Scored a cheap x1900xt now I need to ORDER THE REST - advice kind sirs

[TheNewGuy8]

So I've been debating what I'm going to build for 2 months now, and while I was nearing my decision I was stalled on a few parts, mainly the video cards. Well it turns out that through stroke of good luck with Dell I scored the Radeon x1900xt card for just around $400, and I just couldn't pass that up.

So now I have the card and I need to decide on the rest of the parts. Since I've got the card I'd kind of like to build around that, just to make sure everything will work together.

Here's what I need:

Mobo
Proc
Memory
PSU
DVD/CD burner
Maybe case (and thus fans probably)
aftermarket x1900xt cooler
northbridge passive cooler

I've already got SATA HDDs, a monitor (1600x1200 native) and a regular DVD drive. I've also got an XP120 HSF, but I lost the clips for a socket 939 board, anyone know where I can get those so I can reuse this great HS?

OK - what I'm looking for. I WILL be overclocking, so I want a board that will let me do that. However I've never done it before - so boards like the DFIs scare me from what I've read as they seem to be so complex and easy to F up. I've heard good things about the ASUS and Epox boards out now - but of course this is all opinion and user experience.

Im looking for a quiet computer - it'll be in my dorm room and thus I need to keep the volume down to stay sane. I know the x1900xt is loud, thus the 3rd party fan replacement. Additionally I'm currently using an Antec SuperLanboy. This case is great and quiet, but a bit cramped. I can't decide if I want to upgrade the case or not - what do you all think? I'd only want to do it if it would be significantly cooler AND quieter (like maybe the P180...though I'd really prefer black and maybe a window...but that increases noise, hrm hrm...).

I'm lost on the DVD burner - there are just waaayyy too many. suggestions?

Here's what I'm thinking, and please adjust away:

Asus A8N-E or the Epox board everyone is raving about...can't find the link right now.

Opty 165, 170, or X2 3800+. I'm leaning towards the 165, though is that monarch deal for the 170 @ $350 still good? I also read that these chips all just got price cuts and this weekend we'll see the prices go down a bit at the retailors. so I'll wait to check that out.

2gb Corsair Valueselect - This is the cheapest Value stuff I can find. And from everything I've read here the memory really does not matter for overclocking. I've got 2 heatspreaders from 2x512mb sticks off an old corsair kit, but I've also heard heat spreaders do nothing so theres no real point. NOW - if I go with the x2 3800+ I may get the g.skill DDR500 kit since that will make the OC much easier (no mem. divider) but if I go with the opty I'll have to divide anyway, so might as well get the cheap stuff, right?


Fortron Blue Storm 400w - I know you pay extra for the cabling and stuff, but if I have a window in the case I'll want the clean look. And 400w should be plenty, right? I'm not doing CF.

I'm gonna go do a bit more research.
I'm not sure what the shipping on the card will be - but I'll probably need to order all this stuff within a week or so, so advise away and I'll go do more work.

cheers

 

[xzi007]

link for epox is here

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813123236


Here is the link where ppl talking about the epox


http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=29&threadid=1568747&enterthread=y

 

[mphartzheim]

I'll go ahead and ask the question because somebody is bound to do it...


What kind of budget are you on for this build?

 

[TheNewGuy8]

wow, stupid me, sorry. Well, without the card I'd like to stay around $800-1000. I figure $300-350 for the CPU, $120 for the mobo, $150 for the RAM, $65 for the PSU, maybe $100-150 for the case (should I need one), $40 for the DVD drive..that's around $875 or so. That's about what I'm looking at.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

word my friend from hong kong is coming back with an ati 1900xt for $400 usd (and could also get an xtx for 525) which is more worth it?
also i can get teh fx-60 for $800 =]

 

[TheNewGuy8]

do the XT - the XTX is not worth the price increase for the marginal performance increase.

 

[TheInternet1980]

DFI Ultra-D

Don't be afraid of it. It's not hard to setup and actually pretty easy to OC. Best oc'ing motherboard for the coin. (8 hour newegg sale right MEOW!! $112.99)

Opty 165

Will hit 2.5 easy on stock volts. (Own one myself...does 2.8 312x9 @ stock volts, CCB1E 0550 VPMW)

GSkill 2x1GB DDR 500 3-4-4-8 2.7v

Will make overclocking so simple, and give you the 1:1 ratio @ 250, with 1T command rate = yay bandwidth. Raise CPU Frequency to 250, leave LDT @ 4x, change timings to 3-4-4-8 if necessary. Done.

Silverstone Zeus 650W PSU (SLI ready)

Awesome PSU. Quad 12v rails, 650W continuous power, 720W max. A little loud, but will have no issues powering your components. Will fit very nicely in a P-180 (cable length is just right)

NEC 3550-A DVD/CD writer

Nice drive. Quiet. Does DL @ 8x for +R media and 6x for -R media.

Antec P-180

Great case! Sound dampening features are wonderful. 3 tri-cool 120mm fans are also a nice addition. It's downside is it's a little cramped to work in, and cable management can be a pain. If you plan right, it'll work out however.

As for the aftermarket cooler...there isn't one suitable for the 1900 right now.

If you do go the way of the Ultra-D, you also will not be able to put a passive notherbridge HS on there without a mod. The 1st PCI-E slot sticks the card right over top of the stock NB cooling solution.

Hope this helps.

 

[tbooth]

Originally posted by: TheNewGuy8Fortron Blue Storm 400w - I know you pay extra for the cabling and stuff, but if I have a window in the case I'll want the clean look. And 400w should be plenty, right? I'm not doing CF.

cheers

If I'm reading the specs on this at newegg correctly then this PSU doesn't have the required 30A on the 12v rails that ATI requires for the 1900XT/XTX.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

Originally posted by: TheInternet1980
DFI Ultra-D

Don't be afraid of it. It's not hard to setup and actually pretty easy to OC. Best oc'ing motherboard for the coin. (8 hour newegg sale right MEOW!! $112.99)

Opty 165

Will hit 2.5 easy on stock volts. (Own one myself...does 2.8 312x9 @ stock volts, CCB1E 0550 VPMW)

GSkill 2x1GB DDR 500 3-4-4-8 2.7v

Will make overclocking so simple, and give you the 1:1 ratio @ 250, with 1T command rate = yay bandwidth. Raise CPU Frequency to 250, leave LDT @ 4x, change timings to 3-4-4-8 if necessary. Done.

Silverstone Zeus 650W PSU (SLI ready)

Awesome PSU. Quad 12v rails, 650W continuous power, 720W max. A little loud, but will have no issues powering your components. Will fit very nicely in a P-180 (cable length is just right)

NEC 3550-A DVD/CD writer

Nice drive. Quiet. Does DL @ 8x for +R media and 6x for -R media.

Antec P-180

Great case! Sound dampening features are wonderful. 3 tri-cool 120mm fans are also a nice addition. It's downside is it's a little cramped to work in, and cable management can be a pain. If you plan right, it'll work out however.

As for the aftermarket cooler...there isn't one suitable for the 1900 right now.

If you do go the way of the Ultra-D, you also will not be able to put a passive notherbridge HS on there without a mod. The 1st PCI-E slot sticks the card right over top of the stock NB cooling solution.

Hope this helps.

Thanks alot for all the advice, TheInternet1980 (sometimes addressing people by these nicks is just wierd...).

Questions - Does the DDR500 also work with the Optys...I thought I read that they had a different multiplier and thus you would end up having to use a divider anyway...that not true?

That silverstone Zeus seems like a bit much - no WAY this system is going to need 650w of power, thats also a very very high-pried PSU. I know you pay for quality, but a Fortron or Seasonic should do just fine, don't you think? As for what you said tbooth, isn't the combined 12v rail that is the measure? or does each seperate rail have to have the amperage? I'll look into this and try and find a PSU that will work.

As for the case - ya, thats a great looking case. I'll need to make sure the PSU will fit it, but assuming I can do that my only reservation is that a) its silver and b) it has no window. I haven't completely lost my urge to light things up with neon.

Hmm, anyone else? more opinions on the Mobo?

 

[alimoalem]

i'd still go with the g.skill ddr500 and opty 165. dfi all the way. i'd get a MUCH cheaper psu than the 650w one. maybe the fortron 450w or a seasonic that fits your budget...not sure about the case though

 

[TheInternet1980]

Have the same RAM and an Opty 165 myself. No divider necessary. Have the RAM/CPU runing 1:1 @ 278 right now.

Ultra-D > most on the motherboard subject. The expert is a little better, and the venus (good luck finding one), are the only things that top it. However, the RD580 ATI chipsets will be out soon. I'm curious to see how DFI's offering in that department will look.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

can anyone confirm or deny that the on dual 12v rail PSUs each INDIVIDUAL rail has to contain the 30a needed for the x1900xt? The fortron has 15a on each rail...but that adds up to 30...so would that be OK?

 

[tbooth]

Originally posted by: TheNewGuy8
can anyone confirm or deny that the on dual 12v rail PSUs each INDIVIDUAL rail has to contain the 30a needed for the x1900xt? The fortron has 15a on each rail...but that adds up to 30...so would that be OK?

The individual rails don't need to be 30A, but the total power supplied on the 12V rail needs to add up to 30A. All the specs I've seen say that the fortron has 15A on one 12V rail and 14A on the other. The question is, is 29A sufficient? A guy on Rage3d claims that his 28A on the 12V rail PSU was not good enough.

I started a thread here asking about the PSUs people are using to power their X1900s so maybe you can get some ideas from there.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

Enermax Liberty 500w

Seasonic S12-500w pricier but it gets a lower noise rating from SPCR which is important to me. And after the MIR newegg has its only $10 more. However it is not modular (meh) OR sheathed, which if I have a windowed case I'd really like. better for airflow regardless.

Antec Truepower II 480w
This would be right on the edge. Its by far the cheapest - only $80, but I've heard sketchy things about Antec's PSUs recently. any thoughts?

Enermax Noisetaker 485w The 470w version gets good reviews from SPCR (though its a bit rattly at lower outputs). Semi sheathed...not bad. And only $76

Any thoughts on these? I also need to make sure that, should I choose to get a P180, the cables will reach

 

[TheNewGuy8]

bump

 

[Bobthelost]

The seasonic is ace, except when paired with a DFI motherboard, sometimes they have compatability issues, and when in the p180, where the wires are just long enough to reach, but where you also want extenders.

 

[tbooth]

Originally posted by: TheNewGuy8
Enermax Liberty 500w

Seasonic S12-500w pricier but it gets a lower noise rating from SPCR which is important to me. And after the MIR newegg has its only $10 more. However it is not modular (meh) OR sheathed, which if I have a windowed case I'd really like. better for airflow regardless.

Antec Truepower II 480w
This would be right on the edge. Its by far the cheapest - only $80, but I've heard sketchy things about Antec's PSUs recently. any thoughts?

Enermax Noisetaker 485w The 470w version gets good reviews from SPCR (though its a bit rattly at lower outputs). Semi sheathed...not bad. And only $76

Any thoughts on these? I also need to make sure that, should I choose to get a P180, the cables will reach

I currently have the Seasonic S12 500W and I like it, but I had issues with the 1900XT I got. I believe that the card was defective, but I won't know for sure until I get it back from RMA. If I discover that I need to upgrade my PSU, I was planning on going for an Enermax Liberty.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

The enermax looks good, though SPCR says its a bit loud. May not be awful though. And modular is nice...

About Mobos - what about this one: Abit KN8 - I especially like the heatpiped NB cooler - as noise is a concern of mine, andmost boards dont allow you to use a NB passive HSF with a long Graphics card.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

re-read the SPCR article, seems like they said the noise was pretty good after all, up with the noisetake. not amazing, but good. hrm.

 

[Bobthelost]

If you're not going ASUS then you might want to think about the NeoHE, it goes well with the p180 and got a good writeup @ SPCR.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

I hadn't looked at that NeoHE. Just took a glance on SPCR - they seem to love it, which surprises me since it uses an 80mm fan, but they say its whisper quiet. Plus modular cables...seems like a winner to me.

you say if not Asus - I assume you mean there are compatibility issues?

edit: oh ya, just read all about them on newegg.

What do you guys think of the Abit board? or the epox? damn, they're all so similar its almost impossible to decide. I just like the heatpipe on the abit.

 

[Bobthelost]

Epox is highly rated around here, not so sure about the Abit though (as in i haven't heard anything, good or bad about it)

Might be worth a bit of a search through the motherboard forum.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

Man!!!!!

Grr, how is anyone ever supposed to choose a Mobo?? These boards have all been out for so long (a good thing for driver maturity) that there are SO MANY negative posts about all of them that its impossible to decide. Any thoughts here, I'm kind of floundering.

 

[n7]

Asus A8R-MVP.

Good cheap mobo w/ Crossfire support in the event you find another hawt deal, this time on an X1900 Crossfire card

OCs well, yet not complicated.

 

[TheNewGuy8]

again, I get scared b/c I read all these reports on, say, Newegg, and like 1/2 the reviews on there are warnings to stay away. I guess the longer boards stay out the longer there is for ****** to go wrong with them.

but it makes the decision making process difficult.


Well - what does everyone else thing? Not only about the Mb, but also about the RAM, DVD drive, etc.

Processor - the Opty 170 can be had at Monarch for $356 after a coupon code thats floating around. Think that is worth it over the 165? Any results on which OC better? it seems for $20 the 200mhz is worth it