need help in choosing the CPU and MB

[kvrr79]

Hi,


I am going to build a system, I need your suggestions for this. I bought below items on deals.

1GB Kingston Value Dual Channel RAM
160GB X 2 Western Digital HDD
NEC ND-3520A DVD Writer
Anetec Lanboy Case
500 W Mad Dog power Supply with smart cables

Now my question is to buy which MB Graphics card and CPU ? I am leaning towards Athlon 64. Thinking of buying AMD Athlon 64 3000+ with GIGABYTE "GA-K8NF-9" NVIDIA nForce4 4X Chipset socket 939. Is it wise to have these ?

Does A64 has Hyper Threading capability like P4 ?
Is it wise to go for PCI Express graphics and Mother Board ?

Thanks,
Venkat.

 

[ts3433]

Hyperthreading is Intel's proprietary technique to keep their long pipelines full. It can also improve multitasking.

I wouldn't jump on PCIe just yet. A new AGP card for gaming should still last quite a while before an upgrade is necessary. Try getting a 3000+ Winchester with an Epox EP-9NDA3+. Spend the rest of your budget on the best graphics card you can get (probably a 6600GT, 6800, or 6800GT).

On a side note: I would reconsider that generic power supply and get something of good quality (even if rated somewhat lower--wattage itself means little).

 

[o1die]

I would go with an antec, sparkle (same as fortron), enermax, pc power and cooling, enlight, or thermaltake power supply. I wouldn't use powmax or mge. Those no name power supplies are sometimes overated for peak capacity. Some will actually fail or even smoke when overloaded.

 

[ts3433]

FYI, PCP&C use both Fortron and Seasonic parts. OCZ uses Fortron as well.

 

[Dijital]

Originally posted by: ts3433
On a side note: I would reconsider that generic power supply and get something of good quality (even if rated somewhat lower--wattage itself means little).

agreed. a lot of people are having trouble with generic power supplies.

i've got a thermaltake silent power 560W and it runs great so far. dont sacrifice the quality of a power supply for less cost, you'll regret it later on if your parts burn out.

 

[kvrr79]

Hi ts3433,

Thank you for your advise. I have mentioned that I have 500W Mad Dog power supply with smart cable system. Which is not a generic power supply. I spent 90$ for that power supply. Do you think the one I bought is a generic power supply ?

Thanks,
kvrr79

 

[ts3433]

Maybe that isn't a bad unit after all--they post some pretty good specs. (I had only known Mad Dog to be a rebadger of iffy quality.) If you already have the PSU, look up the UL number on there (something like E123456) and see if you can find the company that actually makes the unit.

 

[Relion]

Id get an ultra nforce card instead of the vainilla 4X (4X means it has 4X htt, ultra has 5X htt)....some 939 Athlon 64 Winchester processor (whichever is in your budget) and a decent PCIE card