Critique my dualie rig...

[Bulldog13]

Hey,

I have been out of the loop a lil bit reguarding the new high end AMD cpu's. So please bear with me. I have decided to go dualie with this latest rig. This rig will be used for video encoding, gaming, and programming. In that order...

KINGWIN SILVER All Aluminum 10-Bay Mid tower case, Model "KT-424-S" $76.00

Thermaltake W0013 Silent Purepower 480W with Silver housing - Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan Power $53.00

MSI "K8T Master2-FAR" VIA K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for Dual/Single AMD Socket 940 CPU -RETAIL $220.00

2x CPU AMD|OPTERON 246 2.0 GHz OEM $882.00
Mobo comes with HSF for chips....Should I just cough up the extra $50 and get the retail ?

Memory I am a little confused on...Could someone explain to me the options...The board says

"- 144-bit DDR at 200, 266, 333MHz, 400MHz.
- Supports DIMM sizes from 64MB (128Mb x 16 DRAMs) to 2GB on each DIMM slot .
- Supports 4 DDR DIMMs upto 8GB (Registered Memory only)
- Supports interleaving memory within DIMMs.
- ChipKill ECC allows continuous correction of 4-bit errors in a failed x 4 memory device.
- For Single AMD® Athlon-64 FX 51 series, it will support Registered Memory up to DDR 400
- For Single or Dual AMD® Opteron Series , it will support Registered Memory up to DDR 333 "

So the dimms must be registered, and it only supports pc2700 ? Is ECC modules required ?
Will I take a performance hit if I only fill 2 of the dimms ?

I am open to criticisms, including single chip options for comparable prices. (Though I won t blow the $882 on a single chip...$500 max)

Will also through a 9800 pro on there also. Thoughts ? Gaming and video encoding....

 

[Twsmit]

i beleive you are fine with 2 sticks, but it must be ECC memory and for Opterons "stock" they are designed for PC2700. With a little OC'ing im sure they could run at PC3200 speeds, but stock they are certified and designed for plain old PC2700.

Looks like a nice system, though im not sure i would spend all that money, but its up to you.

 

[3chordcharlie]

If the mobo comes with HSF for the chips, I would assume they provide a quality part (i.e. with the motherboard being a premium product) - or that 'fit' will be a problem with retail HSF. If neither of these is the case, it wouldn't make sense to provide them.

I could be wrong - but I would trust the provided ones myself.

 

[jose]

You need to goto 2cpu.com for better replys. Those guys have tons of experience to help you with. I would think you would need 4 seperate sticks of memory for your system.
2 sticks per cpu. Also look at the Iwill DK8N thread in Motherboards. As for as the case look at the CoolerMaster Stacker case, great ventalization & size for a dual setup.

Regards,
Jose

 

[Markfw]

You need two sticks for each cpu to use both memory controllers, or you will loose a lot of performance on memory intensive applications. You will get about 2400 vs 4800 (from my experience) when you do that in Sandra. In order to use PC3200, you would need to get the new Iwill or the Tyan Thunder. Based on my weeks to get the thunder stable, try the Iwill. I think it may be a little cheaper also. 9800pro ?? Don;t know, it has problems with the 8151 AGP tunnel chip of AMD, but the 9800XT or the X800pro work great ! (I know about the X800pro as you can see) I figured if I was going to spend that much, might as well do it right.

And 2cpu is great reading, but I get far fewer responses there than I do here.

 

[Cuular]

It seems the MSI dual motherboard has a somewhat unique placement of the CPU's. Making it impossible to use regular AMD HSF's on it.

MSI provides you with 2 units. As to whether you can go out and get your own, there are a few long running threads out there that discuss this.

Just enter the motherboards name in google and do a little searching.

 

[Bulldog13]

So what board specifically do you recommend ?

One in the $250 range or lower....

 

[Bulldog13]

Originally posted by: Cuular
It seems the MSI dual motherboard has a somewhat unique placement of the CPU's. Making it impossible to use regular AMD HSF's on it.

MSI provides you with 2 units. As to whether you can go out and get your own, there are a few long running threads out there that discuss this.

Just enter the motherboards name in google and do a little searching.

I am aware of this....

My question was not about using the fans, but more should I spring for the extended warranty that Retail provides over OEM...

 

[Sideswipe001]

One quick note about the memory. It needs REGISTERED RAM, which isn't the same as ECC. You can get unregistered ECC. Make sure that you do get registered when you buy for this system. It will not work without it.

 

[jose]

This mobo looks to be real good:
http://forums.2cpu.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44816

Regards,
Jose

 

[Bulldog13]

Originally posted by: jose
This mobo looks to be real good:
http://forums.2cpu.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44816

Regards,
Jose

Is it even out yet ? I can't seem to find it on newegg....
Any idea what the retail price will be ?

I can only find one play to buy it...and for $489, which is too rich for my blood.

 

[Markfw]

If you want a good motherboard here it is for $459 You won't get a great motherboard without spending the money. If you get the MSI good luck. After spending $882 for processors, and $600 for memory, you want to put them in something good. And the memory needs to be registered AND ECC I believe (at least it is for mine and the Iwill)

 

[coolred]

Whats wrong with the MSI board exactly? I was considering it for my system, didn't seem to get many complaints about it over at 2cpu. Not sure I really need dual memory banks. GamePC showed little differance between the MSI and one of the dual memory banks board in respect to benches.

 

[dmw16]

The retail version of the 939pin A64 3500+ (2.2ghz) is almost exactly $500($497 @ newegg). I think you may want to consider the 939 option just for upgrading down the road. The 939 has shed the need for registered RAM and will be the platform for the newest and best from AMD for a while. Although they will continue some support for the 940, I think your best option for longevity is the 939socket. But it's your choice. You will be doing some things that use dual cpus, but by going w/ the 939 you can use DDR400 and get the full benifit of the added bandwidth. Its up to you, but if I was doing it would spend my money on the 939, but then again I mainly game on my rig.

On another note, I would skip that 9800pro. If you are spending all this money, do yourself a favor and get a 6800GT (or, if you must, an X800pro, although the 6800GT is faster). The money u save on a single chip 939 board and the non-registered RAM will aid in offsetting a large part of the difference in vid card prices.

-doug

 

[Bulldog13]

Originally posted by: dmw16
The retail version of the 939pin A64 3500+ (2.2ghz) is almost exactly $500($497 @ newegg). I think you may want to consider the 939 option just for upgrading down the road. The 939 has shed the need for registered RAM and will be the platform for the newest and best from AMD for a while. Although they will continue some support for the 940, I think your best option for longevity is the 939socket. But it's your choice. You will be doing some things that use dual cpus, but by going w/ the 939 you can use DDR400 and get the full benifit of the added bandwidth. Its up to you, but if I was doing it would spend my money on the 939, but then again I mainly game on my rig.

On another note, I would skip that 9800pro. If you are spending all this money, do yourself a favor and get a 6800GT (or, if you must, an X800pro, although the 6800GT is faster). The money u save on a single chip 939 board and the non-registered RAM will aid in offsetting a large part of the difference in vid card prices.

-doug

I ll take a look at this option,

the dualie was getting to rich for my blood...

What is the current high end mobo for this pig ?

 

[sharkeeper]

Whats wrong with the MSI board exactly? I was considering it for my system, didn't seem to get many complaints about it over at 2cpu. Not sure I really need dual memory banks. GamePC showed little differance between the MSI and one of the dual memory banks board in respect to benches.

No 64 bit slots. That's like buying a Twin Turbo 911 with no turbochargers and bias ply tires mounted to 14 inch steel rims.

Cheers!

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: Bulldog13

Originally posted by: dmw16
The retail version of the 939pin A64 3500+ (2.2ghz) is almost exactly $500($497 @ newegg). I think you may want to consider the 939 option just for upgrading down the road. The 939 has shed the need for registered RAM and will be the platform for the newest and best from AMD for a while. Although they will continue some support for the 940, I think your best option for longevity is the 939socket. But it's your choice. You will be doing some things that use dual cpus, but by going w/ the 939 you can use DDR400 and get the full benifit of the added bandwidth. Its up to you, but if I was doing it would spend my money on the 939, but then again I mainly game on my rig.

On another note, I would skip that 9800pro. If you are spending all this money, do yourself a favor and get a 6800GT (or, if you must, an X800pro, although the 6800GT is faster). The money u save on a single chip 939 board and the non-registered RAM will aid in offsetting a large part of the difference in vid card prices.

-doug

I ll take a look at this option,

the dualie was getting to rich for my blood...

What is the current high end mobo for this pig ?

This article should shed some light on the Socket 939 motherboards! I agree with going single CPU in this circumstance, you will most likely get a lot more bang for the buck, as goig dualie you are looking at much higher cost for quality components. A 3500+, a solid 939 motherboard, 1GB of quality PC3500, and a Geforce 6800GT and you'll be flying in about anything. Plus you have the added option to overclock that sucker a bit and get up to 3800+ levels !

 

[dmw16]

Yeah, I forgot to mention the overclocking thing. As for a good 939 motherboard I have heard very good things about the Asus A8V w/ the K8T800 Pro chipset. It has AGP/PCI locks to aid in overclocking and all that good stuff. Also, you really cant go wrong with Asus, they make the best boards out there in my opinion.
-doug