My High-End Gaming Rig - Comments / Suggestions

[Jabberwocky]

With 3d animation and rendering the amount of cores you have is the most important. Especially if you use Mental Ray

Memory also helps with high polygon counts.
If you have a high-end 3d software package consider keeping your old computer so you can build a tiny rendering farm

 

[dudewotevr]

hmm, i think you are making a mistake going to the "intel+ATI" route.

on the 10 december 2008 AMD is releasing the new drivers for the 4800 series that basicly turns your GPU into a CPU to help with load sharing with the AMD CPU. - This should put AMD in the lead over intel even with older CPU's.

Also the new Phenom II's are coming out January, and there is alot of hype about them, maybe they will outrun intel, and maybe not. but you will shoot yourself in the foot if you buy now and it turns out that they do ...

For R2000 you can get a very descent AMD CPU, atleast one that is on par with a higher end Intel counterpart.

No, it will NOT give them the lead, only more competitive, and it's not as dramatic as you're making it sound. The new drivers for 4800s are mostly about game optimisations, similar to the recent GTX260 performance increases.

PhenomII is NOT going to outrun Intel, ..do a bit of research before you type.

I'd love to read about this similarly priced current AMD chip that is priced and performs on par with a current Intel? Sounds fascinating.
Not to mention overclocking headroom..

 

[dudewotevr]

With 3d animation and rendering the amount of cores you have is the most important. Especially if you use Mental Ray

Memory also helps with high polygon counts.
If you have a high-end 3d software package consider keeping your old computer so you can build a tiny rendering farm

True, but he decided on quad to begin with, exactly for the reason that he's going to be rendering work etc. and no1 has been trying to persuade otherwise.

 

[Keeper]

That Q6600 at stock is going to hold back the 4870x2. You're going to want to get it to around 3.0GHz.

I think i'm okay with a Q6600, as I need more cores for 3D Stuff...

There ARE perfectly awesome P45 crossfire boards (eg. Asus P5Q Pro) that do DDR2, but as mentioned, if you want to pay more for virtually 0 performance increase that's your choice. Remember only x38 and up boards do 16x16 pcie lanes. p45 is 8x8.

VERY good advice - didn't know that - will check what x38 mobo's there are...

I'd recommend getting a quality, high efficiency PSU that will cater to all your future upgrades now, not later.

will get a 720 watt PSU.


also guys, im not going the amd cpu route guys, sticking to intel...

just wanna know how everythnig will work together.

so to sum up, basically
- I need a 500 Watt PSU Minimum, maybe a 720 for future proofing..
- Need to look at getting a good x38 2xPCIEx mobo, even if its with DDR2.

 

[killadoob]

x38? dude i don't think they make those boards anymore since p45 came out but i may be wrong.

Dudewoter or whatever i think you should go read a bit more as the new drivers will enable certain applications to use the gpu to help render, so go read some more before posting.

 

[Keeper]

i'm confuzzled now.... so whats better - my current p45 mobo or a x38?

i would want 2 x 4870x2's to run at 16X, otherwise it's kind of a waste...

 

[dudewotevr]

x38? dude i don't think they make those boards anymore since p45 came out but i may be wrong.

Dudewoter or whatever i think you should go read a bit more as the new drivers will enable certain applications to use the gpu to help render, so go read some more before posting.

Cool, let's talk more once the official reviews are out then.

 

[Keeper]

x38? dude i don't think they make those boards anymore since p45 came out but i may be wrong.

err...well, i'm not finding any x38 mobo's on rectrons pricelist, only X48 and X58 but they are just too expensive R3500 - R4500.

 

[killadoob]

Yea keeper i am almost positive x38 has been discontinued for p45 and x48.

 

[dudewotevr]

i'm confuzzled now.... so whats better - my current p45 mobo or a x38?

i would want 2 x 4870x2's to run at 16X, otherwise it's kind of a waste...

If you're actually going to get the second X2 then you'll probably want the 16x16 offered by the x38/x48 etc.
The difference between 16x16 and 8x8 isn't night and day, bt if you really do upgrade your CPU, then I'll take it you'll want to max out everything you can.
You seem like you're going for ULTIMATE, so I can see you regretting not getting a board that supports 16x16.

 

[killadoob]

Yes but those 16 x 16 are pci1 right? the 8 x 8 is pcie2 so i would imagine the difference is not worth the extra money at the end of the day.

Kinda like buying ddr 3 over ddr 2 for alot more and 1-3% gain.

 

[dudewotevr]

Yea keeper i am almost positive x38 has been discontinued for p45 and x48.

Well here's 1:

http://www.landmarkpc.co.za/store/a...core2-core2extreme-intel-x38ich9r-p-1294.html

bt yes, they're on their way out. P45 doesn't do 16x16. So next one up is x48, which is invariably more expensive. So if I were him and definately wanted 16x16, then I'd snap up one of the x38s.

 

[Keeper]

well by the time i get the second 4870X2 (which will be in a pretty long time) and it doesn't perform as needed, i'll be able to pick up a much better mobo for much less than R3500. my budget is around R12,000, so a 4870X2 and that mobo would basically cost almost my whole budget, nevermind case, cpu, ram and PSU.

R3500 for a mobo is just too much for me, at THIS point in time.

 

[amaedict]

I still think anybody upgrading or buying new right now should hold off a month or so and see what happens between AMD and Intel next year.

I know everyone doesnt expect AMD to make any headway, but remember what happened between ATI and nvidia, it took one good release from ATI to practicly put nvidia almost out of bussiness, ATI/AMD has a nack for coming out of nowhere when no one expects them too....

If AMd's new chip is crap then atleast the time wasted waiting would not really be a waist since prices would have come down of the new Icore7, and if AMd does release a killer CPu then you would get it for cheaper than any intel, so either way you save money.

 

[killadoob]

3k for a mobo? damn thats rubbish i would rather have a 1.5k mobo with a better cpu than an expensive mobo and smaller cpu.

Dude ati has not even come close to putting nvidia out of business, it takes amd needing a dual card to compete with nvidia's single card 280, now imagine when they release a 280 x 2, it will take amd's 4870x2 and stomp on it.

 

[dudewotevr]

3k for a mobo? damn thats rubbish i would rather have a 1.5k mobo with a better cpu than an expensive mobo and smaller cpu.
QUOTE]

Yes so would I, but he expressed interest and I obliged, that's all.

 

[Keeper]

Can you guys suggest what upgrades you would do with R12,000?

Mobo:
CPU:
3D Card:
RAM:
PSU:
Case:

 

[dudewotevr]

I still think anybody upgrading or buying new right now should hold off a month or so and see what happens between AMD and Intel next year.

I know everyone doesnt expect AMD to make any headway, but remember what happened between ATI and nvidia, it took one good release from ATI to practicly put nvidia almost out of bussiness, ATI/AMD has a nack for coming out of nowhere when no one expects them too....

If AMd's new chip is crap then atleast the time wasted waiting would not really be a waist since prices would have come down of the new Icore7, and if AMd does release a killer CPu then you would get it for cheaper than any intel, so either way you save money.

Well, ..I would wait at least a little bit, even if it's jst for the currency to settle down a bit more. It's a curious anomaly that current prices still haven't deterred anybody.
ATI has gained serious ground, but it's not quite dramatic as you make it sound. They had problems with the GTX260/280 being too expensive to build, and low-yields, faulty chips etc.

3k for a mobo? damn thats rubbish i would rather have a 1.5k mobo with a better cpu than an expensive mobo and smaller cpu.

Dude ati has not even come close to putting nvidia out of business, it takes amd needing a dual card to compete with nvidia's single card 280, now imagine when they release a 280 x 2, it will take amd's 4870x2 and stomp on it.

Not out of business, but they've had to do some re-shuffling, lay-offs etc., but as I said, it's not only because of AMD/ATI.

 

[killadoob]

It has nothing to do with ATI, its the world recession, meaning less are buying cards, less profit etc.

Mobo: gigabyte p45/asus p45
CPU: q6600 because damn pricing has gone up alot/q9450 if possible
3D Card: 4870 or 4850 because seriously do you need a 7k gpu?
RAM: 4-6 gig ddr 2
PSU: gigabyte 550 or higher
Case: this would depend on your cooling needs, if your not going to overclock get a case under 1k, if your going to overclock i would go for the coolermaster haf 932

 

[dudewotevr]

Can you guys suggest what upgrades you would do with R12,000?

Mobo: Asus, Gigabyte etc. I wouldn't pay much more than R2k. P45.

CPU: Quadcore (best you can afford and then OC to a nice stable, lowish voltage, 24/7 setting)

3D Card: You seem set on the 4870X2

RAM: 4GB DDR2-800

PSU: (If you plan on gettign a second X2 then something like a Corsair/ Coolermaster etc. =/<700W

Case: I'll leave that up to the other fellas to advise you, since I'm perfectly happy with my Raidmax Sagitta, and they often seem to get frowned upon by some people.