New Computer

[Tyrial]

Going to build my first computer sometime this month (as soon as the 6800GT PCI-E's come out in AUS), just wanted to see what everyone else thought of it and any suggestons that anyone might have for improving it. I want my budget to be ~AUS$2350 (I'll go no more that $60 up, and even this is a stretch, also what side of the $ sybol does AUS go on? ). All the prices are from www.umart.net also about Umart. Do they price match, because I've found some of the things cheaper else where (It still works out cheaper to get it from there in the end though). Now on to the computer....

Athlon 64 3200+ (Socket 939) - $297: http://umart.net/au/product_in...amp;products_id=100407
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe - $325: http://umart.net/au/product_in...amp;products_id=100698
Corsair TWINX1024-3200XL Dual Channel - $376 (I was going to get the Corsair TWINX1024-3200 but they don't sell it): http://umart.net/au/product_in...2&products_id=2380
Geforce 6800GT PCI-E - ~$800 (This is just an estimation, I expect it to be a bit lower than this ~$700-750)
Seagate 120GB SATA 8MB Cache - $143 (This is where I'd have it pricematched, their HDD prices are a bit steep):http://umart.net/au/product_in...4&products_id=1332
Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA (Black) w/400PSU - $240: http://www.simline.com.au/product.asp?prodid=5033
Viewsonic E71fSB 17" PerfectFlat CRT Monitor - $195: http://www.simline.com.au/product.asp?prodid=5404

Total: $AUS2416 (All prices are in AUS)

Any suggestions? I'm getting the Case and Monitor locally (works out ALOT cheaper in shipping, ~$80 cheaper to be exact). How good is this monitor? I know it is only a 17" CRT, but that is all I can really afford if I want to get the 6800GT. A decent 17" LCD is ~AUS$450, and I just can't fit that in. I already have a keyboard/mouse that I can use as well as speakers and a DVD burner and Floppy Drive,

 

[MDE]

I'd go for cheaper RAM.

 

[zainali]

a 17 inch crt?

get cheaper ram, ditch the dual sli and get a better monitor.

 

[Tyrial]

I want to get SLI because I plan to get another 6800GT later in the year when I have enough money and the 6800GT's have come down in price a little. And what does anyone have against CRT's? So there not thin and they're a little on the heavy side, boohoo. Also did I mention the I plan to overclock sometime, probably ~a month after I get it (This might change though). I hope to get the 6800GT to 6800 Ultra speeds and the A64 3200+ to 3500+ speeds.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Tyrial
I want to get SLI because I plan to get another 6800GT later in the year when I have enough money and the 6800GT's have come down in price a little. And what does anyone have against CRT's? So there not thin and they're a little on the heavy side, boohoo. Also did I mention the I plan to overclock sometime, probably ~a month after I get it (This might change though). I hope to get the 6800GT to 6800 Ultra speeds and the A64 3200+ to 3500+ speeds.

I think he was saying to get a 19" CRT instead of the 17".

 

[Appledrop]

pointless getting a powrful card that can do 16x12, and running on a 17".. youll be forced to run in like 1024 in games etc...... save up!

 

[Sc4freak]

I heard that SLI still has kinks that needs to be flattened out.

You definately will need a better monitor. I suggest ditching the SLI and finding a good 19" monitor. I had a Samsung 957DF 19" before for AUD$300 (I live in Australia too). Also, make sure that your power supply can handle all your components. I have the exact same case, except silver. And I'm not so sure that the Thermaltake 400w is very powerful. Which city do you live in? I'm quite sure that you can get many of those parts locally so you don't have to pay for shipping.

 

[Tyrial]

Originally posted by: Sc4freak
I heard that SLI still has kinks that needs to be flattened out

I've too read this, however I've also read that is only with cards not on the nVidia SLI certified cards list, which can be found on the nVidia website.

Which city do you live in? I'm quite sure that you can get many of those parts locally so you don't have to pay for shipping.

I live in Bunbury WA, about 2 hours drive south of perth. I'm almost forced to ship stuff from over east because of prices. It's only ~$40 for all the parts minus the monitor and case to be shipped.

 

[razor2025]

Ditch the SLI and go for non-SLI PCI-E solution. By the time 2006 rolls around, ATI and Nvidia will have video cards out that can beat the crap out of SLI setups. Also the cost of SLI doesn't make it any cost-effective than a regular upgrade path.
Here's a example (in USD, probably a bit more in AUD)

SLI-setup
~$230 on a NF4 SLI board
~$400 on a 6800 GT
~$300 (estimation on a new 6800GT's cost in future. High-end video card rarely drops more than 1/2 of its value in a year. Unless you want to get a used one in forums.)
~$50-100 more extra on getting a PSU that powers the two hungry 6800 GT.
Cost total of ~$980-$1030 for a SLI solution down the road

Non-SLI-setup
~$130 on a NF4 non-SLI board
~$400 on a 6800 GT
~$400 on a High-end Next Generation Card
minus ~$250 for selling the 6800 GT a year from now.
Cost total of $680

Here's the analysis, Price Delta is about $300 - $400. These are rough estimates and guesses on future pricing. By not going SLI, you'll save 27-34% in money spent. A single high-end next generation card should not lose out to the SLI setup, and if it does definitely not by a margin of 27-34% in performance. Also, by getting a next gen card a year from now, you'll be more future-proof than having two cards of older generation running together. The newer card will definitely have more features(whether it is relevant or not) than the 6800 GT.

The simple fact is that, SLI does not equal TWICE the performance. Almost all the reviews give SLI a 50-60% boost from single card solution. With the next generation card, that performance boost can be easily achieved or beaten using only one card. SLI setup is just too expensive right now due to the motherboard and energy requirements. Getting a newer generation card also gives you the ability to sell your old 6800GT. If you ran a SLI setup, you HAVE to keep that old card.

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: Azzy64
pointless getting a powrful card that can do 16x12, and running on a 17".. youll be forced to run in like 1024 in games etc...... save up!

My 17in trinitron does 16x12, and well. Although I would recommend a 19in CRT at least. NEC/Mitsubishi makes a sweet 19in CRT, the MultiSync FE991SB-BK is now only $229 at dell.com.

 

[Tyrial]

Hmm, maybe I should go for a non-sli PCI-E NF4 motherboard. But which one? Also I really don't have enough money for a better monitor... hell, I might not even be getting as much money as I thought. My max will probably be like 2,268.20. What does everyone think of me getting some Giel Dual Channel sticks rather than the Corsair? Better value? Also if I get the SLI I'll probably order the computer tommorow because the motherboard is ~$100 cheaper when you preorder it. However if I do this it means I have to order the GFX card seperatly.

 

[Tyrial]

I've been browsing around a bit for a new motherboard, since I just noticed the price of the one I was going to get went up to $440 and this is just not worth it. I can still get it from elsewhere for ~$340 though. Anyway I've got it down to 3 motherboards.

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe ($342) - I've always liked ASUS, not really sure why though just a good rep I guess.
Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 ($190) - Not really sure about Gigabyte boards, but they have been getting a better rep lately.
Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-9 ($308) - Now this is one that I definatly like since it has a built in WLAN card, which will be excelent. Because I have a Billion 7500G modem and my new computer will not be in the same room as the old one. This is the one I'm currently leaning towards, because of Wireless LAN and SATAII Support.
Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLI ($354) - I would probably get the A8N before I got this one, because this one doesn't include a WLAN card. If it did then I would seriously consider this over the A8N.

 

[razor2025]

Check out the Chaintech NF4 board on Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=13-152-049&depa=0

It's $130, and a PCI-E board for AMD. It's not SLI though, but the board cost $200+ less than SLI boards.

If you're running AMD setup, you'll want Samsung TCCD chips for overclocking.
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=20-220-033&depa=1

It's about $220, the cheapest ones you can get for TCCD chips.

I'm not sure about pricing and availability in Australia, but you're spending too much money on brand names. Search around the forums and ask questions to get the "best bang for the buck". If you spend your money wisely, you'll save LOADS of money and still have the edge.

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: razor2025
If you're running AMD setup, you'll want Samsung TCCD chips for overclocking.
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=20-220-033&depa=1

BONK
Get Corsair or Mushkin value RAM (2x512MB), which can be had over here for about 140 USD.

The Chaintech is a pretty good recommendation for an NF4 Ultra board; but perhaps it would be better to wait for some more selection and board maturity, maybe even just going with AGP for now (the 6800GT can usually be found cheaper for that plaform, and NF3 boards seem to have more overclocking potential and less bugs).