Building a new PC, views needed

[welshdemon]

Hi all.

I'm hoping to build a new PC with the following parts, at first not to overclock as I have crappy memory, but in the near future to buy some memory on the A8N compatibility list and look to overclock the CPU. I'm wondering about running 1:1 cpu and memory speeds. Let's say I get the CPU (3700) to run at 11x255mhz, I cannot afford top of the range memory to run at that speed. I was wondering about getting 2x Corsair® Value Select 1Gb DDR533 PC4200 (VS1GB533D2) and running the 1:1 ratio with this memory.

What do you think?

The system will compromise as follows (hopefully) and my budget is already spent so any suggestions may not be possibly, so I'm hoping it sounds ok, but would like some people's opinions if anybody thinks there are any problems.

Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
Athlon 3700 San Diego Core w/ Akasa Evo 33 HSF
3 x 512MB Elixir DDR400
Leadtek 6800GT
160GB Sata
DVD Writer
A Few 8cm case fans to help with ventilation & circulation
Akasa PaxPower 460w PSU
XP Home or Pro

In future I hope to overclock the system to:

Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
Athlon 3700 San Diego Core @ 11x255 = 2.7ghz w/ Akasa Evo 33 HSF
2x Corsair Value Select 1Gb DDR533 (VS1GB533D2) @ 255mhz & Stock timings
Leadtek 6800GT @ Ultra Speeds & possibly Zalman cooler


I was going to get a Venice core as these are highly overclockable but I figured, I am after performance for games at the end of the day, and the San Diego's 1mb of cache is proven to be good for performance in many games, and it (if I get a good one) can get to 2.8ghz on stock cooling. I will be getting the Evo33 just to help keep the temperature down a few degrees and who knows, maybe will be able to clock it slightly higher than on stock cooling.

So what do you think, will the value select DDR533 be ok to run with an overclocked 3700 running hopefully at about 255mhz at 1:1 ratio?

Thanks for any views and help.

 

[welshdemon]

Oh by the way, I play BF2 hence wanting 2x1GB of RAM, else I'd get 2x512 and have faster timings. SO basically any advice on the best setup on a very tight budget with Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe and 2x1GB of RAM , possibly overclocked, would be greatly appreciated.

If I have to run a divider then I have to run a divider. Whatever the best performance I can get on my limited budget is what Im after (isn't everybody?!). But I thought getting DDR533 might be best so I can run a 1:1 ratio, which Ive read is the preferred option. Maybe one day I'll buy some XMS or whatever, for now though, value ram of some sort will have to suffice.


Oh damnit, is DDR533 240pin? I guess that wont be possible then! oops. I obviously hadnt done enough research on different memory types.

I guess I will have to run a divider then and OC my CPU and keep the value RAM at DDR400 speeds.

Then in that case, what sort of performance gains have users of this forum had with 3700's OCd to 2.8ghz? And do you use a divider or pay out for very expensive memory?

 

[kalrith]

First of all, DDR2 is 240-pin, and DDR is 184-pin (which is what you want). There are both DDR2-533 and DDR 533 RAM, so that's probably where the confusion came from.

If you're after performance in games, then you should do everything you can to get a 7800GT. A Venice 3000+ at stock with a 7800GT is going to play games better than an FX-57 at 3.0GHz with a 6800GT. So, after you portion out $280 (after rebate) for the 7800GT, see what you have left for the processor and RAM. You can get a Venice 3000+ for $100 in the FS/FT forums if you shop around. If you overclock that to 2.5-2.7 GHz, you'll definitely get your money's worth out of it. I would also recommend getting 2GB of value RAM. Don't buy a cheap name brand, but you also don't have to pay $250 for high-performance RAM. The general consensus on these forums seems to be that performance RAM is only worth the money if everything else in your system is top of the line. Otherwise you'll be paying an extra $100 for a 2-5% performance increase. You'll notice a much bigger difference if you put that $100 toward the 7800GT. Also, if you run the 5:4 memory divider with at 255x11, your RAM will be running at 204 (close to stock speeds). So, here are my recommendations:

$280 AR shipped--7800GT
$166 shipped--Value RAM
FIXED LINK TO DDR RAM

Processor choices:

$160 shipped (or $100-$120 shipped in FS/FT forums)--Venice 3200+
$215 shipped--San Diego 3700+
$298 shipped--X2 3800+

I threw in the dual-core processor to show how close the price of the San Diego was to the dual-core. The San Diego will provide the best gaming performance by a few percent. However, the X2 will multitask 50+% better than the San Diego. It all depends on what you'll be using it for. Personally, my current system runs my games great, but it slows down tremendously when I have too many things open at once. So, I will definitely be going dual-core with my next system, especially since most games are limited by the graphics card and not the cpu. If you find a good deal on a used Venice, then that would probably be the best bang for the buck, since you're overclocking. If your board can handle 300HTT, then you could (possibly) run a 3000+ Venice at 300x9 with a 3:2 memory divider, keeping your RAM at stock speeds.

Just so I can think of better recommendations, please let me know what (if any) of that equipment you have already. For instance, if you don't have that motherboard yet, then I would recommend this deal. Since the video card is $280, you're basically getting the motherboard for $60 (it's $130 regularly by the way).

Good luck!

 

[BOLt]

Originally posted by: kalrith
First of all, DDR2 is 240-pin, and DDR is 184-pin (which is what you want). There are both DDR2-533 and DDR 533 RAM, so that's probably where the confusion came from.

If you're after performance in games, then you should do everything you can to get a 7800GT. A Venice 3000+ at stock with a 7800GT is going to play games better than an FX-57 at 3.0GHz with a 6800GT. So, after you portion out $280 (after rebate) for the 7800GT, see what you have left for the processor and RAM. You can get a Venice 3000+ for $100 in the FS/FT forums if you shop around. If you overclock that to 2.5-2.7 GHz, you'll definitely get your money's worth out of it. I would also recommend getting 2GB of value RAM. Don't buy a cheap name brand, but you also don't have to pay $250 for high-performance RAM. The general consensus on these forums seems to be that performance RAM is only worth the money if everything else in your system is top of the line. Otherwise you'll be paying an extra $100 for a 2-5% performance increase. You'll notice a much bigger difference if you put that $100 toward the 7800GT. Also, if you run the 5:4 memory divider with at 255x11, your RAM will be running at 204 (close to stock speeds). So, here are my recommendations:

$280 AR shipped--7800GT
$153 shipped--Value RAM

Processor choices:

$160 shipped (or $100-$120 shipped in FS/FT forums)--Venice 3200+
$215 shipped--San Diego 3700+
$298 shipped--X2 3800+

I threw in the dual-core processor to show how close the price of the San Diego was to the dual-core. The San Diego will provide the best gaming performance by a few percent. However, the X2 will multitask 50+% better than the San Diego. It all depends on what you'll be using it for. Personally, my current system runs my games great, but it slows down tremendously when I have too many things open at once. So, I will definitely be going dual-core with my next system, especially since most games are limited by the graphics card and not the cpu. If you find a good deal on a used Venice, then that would probably be the best bang for the buck, since you're overclocking. If your board can handle 300HTT, then you could (possibly) run a 3000+ Venice at 300x9 with a 3:2 memory divider, keeping your RAM at stock speeds.

Just so I can think of better recommendations, please let me know what (if any) of that equipment you have already. For instance, if you don't have that motherboard yet, then I would recommend this deal. Since the video card is $280, you're basically getting the motherboard for $60 (it's $130 regularly by the way).

Good luck!

Good advice, but that RAM is DDR2. Get yourself some PC3200 DDR of the same brand and density and you're good to go. Go for an A64 Venice 3000+ (try for E3 stepping as it OCs better than E6 stepping). The EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra was awarded a tie for 1st place in Anandtech's nF4 Ultra motherboard roundup. It overclocks just as well as the DFI without being so picky about memory. The eVGA 7800GT is a great video card, but that motherboard isn't so good. I'd recommend going for the EPoX if you plan to be overclocking much more than a few hundred MHz.

Might I suggest checking out my thread for the parts that you need? Shameless plug. All of them are in great working condition, and I have good OCing results thus far, so you'd know what you're working with (which is a major factor in OCing, no doubt). If you're interested, I can work with you on pricing and whatnot. Buying your parts used is a great way to save a boatload of money, which is especially important if you're shooting for a $300 video card (and you should because a video card is the heart and soul of your gaming rig).

Hope this helps! Good luck!

-BOLt