crossfire system build

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summit

Platinum Member
Sep 27, 2001
2,097
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my current system is :
athlon xp 1700
512 ram
ati 9700 pro


this is the system i want to buy and keep under 2K with shipping and tax... currently it is at thanks for any feedback, just to let you guys know I am set on dual core thank you. i will be adding my old storage drive to this system, and plan to get some cooling stuff (recommend please)... cooling system will be additional and not count towards my 2k total.
EDIT
is the forton source power supply too weaksauce for my comp?

yeah but thats my build so far any more tips? and thanks for all the input from you guys :)

and i will transfer my 2405 dell monitor... but yes here are the specs thanks :)

Antec Solution SLK3000-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

DFI LanParty UT RDX200 Cross-Fire Socket 939 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 CrossFire AMD Motherboard - Retail

ATI Radeon X1800 XT 100-435705 Video Card - RetailUPDATEDwaiting for release

FSP Group (Fortron Source) FSP530-60GNA ATX 530W Power Supply - Retail

G.SKILL Extreme Series 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail UPDATED

Dual-core Opteron 170 ($399)
2.0GHz / 1MB L2 per core UPDATED

Western Digital Raptor WD740GD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
 
thecoolnessrune

thecoolnessrune

Diamond Member
Jun 8, 2005
9,671
580
126
The x1800XT single card will most likely beat the x850.

Secondly, I'd drop the proc. to an X2 3800+ and OC. Both procs. reach about the same point anyways.

Thirdly, unless you are on a tighter budget, I'd drop the Fortron and go for a PC P&C PSU. (Or an OCZ if you dont want premium).
 
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imported_drx

Member
Mar 18, 2005
37
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0
Definitely don't bother with X800 series crossfire. The lack of sm3.0 support is reason enough, nevermind the performance in comparison to a single x1800xt. I'm not too familiar with crossfire tech, but perhaps you could buy an x1800xt crossfire edition card now (or whenever they are available), and another later to utilize crossfire?
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
Buy the SLK3000B here. Definately cheaper to order it seperately after the price + S/H considerations.

Forget both the X2 3800 and 4200 with thier weak 512k L2 cache. If you have a Dell 2405, you'll need a lot of GPU power and probably will want to run high settings so 1MB L2 cache per core is definately what you want. Enter the emminently kick ass Opteron 165.

Get some DDR500 for overlocking that Opteron. Best bang for your buck

And for an $80 PSU, missing any sort of PFC kinda sucks. The SILVERSTONE SST-ST46F would be much better. Active PFC and 120mm fan. But if you want Crossfire, you need to consider the power requires are much like what you need for SLI. In that case, Get an S12-600 at a killer price while you still can
 
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darkswordsman17

Lifer
Mar 11, 2004
23,261
5,704
146
Originally posted by: ribbon13
Buy the SLK3000B here. Definately cheaper to order it seperately after the price + S/H considerations.

Forget both the X2 3800 and 4200 with thier weak 512k L2 cache. If you have a Dell 2405, you'll need a lot of GPU power and probably will want to run high settings so 1MB L2 cache per core is definately what you want. Enter the emminently kick ass Opteron 165.

Get some DDR500 for overlocking that Opteron. Best bang for your buck

And for an $80 PSU, missing any sort of PFC kinda sucks. The SILVERSTONE SST-ST46F would be much better. Active PFC and 120mm fan. But if you want Crossfire, you need to consider the power requires are much like what you need for SLI. In that case, Get an S12-600 at a killer price while you still can
Click to expand...

Some nice recommendations that I was gonna make. If you want to keep costs down, get ValueRAM instead.

Any particular reason you're eschewing nVidia? Just curious.
 
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summit

Platinum Member
Sep 27, 2001
2,097
0
0
cause my last nvidia was a geforce 2, i have shifted to ati with my 9700 and its been great... also i prefer buying the card from the people that make the chip... only problem with my current set up just has a hard time w/ my 1700 xp and 9700 pro together to play hl2 and source along w/ civ 4... and i want to get a new comp :-D

also is opteron 165 better than the x2? and why is it so much cheaper? just a little confused ... thanks
 
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darkswordsman17

Lifer
Mar 11, 2004
23,261
5,704
146
Originally posted by: Summit
cause my last nvidia was a geforce 2, i have shifted to ati with my 9700 and its been great... also i prefer buying the card from the people that make the chip... only problem with my current set up just has a hard time w/ my 1700 xp and 9700 pro together to play hl2 and source along w/ civ 4... and i want to get a new comp :-D

also is opteron 165 better than the x2? and why is it so much cheaper? just a little confused ... thanks
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that.

Not sure why its cheaper than X2, but it would be better than a 3800+ because it has 1MB cache per core while the 3800 only has 512K per core. I think they're at the same clock speeds. Its only about $30 or so cheaper now I think, although kinda strange that it is cheaper. Overclocks like a monster from what I've heard though. I think people were hitting 2.8-2.9 reasonably easily.
 
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summit

Platinum Member
Sep 27, 2001
2,097
0
0
well i think i will get the x2 and wait for the ati 1600 series or 1800 series out... however can anyone try to convince me that the opteron is better?
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
Opterons are the cores that past the most stringent of testing, because they are meant for servers/workstations and 24/7/365 use without failing. The ones that fail, but still past stringent testing become the X2 4800s and FXs. The rest become regulars A64s/X2s.

The only reason it's cheaper is because it's only clocked at 1.8Ghz while the X2 3800+ is clocked at 2.0Ghz. The Opteron 170 which is clocked at 2.0GHz costs $80 more than the X2 3800+. And the Opteron 165 will reach 2.0GHz without even breaking a sweat. The X2 4400+ is the cheapest X2 with 1MB L2 cache per core, clocked at 2.2GHz and costs $200 more than the Opteron 165. A 400Mhz stable overclock should easily be obtainable on most if not all Opteron 165s. So there you go. $500 CPUs performance for $300

Dual-core Opteron 165 ($299)
1.8GHz / 1MB L2 per core

Dual-core Opteron 170 ($399)
2.0GHz / 1MB L2 per core

Althon 64 X2 3800+ ($322)
2.0GHz / 512k L2 per core

Athlon 64 X2 4400+ ($499)
2.2GHz / 1MB L2 per core

Dual-core Opteron 175 ($525)
2.2GHz / 1MB L2 per core

Edit: Added 175 to list for X2 4400+ comparison.
 
JEDIYoda

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,986
3,320
126
Originally posted by: ribbon13
Buy the SLK3000B here. Definately cheaper to order it seperately after the price + S/H considerations.

Forget both the X2 3800 and 4200 with thier weak 512k L2 cache. If you have a Dell 2405, you'll need a lot of GPU power and probably will want to run high settings so 1MB L2 cache per core is definately what you want. Enter the emminently kick ass Opteron 165.

Get some DDR500 for overlocking that Opteron. Best bang for your buck

And for an $80 PSU, missing any sort of PFC kinda sucks. The SILVERSTONE SST-ST46F would be much better. Active PFC and 120mm fan. But if you want Crossfire, you need to consider the power requires are much like what you need for SLI. In that case, Get an S12-600 at a killer price while you still can
Click to expand...

I would stay away from any PSU that only has a 1 year warranty!!!
 
T

t3h l337 n3wb

Platinum Member
Apr 22, 2005
2,698
0
76
Go for a Radeon X800XT. The X800 series is definitely out of date now, so Crossfiring them would be useless. Go with the Opteron 165 and overclock it, and then get a nice Seasonic S12-500 or S12-600 to power your monster rig.
 
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Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
0
76
Originally posted by: Summit
cause my last nvidia was a geforce 2, i have shifted to ati with my 9700 and its been great... also i prefer buying the card from the people that make the chip... only problem with my current set up just has a hard time w/ my 1700 xp and 9700 pro together to play hl2 and source along w/ civ 4... and i want to get a new comp :-D

also is opteron 165 better than the x2? and why is it so much cheaper? just a little confused ... thanks
Click to expand...

Going ATi is certainly your choice, but that makes a big difference it might interest you to know that neither ATi nor nVidia makes their own chips, in fact they both use TSMC, though I believe both have deals with UMC and nVidia with IBM as well, as for the boards, Sapphire makes ATi's boards.
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
I dunno if you missed this or not: ~$51 Antec SLK3000B . Definately cheaper to order it seperately after the price + S/H considerations.

The PSU is the most important part of your system. It behooves you to not skimp on it. That Fortron only delivers 22A on the 12V max
It's only rated for 18A MAX This is very much insufficient. I urge you to consider the ~$115 Seasonic S12-500. It has active PFC and is very efficient (saves on your power bill in the long run), and uses 120mm fan so it's quiet and helps get rid of more system heat, since it adds very little of it's own.

I'm a fan of ATi's but I think you should take a look at this interesting article.
 
Markfw

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
26,077
15,208
136
That seasonic is ended, and there is another one for $110, but they want $25 shipping (ripoff) I will wait for a reputable vendor sales, as $135 on fleabay is not that great a deal.
 
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ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
Originally posted by: Markfw900
That seasonic is ended, and there is another one for $110, but they want $25 shipping (ripoff) I will wait for a reputable vendor sales, as $135 on fleabay is not that great a deal.
Click to expand...

The best prices for the Seasonic S12s are usually at case-mod.com and I've ordered from them multiple times with no troubles.
 
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