Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Bulding new PC, ~$4000, component questions, etc

Atomic Pinkie · 08-06-2006, 11:03 PM

Thoughts:

First off, grats on your ambitions for the 6800 Extreme! It outperforms the FX2 by 30% (tomshardware.com), you'll definitely be a happy camper.

As an owner of the X-Fi, there are a few things you'll want to ask yourself: Do you plan on watching movies? Do you enjoy supreme gaming sound? Have you thought of recording/transferring sound from/to your PC?

The X-Fi has a lot of features, each model DOES perform differently, with the Fatatlity line being geared directly for gaming. However, part of the price you'll be paying is for technology that has yet to be fully embraced by the game development community. (The onboard RAM). Furthermore, some games require additional patches to work correctly with the X-Fi cards. Finally, I'd highly suggest increasing your speaker quality. You're getting a card that can decode many high quality formats, so please, get speakers that can play them! To those suggesting something along the lines of an Audigy 2, that is what I upgraded from, there is quite a large difference between the two products.

Memory: If you're not overclocking, you don't need super top-of-the-line, however, quality does make a difference. (i didn't copy and paste your link, sorry!)

Heat: Overclocking tends to bring the heat up, however, benchmarking tests revealed that you can push the x6800 pretty far without altering the stock coolers. What the heat situation will come down to is how well you're ventilated. However, if you find yourself burning up, aftermarket cooling products are all over the place. I really don't feel you'll have a problem unless you're fiddling with voltages, etc.

Phys-x Card: I would hold off on purchasing one of these, both Nvidia and ATI are working on new physics related number crunchers.

If you're looking to spend a large sum of money on a new rig, your intentions should always be towards longevity. This means aiming for the solid performers in the upper echelon of components. However, this does not mean buy the most expensive thing you can find, as we all know that price != quality, it just seems that way at times.

In closing, keep in mind that high end gear is mostly marketed towards gamers, who really don't care about the sound their case is making, as long as its fast. Sure, there are those who do care, the majority however, do not. You may run into a situation where your great product makes your computer sound like a turbine engine. Especially if you have multiple fans on the PSU! Research, research, research!

Here are a two websites that I frequent for research:

anandtech.com
tomshardware.com

Tom's Hardware has a very extensive database of benchmarking tests ranging from DivX encoding times, 3Dmark scores, to actual in game FPS, along with temperature data. They also have a damn fine breakdown of why the new Conroe chipsets pounce AMD.

Good luck, can't wait to see pics!

08-06-2006, 11:03 PM	#18 (permalink)
Atomic Pinkie Addict Location: Chicago	Thoughts: First off, grats on your ambitions for the 6800 Extreme! It outperforms the FX2 by 30% (tomshardware.com), you'll definitely be a happy camper. As an owner of the X-Fi, there are a few things you'll want to ask yourself: Do you plan on watching movies? Do you enjoy supreme gaming sound? Have you thought of recording/transferring sound from/to your PC? The X-Fi has a lot of features, each model DOES perform differently, with the Fatatlity line being geared directly for gaming. However, part of the price you'll be paying is for technology that has yet to be fully embraced by the game development community. (The onboard RAM). Furthermore, some games require additional patches to work correctly with the X-Fi cards. Finally, I'd highly suggest increasing your speaker quality. You're getting a card that can decode many high quality formats, so please, get speakers that can play them! To those suggesting something along the lines of an Audigy 2, that is what I upgraded from, there is quite a large difference between the two products. Memory: If you're not overclocking, you don't need super top-of-the-line, however, quality does make a difference. (i didn't copy and paste your link, sorry!) Heat: Overclocking tends to bring the heat up, however, benchmarking tests revealed that you can push the x6800 pretty far without altering the stock coolers. What the heat situation will come down to is how well you're ventilated. However, if you find yourself burning up, aftermarket cooling products are all over the place. I really don't feel you'll have a problem unless you're fiddling with voltages, etc. Phys-x Card: I would hold off on purchasing one of these, both Nvidia and ATI are working on new physics related number crunchers. If you're looking to spend a large sum of money on a new rig, your intentions should always be towards longevity. This means aiming for the solid performers in the upper echelon of components. However, this does not mean buy the most expensive thing you can find, as we all know that price != quality, it just seems that way at times. In closing, keep in mind that high end gear is mostly marketed towards gamers, who really don't care about the sound their case is making, as long as its fast. Sure, there are those who do care, the majority however, do not. You may run into a situation where your great product makes your computer sound like a turbine engine. Especially if you have multiple fans on the PSU! Research, research, research! Here are a two websites that I frequent for research: anandtech.com tomshardware.com Tom's Hardware has a very extensive database of benchmarking tests ranging from DivX encoding times, 3Dmark scores, to actual in game FPS, along with temperature data. They also have a damn fine breakdown of why the new Conroe chipsets pounce AMD. Good luck, can't wait to see pics! __________________ Where dem bitches at?