First Build since 1997...Comments Please

[kjackson09]

I am building a computer for the first time in almost 10 years. A lot has changed since
then. My current computer I built in 1997 and have since only added a burner. Needless to
say I am excited and confused all at the same time. I have spent a lot of time reading
reviews and searching through forums.

Please review my specs and my question. All help/inputs/comments is greatly appreciated.

Asus A8N SLI Deluxe (s939)
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (s939)
512MB RAM (256MB x2) Dual Channel OCZ Enhanced Latency
XFX nVidia 6600GT PCI-Express Video Card
160G 7200RPM, 8MB cache HD
16X Dual Layer DVD Burner
CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive
Antec 1080AMG Case /w 430Watt True Power Supply



My questions.


1. Motherboard

I really liked the reviews and options with this motherboard. However, I am now concerned
with all of the problems I have read that people are having with this board here in the
Anandtech forums. I thought this was a high end "no nonsense" board. Are the problems
being resolved? Are there minor problems with the board subject to only a few individuals?
Has anyone purchased this board without problems? I was looking to build my computer next
week, so waiting for more nForce 4 boards to come out is not an option at this point.

2. Video Card

I have decided on the nVidia 6600GT chipset (PCI-Express) but I have no idea what card
manufacturer I should I go with. For example is XFX > Leadtek > MSI etc. Can someone please
recommend a specific 6600GT card.

3. Case/Power Supply

I have read a lot of people having problems with Power Supply Units (PSU) and it even seems
to be related with the ASUS A8N SLI board. Originally I was going to chose the Antec 1040BX
w/ 400Watt Smart Power Supply but was worried that was not enough power. I decided to
upgrade the case to a the Antec 1080AMG w/430Watt True Power. Will an Antec 430Watt PSU be
enough? I understand there are varying degrees of PSU on the market. Does anyone have
experience with the 1080AMG case?

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Kerry

 

[biostud]

2x512Mb ram, if you're not going to overclock just buy some corsair value.

 

[Edward Lee]

Here's what I wrote for this guy

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=27&threadid=1493504

SLI + 6600 GT + AMD 3200= Bad Set up
Non SLI MOBO + AMD 3200 + 6800GT = Better performance

$219 RAM + $1500 Total for a computer = Waste of money
$140 RAM + $1000 Total for a computer = Money well spent.

 

[ts3433]

If you're going to be gaming, you want 1GB of RAM. Dump the flashy "fast RAM" (see here) and get 2x512MB of Corsair/Crucial/Mushkin value RAM for $140.

Depending on what resolutions you usually play at, it may be advisable to build an AGP system for now if the levels you desire to play games at necessitate a 6800GT.

The True430 in that case is probably good for this setup. As for the case itself... well, it's Antec, which makes quality stuff. If you end up instead getting a case and PSU separately, also consider Fortron (PCP&C, OCZ, and Zippy/Emacs are rebadgers), Seasonic (PCP&C is a rebadger), and Enermax (is a rebadger; I don't know who they use, though).

 

[acorcoran]

I'm in the same boat, so if you want to see what other's mentioned on mine to aid in your quest:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=1492206&enterthread=y

 

[walkure]

I just ordered all my new components (first since 1998 -- I thought I went the longest!!!), and went with the Mushkin 1GB dual pack for only $136.25 (free shipping):
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...tion=20-146-299&depa=1

Also I've seen some reports of XFX video cards running very hot. Look perhaps to EVGA (excellent customer service and seemingly overall satisfaction) or perhaps Leadtek if you like a decent game bundle for $20 higher price -- you get doom3, Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia:
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...tion=14-122-204&depa=1

 

[kjackson09]

The comments are great. I appreciate the feedback.

I do not plan on doing any really over clocking but as another user said I would still like the option. The same with gaming, I am not a hardcore gamer but would like the option of sitting down and play a decent game every once in awhile.

1. Motherboard

I suppose I won't really use the SLI option any time soon but I really like ASUS motherboards. My 1997 build has an ASUS motherboard and it is still kicking strong. I am confused now in that I read on this fourm many people recommending the the nForce 4 boards. Which nForce 4 boards are available, or would I be better off with the ASUS A8V nForce 3 board? Do the MSI Boards have decent tech support?

2. Memory

I was going to post a question regarding 1GB value ram vs 512MB Fast Ram. It appears most have answered my question. I will move to the increase in value ram.

It is funny to see people mention gaming............I do not remember what it is like to play games on my current PC. It has a Matrox Mystique 4MB Video Card (Pre AGP days) LOL.

 

[MDE]

If you want to go AGP then look at nForce3 Ultra boards. The only real difference is NF3 is AGP and NF4 is PCIe.

 

[ts3433]

If you're not a hardcore gamer, keep the 6600GT. You can still also keep the SLI board and add another 6600GT in the future, though by then it may end up being better to buy a card from that next generation (which will still be useable with the SLI board, even if it's an ATI, which will probably require a different motherboard chipset for SLI operation).

Asus motherboards are great, but we use a multitude here (MSI, Epox, Shuttle, DFI, Abit, etc.). (By the way, the A8V is a VIA K8T800 Pro board, not an NF3. There's no performance difference between them, but nVidia chipsets are generally preferred.)

If you want more NF4 selection (like with single PCIe x16 slots), you may want to wait for more selection. Chaintech has an NF4 Ultra offering out already, but I've heard it's a poor overclocker. If you go for AGP right now, the Epox EP-9NDA3+ and MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum are good boards.

 

[Edward Lee]

It's great to hear you're finally getting a new system after years of suffering with slow bootup speeds and archaic graphics capabilities. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how long your next computer will last you. I haven't noticed any significant speed increase since my last build, which was a Pentium 4 1.8 Gig almost 3 years ago, with my current system. I expect current systems to be just as reliable. And off course the graphics card makes all the difference in the world in terms display quality and what applications (games) you can run.

 

[Edward Lee]

Originally posted by: ts3433
If you're not a hardcore gamer, keep the 6600GT. You can still also keep the SLI board and add another one in the future, though by then it may end up being better to buy a card from that next generation (which will still be useable with the SLI board, even if it's an ATI, which will probably require a different motherboard chipset for SLI operation).

If you add a newer better graphics card later it won't work with the 6600 GT currently installed. SLI is not compatible with different cards.
Future cards will have to be designed for SLI. There is no guaranty SLI will be around long enough for this to happen. Remember SLI died years ago and has just been reintroduced.
Just like he said ATI might come out with SLI technology of there own, but I will not be compatable with current technology and motherboards. So when newer SLI technology comes out, current mothersboards will not support the new features.
Also consider SLI is in it's infacy and Nvidia still has a lot of tweaking to do with it. Future improvements will undoubtedly render current motherboards useless.

 

[disruptorsignals]

Wow I just finished building my first new comp and it's pretty similiar/

Amd Athlon 64 3500
Asus A8N-SLI
1 gig Mushkin value ram
albatron 6600 gt
160 gig sata 7200 rpm

It runs awesome.

 

[justly]

Considering your past upgrade history "My current computer I built in 1997 and have since only added a burner" this makes me wonder why you choose a more expensive SLI motherboard with only one video card. Unless you plan to radically change your upgrading habits the money you save by not going SLI could probably double the amout of memory or get a faster CPU, video card or any number of things.

I don't know what your plans are with this computer compared to your old one. It really is your choice, it just appears to be a odd choice with your history.

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: Edward Lee
If you add a newer better graphics card later it won't work with the 6600 GT currently installed. SLI is not compatible with different cards.

This I know; I probably should have clarified. Will edit.

Future cards will have to be designed for SLI. There is no guarantee SLI will be around long enough for this to happen. Remember SLI died years ago and has just been reintroduced.

You can still use just one PCIe slot; this is all I was saying.

 

[disruptorsignals]

I got my Asus A8N-SLI for 186 $ so I wasn't to concerned about sli and the longevity of the interface as long as I can run 1 pci express video card I'm happy.

 

[acorcoran]

I decided not to go with SLI as shown in my previous post, however, I did think that a PCI-e system might be the best choice and waiting for the NF4 boards w/ PCI-e over the current NF3 w/ AGP. I think this is more of a personal preference than anything else. Are there any great arguments for or against NF4 w/ PCI-e and NF3 w/ AGP? I did read the following (http://forums.anandtech.com/me..._key=y&keyword1=pci-e) and most seemed to have the consensus of going pci-e once more selection comes out.

Not trying to derail the topic, simply bringing up some additional options for you.

 

[kjackson09]

The reason for delay in upgrading my 1997 build had to do with funds. When I first built that computer I was a university student and as you can see it lasted me well. I have since been working, settled and generating income. Which means I can get back to a normal upgrading routine.

acorcoran,

I too would like to know the answer to your question. I personnaly prefer the PCI-Express option, as I beleive that will not change in the future. The SLI option I may never use. Or at least not use it prior to some better technology coming available.

Nobody here has mentioned the techncial problems with the A8N SLI boards (which I have been reading in the forums)

I am pumped for reduced load times. Heck it will be nice to watch a video in Windows Media Player were the video doesn't have a 15sec lag behind the sound. LOL.

 

[acorcoran]

Here is a nice non-SLI option that appears to be coming out next week (if the time isn't bumped)

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=241158

If you don't care about the SLI option, this should shave a bit off of your build. Your build looks similar to the one I've also been researching and used this board to the best of my ability...lots of good feedback. I think we are on the same page =)

The board I selected is not out until next week, however, it sounds like it will be a winner and a great price compared to the SLI.

I went with the Leadtek card due to the immense amount of feedback people have for this brand. I was looking at first for the 6800GT, but at this time, it was just a bit too pricey for my blood, as I do enjoy playing a new game once in a while, but it won't kill me to run at a lower resolution.

Processor I chose due to the bang for the buck value, as well as the Winchester core in case I ever want to do some overclocking. I'm sure I'll get bored one day and want to tweak my computer some.

Corsair Value memory I selected simply due to the huge feedback and the tests saying that the more expensive memory such as the Ballistix really wasn't worth it IN MY SITUATION.

Seagate HDD - 10 year warranty and outstanding reviews on this board. Although I didn't need the 160gb and was looking at the 80, the speed performance for the small price increase was worth it in my eyes.

Enermax PSU - Selected a PSU that I have read decent reviews on and it supported the PCI-e I was aiming for. There are so many choices in this realm, I just went ahead and picked on I liked.

Case - Lots of great reviews and more of a personal preference for me.

--------------

MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum nForce4 Ultra Athlon 64 Skt939 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA $169.99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=241158

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Processor Socket 939 $203.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...sp?ProductCode=80701-2

Corsair VS1GBKIT400 1GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory $113.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...p?ProductCode=80098-21

Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB GDDR3, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, PCI-Express, Model ""PX6600GT TDH Extreme" $195.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...tion=14-122-201&depa=1

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST3160827AS 160GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer $109.99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=101559

Lite-On HD166S/167T 16X IDE DVD-ROM Drive (Black) $29.50
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=170628

Enermax EG495P-VE-SFMA Noisetaker 485W Power Supply $113.99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=270323

Antec P160 Anodized Aluminum Super Mid Tower Case $112.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=140032

Grand Total $1046.47
Last Modified 1/17/2005

 

[kjackson09]

Your build looks almost identical to mine. It looks like we are both trying to achieve the same thing.

I found OCZ 1GB CAS2.5 (2x 512MB) memory for $220 Canadian.

http://www.ocztechnology.com/p...0+Premier+Dual+Channel

Will this RAM be fine? 512MB of OCZ enhanced latency was going to cose $200 CAD.

As for the motherboard time appears to be limited. I need to purchase the board next week at he latest otherwise I will put this off until summer..again (which I am trying to avoid) If the only issue with the ASUS A8N SLI is that there is a little too much board for what I need, than I don't mind "biting the bullet" and paying a little extra to get a quality nForce 4 board even though I don't need all of the options right now. The price difference is about $80CAD between the MSI nForce 3 board and ASUS nForce 4 board.

The problem is that I haven't heard anyone say "yah" or "nah" to the ASUS Board. I thought the motherboard was the most important component. If I wanted nForce4 am I making a mistake by purchasing the ASUS A8N SLI now?

 

[ts3433]

This is 10 CAD less than that OCZ CL2.5, and either one will work better than 512MB of low-latency.

Go ahead and get the A8N-SLI if you want, especially if you can find it at a somewhat decent price (below 200 USD), because there aren't any really good NF4 Ultra boards (one PCIe x16 slot) out at the moment.

 

[SunSamurai]

Get the Leadtek 6600GT. Its faster, less expencive, quiter, and runs cooler than most other boards.

 

[Relion]

Originally posted by: aeternitas
Get the Leadtek 6600GT. Its faster, less expencive, quiter, and runs cooler than most other boards.

A vote for the Leadtek and a vote AGAINST XFX....Also if you are not OC you can buy some cheap Corsair or Mushkin RAM...

 

[kjackson09]

Well the Leadtek it is then. I don't beleive I will be interested in overclocking, but didn't want to rule out that possibility.

Will my Antec 430 Watt True Power PSU be fine for this rig.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: kjackson09
Well the Leadtek it is then. I don't beleive I will be interested in overclocking, but didn't want to rule out that possibility.

Will my Antec 430 Watt True Power PSU be fine for this rig.

Yes it'll be fine.

 

[Philippine Mango]

Hey, whats the specs of your 1997 build?