Few questions about a new computer

Hi guys, just a few questions about some parts that i'm considering on a new gaming rig im going to build.

Are the 4200 dual cores worth the extra cash over the 3800s?

I read somewhere about getting a nVidia 7900GT, because it outperforms the 7800 Ultras, and is cheaper?

Would it be smarter to get two 80 gig raptor hard drives and putting them into raid, or just getting one 160 gig raptor? And if you get the two 80 gig ones, can you put them in raid through the mobo or do you need to buy a raid card?

Also, what kind of ram should i look into for dual channeling?

Thanks in advance!

 

First I suggest not to skimp on the motherboard. It looks like you are getting quality components so use a good motherboard for them. Abit are trying to make the best gaming m/b's. Asus cover the whole commercial range. Also look at MSI and Epox. They will supply good backup and support (information, drivers and BIOS updates).

400Mhz difference in the CPUs, I don't think you will notice much difference. If there was a corresponding increase in L2 Cache I would consider it. I doubt it, but if you find that later, your new programs require higher processing power, the cost of even higher end CPUs will have fallen below the cost of those. Do any programs you plan to run come close to needing more than 3800? Just my opinion.

Put 7800 ultra and/or 7900GT into a Google search with "review ". You should find head to head comparisons. If you are planning to run it as a gaming machine are you going to get SLI and a second one of those cards later? What about two 6600GT's as SLI?

RAID is built into most motherboards now. Check the specifications for the motherboard. If you use RAID for speed and there is a problem with either drive (even a file system problem) you lose your data from both. Have a standard HDD for day to day function and RAID for gaming only? Check around some of the gaming forums.

If you want the ideal combination for dual channel RAM, get them as a "kit ".

Matt

 

Yeah i definitely won't be skimping on the mobo at all, i've been looking into the Asus ones, because they seem to have the best review on newegg.com.

These are two of them that i have been looking into:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131540
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131524

They seem like they are pretty good boards, capable of SLI, dual channel ram, RAID, 8 audio channels and so on.

About the processor, i guess i could always get a 3800 now to save some cash and then when its necessary to upgrade to something better. It seems i can save around 50 dollars off the bat from choosing

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562
(the 3800)

over

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547
(the 4200)

Both of their caches are the same, so i guess the difference wouldnt be too much.


I check out the prices compared to a 7800 Ultra and a 7900GT, and the 7900GT is cheaper while being much stronger infact. Only problem is, i have to wait until more come in stock haha. Right now i would be planning to get one 7900GT card and wait for a little for prices to go down, then purchase another one and use SLI.

Both of the mobos posted above support RAID, but i've never configured it before, is it hard? It kind of scares me knowing that if something goes wrong with one of my hard drives, that it deletes everything off both. Would i notice a substantial performance increase by using two 80 gig raptor hard drives in raid over one 160 gig raptor hard drive? I'd kinda like to use just the one 160 gig raptor so i dont have to worry about one failing and deleting everything.

Last question, with dual channel is there any configurations i'd have to do in the BIOS, or is it just a matter of placing the ram in the correct slots and having it activate dual channel automatically?

Thank you for all the help in advance!

 

The Asus board should be a fine choice. Compare the specifications, I would expect the Premium to have added features. Find the specifications at Asus and see if the features are worth the extra cost (you may need to use your crystal ball to know if you will need them in the future or if will be able to adapt by using add-on hardware).

If you can save money on the CPU and maybe the motherboard, remember you can put that toward a future upgrade. I have upgraded and upgraded again on my motherboards, you may feel differently and want a "muscle" machine right now. I cover what I need into the foreseeable future then upgrade in areas I need to.

If you are looking to do basically gaming, very fast storage (HDDs) won't help much. Video editing or other types of data access and storage requires fast HDDs. Standard programs are loaded into RAM then the HDDs are not required until the data needs to be saved. If you need super fast data access and want to use the Raptors in RAID, then I would use some type of dual boot and run that system isolated from the day to day system where the data would be backed up normally. The data on the RAID system I would keep backed up exceptionally well.

I have RAID on my computer, but have not found a reason to use it. I purchased an IDE controller card today that has RAID for an older machine. I may start experimenting . From what I know, you would need to install drivers.

I don't think you will need to change any settings for the dual channel. As you said, arrange the modules in the slots correctly.

If you decide on a motherboard, download and read through the manual (great bedtime stuff ). You will know about any areas to take note of in advance.

Matt

 

Thanks alot dude.

You said that i would have to download drivers for RAID? Well both of those mobos support RAID, and i thought it would just be a matter of going into the BIOS and setting it to RAID 0? If not, specifically how do i go about configuring raid?

And sorry if i sound like an idiot, but i don't exactly know what you mean when you said

"If you need super fast data access and want to use the Raptors in RAID, then I would use some type of dual boot and run that system isolated from the day to day system where the data would be backed up normally. "


Thanks in advance

 

On my "big" computer I have a dual boot. I have partitioned the HDD into several drives C: Windows98; D: A "scratch" drive where I put temporary data like burning files; E: Applications; F: Data; G: Windows XP. Win 98 does the workhorse (day to day) stuff. Win XP is not connected to the internet, so apart from getting something like a virus from a removable disk, it does not need anything running in the background. I can run games or other intensive programs without anything else running to slow it down (services running in the background can also be trimmed down if the system is relatively isolated).

Operating systems will slow down and eventually need to be reinstalled as the amount things that needs to be run increases to a point where the OS becomes overloaded and just can't cope any more. Many people reinstall the OS after a set amount of time. If you keep an OS relatively "fresh" by not installing lots of ancillary programs it will stay that way.

It is relatively easy to make a dual boot with XP. Make the partitions on the drive/s. Install an OS (for me it was Win 98 on the C: drive), then run the XP installation CD. It will analyse the drives, ask where (which drive) to be installed and set up a dual boot for both OS's (I am not certain whether you are legally able to set up a dual boot of two Win XP systems, I think you can if you own a retail version).

For running the two Raptors in RAID, I think you would need another drive. You could use the ordinary drive to have day to day things (internet surfing, CD/DVD burning etc.) and use the Raptors for the second OS with "high speed" applications.
The other way (I thought of today). Have the two separate OS's on the Raptors on different partitions and use the ordinary drive for backup.

If you keep the "second" OS free of junk applications it will FLY.

This system sounds HOT!!

Matt

 

Ok i get what you're saying now. Sounds like a great idea... but man i think thats way ahead of me haha. I'm not even sure if i simply want to use two 74 gig raptors in RAID, because i've never even set it up before, and i don't want to be overwhelmed by it. I was starting to think of just ordering 150gig raptor and just doing 2 partitions like i do on this computer now. Would it still keep the hardrive running a little faster by using partitions. Say making the C: for windows and programs and the D: for data stuff? Anyways, thanks in advance man, and i really appreciate all the help you have given me so far.

 

I may have been daydreaming a little about two Raptors in RAID 0, it would be very fast data access.
Have a look around this website:
http://www.acnc.com/04_01_00.html

As I said, you should not need it unless you are doing intensive data storage and access applications. Even using a Raptor over a conventional 7200 rpm drive will only save a little loadup time for non data-based applications.

I think your decisions are sound. Think about what you want the machine to do. If it is games, spend more on the graphics. If it is editing of some sort, spend more on the HDD/s. If it involves calculating, more on the processor. If you want to run "big" programs or a lot of programs at once, more on RAM.

That system will be one of the best around. See what areas you use most and plan for the next system or upgrade by researching those areas.

As I said about the dual boot, if you want a high speed system, keep it lean and mean.

Partitions
One partiton is for those people that want to keep everthing simple.
You mention a data drive, if you keep all your most important data on one drive isolated from the OS, the OS may require a reformat at some stage if it suffers major damage. You can format the OS drive without losing your data if it is on another drive. The data is also in one place for easy backup.

If you only have one drive it is defragmented easily by adding or deleting files. I put things that "come and go" on a separate drive (eg., you can change the location of the My Documents folder to another drive as well as other things like the Temporary Internet Files folder, burning files, etc).

Watch when you are installing programs. You can usually change the installation location. I made a folder on my E: drive called "Program Files ". When installing a program I change the address from C:\Program Files\XXXX to E:\Program Files\XXXX (C to an E).

If you only have one drive it becomes harder for windows to search for the correct folder/file with a large file system.

There are lots of other advantages to using different drives. Do some research if you are interested. Do some experimenting with your fresh system, it is easy to wipe out and reinstall at that stage.

Matt

 

Once again Matt, thanks for all of your help... you have been great.

So i think im sound on getting the 150gig raptor, making two partitions...

C: 90 gigs, for windows and all of my games and programs
D: 60 gigs, for music, movies and everything else.

and im gonna call it a day haha.

Well thanks for everything man on helping me out here, take care.

 

Hope some of it helped. It should be a great system.

Matt

 

Why not a Opteron

If you dont mind overclocking you can get a opteron 165...seen most get up around 2.5-2.7ghz on normal voltage(FX-60 speed)...can get them from monarch computer for less than 300us shipped (with coupon from Hardocp.com).