New Custom Build --> Opinions!

[hondaf17]

Alright Guys,

I think I've compiled a pretty good list of the parts of my new custom built PC. Primary use is gaming for the new Ghost Recon which is CURRENTLY SHIPPING, and will be in stores next week! I do not plan to overclock at all.

Here is what I'm planning on buying and is up for suggestions, comments:
AMD Athlon 62 X2 4200+ - $357
Epox NP9+Ultra Mobo - $94
Sapphire Radeon X800XT 512 MB GDDR3 PCIe Video Card - $309
OCZ Modstream 550W PSU - $60 after MIR
AuzenTech XPlosion 7.1 Sound Card - $115

I already have:
Thermaltake Soprano Case - $79
Seagate 160 GB Sata II 7200.9 with NCQ HDD - $50 after MIR

I've also already got 1 GB PC 3200 DDR ram and a DVD Burner I'll be using. Total price around $1,064 - maybe close to $1,100 after shipping.

I'm anxious for comments/suggestions on the top half of that list - how do you guys think I did?

I'm looking to finalize and buy everything this week!

Thanks.

 

[Crescent13]

I would change a few things.

Get an Opteron 165, Twice the cache, more overclockability, and cheaper. $325

The 9npa+ultra is a nice mobo, but it's getting old. Get a Asus A8N SLI. $110

Get a Geforce 7900GT, You can voltmod it and OC it to 7900GTX speeds. (7900GTX costs ~$550).

I wouldn't trust a rig like this on that PSU. I would get a 500W Enermax Liberty if you want modular. The extra 12V rail will help alot.

I would defenitly get a X-Fi for that price.

Finally, Sell your 1GB of ram, and with the money from your ram sale and the cheaper CPU, sound card, and GPU, get a 2GB Kit. This one has a rebate and is going for only $126.99 right now.

 

[Ultralight]

That is a very good choice for a motherboard. EPoX has just released a new BIOS as of 4/18/06.

The conventional wisdom now is 2 Gigs of RAM due to the newer games coming out. I would definitly get another gig of RAM.

M-Audio Revolution 7.1 is also a nice sound card.

I personally would stay away from modular power supplies.

Good luck!

 

[hondaf17]

Originally posted by: Crescent13
I would change a few things.

Get an Opteron 165, Twice the cache, more overclockability, and cheaper. $325

The 9npa+ultra is a nice mobo, but it's getting old. Get a Asus A8N SLI. $110

Get a Geforce 7900GT, You can voltmod it and OC it to 7900GTX speeds. (7900GTX costs ~$550).

I wouldn't trust a rig like this on that PSU. I would get a 500W Enermax Liberty if you want modular. The extra 12V rail will help alot.

I would defenitly get a X-Fi for that price.

Finally, Sell your 1GB of ram, and with the money from your ram sale and the cheaper CPU, sound card, and GPU, get a 2GB Kit. This one has a rebate and is going for only $126.99 right now.

Thanks for the response. I don't want to OC and screw with warranties and damaging my expensive products, so I'll stick with the 4200+ and my X1800XT. I'll look into the Mobo you suggested - that one slipped my radar screen . I'm also thinking about that Enermax Modular PSU - might be worth the extra $50 to just play it safe and get one of the best PSU's out there for this good system, huh.

 

[Crescent13]

Originally posted by: hondaf17

Originally posted by: Crescent13
I would change a few things.

Get an Opteron 165, Twice the cache, more overclockability, and cheaper. $325

The 9npa+ultra is a nice mobo, but it's getting old. Get a Asus A8N SLI. $110

Get a Geforce 7900GT, You can voltmod it and OC it to 7900GTX speeds. (7900GTX costs ~$550).

I wouldn't trust a rig like this on that PSU. I would get a 500W Enermax Liberty if you want modular. The extra 12V rail will help alot.

I would defenitly get a X-Fi for that price.

Finally, Sell your 1GB of ram, and with the money from your ram sale and the cheaper CPU, sound card, and GPU, get a 2GB Kit. This one has a rebate and is going for only $126.99 right now.

Thanks for the response. I don't want to OC and screw with warranties and damaging my expensive products, so I'll stick with the 4200+ and my X1800XT. I'll look into the Mobo you suggested - that one slipped my radar screen . I'm also thinking about that Enermax Modular PSU - might be worth the extra $50 to just play it safe and get one of the best PSU's out there for this good system, huh.

Well why not get the 7900GT and not overclock it? It's still going to be faster and cheaper (AFAIK). Go with the Opteron 170 if you don't want to OC. It's .2ghz slower and twice the cache. The extra cache makes up for the clock speed drop pretty much, and if you decide to OC in the future it'll be ready.

 

[m1ldslide1]

Agree with going 7900GT or 1900XT - if you want gaming performance its worth spending the extra cash here. I believe that the 7900 SMOKES the 1800 and they're damn close in price.

Get a 2GB kit of RAM if you can afford it - Patriot on newegg for $130 after rebates 2-3-2-5.

And don't assume you'll never overclock - once the system is built you get bored after a month or two and start realizing how safe and easy it is and POW you start regretting some purchasing decisions.

And as far as I know the 3800+ is a far better buy than the 4200+, especially in a gaming rig. Plus if you ever want to spend the time overclocking you'll get WAY higher than 4200+ speeds with that chip. Opty's are sweet tho...

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1
And don't assume you'll never overclock - once the system is built you get bored after a month or two and start realizing how safe and easy it is and POW you start regretting some purchasing decisions.

 

[hondaf17]

Thanks for all the responses!

Doesn't anyone think my proposed rig is good enough as proposed?!!? I've been reading a lot about 7900 v x1800xt since you posted that suggestion and best I can tell there is no clear-cut winner. Seems each has a lead in certain things - and I think most reviews were for an OC version of 7900 gt, which I have said I don't want to mess with (I'm risk-averse, don't want to even attempt to fry something). Furthermore, developer of GR:AW (GRIN) was quoted as saying that 512 mb high-end cards would provide better performance than 256 mb cards...so I think I'll stick with the x1800xt.

Also, is it inaccurate to assume that the 4200+ is as overclockable as the 3800+? I won't be doing this, but say by chance you guys are right and I get bored and go for it, I'd just be starting my overclock at 200 mhz higher. Reviews seem to say it overclocks really well.

I'll grab 2GB of ram some point down the road - this rig is setting me back on cash!

So those are my current thoughts, anyone, yes anyone, think it's a good rig, as proposed?!?!

Thanks.

 

[SparkyJJO]

When I went to build my PC I was gonna get the X1800XT, but I got the X1900XT instead. Glad I did. If you can spare the extra $100-ish go for the X1900XT, it'll last you a lot longer, with better performance. Other than that it looks good to me. I can't comment on the PSU though since I don't know much about those OCZ ones.

I find it interesting how people just automatically assume someone is gonna OC and base stuff on that. Hello? He said NO OC! So look at stuff strictly from a stock standpoint.

 

[Ultralight]

You can get 2 gigs of excellent Value RAM for a geat price.

I think your rig will do very well, but you could save yourself some money if you went with a dual core 3800+ Manchester that right now is probably the hottest AMD cpu at the moment followed by the single core 3700+ San Diego. Optys are hot too but since you are not overclocking it isn't worth it. The ones I mentioned as well as the one you listed are quite good.

 

[stu1811]

 

[bamacre]

Originally posted by: Ultralight
You can get 2 gigs of excellent Value RAM for a geat price.

I think your rig will do very well, but you could save yourself some money if you went with a dual core 3800+ Manchester that right now is probably the hottest AMD cpu at the moment followed by the single core 3700+ San Diego. Optys are hot too but since you are not overclocking it isn't worth it. The ones I mentioned as well as the one you listed are quite good.

I'g go Pentium D 940 over an X2 3800 right now. It's about $35 cheaper, and at stock, just as fast.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i agree with not ocing. if he doesn't want to then why would u say otherwise. i know you're trying to 'give your opinion' but i'm sure everyone here has heard of opteron cpus.
secondly i'd agree with the x1800xt over the 7900 gt anyday. i dunno about you guiys but when i spend hundreds on a video card, i would like to play my games with clear crisp images with no jagged lines and bright sunlight and reflections off water and land. its called HDR, AA, AF. basically IMAGE QUALity. something ATi spanks nvidia in.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

sorry for double but i'd also rather go with a nice asus mb like the a8n-e or a8n5x or a8r32 if u can afford. and also not a modulat psu. FSP has wrapped cables also for a good price. view my profile

 

[hondaf17]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
sorry for double but i'd also rather go with a nice asus mb like the a8n-e or a8n5x or a8r32 if u can afford. and also not a modulat psu. FSP has wrapped cables also for a good price. view my profile

Alright, couple people against Modular PSUs. I wanted Modular to just clean up cable clutter and improve airflow. However, I'll be happy to comprise and still acheive that I think if I get a psu with sleeved cables. That said, think this Fortron (FSP Group) 400W PSU can power my above rig? It's $67, has splendid reviews and sleeved cables. Otherwise I can up it to 500 W version which is $90. So, question is, with that rig, will a quality, stable, 400W PSU be enough and would anyone recommend these two FSP PSU's over the OCZ Modstream I had previously picked out?

Thank you.

 

[LittleNemoNES]

GRAW looks to be as demanding as oblivion so anything less than a x1800xt will prob make you sad.

OCing is easy so I don't know why NOT to mess with it. However like all things, common sense is in play. A little reading will get you a long way.

Personally, I was able to get my processor to be 200 mhz faster than a $1000+ processor for $420 (including big typhoon heatsink). Worth it, I think. I'm using 1.4 volts and my cpu idles 38 and 48 load. No risk involved.

 

[Ike0069]

Realize that the PSU you linked is really only a 450W PSU, with 550W peak power. THe Modstreams are OK, but if you really want modular, go ahead and get the Enermax liberty.

I really like the MB choice. Very fast and stable board, and OC's well if you decide to give it a try later on.

Everything else looks good, but I would want 2GB RAM for a true gaming rig. I noticed a definite increase in performance for BF2 and FEAR when I went form 1 to 2 GB. I'm sure GRAW will easily be able to use more than 1GB system RAM.

 

[PSUPef2k]

i second the opteron recommendation, and also x1900xt or 7900gt

 

[jesusfr3ak4evr]

Go with an Enermax Liberty PSU or OCZ Powerstream 520w.

There is no clear cut winner in image quality between the X1800 and 7900 GT. Remember, however, that if you ever want to run dual SLI cards, Nvidia is the way to go. Crossfire motherboards all suck majorly. If you disagree with me then prove me wrong.

I'd go with a dual core processor, personally. Also, I'd get a DFI, but that's just personal preference. You're not going to be overclocking so I guess it doesn't matter.

I suggest a X-Fi sound card or Audigy 2 ZS Platinum for $75 shipped A/R, only if you feel like saving some money.

Also, it seems you could do better on the hard drive. I remember purchasing a 250GB Hitachi Deskstar for $55 last August. You gotta be able to do better than 160GB for $50 shipped now. I remember seeing those Seagate drives for $40 shipped earlier.

 

[Kaido]

Monarch has some sweet deals on Opteron processors. They have a 2ghz with 1mb l2 cache per core for $401 with $35 off. Here's a link to the processor:

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merchant...=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=120341

And a link to their coupon codes:

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=7517

 

[chynn]

Hi there,

Do not, I repeat NOT, get a modular PSU. They look great, and the adaptability is super, BUT they do not put out reliable power when it's needed because of the voltage/current drops across the modular connectors.

You're better off getting a really good, reliable PSU like the PC Power & Cooling 510 ASL and running pigtails, dongles, or adapters off the connectors. Most folks don't realize that the PSU is the heart and soul of their PC; without a good one, nothing else runs right.

The two things I think you should concentrate on are the PSU and memory. The posters here are correct when they say the newer games are pushing, or exceeding, the 1G memory limit. I play WoW, EQ2, Eve-Online, and Oblivion. They all play better, smoother, and some play faster since I upgraded to two 1G DIMMs.

It does not matter how fast your CPU and graphic card(s) are if you don't have sufficient memory; you will be swapping to the pagefile too often. And you will BSoD, reboot, freeze, or any combination of these if you don't have enough power to run your system.

FYI, you need a good motherboard and a Rev-e CPU chip to be able to use 1T command timing with two 1G DIMMs. And while you're spending money, you can find good deals on single-core CPU chips but most new games and graphics card drivers are being programmed to multi-thread on dual-core CPU chips.

And last, all this becomes moot in about a month because that's when AMD is bringing out the AM2 line of DDR2 CPUs.

 

[m1ldslide1]

Also, is it inaccurate to assume that the 4200+ is as overclockable as the 3800+? I won't be doing this, but say by chance you guys are right and I get bored and go for it, I'd just be starting my overclock at 200 mhz higher. Reviews seem to say it overclocks really well.

Yes, the 4200+ will start 200mhz higher and you should end up with a correspondingly higher OC. It's just the price point, given that the 3800+ is more than sufficient to run the latest apps on, and the 4200+ isn't exactly overkill but you just need to decide if its worth the cash.

And yeah, yeah, yeah the OP said no overclocking originally but I'm speaking from my personal experience and that of a hell of a lot of other people. Nothing wrong with sticking with stock speeds forever - probably means you have a social life.

 

[JSFLY]

Yes Listen to Louis.
Dont Overclock.
Do waste your money on a $600 X2 4800+ 2.4ghz like LOUIS or whatever it is your buying.
Do NOT buy an FX-60 2.6ghz for $300 like me.


But seriously tho, These AMD processors are MADE for overclocking. If you not overclocking, you wasting your money. Period. End of discussion. Many and AT forums would agree with me on this one.

 

[Ike0069]

Originally posted by: chynn
Hi there,

Do not, I repeat NOT, get a modular PSU. They look great, and the adaptability is super, BUT they do not put out reliable power when it's needed because of the voltage/current drops across the modular connectors.

This statement is assenine. Don't believe the crap that PCP&C tries to spread about modular PSU's. The Enermax Liberty has been tested by numerous sites, and I've yet to see a bad review.

I'm not sure why some people are scared of modular PSU's simply because they have an extra connection, but I think ignorance is a big reason.

 

[JSFLY]

Originally posted by: chynn
Hi there,

Do not, I repeat NOT, get a modular PSU. They look great, and the adaptability is super, BUT they do not put out reliable power when it's needed because of the voltage/current drops across the modular connectors.

You're better off getting a really good, reliable PSU like the PC Power & Cooling 510 ASL and running pigtails, dongles, or adapters off the connectors. Most folks don't realize that the PSU is the heart and soul of their PC; without a good one, nothing else runs right.

The two things I think you should concentrate on are the PSU and memory. The posters here are correct when they say the newer games are pushing, or exceeding, the 1G memory limit. I play WoW, EQ2, Eve-Online, and Oblivion. They all play better, smoother, and some play faster since I upgraded to two 1G DIMMs.

It does not matter how fast your CPU and graphic card(s) are if you don't have sufficient memory; you will be swapping to the pagefile too often. And you will BSoD, reboot, freeze, or any combination of these if you don't have enough power to run your system.

FYI, you need a good motherboard and a Rev-e CPU chip to be able to use 1T command timing with two 1G DIMMs. And while you're spending money, you can find good deals on single-core CPU chips but most new games and graphics card drivers are being programmed to multi-thread on dual-core CPU chips.

And last, all this becomes moot in about a month because that's when AMD is bringing out the AM2 line of DDR2 CPUs.

This guy works for PC P&C. His real Name is Melvin and he works in the marketing department. I met him last week in headquarters when I was on an audit. Dont trust a word he says.