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The Ultimate Dream Computer
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AfterDawn Addict
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4. July 2007 @ 09:54 |
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Hi senseitx,
I really like the 680i Evga board. Thanks Doc!!
It's been easy to overclock and their tech support is the best. As near as I can tell, Abit's tech support is abysmal.
The choice for overclocking is the Evga board. Also, you listed the 8800GTX cards from Evga. Why not the Evga mobo?
EVGA includes a chipset fan. If you do get the Evga board, get a #0 phillips screwdriver to install the fan.
I disagree somewhat with your choice of the Zalman cooler.
Using 60°C max load temp as a limit, I can overclock the Thermalright cooled E6700 to 3.7 GHz.
The Zalman cooled E6700 gets to 3.6 GHz.
I would add another WD150 but that's just a how I like my HDDs configured.
I didn't see an OS listed so don't forget that!
Don't forget to get some Arctic Silver Thermal compound for your heatsink. The Zalman comes with it's own compound. I don't use it. I ordered the cleaner and surface prep liquids as well as AS Ceramique. Go to the Arctic Silver website for application instructions. It works.
Two big 8800 GTX video cards. Awesome! The sound card has to fit in with them so it will restrict airflow somewhat. Something to keep in mind.
I'll just ditto what Doc said about the performance potential for your build. You will have a lot of fun building this thing and bringing it to life.
You have time before the parts arrive to download manuals and get your tools and work area ready.
For tools, you don't need much. Here's what I like to have.
Misc:
A big trash bag for shipping debris.
A folder to save rebate bar codes and related rebate stuff.
A big soft towel to lay my new case on. No scratches allowed!
I have an area in my shop devoted to PC building. I have shelving for all the new parts, a nice flat, clean workbench and excellent lighting.
Tools:
A knife to open all the packaging.
A ratcheting magnetic screwdriver for mobo, case and power supply screws.
A 12" long #2 Phillips for heatsink mounting screws and some of the motherboard screws. I can get a straight shot and it keeps my knukles away from the fins. I magnetise it by rubbing it against the other screwdriver.
A #0 Phillips screwdriver for EVGA chipset fan screws.
A 5mm socket with a speeder handle to install the motherboard stand-offs in the case.
Small diagonal side cutters for trimming zip ties.
A surgical clamp to grab jumpers and small connectors with. Skinny needle nose pliers work as well. My hands are kinda big so this helps.
I ought to have an Anti-static wrist band but I don't. I just make sure I'm touching metal, like the case, before handling boards.
A small flashlight to find anything I drop and to check that connectors are installed correctly.
I'm looking forward to another major build in September or October. EVGA has the Black Pearl 680i board as well as Black Pearl 8800 GTX cards which with a new Quad core will make an awesome build.
Good luck,
Frank
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senseitx
Newbie
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5. July 2007 @ 11:13 |
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All right I have settled on the
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813188013
Since I have the evga geforces i think that will be a good match. Also a few odds and ends
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16835100007
BELKIN F8E066 Professional Computer Tool Kit (36-Piece) - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16899888202
BELKIN F8E093 Anti-Static Wrist Strap - Retail http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16899888207
Will DX10 work with xp? if not then I am stuck going with vista. Thanks fasfrank for your list of supplies. Now that I pretty much have my list down that stuff is what iam thinking about next. How to get ready and what I will need to complete the tasks. According to newegg the total comes to 5235.00. While the price is up there I dont plan on upgrading for awhile. I know it is next to impossible to estimate nut I will ask anyways. How long do you think this pc will last? I plan to mainly run games and do some video editing. I am thinking 2-3 years before the games start to really push the limits. One more question, as you can see I have mainly looked at newegg. I know newegg to be apretty good site but if i price shop I amy get the price down anywhere from 250-1000 dollars(I can only hope). which would be better, shopping from one site but maybe paying a little more or shopping from many different sites, while maybe cheaper, might prove to be a headache from keeping what I bought from where straight, quality of products, shipping time. etc.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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5. July 2007 @ 11:17 |
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DX10 games won't work with Vista, but there aren't any DX10 games yet (Shadowrun and Halo 2 only use DX9) so I wouldn't worry about it.
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AfterDawn Addict
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6. July 2007 @ 07:36 |
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The tool kit already has an anti-static wrist band. Don't forget to pick up a #0 Phillips screwdriver somewhere. That chipset fan has really small screws.
Here they are on a towel.
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AfterDawn Addict
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6. July 2007 @ 07:36 |
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Edit: double post
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 6. July 2007 @ 07:37
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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6. July 2007 @ 08:10 |
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yeah I've seen screws like that, the old motherboard I had used plastic lugs to secure the heatsink. it was the same size, if not smaller than the southbridge heatsink they added to the P5N-E.
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senseitx
Newbie
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6. July 2007 @ 12:45 |
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Thanks for telling me about the tool set having a static band. i didn't see it on the picture.
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AfterDawn Addict
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6. July 2007 @ 19:42 |
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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7. July 2007 @ 02:00 |
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That's VERY cheap for a top end CPU.
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AfterDawn Addict
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7. July 2007 @ 22:01 |
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PacMan777
AfterDawn Addict
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12. July 2007 @ 14:24 |
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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12. July 2007 @ 14:59 |
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It would have been a nicer price in the US too, regardless of tax.
A £399 product here typically costs $499-$599 in the US. The exchange rate dictates it should be $790.
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PacMan777
AfterDawn Addict
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12. July 2007 @ 18:01 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
It would have been a nicer price in the US too, regardless of tax.
A £399 product here typically costs $499-$599 in the US. The exchange rate dictates it should be $790.
Are you figuring costs before or after VAT has been added? We've gone over it before, maybe not here, but there's more to the cost of items besides just the currency exchange rate, i.e. initial cost of item for different markets, transport costs, dealer markup, and all associated taxes. MSRP is only a guideline and not always the same in different markets. Many items I've seen higher or lower depending on availability and/or the retailer's desire to make a quick sale, along with the other factors mentioned.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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13. July 2007 @ 07:59 |
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That's exactly it, all the costs you mentioned mean that our stuff is far more expensive than in the US.
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Senior Member
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13. July 2007 @ 12:39 |
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I think we all have what we call our dream computer but thing is it changes so quick as you go and buy dual core next thing you know quad core is here.You will never get your true dream computer if your a computer fanatic as your always waiting for the next thing around the corner.On the ATI, NVIDIA front i have had plenty of both and i personally favour NVIDIA but that is just a personal preference.
i9 9900K CPU,ASUS MAXIMUS XI HERO Mobo, Fractal R6 Case,
Corsair H115I ,Corsair RM Series 850W psu,
RTX 3080 Ti ,Corsair DDR4 Vengeance RGB PRO 32GB 1TB Intel SSD 660p Series,1TB M.2 ,36TB Seagate HD,19TB Ext, LG BH16NS40 BD-RW,Creative Sound Blaster Zx 116dB Sound Card, Acer Predator XB321HK 32inch 4K Monitor, 2TB PS4
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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13. July 2007 @ 14:40 |
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Whereas I prefer what gets me the best deal at the time. It so happens to have been ATi for the past few runs (9200, X800 Pro, X1900XT) but if I were to buy a PC today, it would be nVidia 8800 all the way.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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13. July 2007 @ 14:40 |
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double post. I don't even remmber clicking reply twice.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 13. July 2007 @ 14:49
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Senior Member
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18. July 2007 @ 13:14 |
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i7 3770 12GB ram terrabyte sata drive 1 750Gb sata drive 285GTX graphics Sony dvdwriter same NZXT Nemesis case
Still playing Black Hawk Down why did I upgrade?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 18. July 2007 @ 13:19
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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18. July 2007 @ 13:17 |
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We do indeed, used to it yet?
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PacMan777
AfterDawn Addict
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18. July 2007 @ 23:58 |
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I found an E6850 on the US market for about 150 GBP.
http://www.computerhq.com/Intel_C2D_3.0_...-id-926357.html
That's about 20 GBP cheaper than the ones listed on the UK sites before VAT being added. VAT is a killer. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that kind of taxing. But then I don't get subsidized health care and there's no controls, other than the competitive market, on necessities. I noticed there's exemptions in the VAT system.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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19. July 2007 @ 00:04 |
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if I'm honest, I think a lot of the government taxes are worthwhile, given what they pay for. The only one that's a bit steep is inheritance tax.
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PacMan777
AfterDawn Addict
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19. July 2007 @ 00:15 |
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Often governments usually do something useful with taxes. But most governments have their "pork" projects to help political cronies. Inheritance taxes vary by state in the US, but they can be steep here as well. If the US had some of the social programs that taxes pay for in the UK, I think I'd complain a bit less. But where would the world be if we couldn't complain about taxes and politics. LOL
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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19. July 2007 @ 00:20 |
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"The only certain things in this world are death and taxes"
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AfterDawn Addict
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23. July 2007 @ 21:19 |
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I ordered the C2D E6850 today. I was going to hold off for another week until I saw what the prices were doing. I assumed they would start coming down.
I looked at Newegg which listed the E6850 at $325.00. That was at 9:00 AM. I took another look at 10:30 AM and the price was $335.00. I did a search and found it at Mwave for $271.00, listed as backordered, Estimated arrival date, July 24th.
I ordered it which locked in that price. 2 day air shipment was another $9.00 so I added that, which was just 2 or 3 more dollars than regular ground shipping.
In the mean time, Newegg has jumped another $10.00 to $335.00 and Mwave has jumped to $285.00.
I'm assuming that many of these retailers who have the stock listed as "backordered" or "out of stock" are actually holding on to their stock, waiting to see what the competetor's prices do. My processor is still listed as "No stock" at Mwave, yet it's been shipped and is scheduled to arrive on the 25th.
The most dramatic price change I noticed has been on the Q6600 at Newegg, it started out this morning at $299.00 and has now jumped back up to $375.00.
As far as the $271.00 I paid goes, that's close to the expected $266.00/thousand price so I think I got a reasonable deal.
I'll have it installed on the EVGA 680i board by the weekend. I've got the 1333 FSB bios update installed so it should be a smooth transition from the E6700.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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24. July 2007 @ 00:01 |
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That's cheap as anything, what will they OC like, he wonders?
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