Well, i'm building myself a new computer here, and i got a bit confused when i come to the motherboard and RAM part..

 

 

 

i'm choosing this motherboard for my new i7 processor:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128374

 

 

 

and these DDR3 RAMs that go with it

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227365

 

 

 

well... on the motherboard spec page, it says the Memory Standard is DDR3 2100+/1333...i'm not really sure what that means... does it mean the frequency is either going to be at 1333 or higher than 2100 or something? Or does it mean the minimum is 1333, and you can go higher from that...Not really sure what that "/" means here...

 

 

 

and i also found this RAM

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227388

 

which is basically pretty much the same spec except it have a XMP, and it's more expensive. I don't really understand what does the XMP do..does it help a lot when it comes to gaming?

 

 

 

and i noticed on Gigabyte's website, it says "According to Intel spec definition that XMP DIMMs and DDR3-1600 above are supported for one DIMM per channel only". I learned this means you can only put 1 RAM stick into one slot..but how do you put more than one RAM stick into one slot anyway...?

oh..and just 1 additional question... will this power supply work with a GTX 280?

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817371025

 

 

 

I know a GTX 280 need a minimum of 40A on the 12V. But does that mean a total of 40A on all 12V outputs or 40A on a SINGLE 12V output?

Sell me your Q66? You could easily overclock that cpu to 3.5ghz with some good air cooling. And i7 isn't really something you need for gaming...

 

XMP just got a bit better timings generally. Psu will work fine... If you already got a gtx280 - ok, but if you're thinking of buying one right now... Don't. You can usually get gtx285 for the same money. And also the fact that DX11 cards will come (if all goes as planned) in october.

Thank you for your reply

 

 

 

well again, i'm using a prebuild computer, so overclocking is out of the question. But even if overclock is available, if i want to keep the Q6600 for overclock and get a graphic card upgrade, i would have to upgrade motherboard, upgrade tower, upgrade RAM, upgrade power supply, upgrade CPU cooler, upgrade video card and at the end, it's like getting a new computer...just for keeping that Q6600. So i'd just go for a i7 processor with more room to upgrade, might be a little over power right now, but you never know 1 year later.....The computer with Q6600 i'm using now will most likely go to the study room, to upgrade the current crappy one in there with a Pentium 4 processor, which freezes very often, and crash a lot.

 

 

 

and about the GTX 285...the normal ones are around $80 more than the GTX 280 on newegg...are you sure they are the same price?

 

 

 

this one is GTX 280 for $244

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130492

 

 

 

and the cheapest GTX 285 i found is $269, and it's recertified with lots of bad reviews.....

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130488

 

 

 

and since DX10 is not even popular right now, i can't think of DX11 being popular right away...most games are still DX9. So i might just stick with DX10...

 

 

 

and about the RAM with the motherboard, so will they fit? I didn't see you mention that on your post...and thanks for explaining the XMP

I see.

 

 

 

I was just guessing about the GTX280/5, since in my country they are around the same price so i just figured it's probably the same in other countries too.

 

Well, graphically the difference between DX9 and 10 isn't big, but 10 is easier for devlopers to work with. And just because DX10 didn't hit big, doesn't mean DX11 will go down the same. DX11 will arrive in october... I would never in my life invest in a 250$ card with such a short while left, and DX11 will come to both Vista and Win7 - Which is another reason for DX10 not being big, it never came to XP for various reasons.

 

But it's your money.

 

Yes the ram is correct.

 

And i hope you are getting an aftermarket cooler to the 920 (i'm guessing it's the one you'll buy) since it will constantly run at around 60-70c with load on stock cooler.

 

Also, on which resolution will you play?

yes, i'm getting this aftermarket cooler for the 920, since i'm going to OC it.

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835103055

 

 

 

however, i know from the reviews that the size of this one can be a problem in a lot of the cases, so i'm still looking for a nicely priced full ATX tower case that will fit this with no problem.

 

 

 

I was looking at this case, but then from the review i learned it will not fit that cooler, might have to change the side fan, which i'm not so good at..

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811133021

 

 

 

Then i saw this, which is a perfect fit for the cooler, and i love the design, but more expensive than the one above.. If i go with this case, the price of the tower will go to $1530 with rebate...I'm hoping to keep it at $1400 ish..

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119138

 

 

 

About the DX11, It might be a bigger hit than the DX10 games, but I'd say every single game i play right now is still DX9(some support DX10, but all support DX9)..I don't see the point of waiting for the DX11 since for games to get adapted to it will take some time, i think only new games will use DX11, and i don't think they will completely erase DX9/DX10 support when they use DX11 for the game(Hopefully not..., or lots of people are gonna go mad). Plus, I need a card anyway...my computer currently with the 8500GT is only scoring 2600 on 3Dmark, and it's killing me big time playing games..

 

 

 

I think the only reason it's not coming to XP is cuz XP is not going to be supported anymore by 2010.

 

 

 

and i mainly play on 1440x900, since that's the max resolution my monitor supports.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not a pro at building systems, but this is the spec i'm gonna go with: do you think it's good for the price? If not any suggestions on lowering the price?

 

 

 

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115202

 

CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835103055

 

RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820227365

 

Hard drive(x2): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136284 ( The reason i'm going for so big on the hard drive is that i already ate up 720GB of hard drive in 6 month, so i'm just gonna go with a total of 2TB for more storage)

 

Graphic card : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130492

 

Motherboard : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128374

 

Case(3 choices) :

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811133021 (Don't really like the design, don't fit perfectly with the cooler, however good reviews and good cooling)

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119138 ( Perfect design, perfect cooling, i love it, a bit expensive tho...)

 

 

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811146029 ( Love the design, nice cooling, bad reviews about cables inside the tower)

 

 

 

power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817371025

 

DVD drive : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827140034

 

wireless card : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833127075

 

 

 

 

 

sorry for the long post...

Lol, that cooler looks like a small engine.

 

I advice on this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835608002 , really great cooler. Together with the Ultra 120 extreme, they are among the best.

 

You can get a free socket 1366 bracket from Noctua if you email them to verify your purchase.

 

So until you decide, i'll wait to reply on cases.

 

 

 

I know you have the 8500gt, but i still argue that it's worth the 2month wait. I'd want someone else too, to tell you that you should wait.

 

 

 

XP didn't get DX11 because (i think) it was very difficult to implement it (impossible due to the kernel?) and it would have halted sales of Vista greatly. It's supported until 2014.

 

 

 

And 1440x900 with GTX280... Seriously?

 

I got a damn 4670 and i play at that resolution, with AA/AS turned on various games (Assassins Creed e.g.) without a problem. A GTX280 for this resolution is just dumb. Waste of money honestly. If you had 1920x1080 or so, i would have understood, but at 1440x900 it's just a waste of money. 9800gt/4770 or 4850/9800gtx+ (gts250) would do the job as good for alot less money.

 

 

 

I would perhaps get a Samsung F1 spinpoint instead, they seem to be liked. But WD is great too, should be good.

 

Even tho i said i wasn't gonna advice on a case, i'd probably go for the Antec 900/2. Cosmos is great, but a bit more expensive.

 

Good price on the psu for what you get!

 

 

 

Sorry if i sound a bit like an [wagon], but i really must question your graphics card decision.

I'd like to play on higher, but that's the max resolution my monitor atm supports. It's just a 19" monitor, so can't really expect more of it..

 

But i am expecting a monitor upgrade to a 24" one which will support higher resolutions(ie. 1920x1080 or higher) sometimes after the computer is done, but as of now i just don't have the budget to upgrade the monitor.

 

 

 

I'll thinking about the case and the fan, thank you for your reply...

 

 

 

but if i wait for the DX11 thing to come out, it would be then VERY close to the 32NM core i7 CPU to come out, then i would have to wait on that lol... But according to intel they are planning to producing it in late Nov... then it's gonna take a month for the price to cool down,so basically that means i would have to upgrade my computer next year >.<

 

 

 

but...i'll think about it....hard decision, lol that means im stuck with this crap for another 6 month...

You don't have to wait for 32nm cpu's. The 45nm are very good.

 

Besides, 920 - 950 will be killed off by Intel. So in your reasoning you'd have to fork out about 500$ for a new cpu, since they'll stop producing the 920. Get the 920 while you still can.

 

Difference between 45nm and 32nm won't be huge anyway. I'm only telling you to wait on the gpu side until october to grab a brand new card 'cause of the DX11 arrival (yes i know it will take a bit of time for games to support it, but i'm saying it again... I personally would wait the 2 months.).

 

Just clock your 8500gt til it's edge for 2 months or grab a cheaper card for now (like a 4850) and then get a high-end card when you feel like it. But do as you want.

 

 

 

Edit: Ehh, why did i say 2 months? October isn't in 2 months lol... Damn i need coffee.