cpu/mobo combo (no overclocking)

[houe]

First let me say I have nothing against overclocking, but this computer is going to be my buisness computer and I need it 100% stable and reliable. This is how I make my living so I can't afford to take a day to recover from hard drive errors and reinstall windows. Data integrity is paramount. So overclocking is out.

I'm thinking dual hard drives with raid mirror for data protection, thats in addition to good backup practice of course(never keep the only copy of source code in one building, trust me!). So the motherboard needs to support mirroring.

What about ECC ram? My current system is extremely stable (it can run for months on end) and does not use ECC ram, so I don't know if this really all that nessecary. I noticed some intel motherboards support ECC ram for desktop machines like their motherboards based on the 955 chipset.

I also think I might benefit from a dual core cpu. I often have lots of applications open at once. I'm open to both intel or amd. What do you think? I'm looking for recommendations for cpu, mobo, ram, and hard drives (120gig - 200gig should be enough). Thanks.

 

[fbrdphreak]

ECC RAM is a waste for anything but servers IMO. Run your memory at the recommended timings & clock and you will be fine.

Your HDD setup sounds good. Most mobo's support RAID 1 these days, in both IDE & SATA.

Dual core will help, but right now most of the apps you use will be single threaded. Thus they will benefit more from a high speed single core CPU than a lower speed dual core CPU. Dual core can't hurt tho

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: houe
First let me say I have nothing against overclocking, but this computer is going to be my buisness computer and I need it 100% stable and reliable. This is how I make my living so I can't afford to take a day to recover from hard drive errors and reinstall windows. Data integrity is paramount. So overclocking is out.

I'm thinking dual hard drives with raid mirror for data protection, thats in addition to good backup practice of course(never keep the only copy of source code in one building, trust me!). So the motherboard needs to support mirroring.

What about ECC ram? My current system is extremely stable (it can run for months on end) and does not use ECC ram, so I don't know if this really all that nessecary. I noticed some intel motherboards support ECC ram for desktop machines like their motherboards based on the 955 chipset.

I also think I might benefit from a dual core cpu. I often have lots of applications open at once. I'm open to both intel or amd. What do you think? I'm looking for recommendations for cpu, mobo, ram, and hard drives (120gig - 200gig should be enough). Thanks.

All non-error correction/unbuffered mem has errors.. maybe once a week..maybe once a month but it will have error thats why all systems where data integrity is paramount has an extra wait state called ECC to check each bit of data in and out of memory. That does'nt mean you comp will crash if it has an error..could just get a fatal exception..or program retries and you don't even notice. So whether you want it or not is up to you.. Definity slows thigs down and costs a lot more to get setup with a ECC/Reg setup..

Anyway I'd go cheap with high quality components - get a 3800 X2 for $320- This is sweet spot for bang for the buck.. beats more expensive 840D and runs a lot cooler and quieter using about 1/3 the power. The 4200+ is also a good option for 200 more Mhz per core.

Abit AN8 Ultra $110 - Abit bullit proof design, meaning highend japanese capacitors etc for long life. Has a passive hest sink on board for quietness.

Crucial Ballistix 2x 512MB - $120 - Crucial, the best memory company, most compatable and you know will be around forever if you ever need your lifetime warranty.

Totals out about $550

If you want perfection - It starts at $1300.

2 x AMD Opteron Model 248 = $600
Tyan or Iwill server board = $400
4 x 512MB Crucial PC3200 = $320

Anyway for HDD I recommend IDE Samsung spinpoints or Seagate Barracudas.. both 5 yr warranty, both silent. 160GB seems the sweet spot as far as price ~$80..

 

[forumposter32]

Originally posted by: Zebo
Abit AN8 Ultra $110 - Abit bullit proof design, meaning highend japanese capacitors etc for long life. Has a passive hest sink on board for quietness.

I thought some Abit boards were now made by ECS...?

Me too afraid. I'd get Asus, DFI or MSI.