PC Setup

[Jive18]

Alright, I'm nearly done with my aftermarket upgrades on my XPS 410. Within 2 weeks, here's what my setup will look like (considering my orders go smoothly):

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo e6300 @ 1.8 ghz (no oc for now)
Motherboard - An Intel proprietary board; Intel P965/G965 chipset
RAM - 2x1GB G.Skill HK - DDR2 800, 4-4-3-5 timings, Dual Channel
GPU - Nvidia 8800GTS 640mb (EVGA or MSI if the latter becomes available on Newegg)
PSU - Corsair 520HX - 520 watt, three 12v rails
HDD - 1 Western Digital Caviar 250GB @ 7200 rpm
Optical Drive - Sony DVD-RW
Case - XPS 410 chassis (duh)
Fans - 2, possibly 3, including a Silverstone FM121 for my CPU's heatsink
Peripherals - Logitech G5 (new style), Logitech X-540 5.1 set, basic Dell keyboard

How long should I expect for this setup to handle current games/apps before I need a considerable overhaul? I figure that around Christmas I will want to upgrade my case and mobo simply for overclocking, but other than that I don't see anything necessary until next year. I also thought about a Vantec Tornado fan with a controller, but I think it might be overkill for my relatively cool system. This should handle DirectX10 for some time (or at least I would hope so).

Suggestions appreciated as always, thanks all.

~ Jive

[DurakkenX]

I don't see Win Vista so it's already outdated!

[HUnewearl_Meira]

Alternatively, the absence of Windows Vista may be precisely his goal.

[Jive18]

My bad, I'm running Vista Home Premium. If I had been given a choice at the time, I would've simply went with XP Professional.

[Sekani]

Since you're running Vista, I'd strongly recommend another 2GB of RAM. Also, reviews of the E6300 have claimed overclock speeds in excess of 2.5 GHz with stock cooling, which you may find interesting should you decide to go that route.

I'd also get a bigger/second hard drive, but depending on what you do with your machine you may not need it.

But with the extra RAM you probably won't be hurting for another major upgrade for at least two or three years. I'm no prophet, so don't crucify me if I'm wrong.

[Blitzkommando]

An extra 2GB of RAM would only be wise if you are running a 64-bit version of Vista. Otherwise the 32-bit will only detect somewhere around 3GB, if that. Still, with as much RAM as games take up along with Vista I'd encourage you to check out the 64-bit version (along with the extra memory) as I imagine more games are going to break the 2GB mark and some games will use the extra memory.

The E6300 is a great processor, although you might consider the E6320 as it has double the cache at... no cost difference. The extra cache can help with a lot of multimedia tasks and in general with any small footprint but very processor intensive tasks.

Also, I'm not too familiar with the Dell cases but you might consider a different cooler if you are considering overclocking in the future. While not all Core 2 Duos are great at overclocking (and some steppings have been downright pitiful) most are able to go rather far using stock voltages. Still, all that extra stress and power usage adds some heat. Depending on how silent you want the system, and how much you want to overclock, you might consider something like the Zalman 9500 for a very nice cooler that is very quiet or the Tuniq Tower or Thermaltake Big Typhoon (both of which are monsters) for absolutely incredible aircooling (on par with mid-quality watercooling setups) and really not too much sound due to the large 120mm fans.

A setup like that should handle games very well for the next two years or so unless the G90/R700 end up going through another leap in performance like the 8800s did over the 7900s. Also, the next generation of DirectX 10 parts could be here as soon as September (although I'm betting on a November release for the G90, just like how the G80 was last November and the G70 October before that). Games are becoming more and more multi-threaded and if companies like Valve and Epic have their way gamers will be using quad or oct-core machines by 2009 for really amazing detail in the environments, physics, and AI.

Something to keep in mind is that Intel is having absolutely massive price cuts on July 11th. The Q6600 (quad-core variant of the E6600) for instance is dropping to $266 and a new E6850 will come in at 3GHz with a 1333 FSB at the same price. Also, AMD is releasing their parts in August according to the latest release and, at least from the spec sheets and prelimenary reports, could very well bring the ball back in their court.

[VioletSkye]

Actually all versions of Vista 32bit will recognize upto 4GB of RAM. However I should point out that if the motherboard itself doesn't support more than 2GB, it won't matter either way.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: VioletSkye on 2007-06-02 12:36 ]</font>

[Jive18]

Yeah, 4 GB would not be all that helpful unless I upgrade to 64 bit Ultimate.

Norvekh - the heatsink that I have on my e6300 is quite good, even though I don't happen to know the exact brand of it. As long as I upgrade to the Silverstone 120mm, it should definitely have enough air blowing the heat away to keep my oc'ing productive. I'm actually most concerned with the temps that my 8800GTS might give off, so I'm looking into getting some extra air cooling on top of the already huge heatsink on the card.

I did consider the Q6600 when I heard of the price drop, but quads just seem like overkill for the next year or two. I love that e6850 though, and maybe I'll get a mobo with a 1333 FSB to support it. That cpu is going to be an absolute beast.

Skye/Troy - Yeah, I do have room for another 2 GB, but the two HK sticks I have now are plenty enough for me.

Thanks all.

~ Jive