E8600 Or Q9650

[Guest simjunkie]

Go for the Q9650, motherboard as below, 2 x 2GB DDR2 RAM and the GTX260 Core 216 (do not buy the original non core 216).Make sure you have a decent power supply unit - 550W minimum is what I would look at for this setup. 750W would be better if and when you get to overclocking. Please shout if you need PSU suggestions. Choice of DDR2 RAM is important - what you want is low latency (4 or 5) pretty much above all else. OCZ, Mushkin, Corsair. Others here can give you much more specific suggestions no doubt.If I was personally buying a DDR2 motherboard today I would most probably go with the Gigabyte X48-DQ6:http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/gigabyte_x48dq6/The Asus Rampage Formula, as suggested, is certainly well worth a look. Here are some reviews on it: http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3208 http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/as...ampage_formula/I recommend you build yourself - it's not rocket science. Before your OS re-install check out http://www.tweakguides.com/TGTC.html and the Vista Guide.

Ditto on this. All those parts are winners. I have these Mushkins:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820146789They're running DDR2 1128 @2.1v right now.I wouldn't get anything less than a 750 watt psu with a continuous rating. The PCP&C Silencer 750 is a great unit. A 1000 Watt unit might be better if you want to spend the extra $$I have an 8800 Ultra but I'd be very interested in the GTX260 (216) or GTX280, especially with the new 180.48 drivers.The Q9650 @ 4+GHz rules everything but an overclocked i7. That Q9 is a cool running screamer.I have the Asus rampage formula but Gigabyte are great boards too. The X48-DQ6 should be a fine board. I had a P35-DS4 and it, like my current rampage, was rock solid and forgiving.I can vouch for almost that whole list of parts as being solid choices.-jk

[Guest simjunkie]

I read that thread started by Nick_N. It focuses on o/clocking the i7. Sadly, at the moment, o/clocking is beyond me. Memory speeds, latencies and FSB settings make my eyes glaze over. Do I need to know all that to build a system which will allow me to run FSX and FS9 well? I can adjust the BIOS if someone tells me the best settings for a particular combination of mobo, CPU and DDR3. But I cannot work all that out for myself - I haven't the background or the knowledge. I want advice on choosing components which will work well together to deliver significantly improved performance over what I have at the moment. The British pound has disappeared down the toilet so more than ever I want bang for buck! Will the i7 give it me? Thanks again, and apologies if I have missed something obvious. John

It hurt my brain when I started learning it too. You just gotta stick with it, ask questions and get advice from guys like Nick and others, and buy good, strong parts so that when you set something wrong (and you will...we all do), you don't corrupt your HDDs. But it didn't take me long to get a handle on it and I'm not that smrt. :) At this time, even with an i7 system, overclocking is what's needed to really bring out the capabilities of FSX (+addons like UTX, GEX, FEX, AI, 5-10m mesh). For instance, try flying in New York under full autogen, scenery, and 8.0 LOD radius. The view is impressive but it will drag any system to it's knees. Still, having the right parts even if you're not overclocking will prepare you for when you do. -jk

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Anandtech has a new article out about buying RAM (both DDR2 and DDR3).http://www.anandtech.com/memory/showdoc.aspx?i=3476

[betelgeuse 41]

Thanks yet again, Konrad. I read it and apart from my new build (below) I'm very tempted to upgrade a couple of very old PCs with dual core/DDR2. The only possible problem is the number of IDE slots in newer mobos and my aging AGP graphics cards. My old PCs have two HDDs and a CD. New BuildIntel Core 2 Quad Q9650 LGA775 'Yorkfield' 3.0GHz 12MB-cache (1333FSB) Asus Rampage Formula Intel X48 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 (I chose this over the Gigabyte because of its CMOS reset switch - very handy if/when I start to o/c).OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-8500C5 1066MHz Reaper HPC Edition Dual Channel DDR2 (lat=5)EVGA GeForce GTX 260 "Core 216 Superclocked" 896MB GDDR3Coolermaster Real Power 850w Continuous Modular Power Supply - highly rated recently by Tom's HardwareAkasa Eclipse 62 Case with suitable fans etcZalman CNPS 9700 NT Ultra QuietWestern Digital Caviar Black 500GB SATA-II 32MB CacheBenQ V2400W 24" Widescreen HDMI/HDCP LCD HD Monitor

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Hi JohnNice components! Just one or two final thoughts:1. There is some talk about town that modular power supply units, due to all the extra metal to metal connectors, may experience increased resistance and that they may degrade faster over time when compared to non-modular PSU's. Furthermore the Coolermaster you mention has 6 12V rails rated at a max of (only) 18 amps each. Again there are potential disadvantages to this type of configuration when compared to a single 12V rail at say 60 amps. If I were you I would take a hard look at the PCPower & Cooling Silencer 750W - this non-modular single 12V rail PSU has a very good reputation in all the right places and it is priced very well. The PCPower & Cooling website also has more specific info about the above two "issues".2. I use the Zalman CNPS9700NT with my Q9450 and I must say that the performance, whilst certainly acceptable, can be a bit underwhelming when pushing the CPU. The Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme is a better cooler at a similar price. Or look to Noctua if you want something really special.3. I am not familiar with the case - the only potential concern is whether the GTX260 will fit in there? It's a pretty lengthy card! Some older cases have hard drive bays in the front lower section and the fit may be tight. Good to make sure beforehand...Enjoy it!

[betelgeuse 41]

Thanks again, Konrad.The PC Power & Cooling PSUs have a reputation for being noisy. My present system has left me with a constant ringing in my ears...even hours after. So, Quiet is King! Well almost. Of course the PSU must deliver sufficient current and I was a bit alarmed to read that only 18 amps would be available from each of the Coolermaster 850's six 12V rails. How did you work this out? Resistance varies. Maybe I am missing something obvious. I considered the Thermalright Ultra 120 and also the Noctua. I was put off both by the need to buy separate 120 mm fans. It wasn't clear from any of the sites I visited just how these fans were to be connected - to the heatsink or to the mobo around the heatsink? There was a mention somewhere of clips - again to be bought separately. Confused? I was! Similarly, it is not clear from where these fans would draw current? Motherboard? Or PSU directly? And finally, whether they would fit into the case. In all of this I've assumed these fans are additional to the 120 mm case fans. The Zalman HSF seemed a more straightforward solution. I've used Zalmans with AMDs in the past and never had a problem with overheating. The Akasa case is large and very wide. I am aware that the GTX260 is around 10.5 inches long. Fingers crossed!John

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"The PC Power & Cooling PSUs have a reputation for being noisy."Only when above 90% load - how often you gonna be there - if ever? I have this PSU and I cannot hear it above the Zalman CNPS9700 and my 9800GTX."Of course the PSU must deliver sufficient current and I was a bit alarmed to read that only 18 amps would be available from each of the Coolermaster 850's six 12V rails. How did you work this out?" I have tried to verify this but am not 100% sure myself. The sticker from the 850W non-modular version for this PSU clearly shows 6 x 12v @ 18 amps each. CPU3D.com say 6 x 12v with 4 @ 18 amps and 2 @ 28 amps... ?"I considered the Thermalright Ultra 120 and also the Noctua. I was put off both by the need to buy separate 120 mm fans." There is a new Thermalright eXtreme version which includes a 120mm fan already in the box. The Noctua comes with a top of the range 120mm fan already installed. Nothing out there will beat the Noctua for silent operation."It wasn't clear from any of the sites I visited just how these fans were to be connected - to the heatsink or to the mobo around the heatsink?"To the heatsink itself of course."There was a mention somewhere of clips - again to be bought separately. Confused? I was!"The Thermalright version without any fans has a clip system already included (2 sets in fact for a push-pull config). VERY easy to use. "Similarly, it is not clear from where these fans would draw current? Motherboard? Or PSU directly?"From your motherboard CPU fan header, like just about all other CPU coolers. "And finally, whether they would fit into the case." The Noctua no problem. Thermalright is a pretty tall cooler so best confirmed before you buy.

[betelgeuse 41]

It seems from this review on Overclockers Club that the Coolermaster Real Power 850 does not have a modular design - see Cons under Conclusions. http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/co...werpro850/3.htmI have little clue about electronics (30 years since I did Uni physics) but the bottom part of the table shows ampere ratings of up to 28A at +12V on two rails. The unit is apparently SLI certified by Nvidia which the review takes as meaning that it can drive two 8800GTX 768MB cards in SLI. If this is true is it not a good indication that it could drive a single GTX260 "Core 216"? I just do not know. For cooling I will go for the Noctua because of the built in fan and smaller height. I have to say that for Thermalrite to advertise a Heatsink/Fan without a fan is a mite confusing. Thanks again, Konrad, for your patience and sound advice.

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There are two models of the Coolermaster 850W as far as I can tell - the modular and non-modular one. They seem to both have 6x12V rails but the modular one has 2 of these 6 rails at 28 amps as opposed to all 6 at 18 amps. There is no doubt that the Coolermaster 850W will be just fine for the GTX260 (it will be fine with two of them as well I am sure). I am personally not a fan of these multi rail PSU's - a single powerful 12V rail with enough amps to go where they are needed just sounds most logical to me. Another not so obvious benefit of the PCPower & Cooling Silencer range is the use of only a single 80mm fan which allows for much more direct airflow inside the PSU and leaves more internal vertical space for bigger/better components and bigger heatsinks etc. The only draw back, as you already know, is that at 90%+ load you will hear the 80mm fan pretty clearly. But as mentioned, when will you be at 90%+ load? Most probably never. The idea with the Thermalright with no fans included in the box is so that you can choose your own fan (or two) to use depending on what you want to achieve (very high cfm at high dba for benchmarking, or less cfm at lower dba etc). All fan mounts are pretty much standardised so any off the shelf 120mm fan can be used. Make sure you also buy yourself some decent thermal grease and that you use it correctly. A great article on this topic: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=38

[betelgeuse 41]

Okay, you win! I ordered the 750W PC Cooling and Power and also the Noctua. Just out of interest, I mailed Coolermaster. They admitted that the Real Power 850W in modular version was unsuitable for the GTX260 "216". They recommended the Real Power 900W or 1000W but that did not seem to take into account the additional demands of overclocking the CPU. Thanks again, Konrad.

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I am very surprised to hear what Cooler Master admitted to you about their 850W PSU - if they reckon that it is not suitable for a single GTX260 then it is a totally useless PSU that should not exist on the market. In my experience anything above a decent 750W is mostly overkill (even for dual GPU's and an overclocked Quad Core) and given the way the world is moving with regards to power efficiency I struggle to realistically see a future for mainstream 900W+ PSU's.Once all setup be sure to drop us a note about how it performs!

[betelgeuse 41]

Cooler Master quotes

For the graphic card specification, it suggest is 900W PSU, so, we suggest you choice our 1000W (Real power pro 1000w or Real power M1000). Thanks!

I'll drop a note when I'm up and running. All the best.J