memory type

[MrMxyzptlk]

I'm not going to get dragged into the Wide Open Hole of Hardware You Should Get morass, but....

[...]  for example, i have a motherboard that had 8gigs of DDR2 RAM [...]

Um, just WHAT do you expect to do with the heat from the extra GBs of RAM that you won't be using when you run Windoze on 8GBs of memory?  (See the appropriate "Physical Memory Limits:" for your Windows OS here.)

And if you're planning on running/building a 64-bit system, then you'll need to build one for which ALL IT'S COMPONENTS ARE 64-BIT COMPLIANT! [ Windows 64-bit FAQ ]

[carl]

oh boy things just got a lot more complicated.

according to the site you gave me, i can run vista ultimate 64 bit with a max of 128GB of memory.  i want 8gigs of RAM for two reasons.  the first is so games will run very faster (i think), and it looks cool on the motherboard, and a third reason is i can say to all my friends, "oh yea well i bet you don't have 8gigs of RAM."

as for heat well im not concerned about heat. (even though i plan on overclocking everything to the point of almost unstable)

and the site you gave me about trying to find out if the hardware was 64 bit compliant, i cant figure out the site.  so how do i know if my hardware is 64 bit compliant? 

[MrMxyzptlk]

FAQ for Windows 64-bit HW

and

skip down to here. (But there's other useful stuff on that page too....)

and

wikipedia stuff about Vista 64-bit editions that you should understand

and MOST OF ALL, READ THIS

In short: You need to get a 64-bit CPU chip AND a mobo that supports them (in addition to all the previous requirements, like PCI-E x16 slots, etc....)

This is why most people running a 64-bit OS are NOT getting 64-bit benefits, and install stuff like 8GB of memory into a 64-bit OS on a 32-bit chipset/mobo.... (Thus NOT using half of the RAM, EVER....)

[carl]

i understand that they need to support them, the benefits and non benefits of 64 bit, the ram usage, all of that stuff but i still don't know how to find out if the parts that i am getting are 64bit compliant.  im guessing they are because all of them are new parts.  i only need a MOBO, and a GPU and a processor.  the MOBO has a PCI 2.0 x16 slot and 3 other normal PCI slots, supports Intel core 2 duos.   

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125246 - the graphics card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131335 - the mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037 - processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116473 - os

do you think these will work.

thanks for all the help everyone, even though it makes stuff complicated i want a pc that works!

[Ediseye]

To sęs»: Wow, I haven't heard of that happening before. I'm very surprised to hear that the PCI-E x16 doesn't want to work with the PCI-E 2.0 x16 on the P5Q series. I was actually thinking about picking up a deluxe sometime early next year for a new build.

Mxy is right as far as the 8GB of RAM goes. Even if you don't overclock anything the heat from the STOCK voltages are probably going to give you some high temperatures with all 4 DIMMs filled up. Unless you're talking about the Corsair Dominator series, with the included RAM fan. But either way, I would not follow through with getting 8GB of RAM, even if you're going 64-bit OS. I'd personally stick to 4GB, maybe 6GB max right now. With what you're doing, there is no reason to have 8GB on board. Usually only video encoders or people who work HEAVILY with multimedia. You will also NOT be running games any faster if they only take up say 3GB of your RAM if you had 4GB. The other 4GB (Let's say your OS and programs use 1GB) would technically be unused to both the game and the operating system.

With the links that you posted, all of that hardware should work together, considering that you put it all together the right way.

(Mxy: good links by the way, worth the read)

[carl]

With the links that you posted, all of that hardware should work together, considering that you put it all together the right way.

lol im sure it cant be that hard.  just put the cards where they fit and where designated.  and i am still not concerned about heat.  besides what is heat going to do anyway?  perhaps i will rethink 8gigs of ram.  if anyone has any other tips just give em a post i will accecpt all the help i can get. 

next question.  i know how on the motherboard there is built on USB hubs on the back of the MOBO.  but on the case there is places for USB and headphones and mic and stuff like that in the front.  how do i get those front USB hubs and mic and headphone jacks to work.  is there a special cable or do they just magically work?

thanks for all the help guys. 

[Ediseye]

With the links that you posted, all of that hardware should work together, considering that you put it all together the right way.

lol im sure it cant be that hard.  just put the cards where they fit and where designated.  and i am still not concerned about heat.  besides what is heat going to do anyway?  perhaps i will rethink 8gigs of ram.  if anyone has any other tips just give em a post i will accecpt all the help i can get. 

next question.  i know how on the motherboard there is built on USB hubs on the back of the MOBO.  but on the case there is places for USB and headphones and mic and stuff like that in the front.  how do i get those front USB hubs and mic and headphone jacks to work.  is there a special cable or do they just magically work?

thanks for all the help guys. 

By the right way, i mean by not having any static charge built up while you build the computer. Not forcing any part into place. Plugging in the power supply cords to the correct ports on your devices, etc.

With the front ports, you need to look on the motherboard. With the picture that you posted, it's going to be on the right side where the USB ports connect to. This will allow these to work. The green area, circled in a pinkish color, is where your audio cords plug into.

[carl]

wow.  thanks!! i must say you know quite the wealth of information.  now one more question.  (hopefully you dont mind)

i would like a RAID 0 configuration.  i know for this you need two hard drives.  now would RAID 0 be a wise choice or should i go with a standard 7300RPM 500gb hard drive. 

[Ediseye]

Sure, you could go for a RAID 0, which would increase performance. But if I were you, I'd just pick out a hard drive that has 32MB of cache, 7,200 RPM obviously. It'll run quick, though I'm not sure how quick compared to a RAID 0setup, because I don't have a RAID setup in any of my computers. But with what you're using as far as hardware goes, one with 32MB of cache would be perfect in terms of performance.

If you do decide to just go with one hard drive, maximums speed would be obtained from one with 32MB of cache. So maybe go with a Western Digital Black drive, or a Seagate Barracuda drive.

[carl]

ok if one hard drive will perofre just fine then i think i will save some money and go for one hard drive.  now as far as power supplies go. 

do you think 1000W will be enough to run this computer. 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817189016

[Ediseye]

1000W is FAR TOO MUCH than what you need. And that's no joke at all.

You can get away with a 450W PSU on there, so aim for maybe a 500W or a 600W. The higher the wattage and efficiency (along with 12v rails and such) will save you money in the long run, depending.

I would recommend this Corsair power supply for your computer actually. It rates at 650W and is 80 PLUS certified, which means under all loads, even 100%, if performs at 80% or better, which saved heat from being dissipated from the power supply and also saves you money over one that rates lower than 80$ efficiency. Corsair is also very well known for their TX series, and have received many awards on it. The power supplies them make are phenomenal.

[MrMxyzptlk]

wow.  thanks!! i must say you know quite the wealth of information.  now one more question.  (hopefully you dont mind)

i would like a RAID 0 configuration.  i know for this you need two hard drives.  now would RAID 0 be a wise choice or should i go with a standard 7300RPM 500gb hard drive. 

Yeah, I did this (for better HDD speed alone) on my last computer and REALLY REGRETTED IT when it got corrupted by a power surge.... (DESPITE it being ON A UPS/SURGE PROTECTOR!!    ) [I.e. The SW to recover data from a RAID 0 setup is , um, "somewhat more expensive" than the stuff that I have already purchased for data recovery from "normal" toasted drives....]

While it WAS a nice "burst" and all, it really didn't do much to aid gaming in any way, except maybe start up time....

[BFM_saes]

To sęs»: Wow, I haven't heard of that happening before. I'm very surprised to hear that the PCI-E x16 doesn't want to work with the PCI-E 2.0 x16 on the P5Q series. I was actually thinking about picking up a deluxe sometime early next year for a new build.

I found this out after buying the 'Pro', although I did get a brand new GPU to go with it.

If you're getting a really new build (including a new GPU), then the Pro/Deluxe is probably fine. - If you've got the money, go for the Deluxe. The Pro seems to be a bit too hit-and-miss. It's either very good and solid, or very DOA. :(

i understand that they need to support them, the benefits and non benefits of 64 bit, the ram usage, all of that stuff but i still don't know how to find out if the parts that i am getting are 64bit compliant. 

I'd advise against 64-bit Windows (64-bit Linux distrobutions are different, however), since the majority of software and games just don't aren't compatible with 64-bit vista.

Just buy the 32-bit version. (By the time 64-bit software is widely available, it'll be time to buy Windows 7 or whatever comes after it.)

While it WAS a nice "burst" and all, it really didn't do much to aid gaming in any way, except maybe start up time....

While on the topic of RAID, do you know what kind of performance hit drives take when in RAID 1?

[carl]

Ediseye your link didn't work correctly do you think you could re do it so i can see the power supply that you recommend.  thanks for all the help.

[BFM_saes]

You only need to copy the URL he posted:

Code: [Select]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 and paste it into your browser's URL bar.