Please Help with my First Build. How's this Look?

Sinnerx96

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Feb 8, 2006
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Hey Guys,

This is my first Build. I'm fairly confident that I won't have any trouble. Just want some advice about my Choices. The main part I'm not sure of, is the Cpu. Mainly, Weather or not a Dual Core would make much difference for me. I want a decent step up from my Current system(which will be going to an Office for business use). I will be taking the Sound Card, TV Tuner, Ram, & 80gb HD over to new system.

Here's my current system;

-P4 2.4C
-Asus P4P800 Deluxe
-1gb(2X512) Kingston Value DDR400
-Ati Radeon 9800 Pro Agp
-Seagate Barracuda ATA100 80gb 8mb cache
-Seagate Barracuda ATA100 40gb 2mb cache
-ATI Tv Wonder Pro PCI
-M-Audio Delta 1010 Sound Card for Audio Recording
-Uneec 330w PSU
-Generic Case


I do some Video Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro, and After Effects. And I'm getting into Photoshop as well. And I also do Audio Recording/Editing with Cubase SX3. Other than that, it's mostly Casual PC Use, with Some Gaming(Not Too important). I Will be doing some Mild Over-Clocking.

Here's what I'm concidering from Newegg;

CPU
-AMD 64 3700+ or X2 3800+ Dual Core

RAM
-1gb More of Kingston Value for Dual Channel(4X512 Total)

MOTHERBOARD
-Epox 9NPA+Ultra

VIDEO CARD
-Sapphire GTO2 or EVG 6800gs N389

CDR/DVDR
-NEC 3550a Dual Layer

HARD DRIVE
-WD 160gb Sata2 Caviar SE

PSU
-FSP Fortron AX400

MONITOR
-Vision V1721b 17" LCD

CASE
-RaidMax X1 Case

Comes to about $1,100 total. I live in NJ, so Tax from Newegg applies.

How does everything look? Should I go Dual Core X2 3800 for what I want to do? Or just stay with a 64 3700?

Thanks guys. Any help would be appreciated.
 

Sinnerx96

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Feb 8, 2006
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get instead of the 3700 or x2 3800 get an opty 165 and get yourself either some corsair ocz or crucial ram never get kingston never :twisted:

Thanks man. The reason I was gonna get 2x512 of Kingson, is because I already have 2x512 of Kingston, and I wanted to match it for Dual Channel(4x512). But if it's really that important,..I'll just get 1gb(2x512) of Corsair Value for now. And keep the Kingston ram for my current pc for business use.

As for the CPU,

I basically wanna know if I should go with a Faster Single Core, or a Slower Dual Core. What are the benefits of Dual Core? Would it make a big difference with Adobe Premiere? Opteron 146 or Opteron 165? Which one and Why? I want a good jump up in performance from my P4 2.4C.

If Dual Core won't make much difference for me,...Maybe a faster Single might be better. What do ya think?

Thanks man.
 

tenaciousleydead

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Dec 6, 2004
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DO NOT GET THE X800GTO2 WITH THE BLUE PCB, it has been reported to only have the 430 core and has many problems because the lack of power connector. save yourself some hassle and spend 20 extra on the already unlocked VIVO red pcb X800GTO2.
 
As you already have a 2.4C, I'd try overclocking it to 3.0, and simply skipping the upgrade altogether...

(You can adjust mem ratio/clock to keep mem speeds not too far above/below 200 MHz)

If uncomfortable with OCing, you can prob find a Nw 3.0C (with HyperThreading) for well under $175....

(If you have a buyer for your current mainboard/cpu combo, then shoot for an Opty 165/NF4 combo, but, otherwise, I'd try to minimize your expenses and get maximum value out of your current mainboard...
 

Sinnerx96

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Feb 8, 2006
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DO NOT GET THE X800GTO2 WITH THE BLUE PCB, it has been reported to only have the 430 core and has many problems because the lack of power connector. save yourself some hassle and spend 20 extra on the already unlocked VIVO red pcb X800GTO2.

Thanks for the Heads-Up Man! I didn't know that, and would have bought the cheaper one.
Just to make sure,...You're talking about THIS ONE Right?

Thanks Bro
 

Sinnerx96

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Feb 8, 2006
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As you already have a 2.4C, I'd try overclocking it to 3.0, and simply skipping the upgrade altogether...

(You can adjust mem ratio/clock to keep mem speeds not too far above/below 200 MHz)

If uncomfortable with OCing, you can prob find a Nw 3.0C (with HyperThreading) for well under $175....

(If you have a buyer for your current mainboard/cpu combo, then shoot for an Opty 165/NF4 combo, but, otherwise, I'd try to minimize your expenses and get maximum value out of your current mainboard...

Well,...Here's the thing;

I want a new system makeover anyway. I have an old 865 chipset p4p800 mobo. And if I'm gonna spend any money,...I want a decent step up in performance, esepcially with Premiere.

Plus,..My father wants a pc to use for business. So He's gonna give me money towards this new system, and I'm gonna give him Mine. So in essence, he's buying mine. I think this current system would be more than plenty for what it's gonna be used for. So it's best if I go for a completely new one.

Thanks
 

Sinnerx96

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Feb 8, 2006
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Get dual core, and find a good X800GTO2.

Yeah,...I think I've decided to do just that. I'm gonna go with Dual Core, and get some Crucial Ram. Maybe just 1gb for now. I can always get Two Sticks of 1gb down the road.

Thanks for the help on that.

One more question though;

When it comes to the X2 3800 vs. the Opteron 165. I notice the 165 is only 1.8, but has 2x1mb L2 cache. Is the extra cache worth almost $40 more?

I ask this because I compared a 3700 Sandiego and a 3800 Venice at Tom's Hardware Guide CPU Chart. There didn't seam to be Much difference in any of the Benchmarks. And the only difference I see between the two,...is the same as the 165 vs X2 3800. The 3700 is 200mhz less, but has more cache.

Is the 165 a better performer? And why?

Thanks Guys. I Really appreciate the help.