New System Advice Needed

[RouTaran]

Hello everyone,
I've been away from the scene for a few years now. haven't been keeping up with whats new and such. I've done a little bit of reading up and come up with some new ideas.

With Starcraft 2 just around the corner and my inability to raid in World of Warcraft due to a crappy computer, i've decided to start putting together some ideas for a new system.

In the past, posters here were very helpful identifying potential problems and suggesting cheaper options with loads of future scaling ability! I'm hoping for more of the same. I have been partial to Intel and nVidia in the past but if other options are clearly better bang for buck, plz do let me know.

anyway, this is what I have though of so far.
All prices are in Canadian Dollars

Case:
Gigabyte SETTO 1000 ATX Tower Case - No PSU, MicroATX, 2 x USB 2.0, 7x 3.5 Drive Bays, 4x 5.25 Drive Bays
$107.99

PSU:
OCZ OCZ850GXSSLI GameXStream Power Supply - 850 Watt, ATX, 120mm Fan, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, Active PFC, Refurbished
$107.99

Mobo:
Asus P7P55D LE Motherboard - Intel P55, Socket LGA1156, Core i5, 2133MHz, DDR3
$159.97

Processor:
Intel Core i5 750 Processor - 2.66GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache, Quad-Core, Lynnfield, Retail
$219.97

Ram:
OCZ Dual Channel Platinum 2048MB PC12800 DDR3 1600MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB)
$62.99

GPU:
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Video Card - 896MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0 x16, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, VGA Support
$219.97

HDD:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Hard Drive - 750GB, 7200RPM, 16MB, Serial ATA-300, OEM
$69.97 x2 = $139.94

CPU Cooling:
Thermaltake Silent 1156 CPU Cooler - Socket 1156, 8mm Heatpipes, Mirror-Finished Copper Base
$40.99

DVD Drive:
LG GH22NS50 DVD Writer - DVD+R 22x, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6x, DVD-RAM 12x, SATA (OEM)
$34.97

Sub Total: $1,094.78

[OS-Wiz]

No way you need 850w psu: Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W

If no OC the stock HSF will do just fine, else:

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 low cost,

or ThermalRight Ultra-120 Extreme 1155 for extreme cooling.

DVD: SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C

Rest looks good.

[RouTaran]

Thanks for the info Wiz

Here's the updated Specs (all Prices in CAN Dollars)

Case:
Gigabyte SETTO 1000 ATX Tower Case - No PSU, MicroATX, 2 x USB 2.0, 7x 3.5 Drive Bays, 4x 5.25 Drive Bays
$107.99

Mobo:
Asus P7P55D LE Motherboard - Intel P55, Socket LGA1156, Core i5, 2133MHz, DDR3
$159.97

Processor:
Intel Core i5 750 Processor - 2.66GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache, Quad-Core, Lynnfield, Retail
$219.97

Ram:
OCZ Dual Channel Platinum 2048MB PC12800 DDR3 1600MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB)
$62.99

GPU:
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Video Card - 896MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0 x16, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, VGA Support
$219.97

HDD: RAID-0
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Hard Drive - 750GB, 7200RPM, 16MB, Serial ATA-300, OEM
$69.97 x2 = $139.94


NEW
DVD Drive:
S203-8576 OEM :: Samsung SH-S223C_BE DVDRW Drive - 22X DVD+/-R, 12X DVD-RAM, 16X DVD+R DL, 12X DVD-R DL, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 48X CD-R, 32X CDRW, SATA (1 lbs)
$40.99

PSU:
ULT-LSP650 :: Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan, Lifetime Warranty (4.9 lbs)
$59.98

Removed
CPU Fan

Sub Total: $1,011.80
--------------------------------------------------------

I have 4 questions for all the experts.

1. I found an ANTEC EarthWatts 650W PSU but it costs $89.99
   Compared to my currently listed 650W PSU, is the $30 difference worth it?
   
2. I found a BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out for $189.99 (After Rebates)
   Keeping in mind that I do plan to go SLI in the near future, is the the performance I get from the eVGA Card I have currently listed again, worth the $30 difference?
   
3. I want longevity from my system. I believe that the new i5 core and the Socket 1156 mobo is the way to the future and this will give me the ability to scale and upgrade when the time comes. Am I wrong in this thinking?
   Will it make more sense for me to stay Socket 775 and save more money?
4. I only have 2 GB of RAM at the moment. Again for scalability, is it going to be efficient to go with a 64bit OS right now with the idea of adding more RAM down the line. This system is primarily going to be for gaming so is this a good option?

Regards,
Rou'Taran

[OS-Wiz]

PSU:
ULT-LSP650 :: Ultra LSP650 650-Watt Power Supply - ATX, SATA-Ready, SLI-Ready, 135mm Fan, Lifetime Warranty (4.9 lbs)
$59.98 <-- POS, *NEVER* go cheap on a PSU, *NEVER*, get the Antec. If you will go SLI, get the Antec Signature 850W (that will really pop your cork on price LOL.

I want longevity from my system. I believe that the new i5 core and the Socket 1156 mobo is the way to the future and this will give me the ability to scale and upgrade when the time comes. Am I wrong in this thinking?
Will it make more sense for me to stay Socket 775 and save more money?

IMHO the i5 S1155 is Intel's way to try to get some of the low-end cpu market away from AMD, not sure of its longivity. Just my opinion.

[RouTaran]

What socket should i be looking at then? which is going to be around for a while and give me more options on CPU upgrades.

My last system, i went for the top of the line Socket 478s instead of the 775.
Turned out that the P4 3.0GHz processor i had was the best at the time and intel was moving on to the socket 775 so i was left with no scope for improvement as new technology came out. I dont want to make the same mistake again.

If the socket 1156 is not the way to go, what is?

[OS-Wiz]

What socket should i be looking at then? which is going to be around for a while and give me more options on CPU upgrades.

My last system, i went for the top of the line Socket 478s instead of the 775.
Turned out that the P4 3.0GHz processor i had was the best at the time and intel was moving on to the socket 775 so i was left with no scope for improvement as new technology came out. I dont want to make the same mistake again.

If the socket 1156 is not the way to go, what is?

Bad news on this front. Take a look an the Intel Roadmap and its hard to figure out your question. Its not as easy as it use to be to figure out where Intel is going. Each socket has at least one more CPU upgrade coming in 2010. The i7 1366 is the high-end stuff, the i5/7 1156 is the midrange and low-end stuff. Its been my experience that Intel will force you into a new socket every 2 or 3 generations anyway If I had to guess, the 1156 socket will have two new gen CPUs; the 1366 one more. If you're an OCer, go 1366.

[RouTaran]

Thanks for the info Wiz, will take a look at the roadmaps and try to make a more informed decision on the socket.

With regards to OS, as i said for now this system is mainly just for gaming. Would a 64bit OS with the plan of geting 6-8GB of ram down the line make a difference?
I realize most games need a powerful graphics adapter more than anything else but will with the ram increase make a contribution to the naked eye?

Also i was curious about backwards compatability. Are there any known significant issues running older 32bit software on a 64bit system? I ask cuz i sometimes go back to older games.

[OS-Wiz]

With regards to OS, as i said for now this system is mainly just for gaming. Would a 64bit OS with the plan of geting 6-8GB of ram down the line make a difference?
Yes.

I realize most games need a powerful graphics adapter more than anything else but will with the ram increase make a contribution to the naked eye?
You'll need a CPU that can do at least 3GHz and at least 6GB of memory. A Gamer needs the best vidcard they can afford.

Also i was curious about backwards compatability. Are there any known significant issues running older 32bit software on a 64bit system? I ask cuz i sometimes go back to older games.
As long as the games are 32-bit both Vista and Win 7 can handle them.

Have you decided on which socket, 1155 or 1366? We need that decision to make better recomendations.

[RouTaran]

The Socket 1366 looks like it affords better performance but price is prohibitive. I think i'll be sticking to 1155. It will allow me to get a good processor for the price i am willing to pay.

i have this processor in mind
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...973&CatId=4731

i realize that you said i need a 3GHz processor with 6mb of ram to take full advantage of the performance afforded by the processor but the price is the limiting factor for me at this time.

[OS-Wiz]

The Socket 1366 looks like it affords better performance but price is prohibitive. I think i'll be sticking to 1155. It will allow me to get a good processor for the price i am willing to pay.

i have this processor in mind
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...973&CatId=4731

i realize that you said i need a 3GHz processor with 6mb of ram to take full advantage of the performance afforded by the processor but the price is the limiting factor for me at this time.

Get it here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115215
Cheaper, free shipping, and better eTailer.

[Learux]

Don't expect to upgrade too much , I have been building systems for a while now and the only thing that get upgraded is GPU and memory gets added. In two years from now your hypersuper rig is an artifact, no point in throwing money at it.

Just great value today, what a kick *** system for $1000.

[RouTaran]

Thanks Wiz, newegg does seem much cheaper than tigerdirect. however the link you provided is the USA site which does not ship to Canada but they do have a canadian site as well.

While the processor is the same price, i found the mobo, video card, memory to be cheaper however they do not have the same Antec PSU listed there.

Here's what they have in the 850W range.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...e&Order=RATING

after reading a few reviews, i am partial to the CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W
It does say crossfire ready but i am going to be going SLI, as far as i know that doesnt really matter...does it?
Also the mobo, at newegg under the mobo specs>Features. it only has crossfire listed, not SLI. Does this rule the mobo out for me?