Building a new rig, and I'm out of the loop

[engagequadlaser]

So I'm looking to put together a new AMD box, last computer I built was more than two years ago, and just want to make sure I'm properly aware of "where it's at" (or whatever the kids say these days) in terms of getting the best bang for the buck. Money is not really a concern, but even so I'd like to not spend out the ass for bleeding edge technology that will give me a .0000001% speed increase.

So far I was looking at this Asus motherboard (Asus still makes good motherboards, right?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131568
as it's got the newfangled 16x pci express.

Going to stick 2gigs (2 x 1gig) of corsair memory in there, just to make sure, ddr400 pc3200 is still pretty much the standard right?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145575

For processor, a quick scan of AMD athlon64 processors came up with this thing, the 4000+ clawhammer. I mean c'mon. Clawhammer. How could you go wrong.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103497

As for the hard drive, I currently have a 120gig 7200 rpm SATA drive that I'll just transfer into the new computer, unless the technology has changed much in that respect. One question about that though is that it currently has a 20gig windows partition on it, and the remainder of the drive is another partition that includes all my music, movies, etc. So what I'm wondering is if I can just put a fresh install of windows on the 20gig partition, and still have access to the rest of my stuff.

The two things I'm totally clueless on that I'd take recommendations for would be getting a case and a video card. The case doesn't have to look great, I just want something with a good gaming power supply included to cut down on the install work. For the video card, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102624 looked good, if a bit pricey. Video card performance varies widely though, I'd like to stick with ATI, but if there's a cheaper equivalent from nvidia which is shown to perform equally or better then by all means, throw it out there. I think that about covers it. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, yadda yadda is taken care of. Thanks in advance for taking a look =)

 

[TanisHalfElven]

if monet is no concern get
dfi nf4 infinity. 130
opteron 165. 300
7800 gt 250

 

[Fern]

HI engagequadlaser and Welcome to the Forums!

Yes, as far as the HDD question, you can just reinstall on the 20g partition (or do a repair install to get the new drivers in there. AT has an article on how to change mobo's w/o a reinstall)

I'd say forget the x1800. Although it came out recently, the newer x1900 series now is out. The x1800 series had productions that delayed its release, while the x1900 series came out on schedule. The price is too high for the x1800 IMHO (I'm pretty sure I've seen the newer x1900 series for that same price or less).

Fern

 

[KoolDrew]

That motherboard is just a complete waste of money. I would recommend getting a Epox NF4 Ultra board. Get a dual-core for the CPU. I would suggest something like an Opteron 165 if you are overclocking. If not, get a 3800+ X2 or something. Just get the cheapest RAM you can find from a reputable manufacturer. For video card, get a 7800GT.

 

[engagequadlaser]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
That motherboard is just a complete waste of money. I would recommend getting a Epox NF4 Ultra board. Get a dual-core for the CPU. I would suggest something like an Opteron 165 if you are overclocking. If not, get a 3800+ X2 or something. Just get the cheapest RAM you can find from a reputable manufacturer. For video card, get a 7800GT.

The thing about the dual-core is I've heard that so far, is that they don't offer any performance increase in current single-threaded apps, only in multi-threaded ones photoshop, premiere, etc., none of which I use at all. This would strictly be a gaming rig. And I can't say that the future possibility of games supporting dual-threading would justify the higher cost now.

Also, thanks for the welcome

 

[dqniel]

Dual-core gets a nice boost in gaming due to ATI and nVidia's newest drivers. A 2.4ghz dual-core gets better or the same framerates in most games as a 2.8ghz fx-57. If you just tell me what hardware you already have (so that you might be able to reuse some of it) and how much you're looking to spend I could assemble a cart on Newegg for you.

As for keeping the 120gb hard drive and just reformatting on the 20gb partition, that sounds like a great idea. You'll still have access to the other partition's content as long as you don't mess up and accidentally reformat the wrong partition .

 

[Cinna696]

you should go with the san diego revision of the 4000 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103529) its a few $ cheaper to as well as being 90nm. and if you aren't interesting in spending for that bleeding edge .000001% don't go with the most expensive asus board. Any of their cheaper cost sli boards will be more than enough especially since your choosing ATI.

Don't go with the x1800xt, either the x1900xt if you want that level of performance or a 7800gt which will save you $ and still have great performance

 

[alimoalem]

Originally posted by: dqniel
You'll still have access to the other partition's content as long as you don't mess up and accidentally reformat the wrong partition .

lol yea that would be bad

OP, i'd choose the cpu/mobo tanishalfelven selected.

for the gpu, get the x1900xt or 7800gtx 512mb

for the ram, your selection is good but you won't see much performance over the Corsair Value ram, which is like $70 cheaper

 

[engagequadlaser]

Originally posted by: dqniel
Dual-core gets a nice boost in gaming due to ATI and nVidia's newest drivers. A 2.4ghz dual-core gets better or the same framerates in most games as a 2.8ghz fx-57. If you just tell me what hardware you already have (so that you might be able to reuse some of it) and how much you're looking to spend I could assemble a cart on Newegg for you.

Awesome, that'd be a big help dqniel

I'm really not saving anything besides that 7200rpm 120gig drive. I already have the monitor, mouse, keyboard, headset, etc. Everything else will have to come from scratch. Money isn't too much of an issue, if at all possible I'd like to keep it under the $1200 range. If it helps any, I won't be taking advantage of SLI. Essentially then, I figure I'll be needing to take care of the processor, motherboard, video card, ram, case, and power supply.

Really appreciate the effort on helping me out, you rock :thumbsup:

 

[dqniel]

Alright, time to get to work

 

[engagequadlaser]

As is, I'm heavily leaning towards the 7800gt card due to reviews and recommendations. I notice the card only comes in the 256mb version, whereas the GTX nearly doubles the price for the 512mb's. Anyone here think it's worth the cost?

 

[dqniel]

The GTX 512mb is MUCH faster than the 7800gt due to faster corespeed and ram rated for higher speeds, but is not worth the extra cost because the x1900xt is faster than the 7800gtx 512mb yet is around $500.

First config: ~$1,500 w/x1900xt and Opty 170

http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12WO4LMN2W2ZN3ATJQOLK4U299 (I forgot to get thermal paste, just search for Arctic Silver Ceramique which is $4.99 and add it)

I vouched for the retail Powercolor x1900xt because it has a lifetime warranty unlike the other ATI cards... Could be brought down to ~$1,400 with an Opty 165

Second config: ~$1,250 w/7800gt and Opty 170

http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1DGU94U34QQ8T0IMN9Z1WAPP3Z

Could be brought down to about ~$1,150 with an Opty 165



Download the *asp files and open them with either IE or Firefox or whatever browser you use .

 

[orion23]

If you were considering a $580 X1800 XT, then buy the X1900 XTX which you can get for $580-600.
For the motherboard, most AMD users recommend the DFI Expert (latest board).
For the CPU, get a Dual Core. No point in getting something else. Even the lowest, the X2 3800 would be a great choice (if you overclock it).

Also, please be aware that during the moths of April-june, AMD will hav new hardware out there. new motherboards, new CPUs and DDR "2" memory.

If you can wait.... do so!

 

[dqniel]

Originally posted by: orion23

Also, please be aware that during the moths of April-june, AMD will hav new hardware out there. new motherboards, new CPUs and DDR "2" memory.

If you can wait.... do so!

I forgot to mention this. However, I wouldn't wait because it won't be a *major* update as Socket A to Socket 939. I'd just buy now; with the computer industry, if you wait for the "next new thing," you'll be waiting forever

 

[AliasX]

Yah, and the "new thing" is always super expensive. I was going to wait then said screw it.

 

[engagequadlaser]

Originally posted by: dqniel
The GTX 512mb is MUCH faster than the 7800gt due to faster corespeed and ram rated for higher speeds, but is not worth the extra cost because the x1900xt is faster than the 7800gtx 512mb yet is around $500.

First config: ~$1,500 w/x1900xt and Opty 170

http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=12WO4LMN2W2ZN3ATJQOLK4U299 (I forgot to get thermal paste, just search for Arctic Silver Ceramique which is $4.99 and add it)

I vouched for the retail Powercolor x1900xt because it has a lifetime warranty unlike the other ATI cards... Could be brought down to ~$1,400 with an Opty 165

Second config: ~$1,250 w/7800gt and Opty 170

http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1DGU94U34QQ8T0IMN9Z1WAPP3Z

Could be brought down to about ~$1,150 with an Opty 165



Download the *asp files and open them with either IE or Firefox or whatever browser you use .

Awesome work on there, just have a few more questions before I settle one way or the other. While you were doing your list, I started tinkering with one of my own to see if I was at least on the right track. Here's what I came to on my own:

ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131530

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS2GBKIT400C3 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145579

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA4200BVBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103547

SAPPHIRE 100149 Radeon X1900XT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102003

So, here's essentially where I'm at. I probably will go with your choice on the powercolor 1900xt due to that lifetime warranty, which is pretty hot. In terms of the motherboard, I was originally leaning towards ASUS because they've been good to me in the past, and the price on that board is reasonable. The reason I'm hesitant to go for the DFI mobo and the opteron chip is because another system building guide I checked out (http://shsc.info/PCPartsPickingGuide) makes no mention of them at all, instead citing the athlon64 x2's as the preferred dual-core processors. Plus with regards to the mobo (and to a lesser extent, the memory you picked out), they seem mostly geared towards overclockers, of which I probably won't be doing at all. The case, power supply, and cooling fan all look nifty to me. At any rate, am I at least in the right mode of thinking?

 

[OhioState]

personally ide get the opty 165 the rest looks good

 

[engagequadlaser]

Originally posted by: OhioState
personally ide get the opty 165 the rest looks good

Looks like I might go for the same, I'm just not sure of the differences between the athlon64 x2's and the opty's

 

[d3lt4]

The opterons have newer stepping and are better for overclocking compared to the x2's. The DFI boards are known for good overclocking as well so that's why alot of ppl recomend them. Are you planning to overclock, because that makes a big difference in what you should get.

 

[dqniel]

I picked the Ultra-D because while it may be a bit tougher to configure, the performance you get in the end in conjunction with its great onboard sound make it the best pick. If you don't trust DFI's quality control or pickiness of RAM, etc...then get the Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe. Get the Opty 165 or 170; they are the same thing as the x2, just overclock better because they are manufactured using tighter tolerances on the silicon. They also all have a 2x1mb l2 cache rather than the 2x512kb cache of the 3800+, 4200+, and 4600+.

Also, I just remembered something. With the DFI Ultra-D, you might have to flash the bios to a newer version before you get full funcionality of the dual-core. I think it sees it as just one core until you do so.

 

[engagequadlaser]

Originally posted by: d3lt4
The opterons have newer stepping and are better for overclocking compared to the x2's. The DFI boards are known for good overclocking as well so that's why alot of ppl recomend them. Are you planning to overclock, because that makes a big difference in what you should get.

Ah, that's pretty much what I was thinking. No, I won't be overclocking at all, not really my thing.

 

[dqniel]

Alright, if you don't plan on overclocking AT ALL then I'll come up with a new setup that's a bit cheaper . Will take just a minute.

Actually, my configuration stands. If I get the cheaper motherboard (the Asus), the onboard sound is so poor that I'd have to get a sound card which would bring the cost back up over the cost of just going with the Ultra-D.

Overclocking or not, I'd go with the Ultra-D and Opteron 170. However, I highly stress that overclocking the Opteron 170 with the cooling I've chosen for you, while keeping stock volts, will get you at least 2.4ghz. It will greatly increase performance and still leave no risk for shortened life or hardware damage as long as you do it properly.

If you refuse to overclock, the 3800 and opteron 165 are too slow for gaming

 

[Praxis1452]

Oh if your not overclocking then I'd suggest a 4400+X2 since it has the extra 1mb L2 cache but you don't need to overclock.

The X1900Xt is worth it a $530 Retail at newegg from Powercolor. Fastest card out there at the moment.

Then any n-force 4 motherboard would work as you can't SLI with a ATI card. Though you could buy an RDX200( I think that's the name) from DFI and its crossfire compatible but overall if you don't need top of the line just get any reliable nforce 4 motherboard