Finally about ready. New Comp.

I stated before I haven't been keeping up on the latest hardware for the last 2 years so I honestly didn't know about new cards. I can say now I most likely wouldn't have waited anyway as I most likely couldn't afford the latest anyway.

But thanks for the help & food for thought.

 

Ok. So here again I will see what the verdict is on this route. Although now I would have to build the system & do the mail in rebates.

*Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
*PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
*Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core
*XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler.
*Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
*Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3320613AS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive.
*2 MSI NX8800GT 512M OC GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI.
*LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DH-20A4P-04
*ASUS P5N-D LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard.
*Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional PCI Express.
*Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English.

Subtotal: $1,453.88 before mail in rebates.
Shipping: $16.98

Grand Total $1,470.86

I may wait till the new cards, & I may not. So surely this is better? Is the XFI sound card pointless in Vista? I heard of Vista issues with sound though I don't know myself.

 

Would the XFI still free up the CPU a bit on Vista64?

 

Hmm. I would think every little bit helps. But like I've said I am just going off what I know from the past & try to play instant catchup.

 

So would a E8400 be a better buy for gaming right now as that's all I am really interested in?

Edit: Couple other questions. Is PCI-Express x16 & x8 basically like AGP x16 & x8 were in speed (no real difference)? Does anyone have any thoughts on the MSI P7N Diamond?

 

Well I know there is more to an X-FI then freeing up CPU (used Creative ever since the original Sound Blaster Live). But I was more asking about the issue with Vista. Reading yesterday I found out that Vista doesn't allow direct access to the hardware so DirectX & EAX are supposedly not used. So aside from better quality sound which can be offered from other cards there is freeing CPU cycles.

Anyway. Here is what I ordered.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $67.99

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $149.99

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model $22.99

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler $36.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit $99.99

CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model $109.00

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor $189.99

Rosewill R5601-BK 0.8mm Japanese Cold Rolled Steel Screw-less Dual 120mm Fans ATX Mid Tower Computer Case$54.99

Dual EVGA 512 GeForce 8800GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported $359.98 ($179.99 ea)

MSI P7N Diamond LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard with SoundBlaster X-Fi Extreme Audio $249.99

Subtotal $1,341.90
Tax $0.00
UPS 3 DAYS $25.17
Rush Processing $3.99
Order Total $1,371.06

I did read the reviews for the GTX 280 & 260 as well as I seen the price. I can't afford the 280 & the 260 was a little more then Dual 8800GT's. I stayed with the 8800GT's because I can pass one of each down to my twin boys at a later date & they are pretty cheap as well as currently available. Went with the E8400 to save a little $ & also seems about 80% of the reviews I looked at yesterday a Core 2 Duo is being used, either Extreme or not.

Thanks for the help. I used some advice where I could to fit my wallet. Ended up building which I didn't want to do but it should only take me an hour & I guess its good to be very familiar with your comp.

 

Ok. Got all my stuff today & now I have an issue. Computer is totally put together properly as best I can tell. I get power but no post or any sort of signal to the monitor. I've tried both v-cards & just one. I've also tried the 4 & 6 pin cpu power connectors. The power LED, HDD LED, Speaker & so on all seem to be connected properly. I have green LED lights for the mem slots & the only red lights are for the HDD which isn't formated & the Standby LED. No idea why the standby would be red when I've turned on. With the PCIE 1, 3, & 4 LED's reporting functional.

Totally at a loss here. No beeps when I power on either. Any idea's?

Edit: This has to be the worste manual I have ever received with a Mobo as well.

 

Not exactly sure how the CPU couldn't be seated correctly. It only goes in one way. I tried both the 4 plug & 8 plug CPU power cables & the same result. I got an RMA for the mobo but does anyone think it isn't the mobo?

Edit: Btw, I really hate the way the 775 HSF connects to the mobo. I much more prefer the AMD style. At least the way mine connects. Seat & lock the swing arm & all done.

 

Ok. I got another mobo & I got the comp running. New issues though I hope someone can help with. The mobo is a EVGA 680i. For some reason the computer will not reboot on its own. I have to power the tower off with the power button & in order to get the comp to start back up I have to turn off the PSU, then unplug the power, wait a few seconds, plug back in the power, switch the PSU on & then hit the on button. Seems none of the LED's are working but I made sure I plugged in the cables the way it said to.

Any idea's?

Edit: Link to mobo. http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=122-CK-NF67-T1&family=Motherboard Family

 

Heck I just got Vista 64 installed & am trying to figure out why the comp will not start properly let alone reboot or shut down.