Which CPU goes with which mother board?

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

Hi guys,

I am really clueless about all this processors, pci express, motherboards, overclocking(wtf is this?) and stuff...

I have 1200 $ to spend on a decent gaming/multimedia pc. Also, I heard that ASUS motherboards are good... but i need some advice.

Please gimme a nice combo of Processor (P4/AMD, doesnt matter) , Motherboard, and a good video card (ATI x series) and a compatible case.

I just ordered the samsung 915N 19" moniter from buy.com

.. so, i am not worried about monitor.

I'd really appreciate you'lls comments. I dont wanna get all pissed off when I order incompatible stuff and freak out askin questions in forum for alternatives.

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

Welcome to AT.

Is this a gaming computer I'm assuming?

Do you plan to do any overclocking?

Do you need a powersupply too?
(Do you need anything else... like harddrives, optical drives, etc?)

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

oh ... lol...btw, can you please define: "overclocking" ? and yeah, i might do a lil gaming , but i am gonna use it for engineering applications like autoCAD, solidWorks and solidEdge... i need some ram (prolly 1.5 - 2 GB)

I will figure out the optical drives and hard drives. Oh yes, i need some advice on powersupply... Thank you yoyo... Id appreciate your advice..

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

oh, one more thing, i will be having 2 samsung 19" 915N monitors , so a i will definitely need a good graphics card.

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

So does the $1200 just mean the Processor/Motherboard/Case/videocard, or is that $1200 for everything excluding monitors?

Sorry didn't notice you asked about overclocking in your OP.
It's where you run your processor at faster than it's rated to run.
Generally you can get a nice boost in speed over the original rating on processors. A lot of people do it around here, but I'm one of the guys who doesn't.
So, the benefit from it is getting more speed out of a lower priced processor (can do it with videocards too). The drawbacks are that it voids your warranty, you can potentially damage something if you don't know what you're doing, it could make your processor run hotter, could have stability issues, etc.

If you're looking to get the best bang for your buck though, it can be a really good idea. A64 processors overclock quite easily too. If you get a nice overclocking motherboard it's no big deal.

EDIT: there's a whole section on overclocking over here if you want to check it out and look at issues people have and success stories
http://forums.anandtech.com/categories.aspx?catid=28&flcache=8490301&entercat=y

Bona Fide · Sep 1, 2005

Overclocking - Pushing your CPU beyond its boundaries. Usually VERY possible on processors nowadays.

Here is my set of parts for you.

CPU - Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Motherboard - EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra
RAM - 2x1GB Corsair Valueselect
Graphics - ATI X850XT or X800XL
Hard Drive - Seagate 160GB SATA
DVD-RW - NEC 3540A

nick1985 · Sep 1, 2005

Originally posted by: Bona Fide
Overclocking - Pushing your CPU beyond its boundaries. Usually VERY possible on processors nowadays.

Here is my set of parts for you.

CPU - Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Motherboard - EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra
RAM - 2x1GB Corsair Valueselect
Graphics - ATI X850XT or X800XL
Hard Drive - Seagate 160GB SATA
DVD-RW - NEC 3540A

:thumbsup:

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

Hmm... 1200 $ for everything except the monitor. I have ordered 2 samsung 19" 915N from buy.com for the price of 298 $ each...

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

thank you, bonafide

I will search online on outpost.com, newegg, tigerdirect and google

...

What about the case / cooling/ and power?

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

Well, if you add a nice case and PSU to the parts listed above I think you have a nice combo.

I'm not sure on total cost off the top of my head.

Maybe a Seasonic 430watt and a Antec 3000b to that list

(Might want to check out the Benq 1640 as a DVD burner alternative)

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

thanks yo, do i need to buy the cables and stuff to connect the harddrives, dvd+-rw, motherboard and stuff... i am really clueless !!!!!! any online guide to build a pc as configured above ?

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

Originally posted by: neilpan
thanks yo, do i need to buy the cables and stuff to connect the harddrives, dvd+-rw, motherboard and stuff... i am really clueless !!!!!! any online guide to build a pc as configured above ?

The motherboard should come with most if not all of the cables you'll need.

Check newegg's pictures to see what you get.

Here's mechbgon's guide

suicidalpigeon · Sep 1, 2005

we'll good cases are like cool master, lian li, antec, and a few others, pick one you like and we'll tell you if its good in the inside. stock cooling is fine, but if you want it to run really cool, xp-90 with a panaflo or a zalman 7000alcu for quieter operations. power: pcpower and cooling silencer 470w/tagan 480w u22/seasonic s12 430w or super silencer 460w. this might conflict with bona's rig though(budget-wise), and its better to get the benq dw1640, x800xl should do fine with what you're doing. big oc's are good with ocz, but using a divider for the corsair should be fine. up the storage to 250 if you can.

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811173005

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154

anygood ? :S ?

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

Originally posted by: neilpan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811173005

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129154

anygood ? :S ?

Kind of a big range in price there... $47 with PSU vs $149 without.

Overall I think if you want to get a case with a PSU then Antec makes some good ones. Sonata for example.

The case itself is all about personal preference. If you care about noise, try to get one with some 120mm fans in it vs 80mm.

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119035 , how about that? I like simple looks...

Also,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145527

will it work ? its got 240 pins.. there are many with 184 pins. I dont know which one is compatible with the motherboard EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

Originally posted by: neilpan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119035 , how about that? I like simple looks...

Also,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145527

will it work ? its got 240 pins.. there are many with 184 pins. I dont know which one is compatible with the motherboard EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra

Yeah, that case looks good. Get whatever looks good to you.

You want DDR1, not DDR2. (184-pins not 240)

Like a couple of these for example.

Powermoloch · Sep 1, 2005

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: Bona Fide
Overclocking - Pushing your CPU beyond its boundaries. Usually VERY possible on processors nowadays.

Here is my set of parts for you.

CPU - Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Motherboard - EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra
RAM - 2x1GB Corsair Valueselect
Graphics - ATI X850XT or X800XL
Hard Drive - Seagate 160GB SATA
DVD-RW - NEC 3540A

Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

HAWT !

Bona Fide · Sep 1, 2005

Originally posted by: Powermoloch

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: Bona Fide
Overclocking - Pushing your CPU beyond its boundaries. Usually VERY possible on processors nowadays.

Here is my set of parts for you.

CPU - Athlon 64 X2 3800+
Motherboard - EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra
RAM - 2x1GB Corsair Valueselect
Graphics - ATI X850XT or X800XL
Hard Drive - Seagate 160GB SATA
DVD-RW - NEC 3540A

Click to expand...

:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

HAWT !

Thank you, thank you.

@OP : If you want a good case/PSU combo, take a look at the Antec Sonata II. It comes with a 450W PSU, and I believe it's around $100.

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

My final configuration : pdf : http://www.neilpanchal.com/Newegg.pdf

+ 95 $ of EEPoX 9NPA+ Ultra (not available at the moment from newegg)

How is it ?

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

Looks sweet.

I have an NEC burner, but according to the latest roundups it looks like the Benq is the better choice.

Info for you to decide for yourself though.

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

Aight, thanks !

... i will buy the soundcards and other stupid stuff later... i am really excited to build it !!!

neilpan · Sep 1, 2005

what about the operating system? my school (Georgia Tech) gives out free XP SP2 pro .iso files for students... so, i guess i dont need to buy the OS

ReliableData · Sep 1, 2005

i like...if you had the extra money, i would go for the x850xt, but otherwise good.

EDIT: xp pro is good.

YOyoYOhowsDAjello · Sep 1, 2005

Originally posted by: neilpan
Aight, thanks ! ... i will buy the soundcards and other stupid stuff later... i am really excited to build it !!!

Soundcard might not be necessary. Check out the integrated sound on the board to see if you like it first (unless you have some nice headphones and speakers and know for sure you want one)

Originally posted by: neilpan
what about the operating system? my school (Georgia Tech) gives out free XP SP2 pro .iso files for students... so, i guess i dont need to buy the OS

Wow, free = nice. I had to pay $25 for my XP pro copy from my school (still quite a good deal).

Which CPU goes with which mother board?

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