New Computer Build - Need Advice

[nuclfusion4]

Hopefully I can recieve some feedback on this computer build. I built my last computer, an Athlon XP 1800+, but that was over 3 years ago. I've been fairly out of the loop when it comes to things like SATA and SLI and PCIe but I'm slowly starting to get the hang of it.

I want to go with a 64 bit system. So to start, I've selected the following:

ASUS A8N-E ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor

I figure I have that down, so I'll move on to a new hard drive (40GB just doesn't cut it anymore):

Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

That, I believe, was the easy part. Now the harder parts come toward what I need my system to do. Mainly, it'll be running games and school work. However, if any of you are familiar with the term Monte Carlo, codes that use that method tend to be very processor/memory intensive. I have dedicated systems at school, but sometimes I have to bring stuff home. So my questions are these:

- I've heard of value ram and how overclocking can boost performance up significantly. Would the OCZ 3200 VX Value ram be a good choice? I've read, however, that OCZ works on a certain number of mobos.

- I need a new video card. TI4400 is a bit outdated. I've thought of the 6600 Ultra by Nvidia, but I'm not sure if that would satisfy my needs under my budget.

- I prefer to go with an Antec power supply. My guess is I would need about a minimum of 480W in order to run a stable system (with the possibility of overclocking). Any suggestions?

- I'm bringing my SB Live! 5.1 Soundcard over, so sound shouldn't be too much of an issue.

- I haven't had a chance to look over different casings. Are there recommendations as to casings which can improve overall quietness or at the least help with heat reduction?

I have a budget of about $1000. I already have a monitor, and I plan on reusing the CD/DVD drives from my old system. Although I may have to buy a floppy drive..

Thanks for the help. It's been such a long time that everything's overwhelming.

 

[nuclfusion4]

*bump*

 

[imported_Kensai]

Use the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum instead of the Asus.

A 6600GT or a 6800NU is a good choice..

The Antec NeoPower 480W is a highly rated PSU.

Antec P180 is a favorite.

~You shouldn't need a floppy drive unless you're setting up a RAID array or you have floppies still. (OMGWTF)

 

[nuclfusion4]

The MSI K8N was my second choice, however, I was under the impression that the Asus was a better board overall and had better overclocking capabilities. I don't plan on totally overclocking, but it would be nice to try it out.

 

[imported_Tick]

Meh. Get the MSI board. I say 6800 gt is a good value for the price, and will keep you happy for a while. Neopower's great, and you can't go wrong with the P180, especially if you don't want to spend $200 on a premium case. The 3000+ is the best-est of the evers. At this point, thought , the 250 GB drives are the sweet spot, as they only go for about $35 dollars more than the one you have listed. You'll probably be happy using onboard sound. That's what I say.

 

[coomar]

or the epox board that got better reviews from anandtech then either of them (fastest board at stock, best overclocker shared with the dfi)

 

[raildogg]

get the cheaper but better Epox 9NPA. it is an awesome overclocker and runs very fast at stock settings as well. for a budget of $1000, you surely can get a 3200 instead of 3000. maybe reach a higher overclock

have you thought about purchasing a case/psu combo? you can save some money and buy a better video card.

a Antec Sonata 2 is a very good case and comes with a decent power supply. 450W smart power

if you want to buy separate case and power supply, I'd get a Cooler master centurion 5 or antec 3000blk. they're both around $40 or $50. they have good airflow, the cooler master 5 has mesh style covering in the front for better airflow. while the antec 3000 will be better for quietness

for power supply, this psu is the best for the price link. a Fortron Blue Storm 500W costs $91. get either one of these two. awesome performance

for your graphics card: a Radeon X800XL is around $250. search Tiger Direct for a $229.99 X800XL, which is an incredible value. If you want more performance, a 7800GT is around $400 while the GTX version is around $500.

This is my recommendation for you:

athlon 64 3700 san diego -- $280 or so
epox 9npa -- $110 or so
ocz performance series (2x512MB) -- $110 or so
Antec 3000blk -- $40 or so
Fortron Blue Storm 500W -- $91 or so
Radeon X800XL -- $240 or so

that is about $871 or so roughly

you can get the 7800GT for about $150 more than X800XL, or the GTX for about $250 more.

 

[coomar]

Originally posted by: raildogg
get the cheaper but better Epox 9NPA. it is an awesome overclocker and runs very fast at stock settings as well. for a budget of $1000, you surely can get a 3200 instead of 3000. maybe reach a higher overclock

have you thought about purchasing a case/psu combo? you can save some money and buy a better video card.

a Antec Sonata 2 is a very good case and comes with a decent power supply. 450W smart power

if you want to buy separate case and power supply, I'd get a Cooler master centurion 5 or antec 3000blk. they're both around $40 or $50. they have good airflow, the cooler master 5 has mesh style covering in the front for better airflow. while the antec 3000 will be better for quietness

for power supply, this psu is the best for the price link. a Fortron Blue Storm 500W costs $91. get either one of these two. awesome performance

for your graphics card: a Radeon X800XL is around $250. search Tiger Direct for a $229.99 X800XL, which is an incredible value. If you want more performance, a 7800GT is around $400 while the GTX version is around $500.

This is my recommendation for you:

athlon 64 3700 san diego -- $280 or so
epox 9npa -- $110 or so
ocz performance series (2x512MB) -- $110 or so
Antec 3000blk -- $40 or so
Fortron Blue Storm 500W -- $91 or so
Radeon X800XL -- $240 or so

that is about $871 or so roughly

you can get the 7800GT for about $150 more than X800XL, or the GTX for about $250 more.

/end of thread

 

[nuclfusion4]

Thanks for all of your help. I've just finished the design of the system and are over by only $9 so it's not too bad.

EpoX http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe...ductCode=246557&affiliate=pricegrabber
Antec Neopower 480W http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe...ductCode=270022&affiliate=pricegrabber
WD 1600JS http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe...tCode=101208-11&affiliate=pricegrabber
eVGA 6800GT http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe...ductCode=322716&affiliate=pricegrabber


OCZ 1GB http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=140693
Antec P180 Case http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...PROD&Product_Code=100998&AFFIL=pg&NR=1


Athlon 64 3000+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a...37&ATT=Processors&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r
Black Floppy http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821152005
TS-H552U http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151066


If I didn't need a floppy/DVD drive I'd be under budget. I've seen the P180 and even though its a bit heavy, I absolutely love it. But thanks again for everyone's help. Hopefully I'll have pictures to put up once everything's in. Might even have time to add some LEDs or whatnot to it

 

[rajhouston]

i would say use MSI board, they will automatically update your bios on windows once you update the "live update"
msi rocks
raj