Review my build please :)

[Kaido]

Edit:

Case: Antec SLK3000-B ($49)
Fans: (2) Nexus "Real Quiet" 120mm fans ($16 each; $32 total)
PSU: OCZ 520w PowerStream PSU ($128)
Motherboard: DFI Ultra-D ($122)
Processor: Opteron 165 ($280)
Heatsink/fan: Thermaltake Big Typhoon ($49)
Ram: 2gb G.Skill HZ DDR500 ($157)
Video card: eVGA 256mb 7900gt @ 1500mhz ($319) + gpu/mem mods
Hard drive: Raptor 150 ($275)
UPS: Belkin 660w with AVR ($92)
Wireless card: Linksys WUSB54GS USB wifi card ($60)


Original Post:

Case: Antec SLK3000-B ($49)
Fans: (2) AcoustiFan DustProof 120mm fans ($36 each; $72 total)
PSU: Antec TruePower II 550w PSU ($90)
Motherboard: MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum ($109)
Processor: X2 4800+ ($630)
Heatsink/fan: Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro ($34)
Ram: (2) Corsair ValueSelect 1gb ddr400 sticks ($70 each; $140 total)
Video card: eVGA 256mb 7900gt @ 1500mhz ($319)
Hard drive: Raptor 150 ($275)
UPS: Belkin 660w with AVR ($92)
Wireless card: Linksys WUSB54GS USB wifi card ($60)

For work/play. Just upgrading the box, I already have all the usual peripherals. I'm purposely leaving the PCI slots empty because I want to put in four Gigabyte ramdisk cards when (if?) they release an SATA 2.0 version.

Regarding the processor, I do not want to overclock since this system will be left on between 16 and 24 hours a day in a warm environment (typically a room temp of 75 degrees). The FX60 is an extra $300 for an extra 2x200mhz of performance, which doesn't really justify the cost. Since I won't be OC'ing, the 4800+ seems like the next best option. May or may not use a different HSF combo.

Regarding the video card, I like to play FPS games like Half-Life 2. May add some FEAR and BF2 down the road. I can't fit a GTX in there with the PCI ramdisk cards, which is why I'm going with the GT model. The eVGA had good reviews on Newegg and is clocked at 1500mhz rather than 1320mhz. I am definately open to suggestions on this one, been awhile since I purchased a desktop card (upgrading from a laptop).

Any comments on the wireless card? I've had extremely poor luck with USB wifi cards in the past, but this seems like a good one.

Fire away!

 

[Kaido]

Ooh, another note on the video card. The eVGA card is available with a core clock of either 500MHz or 550MHz. The price difference is $40. I will probably have this card for awhile. Should I go with the 550MHz clock or is it a waste?

 

[secretanchitman]

nice build! questions though...

is the ram 1GB single channel sticks, or 2x1GB sticks?

why the 4800+ and not the 4400+? only a 200mhz difference and the cache the same!

people will probably recommend a different PSU but i think antec is fine as ive used them for years without fail.

mobo looks good. do you want to go sli or no?

also, some like having a raptor and a second big capacity hard drive (sata/sata2) for storage. do you think you will be fine with 150GB of raptor goodness?

wireless card...internal PCI cards work fine, but a usb one might be good since your pci ramdisk cards are inside though...ive used a d-link usb G adapter and it surprisingly worked fine for me!

video card wise, people will say go for an x1900xt, but its dual-slot (i think) so you cant fit it. 7900GT is perfectly fine. GTX is not worth the 200 dollar price increase. you can easily OC and even volt mod up to and past gtx speeds if you wished. evga is definitely one of the best video card manufacturers out there. lifetime warranty even while overclocked manually? hell yes.

im jealous...i wish i had your setup. hehe...

edit: 40 dollars more for 50mhz core increase isnt worth it. OC it yourself to save money!

 

[Crescent13]

Get a X2 4400+, and get a 7900GTX with the saved money. You will be much happier.

EDIT: Oh yeah, You will be even happier if you ditch the raptor and get a 250GB Western Digital with 16MB cache, and get a Opteron 175, and 2 7900GT's. That would pwn a ton.

 

[JSFLY]

Heres my 2 cents. If your not OCing your wasting money.

An opteron 165 will OC easily to 2.4 at low temps and a good HSF will take care of any excess heat easy. A rig that is at a stable Overclocked is just as stable as a non-OCed machine. I leave my rig on 24/7 for Bittorrent downloads and such and its solid as a rock. The only time it crashes is occasionally when I play oblivion (buggy game). Prime95- dual cores running @ 100% for 24 hours: no problem. Playing COD2, BF2, and CS source for hours and hours: no problem.

Bottom line, IMO if your not Ocing, your burning money.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: secretanchitman
nice build! questions though...

is the ram 1GB single channel sticks, or 2x1GB sticks?

why the 4800+ and not the 4400+? only a 200mhz difference and the cache the same!

people will probably recommend a different PSU but i think antec is fine as ive used them for years without fail.

mobo looks good. do you want to go sli or no?

also, some like having a raptor and a second big capacity hard drive (sata/sata2) for storage. do you think you will be fine with 150GB of raptor goodness?

wireless card...internal PCI cards work fine, but a usb one might be good since your pci ramdisk cards are inside though...ive used a d-link usb G adapter and it surprisingly worked fine for me!

video card wise, people will say go for an x1900xt, but its dual-slot (i think) so you cant fit it. 7900GT is perfectly fine. GTX is not worth the 200 dollar price increase. you can easily OC and even volt mod up to and past gtx speeds if you wished. evga is definitely one of the best video card manufacturers out there. lifetime warranty even while overclocked manually? hell yes.

im jealous...i wish i had your setup. hehe...

edit: 40 dollars more for 50mhz core increase isnt worth it. OC it yourself to save money!

-Here's the ram:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145505

I've been in the laptop world for the last couple years and haven't really kept up on the whole dual channel thing.

-PSU recommendations welcome!

-I don't want to go SLI. No room with the PCI cards that will eventually go in there.

-Yeah, I have a spare external drive for storage, should have mentioned that. Will probably sell it and get a 400gb monster though

-Heh, I only buy every couple/few years so I try to make it count (just save $20 a week and you can get a hot system every couple of years!).

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Crescent13
Get a X2 4400+, and get a 7900GTX with the saved money. You will be much happier.

EDIT: Oh yeah, You will be even happier if you ditch the raptor and get a 250GB Western Digital with 16MB cache, and get a Opteron 175, and 2 7900GT's. That would pwn a ton.

I'm more about processing speed as I do a lot of 3D/video rendering. The Raptor is just for kicks, as I have a seperate backup drive for files and whatnot. No room for 2 GTs

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: JSFLY
Heres my 2 cents. If your not OCing your wasting money.

An opteron 165 will OC easily to 2.4 at low temps and a good HSF will take care of any excess heat easy. A rig that is at a stable Overclocked is just as stable as a non-OCed machine. I leave my rig on 24/7 for downloads and such and its solid as a rock.

Bottom line, IMO if your not Ocing, your burning money.

Well I was having this convo with smopoim86 earlier. I'd rather have a stable no-fuss machine that will serve me well for the next 2 or 3 years. I don't want to change the ram, either, since I can use that in the ramdisk cards and swap between everything for initial testing. Plus it's cheap stuff. Tell me more about your ideas on OCing though, I'd love to hear them. Last time I OC'd was on a tbird 1.4

 

[Kaido]

How exactly do I load the SATA driver for XP on this setup? No floppy, but I do have a USB floppy. Does this mobo have the trick where I can pretend like the Raptor is SATA?

 

[JSFLY]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: JSFLY
Heres my 2 cents. If your not OCing your wasting money.

An opteron 165 will OC easily to 2.4 at low temps and a good HSF will take care of any excess heat easy. A rig that is at a stable Overclocked is just as stable as a non-OCed machine. I leave my rig on 24/7 for downloads and such and its solid as a rock.

Bottom line, IMO if your not Ocing, your burning money.

Well I was having this convo with smopoim86 earlier. I'd rather have a stable no-fuss machine that will serve me well for the next 2 or 3 years. I don't want to change the ram, either, since I can use that in the ramdisk cards and swap between everything for initial testing. Plus it's cheap stuff. Tell me more about your ideas on OCing though, I'd love to hear them. Last time I OC'd was on a tbird 1.4

Here are my arguments for Overclocking:

1)
If you don't OC your CPU, It'll last you 10+ years.

If you overclock your CPU, adding a +10% increase in Vcore (which won't happen for 90% of 165 chips @ 2.4ghz OCed) you shorten the lifespan by at the most 5 years. This shortened lifespan is still greater than the amount of time your CPU will last performance wize(2-3 years).

2)
Overclocking is fun. Tweaking is fun. Getting the most for your money is fun.

Basically the advantages are so great that if your not overclocking your missing out. I think 95% of the people here would agree with me on this one.

 

[Ultralight]

Go with a 2x1 GB kit instead of the 1 Gig kits. I know many people who run that exact PSU and it is very fine. I have had 2 Antec's and they still run without a problem. Enermax is good and so is Fortran.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Ultralight
Go with a 2x1 GB kit instead of the 1 Gig kits. I know many people who run that exact PSU and it is very fine. I have had 2 Antec's and they still run without a problem. Enermax is good and so is Fortran.

Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Kaido]

bump

 

[Kaido]

Wow, after reading this article, I think I'm going to do a raid 0 of two Raptor 150s:

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=445800

 

[Arkane13131]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: JSFLY
Heres my 2 cents. If your not OCing your wasting money.

An opteron 165 will OC easily to 2.4 at low temps and a good HSF will take care of any excess heat easy. A rig that is at a stable Overclocked is just as stable as a non-OCed machine. I leave my rig on 24/7 for downloads and such and its solid as a rock.

Bottom line, IMO if your not Ocing, your burning money.

Well I was having this convo with smopoim86 earlier. I'd rather have a stable no-fuss machine that will serve me well for the next 2 or 3 years. I don't want to change the ram, either, since I can use that in the ramdisk cards and swap between everything for initial testing. Plus it's cheap stuff. Tell me more about your ideas on OCing though, I'd love to hear them. Last time I OC'd was on a tbird 1.4

well... here are my thoughts for what they are worth.


not overclocking a dual core amd chip (or really any of em for that matter) is really pointless. downclock the ram upclock the cpu from 2ghz --> 2.4ghz and you can use dirt cheap ram at its normal speed...no increase in voltage..and in my experience like 2C increased heat (which is nothing) and save tons of cash, getting the same peformance.

the chip wont go bad for a long long time, aslong as u keep the friggen heatsink clean and the case cool...

*recalls pulling a furball tumbleweed out of a 2400+ xp 5 years after the fact*

personally i recommend the 3800+ x-2 or an opteron for around 300$ and save that extra 300$ for something else.

for a guy thats concerned with longevity..consider you could buy 2 chips that perform really close to the 600$.....doubling the life for the money.

also in 5 years (by the time the chip goes bad..at that overclock) there will be octocores and (whats the nifty word for 24?) 24x sli. (not really.....maybe )

that cpu is the biggest waste in this project. hell you can forget the.. 7900gt and just get a x1900xtx and still save 100$!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102671

overclocking these chips is not as scary as past chips..these babies act like they were made for it...and arguably they were. you dont have to do anything to em..no special cooling nadda... *looks at his 2.4ghz 3800+ x-2 using stock cooling and not even bothering with arctic silver....looks at dual prime95 for 24 hours still running...looks at his 50C temp sensor...looks at his thermostat 78F...looks at his cheapo ram....looks at all the money he saved... smiles, nods*


if u really have no room for the x1900xtx i have the evga 7900gt co superclock.

the first one i was artifacting..seems the samsung memory was defective on a certain batch. they cross shipped me a new one at no cost to me and it runs fine.

9608 3dmark05 on the 3800+ x-2 @ 2.4ghz with 1 gig of ram...not x1900xtx performance by any means..but good enough for someone that spent 830$ on his entire system.

most raptor owners i know say they dont see enough performance gain for the money they spent..but if u hate money or just dont care have fun with it. i dont own one myself so i cant really make a reasonable argument..but thought id toss that out there.


heh im a poor boy...dont make enough money for all the cool guy stuff...but im more than extremely happy with my system. nothing needs any additional performance out there on my 1280x1024 monitor. oblivion looks great and plays great at all max settings *cept self shadow women bearding bugged setting*

anyway... dont throw your money away needlessly is my main point.
and dont be afraid of longevity with the cpu..its so goddamn simple and effective to overclock these guys just fine.









ran 3dmark06 just now...

5374

2260 SM2.0
2191 HDR/SM3.0
1802 CPU score

 

[Praxis1452]

The raptor is your choice but for the cost I would definetley suggest a good 250-320gb hard drive. If you got the cash....

Since when are fans $36!?? maybe it's just me but I wouldn't pay for that.

Get something better than Antec imo for the PSU they aren't bad. But a Fotron or Seasonic would be better.

The X1800XT 256mb or 512 if you want to spend $40 more. They are faster at stock than the 7900gt and can be overclocked pretty well.

 

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: Praxis1452
The raptor is your choice but for the cost 'I don't think it's worth it. But hey since you got an external drive its fine.

Since when are fans $36!?? maybe it's just me but I wouldn't pay for that.

Get something better than Antec imo for the PSU they aren't bad. But a Fotron or Seasonic would be better. Seasonic 500W. Fotron 450W maybe? Think it would work. A Enermax Liberty 500W. They are all good. Enermax noisetaker maybe.

The X1800XT 256mb or 512 if you want to spend $40 more. They are faster at stock than the 7900gt and can be overclocked pretty well. Look on newegg for them.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Arkane13131
not overclocking a dual core amd chip (or really any of em for that matter) is really pointless. downclock the ram upclock the cpu from 2ghz --> 2.4ghz and you can use dirt cheap ram at its normal speed...no increase in voltage..and in my experience like 2C increased heat (which is nothing) and save tons of cash, getting the same peformance.

the chip wont go bad for a long long time, aslong as u keep the friggen heatsink clean and the case cool...

*recalls pulling a furball tumbleweed out of a 2400+ xp 5 years after the fact*

personally i recommend the 3800+ x-2 or an opteron for around 300$ and save that extra 300$ for something else.

for a guy thats concerned with longevity..consider you could buy 2 chips that perform really close to the 600$.....doubling the life for the money.

also in 5 years (by the time the chip goes bad..at that overclock) there will be octocores and (whats the nifty word for 24?) 24x sli. (not really.....maybe )

that cpu is the biggest waste in this project.

You know, I'm only going to keep this system for 2 years or so anyway, now that I can afford to upgrade every 2 years. You don't have to be rich to do it; I'm not. I work 10 hours a week and can still manage it. Check out the link

Maybe I should just do a 3800+. That would save me $335 right off the bat, which I can definately put to other uses. Tell me more about your OC setup.

you can forget the.. 7900gt and just get a x1900xtx and still save 100$!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102671

overclocking these chips is not as scary as past chips..these babies act like they were made for it...and arguably they were. you dont have to do anything to em..no special cooling nadda... *looks at his 2.4ghz 3800+ x-2 using stock cooling and not even bothering with arctic silver....looks at dual prime95 for 24 hours still running...looks at his 50C temp sensor...looks at his thermostat 78F...looks at his cheapo ram....looks at all the money he saved... smiles, nods*


if u really have no room for the x1900xtx i have the evga 7900gt co superclock.

the first one i was artifacting..seems the samsung memory was defective on a certain batch. they cross shipped me a new one at no cost to me and it runs fine.

9608 3dmark05 on the 3800+ x-2 @ 2.4ghz with 1 gig of ram...not x1900xtx performance by any means..but good enough for someone that spent 830$ on his entire system.

Yup, no room for the xtx. I need something that takes up exactly one slot. The 7900gt KO seems to fit the bill pretty well. I think I'm going to stick with the plain old 500mhz rather than 550mhz for $40 more tho

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Praxis1452
The raptor is your choice but for the cost I would definetley suggest a good 250-320gb hard drive. If you got the cash....

Since when are fans $36!?? maybe it's just me but I wouldn't pay for that.

Get something better than Antec imo for the PSU they aren't bad. But a Fotron or Seasonic would be better.

The X1800XT 256mb or 512 if you want to spend $40 more. They are faster at stock than the 7900gt and can be overclocked pretty well.

Here's a link to the fans:

http://www.quietpcusa.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?&DID=8&Product_ID=261&CATID=7

If you have a better model let me know

 

[Praxis1452]

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/de12trbllows1.html

This if you have a fan controller to slow them down a bit. The undervolt very well. Low pitch sound.

Or http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ak12amseulqu.html
A silent fan better than a nexus.

 

[Arkane13131]

well i got a solid deal on my setup..

3800+ x-2 = <300$ shipped

I cheated to get my motherboard and videocard.....

I purchased a 7800gt co superclock from newegg 350$ish came with a free evga SLI motherboard.
used evga's step up program and stepped up to a 7900gt co superclock for 20$ (inshipping charges)
effectivly giving me a SLI mobo for 20$.

i use cheap ram.. i payed 40$ to buy some slightly used Gskill from my friend..but you can find 1 gig for 70$ very easily.

i also purchased a used 80gig western digital caviar HD from a different friend for 20$ (that was cool with me )

i found an antec smartpower 2.0 500w onsale from zipzoom fly for 57$ or so. (quiet quiet quiet and stable)

I purchased a Tsunami Dream case for 90$ after rebates from newegg. (spent too much for a case really but I just love the large size, the look, and how everything works togeather..

lite on black dvd/cdrw for 25$ new from frys.

found an old SB Live 5.1 soundcard in my dads office he let me have for free. (dads are cool sometimes eh?)

so lets see the total.



ahh i guess i spent like 905ish. -.-:

my mistake >.> not 830 tbh i never really tallied it up before >.>

i use the same monitor for 5 years now... a CRT kinda crappy but works fine for me

i guess it would cost abit more for someone else to build the same system..but also u can save money on a different case ect.

dont got all the nicest craziest parts but, i think i did pretty well for myself.

considering price/performance i think i done good.


im using stock heatsink/fan...not even AS5
the evga mobo makes it super simple to OC. all i did was downclock the ram to 333mhz speed and set the 240mhz x's10 multiplier. leaves the ram right at stock 200mhz.
everything else is taken care of automatically by the MB. i did get errors in prime leaving the voltage to auto..so i newegg.com and it said 1.35-1.4 volts...so i just manually set it to 1.4v and no errors. i was only getting errors on one core with it on auto..i think i got a goofy chip..but it really doesnt matter anyway. havnt tried to push it any further..dont really feel a need to.

i know there are cheaper parts out there and killer deals..i just did what seemed cool at the time. helps to have rich friends that upgrade their system constantly..and have spair HD's lying around they dont care about. ooh and 5$ scythe keyboard lol dont forget that >.>.. I use my stereo for speakers LoL i have a home made box that sits under my desk. not exactly surround sound but lound and bassy! LoL

kinda ghetto yeah but..hey im happy and thats all that counts


edit: might aswell get the superclocked edition from evga tho since u seemed nervous about oc'ng yourself. makes a solid difference

 

[Kaido]

Arkane13131, if I got a 4800+, could I hit FX60 speeds with 2gb Corsair ValueSelect ram on air?

 

[Arkane13131]

no idea D: but the real question is...do u need that cpu? wont make much of a difference in games ect..because you have a single 7900gt. if you had SLI 7900gtx's or something it might be worth it, but lol in normal everyday use... (i do alot of work in soundforge 8.0 because i am a musician...) my current cpu rips through everything i throw at it.

also check this out...

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=27&threadid=1839602&enterthread=y

this guy has an FX60 and it scores...2004 in 3dmark06...
mine scores 1800~
ofcourse his is stock...but still >.>

i think if u got an opteron or the same chip as mine.. once u started using it..ud realize u dont really need any more horse power for ur single videocard solution, and every non videogame app out there will run awesome.