a64 build advice

Aug 5, 2003
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previous iteration can be found here

i've since decided to go with a a64 3000+ newcastle since newegg doesn't seem to have the 3200+ OEM newcastle (and i'd rather not order from multiple vendors). anyone have any idea when they might be getting a new shipment in? it'd been an uncharacteristically long time since i've seen them there. they have a retail version available, but i'm replacing the stock cooler with a zalman. IIRC, if i were to replace the stock cooler on a retail chip, i'd void the 3 year warranty i just ponied up for. is there any truth to that?

well, without further ado, here's what i've got so far. unlike the last 3 builds i've posted, i really am going to buy this. haha.

COOLER MASTER Praetorian Black ALUMINUM MID-TOWER CASE
MSI nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Athlon 64 Socket 754 CPU, Model "K8N Neo Platinum" (MS-7030) -RETAIL
Thermaltake W0014 Silent Purepower 480W with Black housing - Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan Power Supply
AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - OEM
OCZ Performance Series Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3500 - Retail
NEC 8X Black Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A BLK, OEM BULK
ZALMAN CNPS7000A-AlCu Aluminum + Copper CPU Cooler for AMD XP Socket 462/ 754 and Intel Socket 478 -RETAIL

oh, and i should be receiving my BFG GeForce 6800GT soon. and to think i was going to get an ATI for the first time ever with this build. i was kinda looking forward to it :(

so yeah, all things considered, it's a little under 1300. i'm happy with the price.

as usual, if anyone detects a fatal flaw in the plans, please post! more than anything, i'm curious about the warranty info on the processor (should i choose a retail and replace the heatsink/fan)

thanks in advance!
 
Aug 5, 2003
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i forgot to mention a soundcard (probably the m-audio 7.1) and the hard drives (which i already have). oh, floppy drive too (whoops)
 
Aug 5, 2003
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best buy preorder - i didn't catch the deal for 299, but i caught their 10% off special on the 4th and 5th, so it was 359 (after taxes and shipping more like 399 :( ). since they just changed my order to backordered, it might take a while. argh.
 

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
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get the Intel Prescott with 1 meg Cache. it will smoke any Athlon 64.

























on a serious note...;)

it looks good to me, i would change out that mobo for the chaintech model and save a buttload of cash. that is unless you need all of the extra features.
 
Aug 5, 2003
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i'm gunning for the gigabit ethernet and the onboard firewire. also, i might be OCing eventually - does the chaintech have a working agp/pci lock?
 

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
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Originally posted by: killedradiostar
i'm gunning for the gigabit ethernet and the onboard firewire. also, i might be OCing eventually - does the chaintech have a working agp/pci lock?

yeah, its the same chipset, so good OC'ing. however, it does not have the gigabit ethernet or the firewire. if you need those features, then stick with what you have. if you wanna save some cash and have the same performance with a couple less features, then go with the chaintech.
 

txxxx

Golden Member
Feb 13, 2003
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Originally posted by: killedradiostar
i'm gunning for the gigabit ethernet and the onboard firewire. also, i might be OCing eventually - does the chaintech have a working agp/pci lock?

In that case, try getting a board with on-board gigabit ethernet (hints nforce3 250gb) as its pretty good compared to cheap PCI card alternatives. Main reason being efficiency - the nforce3's implementation of gigabit ethernet is mighty fine. The same boards most likely come with Firewire ports too.
 

jdogg707

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2002
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I would look at this and buy a PCI Firewire card. Looks like a good motherboard with some descent overclocking options.
 
Aug 5, 2003
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thanks for the good suggestion j. i'm pretty set on the mobo.

eep. i'm almost ready to order. my only real concern now is the processor (see my original post)