New AMD System Advice

[jpacelli]

I?ve building a new pc to replace my old one. My budget is $2000. Here is what I?m looking to purchase so far.

Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A
Thermaltake 480W PSU
ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe
AMD 2500+ Barton
Thermaltake Volcano 11+ Xaser Edition
ASUS V9950 Ultra FX 5900 256mb
Corsair Twin XMS 512mb PC3200 (2x256)
Maxtor 120Gb ATA133 8mb cache
Lite-On 16x DVD
Lite-On 52x-32x-52x CD-RW
Round Cables
Red light
Viewsonic E90F+SB 19? CRT
Logitech Duo MX Cordless
Logitech Z-680 THX Speakers
Windows XP Pro

I plan to OC this system and wanted to know of any changes I should make.
Fans, Case, PSU, etc?

Joe

 

[render]

Thermaltake Volcano 11+ Xaser Edition -> Thermalright slk800

Corsair Twin XMS 512mb PC3200 (2x256) -> 1GB (512 x 2)

Viewsonic E90F+SB 19? CRT -> 19" LCD

Thermaltake 480W PSU -> Truepower 480W

 

[jpacelli]

I was thinking LCD but decided against due to the gaming I do. I hear there is a lot of ghosting with these faster frame rate games like UT2003, Doom3, BF 1942, etc...

Joe

 

[nick1985]

this belongs in cases and cooling :beer:

 

[Corporate Thug]

Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A is a waste of money as it is VERY VERY heavy and you dont need 7 fans, you can grab a unecc (chemning) server case that holds 5 fans form SVC for 69.99 plus s/h and it is aluminum so it only weights 14 lbs

i really recommend a slk800 over a volcano


$2000 for a system with 512 of ram and no dvd burner seems a little too high for me

 

[dguy6789]

so what, all the fans are almost silent, gives case extremely good air flow, dont know about weight, i have all aluminum version
and i reccomend you change that 5900 ultra to a radeon 9800 pro 256MB. games like doom 3 and half life 2 will run faster on 9800 pro, due to it's superior shader performance. and it has better image qualtiy.

 

[jpacelli]

$2000 is how much I have to spend. Not the price of what I listed.

Joe

 

[MDE]

Quick lesson about video cards (points at sig).

 

[jpacelli]

Looked at the Thermalright slk800 and also just looked at the slk900, unfortunately I was reading the slk900 is to big and you need to bend a few capacitors. But the slk800 looks like it will do a good job. What is a good fan for on top of the HS? Should I go 80mm, 92mm? I hope to have good cooling in this system compared to current one I have.

KT3-Ultra2
AMD 2000+ with Retail HSF
Gainward Geforce3 TI 4200 128mb
Thermaltake Xaser III Black Steel one with standard fans that came with system

LCD reads and 54c while on, if my sons run there Nascar 2003 it hits 62-64c
This system is in bedroom with about 2" clearance on sides and back.
Very Quiet...

This next system I plan to OC, and do more heavy gaming.
Recently got Castle Wolfenstein, plan on getting boys Medal of Honor.
I wanted to stay with the Thermaltake Case because wife also likes how it looks.
But other than that, PSU, HSF, mobo, Graphics Card I am open for suggestions

Joe

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A
Truepower 480W PSU
DFI LANPARTY NFII
AMD 2500+ Barton
Thermalright slk-900 or 800
Thermaltake Smart Fan 2
Saphire 9800 Pro 128
Corsair Twin XMS 1024mb PC3200 (2x512)
120Gb SATA150 8mb cache
Lite-On 8x DVD+/-RW
Lite-On 52x-32x-52x CD-RW
Round Cables
Red light
Viewsonic E90F+SB 19? CRT
Logitech Duo MX Cordless
Logitech Z-680 THX Speakers
Windows XP Pro

Here is how I would go go if I were you. This Mobo performs and OC's better.

 

[amdskip]

Originally posted by: jpacelli
I was thinking LCD but decided against due to the gaming I do. I hear there is a lot of ghosting with these faster frame rate games like UT2003, Doom3, BF 1942, etc...

Joe

If you get a quality lcd with a good response time you have nothing to worry about. I use an 1800 FP Dell lcd with dvi and I have no ghosting issues at all with Battlefield, etc.

 

[amdskip]

Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A
Truepower 480W PSU
DFI LANPARTY NFII - Stick with tried and true, go with the Asus
AMD 2500+ Barton - Good choice
Thermalright slk-900 or 800
Thermaltake Smart Fan 2 - ehh, I use an 80mm adjustable fan
Saphire 9800 Pro 128
Corsair Twin XMS 1024mb PC3200 (2x512)
120Gb SATA150 8mb cache
Lite-On 8x DVD+/-RW
Lite-On 52x-32x-52x CD-RW
Round Cables
Red light
Viewsonic E90F+SB 19? CRT - I'd go the lcd route, much easier on the eyes
Logitech Duo MX Cordless
Logitech Z-680 THX Speakers
Windows XP Pro

 

[blade]

Originally posted by: jpacelli
Looked at the Thermalright slk800 and also just looked at the slk900, unfortunately I was reading the slk900 is to big and you need to bend a few capacitors. But the slk800 looks like it will do a good job. What is a good fan for on top of the HS? Should I go 80mm, 92mm? I hope to have good cooling in this system compared to current one I have.

The SLK900-A is a redesigned SLK900 and WILL fit the Asus a7n8x. Have one on mine now. It is a clip on heatsink. A good fan is the ys tech adjustable, 92mm version. Not too loud even on the highest speed, and puts out a lot of air.

If you have a good fan controller like the sunbeam, the 92mm tornado will plain rock. It is only quiet at around 2600rpm though. That's why a fan controller with it is a necessity.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: amdskip
Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A
Truepower 480W PSU
DFI LANPARTY NFII - Stick with tried and true, go with the Asus(according to every review and every1 have talked to it is better)
AMD 2500+ Barton - Good choice
Thermalright slk-900 or 800
Thermaltake Smart Fan 2 - ehh, I use an 80mm adjustable fan( the smart fan 2 is adjustable from 1300-4800rpm adn form 30-75cfm)
Saphire 9800 Pro 128
Corsair Twin XMS 1024mb PC3200 (2x512)
120Gb SATA150 8mb cache
Lite-On 8x DVD+/-RW
Lite-On 52x-32x-52x CD-RW
Round Cables
Red light
Viewsonic E90F+SB 19? CRT - I'd go the lcd route, much easier on the eyes(not my idea i love lcd's)
Logitech Duo MX Cordless
Logitech Z-680 THX Speakers
Windows XP Pro

 

[Richdog]

Here's my suggestion...

Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A - I would'nt choose this case but if you and your wife like it, you could do worse.
Antec Truecontrol 550w - VERY beefy PSU and is adjustable for maximum stability.
ABIT NF7-S 2.0 - Best Nforce2 board by far, eminently overclockable
AMD 2500+ Barton
SLK900A w. YS-TECH adjustable fan - Will provide all the cooling you'll ever need for your CPU.
ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB - The best performing video card currently available, Nvidia 5900 is not a wise choice for upcoming games.
Corsair Twin XMS 512mb PC3500 (433Mhz DDR) (2x256) - Good choice of brand, 512MB should be enough but if you can afford it 1024MB is future-proof.
Maxtor 120Gb ATA133 8mb cache - Yup, fast hard-drive good choice.
Lite-On 16x DVD
Lite-On 52x-32x-52x CD-RW
DVD-Writer that supports all formats, there's a few available now just can't remember who from...
Round Cables
Red light.
22? CRT - Can't beat good old CRT's for gaming, and 22" is FAR better than a 19" LCD in my opinion.
Logitech Duo MX Cordless
Logitech Z-680 THX Speakers - Get a 5.1 or 7.1 surround set, makes gaming more immersive.
Soundblaster Audigy2 - THE ONLY thing you've missed off of the list, an essential gaming soundcard that is 100%
stable and compatible with every game out there. Better than Nvidia Soundstorm.
Windows XP Pro.

VOILA, the rig i'd be very jealous of... :beer:

 

[jpacelli]

I've thought about the sound card and on my current system KT3-Ultra2 I'm using onboard sound and I think it rocks. Not sure what I would gain from getting the sound card.
Also looked into the DVD burner, the pioneer A106(I think). At this time not worth it. Maybe next summer they will be fast and cheaper and I'll add on.

Speakers: 5.1 Configuration ? 500 Watts ? Dolby® Digital & DTS® Hardware Decoding ? THX® Certified
Transform your PC or game console into an incredible home theater. The Logitech Z-680 offers awesome power, THX-certified sound, built-in Dolby Digital and DTS hardware decoding, and the easy setup you've been looking for in a 500-watt (RMS) sound system. (Description on logitech's website)

Graphics Card: Biggest decision next to mobo I see. I've gone back and forth between Geforce FX5900 and ATI 9800 Pro. Also 9800 Pro 256mb will be out soon. I want to get a card which should last 2-3 yrs.

Joe

 

[rowcroft]

IMO, if you game then you won't be able to buy a card today that will last 2-3 years. Get a mid-range card now and plan on upgrading every 9-12 months. That will cost about the same and you'll have more consistent game play with new games as they come out. A good upgrade plan/budget is better then trying to "future-proof" your machine with today's tech.

Rowcroft

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Thermaltake Xaser III V2000A - I would'nt choose this case but if you and your wife like it, you could do worse.
Antec Truecontrol 550w - VERY beefy PSU and is adjustable for maximum stability.
ABIT NF7-S 2.0 - Best Nforce2 board by far, eminently overclockable(do you people eve read the anandtech reviews?)
AMD 2500+ Barton
SLK900A w. YS-TECH adjustable fan - Will provide all the cooling you'll ever need for your CPU.
ATI RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB - The best performing video card currently available, Nvidia 5900 is not a wise choice for upcoming games.
Corsair Twin XMS 512mb PC3500 (433Mhz DDR) (2x256) - Good choice of brand, 512MB should be enough but if you can afford it 1024MB is future-proof.
Maxtor 120Gb ATA133 8mb cache - Yup, fast hard-drive good choice.
Lite-On 16x DVD
Lite-On 52x-32x-52x CD-RW
DVD-Writer that supports all formats, there's a few available now just can't remember who from...
Round Cables
Red light.
22? CRT - Can't beat good old CRT's for gaming, and 22" is FAR better than a 19" LCD in my opinion.
Logitech Duo MX Cordless
Logitech Z-680 THX Speakers - Get a 5.1 or 7.1 surround set, makes gaming more immersive.
Soundblaster Audigy2 - THE ONLY thing you've missed off of the list, an essential gaming soundcard that is 100%
stable and compatible with every game out there. Better than Nvidia Soundstorm.
Windows XP Pro.

 

[modestninja]

I'd definetely get the Buffalo (or TwinMos) pc3200 with the winbond CH5 chips. It performs as good (if not better in a few cases I've seen) than the far more expensive Corsair RAM. I can get 220mhz FSB at 2-2-3-7 on my A7N8X-dx without a problem (any higher and one of my chpsets gets too hot). This RAM is as good as any other RAM for AMDs but costs far less.

The Audigy 2 is only marginally better than Sound Storm on an nForce2 MB, so I wouldn't pay the extra $100 for one.

I agree however that you should get the Abit Nf7-S 2.0 over the Asus (even though I'm perfectly happy with mine). The features are almost identical, but the Abit usually is more overclockable from the reviews I've seen.

Anyway, good luck and have fun building your new system.