About to hit the "BUY" button...shall I?

[mazeroth]

Got all my computer parts ready to go but just need to get a CPU and PS. Here's what I have so far:

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152

eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256

Antec Performance I P180 Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154

For the CPU and PS I was looking at these:

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ 1MB 90nm Rev. E San Diego (939) (Retail Box-w-Fan)
$235 shipped from Newegg, or $216 shipped from Monarch. I think I'll take Monarch. The reason I like this chip is that it has an 11x multiplier which should make OCing easier on my RAM, and because it has a 1MB cache. I only want to do a mild 200-400mhz OC, and using Corsair ValueSelect 2x512 PC3200 I'm hoping I'll be able to pull it off with the cheaper memory.

ENERMAX Liberty ELT400AWT ATX12V 400W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194002

Do you guys feel the 500w Enermax Liberty is worth the extra $30? The 400w has 12v1 12v2 of 20A, and the 500w has 22A on those. That's not that much. I'm not a big fan of SLI so I highly doubt I'll ever need the extra power. I'd rather sell my 7800GT in a year and get a single card that will destroy a 7800GT SLI than run two of them for about the same cost.

So, anything I should change? Should I go dual-core? I was thinking about it, but I don't know if any games will be coming out that will utilize it. I never do two things at once so for me to get it, it's hard to justify.

Thanks!

 

[Bobthelost]

Looks good, if you can afford it then dual core will be much better for the future than a single core. Especially if you're overclocking (in which case opterons would be great for single core use).

 

[RollWave]

get the 500w liberty! Just got mine and I love it!

 

[mazeroth]

Anyone else care to chime in?

Thanks!

 

[Bobthelost]

Reading my own comments again i think i should clarify:

3800X2 or Opteron 165 (best) if you're overclocking. Definitly worth the extra cash.
400W liberty is fine, but if you have nothing better to spend the money on 500W won't hurt.
Cheap RAM is not barrier to overclocking with the DFI as it's got a good selection of memory dividers.

Games will utilise both cores in the future, hell quite a lot of the current generation games do already.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

I would get the 500w, just b/c it has much higher amperage on the 12v rails, and if you ever want to upgrade to, say, an X1900XT - you need 30a on the 12v, which the 400w doesn't have.

DEFINITELY go dual core - it is really worth the extra money - makes your system much more future proof.

I've heard 1000 different things about that motherboard. A ton of people cry to stay away from it, while others swear by it. I"m as confused about the motherboard choice as Descarte was about the existence of anything outside his own self! what, too esoteric?

 

[TheNewGuy8]

Oh, and awsome choice on the case - I just picked one up from compusa to look at and I'm VERY impressed with the build quality. minus the door - it warped in the cold car - but antec knows about this problem and will hopefully send a replacement.

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: TheNewGuy8
I would get the 500w, just b/c it has much higher amperage on the 12v rails, and if you ever want to upgrade to, say, an X1900XT - you need 30a on the 12v, which the 400w doesn't have.

You don't need 30a, the manufacturers may well state you should have 30a but you don't need it. They overstate it so they can't be blamed for people who cant run it because they think that cheapo PSUs deliver thier rated power.

 

[bob4432]

the m/b you may want to reconsider because dfis usually are a bit finicky when it comes to ram. sure they o/c well but some people don't have the patience and or knowledge to get them to work correctly. not sure your where you computer ability is

good choice on the gpu, i was actually thinking of buying one of those and picking up a pci-e m/b.....

as far as psu, i would probably go the extra $30 on it since psus will last through more than 1 computer rebuild, just like a case.

as far as going dc, there is nothing wrong with and in the future games will take advantage of it, but not sure when we wil notice it as games are already gpu limited to an extent or fps locked. personally i would get a opty 165 over a 3800 as they are usually close to the same price, the opty comes with a better hsf combo and the optys are "usually" better quality cpus as they are meant to be in mission critical 24/7x365xmultiple year hardware. this means usually they will o/c higher with less voltage, again not a guarantee but usually. but, there is nothing wrong with a 3800 if the opty 165 is quite a bit higher $$$ wise.

 

[alimoalem]

i'm a fan of the 3700 but the truth is the extra $100 u pay for the opty 165 is well worth it. and i'm sure you can squeeze 200-400 MHz out of it.

get the 500w...do you absolutely need to get an enermax though if you're sticking to 400w?

 

[mazeroth]

I can up it $30 and get the 500w.

Any other PS recommendations? I really like the idea of having a modular PS. I hate clutter in my case.

 

[Bobthelost]

There is no reason not to waste $30 on the higher rating, but if you're never going to use the extra headroom then it's not worth it.

The Liberty is a very good design, the Neo HE might be worth a look too, i think it's modular.

 

[anthrax]

I suggest wait a sec with the puchase.

Concerning Dual-Core. Dual core is the way to go definately. It might be a good idea to get one now since I guess you want your PC to last about 3 years. (Well, your current PC is probably about 3 years old). While Dual core isn't that good at the moment, i am sure a new generation of game will see benifit from dual core. If you go dual core, the cheapest way into it is via Intel Pentium D 920. (avoid the 8xx series as they run hot).

Anyways about the current config. DFI have pretty much stated that
1. DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra requires a 480W PSU. At least that is what is highly recommended on the DFI support forums.
2. Are u sure you want to get a 7800GT right now? EOL for 7800. So the rumor is that the 7800 is on its way out. 7900GT is going to replace it at the same price point. Also, the x1900xl is comming out soon as well.

Antec NEO HE isn't bad at all. Its quiet and its modular. But make sure you get one with a S/N that starts with 0511 or 0512 or 06xx. The older ones had issues with a few mobos.
Also, about CPU choices. You have other options you can consider.
a. You can consider a opertron 146. With 1MB cache and abit of O/C, you will most likely get better performance than a 3700.

b. You could also consider a Intel Pentium D 920. Its dual core on 65nm fabrication. Stock speed is 2.8GHz.. However, in practice you can crank there up to near 4GHz with stock cooling. The peformance at 4GHz isn't bad at all and its competative with AMD offerings.

 

[mazeroth]

Crap on the 7800GT. It's going to be here tomorrow from Newegg

I can't see how they could release a 7900GT for $250 like I paid for the eVGA. How much do you guys think they're going to charge for the 7900GT, and how much faster do you see it being? It's not too late to send it back

Thanks!

 

[Bobthelost]

eVGA do a "trade up" process so you can always shell out the extra $50- $100 or whatever it is to upgrade. Also we have no idea when they will release the 7900GT, but i'm betting on at least a month, more likely longer.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Don't get the Lanparty if you're using Corsair RAM. They have some compatability problems. If you're going for a single core, just get an Opteron 146. You can always run a RAM divider if you need to overclock.

 

[JEDIYoda]

DUDE!!!!

Get the Enermax......

I never thought I would be saying this but the Enermax is like driving a Mercedes while the Antec is like driving a Datsun.

Stay away from Antec anything!!!

 

[robertk2012]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
There is no reason not to waste $30 on the higher rating, but if you're never going to use the extra headroom then it's not worth it.

The Liberty is a very good design, the Neo HE might be worth a look too, i think it's modular.

You don't need 30a, the manufacturers may well state you should have 30a but you don't need it. They overstate it so they can't be blamed for people who cant run it because they think that cheapo PSUs deliver thier rated power.

Well I would get at least a 500 watt PSU. They extra headroom is definately a plus. 400 is the min I would use. Let me correct that...you can get by with 400 but I myself wouldnt do it. 7800 GTs need plenty of amps overstated or not and you dont want to run short on power. Once you start overclocking and adding components it really starts to add up. Its only a small price to pay for the piece of mind so I would definately do it.

No problem with the 7800 GT. Just step up with the 7900 GT comes out. Good choice with evga.

I would go with the Opty 165. Just make sure you get a dual core processor. Your really wasting your money with anything else unless you get a $74 sempron. ;-)

 

[imported_Chilly]

I got the same video card from monarch. Couple of bucks cheaper then newegg. Go with the Opty 165, I heard it comes with a good HSF and can be overclocked to reach X2 speeds. I hope the prices on 7800's go done, so it will allow me to go SLI even sooner than I had planned. I am pretty sure two 7800's will be cheaper and faster than one 7900, so keep the card.

 

[TankGuys]

Looks pretty good, though yea, changing the PSU might be good. You could also consider the 520w Powerstream from OCZ. It's a great PSU, and definitely one of our top sellers (just behind the 600w version actually)

 

[robertk2012]

lol and you could make that purchase from Tankguys instead of Newegg. ;-) They will even tell you the stepping on the 165 your getting.

 

[imported_Chilly]

 

[imported_Chilly]

Does the OCZ fit the P180?

 

[TankGuys]

Originally posted by: Chilly
Does the OCZ fit the P180?

Sure does. We have two computer in our office, one with the 520w and one with the 600w and both fit fine in the P180.

One minor catch could be the motherboard used and how the stuff inside is hooked up... I can imagine there may be some scenerios where it may not quite reach.

 

[robertk2012]

So what did you get?