2903605d48459

ajayashish said:
u buy 8800GT now and wait for another for after some months... but then a better card is out... will it be not better to but that instead of using the same old card for SLI purpose...

u are absolutely right. but there will be price difference between the "new card" and "old card". and it will not be a small difference.

and also at present the GT is most VFM. GTS is good VFM too. 9800GTX onwards the performance difference starts to come down, while the price difference starts to go up.

but i want a 9 series card, which can hold it sown for a while (though it will not be too long). What use is it buying a series 8 card which has already been out since 2006?

ajayashish said:
^^^ i am buying a new rig this week as well.... better do one thing... get a cheap card like 7200 for now and wait for the new 4XXX series from ATI ( as heard it is the most powerful card and will not be very costly as well)...

nish_higher said:
^ +1
if u can wait for 4xxx series.

*forums.legitreviews.com/about15370.html?sid=9bbe021ad607b34109f2903605d48459

@ajay & @nish

i have to say the specs look too good to believe.
1>lets say the card is as good as they say it is,
2>what makes you think it will be cheap in india?
3>what makes you think it will be available in the same month as it is internationally released?

But incase i change my mind, and do what "ajayashish" is doing (about buying the GPU), which mobo+gpu combo should i go for now?
(in such a case i definitely want to spend as less as possible for the gpu)

N

if waiting for 4870 series- definitely IX38 quad gt..if u can afford ddr3 then bonetrail
GPU=some cheapo-8400GS
if waiting for some nvidia wonder- XFX 780i Sli for tri-sli or MSI P7N Sli for dual

and regarding its price-its known that it will be priced less
availability-max 10 days after launch. 3870X2 was available within a week

B

confused said:
this is will cost 9+32=>41k. way too much than the 32-33k i intend to spend.
this will cost you much less bro abit IP35-E cost just 5.5k

nish_higher said:
if waiting for 4870 series- definitely IX38 quad gt..if u can afford ddr3 then bonetrail
GPU=some cheapo-8400GS
if waiting for some nvidia wonder- XFX 780i Sli for tri-sli or MSI P7N Sli for dual

MSI P7N is a 680i chipst right? but nforce 6 series, dont do justice with quad cores....

btw - should i save some money, by going for 750i ftw? which i can hopefully use to get a better GPU.
eg 750i ftw + 2x 8800GT SLI ->around 35k

nish_higher said:
and regarding its price-its known that it will be priced less
availability-max 10 days after launch. 3870X2 was available within a week

lets see... ;-)

@confused:i go with 1st option(total nvidia)

N

Msi p7n sli is 750i sli..better than evga
and ur wrong about 680i and quads..i know coz i own both of them and a 780i too.and i think p5n32e sli is most sold asus board,its also 680i.

btw MSI 8800GTS 512 OC *asia.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1370&maincat_no=130&cat2_no=136&cat3_no=

is available for rs16650

Heres my 2 cents:
1)A 9800Gx2+780i if u can afford it
2)3870x2 + abit quad gt OR 780i + 2x8800gt sli
the performances of a 3870x2 and 8800gt sli are very close to each other but the 3870x2 has an advantage of crossfir, u can later crossfire 2 3870x2s wen prices drop and the config will last u a long time.tats wat i plan to do anyway..my 3870x2 can handle every game at thhe highest settings with 4xAA under DX10 at 1600x900(except for crysis..i run tat at all very high no AA) and i bet it can keep running all games at very high for another 1-1.5 years...add another 3870x2 then and it will last even longer i dont think ter is any game tat requires more tan 2-3870x2s...chek this out
*www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRJRqgpxlnc

N

i got a link , finally to prove 9800GTX is not worth

*en.expreview.com/2008/04/03/geforce-9800gtx-review/12/

*en.expreview.com/img/2008/04/03/9800gtx/98gtxvs88gtsoc.png

rest upto the buyer

do check page 11,12,13,14

B

nish_higher said:
i got a link , finally to prove 9800GTX is not worth

*en.expreview.com/2008/04/03/geforce-9800gtx-review/12/

*en.expreview.com/img/2008/04/03/9800gtx/98gtxvs88gtsoc.png

rest upto the buyer

do check page 11,12,13,14

read this also

*www.digit-life.com/articles3/video/g92-6-part3.html

N

its 8800gts stock , while i'm comaring with 8800GT 512 OC

@ nish_higher - thats why i didnt upgrade my present graphic card.

N

^thats an awesome gfx card u have..u should not change it now..better use this card as it will keep giving u high settings for this yr's games atleast, then change it..that would be better
perhaps the only thing u should buy is some good rams,preferably 4gbpk by gskill

@nish - thanks man, you opened my eyes....... would have wasted money on a 9800gtx.
only later i realized that the "8800gts 512mb" is much costlier compared to the "8800gt 512mb".
also thanks to all the others. all of you have provided ur views which has helped me to get many different perspectives.

indian prices are something like
9800gtx 512mb ->19k
8800gts 512mb ->16.5k
8800gt 512mb ->12k-14k (various brands)

and their performance can be compared here. (do check it out)

So i think i'll go for 750i ftw + 2x 8800gt SLI.
i will buy one card now. second card hopefully from the US within a month, to save some bucks.

i think i'll get the 8800gt xxx alpha dog from abroad. which one to go for now?
IMO XFX is a bit expensive. And i heard their support is bad. How true is this?

Please suggest a good 8800gt 512mb make. (maybe some OCed edition)

thanks all.

i think Gigabyte 8800gt card is making good news now... with awesome cooling fan and price as well

N

yea..gigabyte or MSI OC models are better than alpha dog which runs pretty hot and i dont think xfx have revised it.
that EVGA Board is good board,the only evga board i like bcoz of its capacitors

btw i just got two MSI 8800GT OC for SLi

and a corsair 620HX
this card runs at 50 degree idle and around 54-55 degrees @ load..awesome

^^^^ well i have indeed read a lot of reviews abt Gigabyte 8800gt card as i was about to buy one for myself... it used a good chipset and a third part fan from Zalman for cooling... reviews suggest it is a perfect value for money priced at around 12500... i think Darklord got one for himself as well

N

yea mine is also the heatpipe edition with custom cooler..
i've used gigabyt turboforce edition..its cooling is not that effective , card performs same as MSI despite more clock and its noisy..
EVGA KO performs better than both but u gotta deal with some high temps though it does not have any heat issues

MSI 8800GT OC for 11850 rupees
EVGA is for 12k i think
and gigabyte is costly
leadtek i dont know..
technically acc to clocks--
in decreasing order from high to low for below 3 comparisons--

EVGA SC>XFX XXX>MSI

temps--
XFX XXX>EVGA>Gigabyte>MSI (custom cooler) = Leadtek (custom cooler) = ASUS (custom cooler)

Price-
Gigabyte>EVGA>MSI,Asus

@nish - you forgot one thing

warranty/after sales
evga >> msi >> xfx

btw - 8800gt SLI is better than 9600gt SLI by a small margin right?

N

well here's single card's benches-
*en.expreview.com/img/2008/02/23/9600GT/96gt_88gt.png

i'd say 8800GT Sli for sure..i myself have asus 9600oc in other rig and difference is huge

^^thanks man

@nish_higher: just upgraded 1gb more yesterday now i have total 3 gb ddr2 800.I think windows xp sp3 doesnt display 4 gb i m not sure about it.

Only 64bit Os Shows More Than 3gb Ram

MSI OC uses a Seaweed blade cooler which makes it low noise and and keeps the card cool than any other stock cooler.
Here u can see MSI is also using it with their other cards too!

I 've also heard that 9600GT has huge improvement in SLI but still think 8800GT would be a better one!

edited my first post again........

Congrats!

keith_j_snyder2 said:
Congrats!

thanks... no proccy yet...
also i am a bit anxious to see if i have got all my psu/header connections right....

few doubts...
1>750i manual says it has 2 onboard usb headers each supporting two ports (2x2=4 usb ports) but i could find only one header.
infact the picture on the mobo carton, shows two blue coloured usb headers, but actually on the board, one is white (1394) and other is blue (usb header). why the difference?

2>if i connect front audio ports to the mobo, will i get audio from the back or not?

3>my case has two audio headers in serial (hd audio and azalia audio), should i connect both to my mobo? or only one of the two?

thanks.....