New Computer Configuration

[NightShadeKW]

I'm only going to be getting one 7800GTX right now, but since it supports SLI, I figure I can get another one down the road when they're cheaper and my comptuer needs another boost.

This is the motherboard I'm looking at right now:
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

I don't know which 7800GTX to get though - it has occured to me that they might not all be offered in the future (the different brands and such - or wound it be enough to just have two 7800 GTX's of any brand?

I'm also debating what processor to get. I'll definitely be using it for gaming, and I don't know whether dual core would be a good idea. At the moment, I'm looking at AMD Athalon 65 FX55.

I'm looking at 2GB Corsair ram "ValueSelect" (whatever that means) (2 1GBs - I might add more in the future (2 more 1 GB ram))

I'll get the "XtremeMusic" Sound card, a 36.7GB Raptor HD for my system crap and another 250GB HD (Looking at "Western Digital Caviar")

As for DVDs, I'm looking at this "Lite-ON DVD Burner" and then an ASUS DVD rom (for copying CDs and such)

And then a Thermantake XASER for a case

Thoughts? opinions? suggestions? Thanks.

 

[ribbon13]

7800 GTX 512MB?

If you got that kind of cash, definately get the A8N32-SLI or don't get Asus at all. For the most part the rest of their Socket 939 line-up has performed as well as should be expected.

SLI has come a long way. You can use cards from different vendors and different RAM size (unless it's a GTX 512MB which is quite different from the 256MB versions) and even mix OCed and non-OCed cards.

Dual-core is the future. If you have lots and lots of cash to throw at computers, get the FX, but if you want a CPU you can rely on to keep you through the next couple of years get an Opteron 170 or 175 (while you still can). I guarantee you won't miss any frames, especially since the newer nVidia drivers are SMP-aware.

For this class of system get something better than CAS3 sh!t. At least something like this

Do not get the 36GB raptor. I repeat. Do not get the 36GB raptor. You would be much better serverd by getting a single WD4000KD. Why. The 36GB raptor performance sucks royal goat ass for how much it costs.

Get a BenQ DW1640. BenQ DW1640 > NEC ND-3550A > monkey throwing feces > Lite-on

 

[NightShadeKW]

Huh...I didn't even know there was such a thing as a 512 GTX. Anyway, since the cards are so steep I figure I'd be better off getting a 256 and another 256 later.

I don't have lots and lots of money to throw around, I'm aiming at keeping the comp at under $2500, though that's not a hard and fast.

I'm having trouble accessing newegg at the moment, but I'll check that stuff out tomorrow.

Really, I'm not sure what would be the best way use the money on parts, if anybody has any suggestions or ideas on what to upgrade or downgrade to make better use of the money, that would be great. Thanks.

 

[NightShadeKW]

A couple of things: What differentiates the two ASUS motherboards? I apologize for my ignorance, but I'm not sure what the difference is.

I'd like this PC to last for a while, so now I'm leaning towards the X2 Dual core processors.

Also, I am weary about overclocking this PC. I have never built a PC of this calibur before, and I don't want to screw something up.

Thanks for the feedback.

EDIT: I saw on another thread that the 32 mobo causes a lot of heat with sli? would this be a problem?

 

[CyberFlas]

I was thinking about building an SLI system with the DFI SLI Infinity...What do you guys think of that board. I have read reviews and it stacks up with other SLI boards and can overclock pretty well.

 

[Operandi]

I would suggest you get something a bit nicer to house all that hardware then the TT Xaser. Antec make some pretty nice basic cases for a good price as well as some upper class ones such as the P150. Beyond that, Lian Li, CoolerMaster and SilverStone have the high end covered.

 

[eXx08]

Originally posted by: Operandi
I would suggest you get something a bit nicer to house all that hardware then the TT Xaser. Antec make some pretty nice basic cases for a good price as well as some upper class ones such as the P150. Beyond that, Lian Li, CoolerMaster and Lian Li have the high end covered.

LoL, you said Lian-Li twice.

 

[Bobthelost]

The A8N32 is a better board is the short version. One thing it does is allow you to overclock easily and quite heavily, aparently this is rather unusual for an Asus board. It's got a nifty little 8 phase power regulation system for the CPU (more efficent than the normal 3 phase and should give more steady voltages), this means that you've got a slightly lower current draw and thus lower heat emmitted (untill you overclock of course ). The main advantage is the ability to run SLI cards at x16 speed each (while most/all others only let you use them at x8). I think the advantage was only around 5% improvement, but hell some people pay fortunes for that much of an increase

I've got an old Xaser, there's nothing wrong with them as cases but they are nothing special at all. The ones i like at the moment are the Antec p180 and the coolermaster stacker. The P180 has a dual chamber design that lets you keep the PSU and HDs seperate from the rest of the parts, good for cooling and noise. The stacker is just a great alround case.

Don't be afraid of overclocking, while you can serriously screw things up if you try using dry ice or liquid nitrogen you can often get a little more performance out of your PC if you tweak it a bit even using stock voltages and parts.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Opteron Guy

Originally posted by: Operandi
I would suggest you get something a bit nicer to house all that hardware then the TT Xaser. Antec make some pretty nice basic cases for a good price as well as some upper class ones such as the P150. Beyond that, Lian Li, CoolerMaster and Lian Li have the high end covered.

LoL, you said Lian-Li twice.

OMG!, you're right :Q.

 

[NightShadeKW]

Right now, I'm looking at this "Lian Li V SILENT PC-V1100B PLUS Black Computer Case", but it's mid-tower, and I was kind of hoping to get a full tower.

But does anybody have any opinions on which Geforce 7800 GTX 256 MB I should get? There are a bunch made by different brands and they're different prices. I don't know what the difference is - can anybody shed some light on this?

Thanks

 

[jcny19x]

evga :thumbsup:

 

[NightShadeKW]

I just noticed the massive price difference between the GTX and the GT - just how big is the graphical difference? Is it worth the extra money?

Sorry to keep asking questions, I just want to make the best computer possible and I figure this is a good place to get feedback.

 

[NightShadeKW]

Oh, and also, do you think a 600Watt power supply would be enough?

I'm looking at Athlon 64 X2 4800+,
ASUS A8N32 mobo
2 GeForce 7800 GTX (but one for now)
250 GB Western Digital HD
X-Fi XtrememMusic
2GB Memory (Corsair XMS or that G.Skill)
A DVD Burner (That BenQ one of NEC one seem fine)
P180 Case looks good too

So should 600 W be enough? and does anybody have any specific reccommendations?

Thanks

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: NightShadeKW
Oh, and also, do you think a 600Watt power supply would be enough?

I'm looking at Athlon 64 X2 4800+,
ASUS A8N32 mobo
2 GeForce 7800 GTX (but one for now)
250 GB Western Digital HD
X-Fi XtrememMusic
2GB Memory (Corsair XMS or that G.Skill)
A DVD Burner (That BenQ one of NEC one seem fine)
P180 Case looks good too

So should 600 W be enough? and does anybody have any specific reccommendations?

Thanks

600watts will be more than enough.

Seasonic 600watt would be a good one.

 

[i1o0i]

Awesome Rig!

 

[d4dev]

Nightshade, I'd recommend an Athlon 64 3000+. You can overclock it all the way to 2.6 GHz on a stock cooler, and it'll beat the X2 4800+ and the FX55 in every benchmark you throw at it. Check this out:

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1255&page=10

There's much to like about a processor that hits a 50% overclock with almost default voltage and goes that bit higher with a touch more VCore, especially when it only costs £100 or so in the first place. Overclocked using decent components that included a PIB Athlon 64 FX-55 cooler, our off-the-shelf sample managed a very respectable 2.8GHz with utter stability, allowing it to outgun a default clocked FX-55 in all of our tests. There's no obvious reason why you, the reader, can't emulate the results posted here, and it adds a whole new dimension to the performance-per-pound equation.

Hope that helped.

 

[NightShadeKW]

Originally posted by: d4dev
Nightshade, I'd recommend an Athlon 64 3000+. You can overclock it all the way to 2.6 GHz on a stock cooler, and it'll beat the X2 4800+ and the FX55 in every benchmark you throw at it. Check this out:

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=1255&page=10

There's much to like about a processor that hits a 50% overclock with almost default voltage and goes that bit higher with a touch more VCore, especially when it only costs £100 or so in the first place. Overclocked using decent components that included a PIB Athlon 64 FX-55 cooler, our off-the-shelf sample managed a very respectable 2.8GHz with utter stability, allowing it to outgun a default clocked FX-55 in all of our tests. There's no obvious reason why you, the reader, can't emulate the results posted here, and it adds a whole new dimension to the performance-per-pound equation.

Hope that helped.

Thanks for the info, but I'm pretty interested in the dual core concept - I am often doing lots of different things at once. I'm also under the impression that dual core might be taken advantage of in games in the future, which I think would be great.

 

[NightShadeKW]

So I'm about ready to order these parts, but a have a few last questions:
ASUS A8N32 mobo
2 evga GeForce 7800 GTX (but one for now)
250 GB Western Digital HD
X-Fi XtrememMusic
2GB Memory (Corsair XMS or that G.Skill)
A DVD Burner (That BenQ one of NEC one seem fine)
P180 Case
Seasonic 600W Power Supply

So I'm going to be ordering from NewEgg, and I didn't see that BenQ DVD burner. Is the NEC one just as good? Or does anybody else have any suggestions?
Also, Which memory is better, the XMS or G.Skill?
Finally, do other people agree that the Seasonic 600W power supply would be good?

Thanks, I'm sorry for posting so much, but I just want to make sure I get the right stuff since I'm spending this much.

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: d4dev
Nightshade, I'd recommend an Athlon 64 3000+. You can overclock it all the way to 2.6 GHz on a stock cooler, and it'll beat the X2 4800+ and the FX55 in every benchmark you throw at it.

Some people do more than game with thier PC. Which makes this statement dead wrong.

 

[imported_rod]

Dual-Core is far more flexible than Single Core, and will be for more important in the future. It's also great for multi-tasking.

Also, the 7800GT is better value for money than the 7800GTX, but it's up to you which one you choose.

I like Corsair XMS (TWINX), but the G.Skill is supposed to be good aswell.

RoD

EDIT: fixed!

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: rod
Dual-Core is far more flexible than Dual Core, and will be for more important in the future. It's also great for multi-tasking.

Either that's a typo or it's deeper than the Mariana Trench...

 

[NightShadeKW]

Aah, one more question; If I do end up getting that P180 case, would the built-in fans and such be enough, or would I be better off getting a full tower in terms of heat? Do my parts generate a bunch of heat, should I get a liquid cooling system, or is that unnecessarry?

 

[Wentelteefje]

If you care for a liquid cooling system, I can recommend you a ThermalTake Shark... It has a nice design, it cools your hardware very good (2 silent 120mm fans pre-installed), it's a big tower fully made out of aluminium (even the front door), and it has premade holes for the tubes of WC kits... I'm very happy with mine

I'd get an AMD X2 4200 or 4400...

The G.Skills are very good and they have low timings... For 2GB of high quality RAM that's about the best you can get...

I agree with ribbon13 on the Raptors, I was going to take them myself, but a nice big hard disk with 16MB of cache performs very decent as well, and represents much better overall value...

*EDIT: The price difference between 256MB and 512MB GTX's is quite big, so look around and maybe find yourself some pre-overclocked boards (but in fact, even standard GTX's can clock to high levels...)

The MSI version seems to be the sweet point, $ 449 and it buys you VIVO and a decent package... It's also a decent overclocker, reviews around the web show it hitting around 490MHz on the core and 1.3~1.35GHz on the memory, while staying quiet...

 

[NightShadeKW]

I'm not really looking to get a 512 card right now, but later I will likely get another 256, so I figure the end result will probably be about the same, wouldn't it?

Anyway, a friend of mine keeps insisting that I get this Lian Li PC-75 case with a fan controller and tornados. Is this a good idea, considerint the components I'm looking at? I haven't really been considering any extra fans aside from the ones included with the case, but I guess I should start. It doesn't look like the P180 comes with many fans either.

 

[NightShadeKW]

I've been looking at the Lian-Li PC-V1100 plus, which looks like it has an elaborate cooling system already. Does anybody have any thoughts about that case?