First Build

[red cap]

Hi there
i was just wondering if you fine people can offer me some advice? Im about to embark on my first build, and i have come up with this prospective spec:

Athlon64 Dual Core X2 3800+ or 4200+
ASUS A8n-sli or ASUS A8n-sli PREMIUM?
2* 1GB stciks of ram
Seagate Barracuda 300GB 7200rpm HD
Geforce 7900GT
+ a case and 450 with PSU

Ideally, i'd like a system thats fairly future proof and can handle multiple graphics programs such as photoshop CS2 with ease. It would also be nice if this system could handle next gen games .

my main points of contention are:
1) is the 4200+ worth the extra money over the 3800+?
2) similarly is the A8n-sli premium worth the extra investment?
3) what type of memory to go for? ive been quoted for kingston value ram - is it worth downgrading my CPU (to keep in budget) for better quality memory such as corsair?
4) what manufacturer of the 7900GT to go for?

if anbody could offer me advice on these points or suggest improvments to my prospective rig it would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[InlineFour]

get the corsair valueselect.

i'd say it's worth upgrading to the premium. the premium features a passive northbridge heatsink.

EVGA for the video card brand.

 

[Ricemarine]

1. You can always overclock the 3800+ to the speed of the 4200+ if you want... But if you don't want to I'd say its worth it.
2. As I said before, if you aren't a hardcore overclocker, premium isn't worth extra... But maybe the deluxe version is.
3. Preferably the G.Skill DDR400 (or DDR500 if ocing), or OCZ, or whatever is on sale in the Hot Deals foruim currently.
4. eVGA or BFG. but eVGA allow stepping up (that's how I got my 7900GT CO )

5. I rather not see a case with a 450w psu... Preferably get something like an antec slk3000b with maybe something like an antec smartpower 500w( separately, so it comes with warranty, since some power supplies that comes with cases don't have the warranty sticker...), enermax liberty 500w, antec neoHE 500w, Seasonic S12 500w (for quiet operation)

 

[red cap]

Thanks for the prompt replies!
my budget is about $1500 - inclusive of a dvd rw drive that didnt i include in that spec

 

[red cap]

currently my retailer stocks the albatron, nVidia, leadtek, pixelview and sparkle flavours of the 7900GT are these any good?

 

[InlineFour]

i thought nvidia don't make their own cards. i'd choose leadtek out of that list.

 

[HoneyBird]

Originally posted by: Ricemarine
1. You can always overclock the 3800+ to the speed of the 4200+ if you want... But if you don't want to I'd say its worth it.
2. As I said before, if you aren't a hardcore overclocker, premium isn't worth extra... But maybe the deluxe version is.
3. Preferably the G.Skill DDR400 (or DDR500 if ocing), or OCZ, or whatever is on sale in the Hot Deals foruim currently.
4. eVGA or BFG. but eVGA allow stepping up (that's how I got my 7900GT CO )

5. I rather not see a case with a 450w psu... Preferably get something like an antec slk3000b with maybe something like an antec smartpower 500w( separately, so it comes with warranty, since some power supplies that comes with cases don't have the warranty sticker...), enermax liberty 500w, antec neoHE 500w, Seasonic S12 500w (for quiet operation)

eVGA has a worst rating @ PC world on April magazine. PNY has a highest score for VGA card.

 

[red cap]

HoneyBird were any of the other cards reviewed?

 

[Ricemarine]

Originally posted by: InlineFour
i thought nvidia don't make their own cards. i'd choose leadtek out of that list.

Actually there are nVidia OEM cards... The ones that were first released and used to show the power of the 7900gt....


If I had to I'd chose Leadtek as well...

 

[red cap]

After reading a few other threads my current build looks like this:

Athlon64 Dual Core X2 4200+
A8n-sli PREMIUM
2* 1GB stciks of Corsair value ram
Seagate Barracuda 300GB 7200rpm HD
Geforce 7900GT - as in sli mode benchmarks higher than the gtx
+ a case with 500W PSU

This is really squeezing every cent from my budget, about ($1500) so if anybody can suggest improvements to this rig much appreciated!

 

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: red cap
After reading a few other threads my current build looks like this:

Athlon64 Dual Core X2 4200+
A8n-sli PREMIUM
2* 1GB stciks of Corsair value ram
Seagate Barracuda 300GB 7200rpm HD
Geforce 7900GT - as in sli mode benchmarks higher than the gtx
+ a case and 500 with PSU

This is really squeezing every cent from my budget, about ($1500) so if anybody can suggest improvements to this rig much appreciated!

X1800XT 512mb and an Enermax Liberty would be good I think.

 

[red cap]

ive always been a fan of nVidia cards the X1800XT 512mb would put me over budget i reckon!

 

[secretanchitman]

i'd get the a8n-sli deluxe...all premium has is the passive cooling thats all. a8n32-sli only has 16x sli, thats about it and the passive cooling. are you going to go sli?

no, the 4200+ isnt worth the money over the 3800+. just a 200mhz clock speed difference. cache stays the same unless you go up to a 4400+/4800+/opteron.

video card wise, evga, bfg, xfx, and whomever else all make solid cards. i'd stick with those 3 because they offer lifetime warranties even while OCing the card and putting an aftermarket cooler on it.

nice hard drive...just picked up the same one at frys last weekend for 100 bucks retail (300GB 7200.9 SATA 16MB cache)

memory, since youre on an amd platform, it doesnt require PC4000 or higher memory, although amds like lower latency...so 2x1GB of some corsair valueselect/XMS or whatever they're called will be fine for you. 2x512MB or 2x1GB if you can afford it.

case is your choice...

psu - i would stick with a name brand one, like fortron, seasonic, sparkle, antec (ive used a couple and they've all worked flawlessly), PC&P, etc. get at least 450W to be safe for sli and future stuff.

good luck!

 

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: red cap
ive always been a fan of nVidia cards the X1800XT 512mb would put me over budget i reckon!

No it wouldn't. It's got 256mb more memory and cheaper than the oc'd versions of the 7900gt. The 256mb version is a lot cheaper.

 

[red cap]

cheers secretanchitman thats muchos helpful!

 

[Smartazz]

Originally posted by: InlineFour
i thought nvidia don't make their own cards. i'd choose leadtek out of that list.

me either, I don't think they do.
edit: nm, there were oems.

 

[secretanchitman]

Originally posted by: red cap
cheers secretanchitman thats muchos helpful!

heh heh, no problem!

 

[royalk4]

Why get an SLI board if you aren't going be be using 2 cards in SLI? and I second the OCZ or GSKill they are solid RAM

 

[red cap]

Originally posted by: royalk4
Why get an SLI board if you aren't going be be using 2 cards in SLI? and I second the OCZ or GSKill they are solid RAM

Id rather get an Sli board so i have the option for 2 cards in the future

 

[red cap]

after lots of deliberation, im about to put my order in for this lot:

Asustek A8N-SLI Premium Motherboard
AMD X2 Dual Core 4200+ Processor
2 x 1GB Hynix DDR400 PC3200Ram
300GB Seagate Sata II Hard Drive 7200RPM
Galaxy 7900GT 256MB PCI Express
Liteon 16X DVD Writer
Coolermaster Centurion 5 Black and Silver Case Enermax 535Watt Whisper II Power Supply

If anyone can save me from making a grave mistake, speak now!

 

[TanisHalfElven]

Originally posted by: red cap
Hi there
i was just wondering if you fine people can offer me some advice? Im about to embark on my first build, and i have come up with this prospective spec:

Athlon64 Dual Core X2 3800+ or 4200+
ASUS A8n-sli or ASUS A8n-sli PREMIUM?
2* 1GB stciks of ram
Seagate Barracuda 300GB 7200rpm HD
Geforce 7900GT
+ a case and 450 with PSU

Ideally, i'd like a system thats fairly future proof and can handle multiple graphics programs such as photoshop CS2 with ease. It would also be nice if this system could handle next gen games .

my main points of contention are:
1) is the 4200+ worth the extra money over the 3800+?
2) similarly is the A8n-sli premium worth the extra investment?
3) what type of memory to go for? ive been quoted for kingston value ram - is it worth downgrading my CPU (to keep in budget) for better quality memory such as corsair?
4) what manufacturer of the 7900GT to go for?

if anbody could offer me advice on these points or suggest improvments to my prospective rig it would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

heres what i would get.

x2 3800+ or opty 165 (300)
dfi nf4 sli (125)(i recommend) or anyother but no need to spend extra on the 16 lanes mobo.
x1900xt/xtx (depends on budget) (400/500)
kingston value ram 2 gb (200)

 

[stu1811]

Get the premium asus board. The deluxe is known for the north bridge fan failing. Premium has a passive heat sink=no noisy fan and no moving parts that WILL fail.