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NEW RIG....PLEASE GIVE YOUR SUGGESTIONS OR BASHINGS

D

dhoytw

Banned
Antec TruePower True430 430W Power Supply Retail $74.99
Antec P160 Anodized Aluminum Super Mid Tower Case Retail $114.00
Patriot PDC1G3200+XBLK 1GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Dual Channel Memory Retail $239.99
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor (Winchester) Socket 939 $263.00
Abit Fatal1ty AN8 nForce4 Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 $189.00
MSI RX800XL-VT2D256E Radeon X800 XL PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card $329.99
Subtotal $1215.97

I have two 36GB raptors already which I will use in this rig as well as a Seagate 200GB SATA drive which I also already have. Any ideas on a cooling solution for this would be great, a processor fan etc.....I will be overclocking this rig as well so a good cooling solution will be needed (not going to push it to the limit where I would need to have water cooling).
 
Looks good, although you don't really need to spend that much on RAM. I just picked up a gig of kingmax PC3200 for $80 off of newegg, and A64's aren't bandwidth starved like P4's so it does't affect it nearly as much by using much cheaper value ram.
 
Originally posted by: dhoytw
Antec TruePower True430 430W Power Supply Retail $74.99
Antec P160 Anodized Aluminum Super Mid Tower Case Retail $114.00
Patriot PDC1G3200+XBLK 1GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Dual Channel Memory Retail $239.99
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor (Winchester) Socket 939 $263.00
Abit Fatal1ty AN8 nForce4 Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 $189.00
MSI RX800XL-VT2D256E Radeon X800 XL PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card $329.99
Subtotal $1215.97

I have two 36GB raptors already which I will use in this rig as well as a Seagate 200GB SATA drive which I also already have. Any ideas on a cooling solution for this would be great, a processor fan etc.....I will be overclocking this rig as well so a good cooling solution will be needed (not going to push it to the limit where I would need to have water cooling).
Click to expand...


PSU = good
CASE = i have it therefore its good....no realy great case with good build. supplied 120mm is a tad loud though

everything else looks good, i wouldnt personally go for the fatality anything to be honest, but each to his own. probably would of gone Nvidia too, but again its preference
 
That RAM is crazy expensive. Value RAM is all you really need.
The rest looks very nice, as long as you don't mind paying that much for a case.
 
Originally posted by: dhoytw
Antec TruePower True430 430W Power Supply Retail $74.99
Antec P160 Anodized Aluminum Super Mid Tower Case Retail $114.00

you shold be able to find a decent antec w/ a psu for < $100.

Patriot PDC1G3200+XBLK 1GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Dual Channel Memory Retail $239.99

Could go budget without much loss

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor (Winchester) Socket 939 $263.00
If that's retail that's a good value

Abit Fatal1ty AN8 nForce4 Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 $189.00
I never recommend going cheap on a mobo, this is a good OC'er

MSI RX800XL-VT2D256E Radeon X800 XL PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card $329.99
might be able to get this cheaper, but that's a fine card as is.

Subtotal $1215.97

I have two 36GB raptors already which I will use in this rig as well as a Seagate 200GB SATA drive which I also already have. Any ideas on a cooling solution for this would be great, a processor fan etc.....I will be overclocking this rig as well so a good cooling solution will be needed (not going to push it to the limit where I would need to have water cooling).
Click to expand...




 
I am not sure why everyone is bashing the memory I chose, I do appreciate the input but shouldn't I use some good memory for overclocking.....I would not rather go for value ram for overclocking never seems to be very stable. I am also considering Geil Ultra X as well which is about $35 cheaper.
 
If you're an overclocker than get good memory and enjoy the extra speed. I hate having my winchester 3000+ stuck at 2.57ghz.
 
Because if you read some of the comparisons on this site, the higher class memory doesn't perform better enough to justify the bloated price. Many get good OC results with Value RAM.
 
Originally posted by: X
Because if you read some of the comparisons on this site, the higher class memory doesn't perform better enough to justify the bloated price. Many get good OC results with Value RAM.
Click to expand...


I understand if you aren't planning to get the most out of your overclock more money isn't needed for memory. I personally have not had good experience with using value ram for overclocks, I have tried many brands of value ram as well.
 
The point is that you will generally see better performance by applying the price difference in memory toward a video card, or even the cpu. Here's just one of many quotes on the subject, from a recent review here:

Let's state, right up front, that if you're on a tight budget, memory is often a good place to save a little money by buying less than the best and moving that cash to a better CPU or a better video card. You are likely to get a bigger performance boost with the extra $150 that you save on memory by buying a faster CPU or an upgraded video card. But don't be misled. The upgrade to the next higher CPU would normally increase performance maybe 5 to 10% - about the same as the difference in performance between cheap, slow memory and fast memory with tight timings. Video cards usually yield more than a 10% boost for that same $150.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: X
The point is that you will generally see better performance by applying the price difference in memory toward a video card, or even the cpu. Here's just one of many quotes on the subject, from a recent review here:

Let's state, right up front, that if you're on a tight budget, memory is often a good place to save a little money by buying less than the best and moving that cash to a better CPU or a better video card. You are likely to get a bigger performance boost with the extra $150 that you save on memory by buying a faster CPU or an upgraded video card. But don't be misled. The upgrade to the next higher CPU would normally increase performance maybe 5 to 10% - about the same as the difference in performance between cheap, slow memory and fast memory with tight timings. Video cards usually yield more than a 10% boost for that same $150.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


I'm already going with a x800 xl and a athlon 64 3500+ is the extra money towards either of these really worth spending?
 
Originally posted by: dhoytw
Antec TruePower True430 430W Power Supply Retail $74.99
Antec P160 Anodized Aluminum Super Mid Tower Case Retail $114.00
Patriot PDC1G3200+XBLK 1GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Dual Channel Memory Retail $239.99
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Processor (Winchester) Socket 939 $263.00
Abit Fatal1ty AN8 nForce4 Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 $189.00
MSI RX800XL-VT2D256E Radeon X800 XL PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card $329.99
Subtotal $1215.97

I have two 36GB raptors already which I will use in this rig as well as a Seagate 200GB SATA drive which I also already have. Any ideas on a cooling solution for this would be great, a processor fan etc.....I will be overclocking this rig as well so a good cooling solution will be needed (not going to push it to the limit where I would need to have water cooling).
Click to expand...


I think the DFI Ultra-D is a better choice than the Abit. Also by using the DFI it will allow you to be able to use OCZ vx or gold 3200 BH5 with better performance and less money. I would also go with a better psu and I also would use a different case. Probably somehting like a Soprano case with side panel window. And either a Coolermaster RS450, helluva a psu, or a Enermax, but nothing less than 450 watts.

But it is pretty good just as it is. If you feel comfortable with those components that is a well thought out system. But as I stated previously by switching boards and memory you can get better performance for less money.


 
You have a good system planned, but you could save $350 by going with a 3200+ Winchester and Value RAM. You could then apply that savings toward a dual 6800GT SLI setup, which would be even faster.
 
Originally posted by: dhoytw
I am not sure why everyone is bashing the memory I chose, I do appreciate the input but shouldn't I use some good memory for overclocking.....I would not rather go for value ram for overclocking never seems to be very stable. I am also considering Geil Ultra X as well which is about $35 cheaper.
Click to expand...

because you could get value vx, g.skill, or the twinmos all for <$120 and still get as good an overclock. get the dfi nf4 board and the value vx or twinmos and crank up the voltage and you'll get just as good an overclock for about $200 less

*edit* links
value vx

twinmos

oh and all these will do 2-2-2 timings at 240+ with some voltage thrown at them
 
The motherboard is fine.......as long as you don't mind the price, it's been rated and reviewed as one of the best nForce boards out there. Look out for the Northbridge fan though, they are not of great quality and tend to whine and give out so keep an eye on that. The OETES on this board is really very good and will only run when temps. are high. When they do all run though (5X40mm fans) it's gonna be loud! 😉 Very good O/C'er too.....read over at X-Sys that the highest O/C to date on an nForce board has been acheived by this motherboard.

As for the ram......yeah, you could save some $$$$ by going cheaper and probably not notice much of a difference. I have one system with OCZ and two with Corsair XMS XLL I had left from previous builds........I will say, the systems with the 2-2-2-5 Corsair does load everything quicker, feels "snappier" and gets a bit better FPS on games and benchmarks are way higher......but the overall difference is not that great to justify the cost difference......🙂

Good luck and have fun..... that board is a beauty in the case!😉
 
Originally posted by: EndGame
The motherboard is fine.......as long as you don't mind the price, it's been rated and reviewed as one of the best nForce boards out there. Look out for the Northbridge fan though, they are not of great quality and tend to whine and give out so keep an eye on that. The OETES on this board is really very good and will only run when temps. are high. When they do all run though (5X40mm fans) it's gonna be loud! 😉 Very good O/C'er too.....read over at X-Sys that the highest O/C to date on an nForce board has been acheived by this motherboard.

As for the ram......yeah, you could save some $$$$ by going cheaper and probably not notice much of a difference. I have one system with OCZ and two with Corsair XMS XLL I had left from previous builds........I will say, the systems with the 2-2-2-5 Corsair does load everything quicker, feels "snappier" and gets a bit better FPS on games and benchmarks are way higher......but the overall difference is not that great to justify the cost difference......🙂

Good luck and have fun..... that board is a beauty in the case!😉
Click to expand...


I have to take exception with the Abit. This is probably the weakest choice in the entire system. It has performed so so in multiple reviews. But there is no way on this planet IMO is it even worth considering given the price of the board. Here is a link for multiple reviews, AN8 Reviews. It is first class when it comes to looks, but I guess to each his own.
 
In all fairness, and I don't personally have the board but a friend does, the first several bios's were crap and helb the board back plus stability was questionable at higher O/C's, but, the new bios has been great, it O/C's very, very well now and is very stable.

Like stated, a lot of people buy based on looks and name as well as functionality. This board has all 3, and if price is not a huge factor, is a decent choice.
 
Here is a quote from a pretty good website Insanetek

Both motherboards are great overclockers and both are built with gaming in mind. So which is the better board? Straight from the facts, we can see that the Ultra-D is a better board. But if you put consider all aspects of a motherboard, it can be a tough choice. The DFI Ultra-D is honestly the best overclocking motherboard available. The voltage options are great and the frequency ceiling seems too high to reach. The bad part about the board is that the layout plainly sucks. It causes compatibility issues as well as cooling issues. The Abit Fatal1ty AN8 also provides great overclocking headroom, but not as great as the Ultra-D. The lack of VDIMM makes memory choice limited to using TCCD chips. Users looking to use the new BH5 for low latencies will be quite disappointed. You can go out and get the OCZ DDR Booster to increase your VDIMM options, but you'll be drawing power from the 3.3v rail and probably be limited to 3.4v. In order to get some good voltages, you'll need to do a power supply mod to stabilize that 3.3v rail. The Fatal1ty AN8 does provide better motherboard layout. While this in no way affects performance, it does allow better arrangement of cables and better cooling. Users can use waterblocks for their Northbridge or large heatsinks for both the graphic card and the CPU. As for cooling, while no tests are conducted, the Fatal1ty AN8 does run cooler. With the DFI Ultra-D under load, I can feel heat emanating from the motherboard. The Fatal1ty AN8 didn't have this strange heat wave. In terms of looks, I personally like the Fatal1ty AN8. The fiery red PCB and red motherboard LED's looks great in windowed cases.

I guess it really comes down to the user's preference. If you want pure power, you can't go wrong with the Ultra-D. It is a bottleneck-free motherboard aimed to get the most of all your components. If you want both performance AND looks, the Fatal1ty AN8 is the better route. I'm sure that the majority of enthusiasts will go for the Ultra-D because of the great overclocking potential. As a gamer who owns both boards, the Fatal1ty AN8 goes in my gaming rig while the Ultra-D goes in my test bench. I'm the type who likes to frag with style. Since I don't have the fragging skills, I'll have an pretty overclocked box to back me up.
Click to expand...


DFI Ultra D and A8N Very recent review too.

They really do a nice job comparing the 2. For me though its the price and lack of SLI feature and low selectable V Dimm that makes me shy away from the board. But if you go with this board get a window case 🙂, because it is beautiful.
 
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