Building PC, would like advice from experts.

[iwantafastpc]

I've had the same PC for 6yrs now. I can't stand it anymore, too many problems. Overheating, random restarts, shutdowns, etc.

I want to build a PC that will last me for maybe another 2-3yrs that is stable and has good cooling. Mostly for gaming, multitasking, surfing the web, video editing, and photoshop.

These are the system specs:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Mobo: ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce
PSU : PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1
Video: eVGA 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Memory: OCZ (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
HDD: WD Caviar SE 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
DVD/CD: BenQ 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With LightScribe
Windows XP Home SP2

The case im still deciding on between NXTZ LEXA and the Lian Li PC-65. I'll probably get another 7900gt at the end of summer.

Any suggestions?

 

[MadModMike]

I've had the same PC for 6yrs now. I can't stand it anymore, too many problems. Overheating, random restarts, shutdowns, etc.

I want to build a PC that will last me for maybe another 2-3yrs that is stable and has good cooling. Mostly for gaming, multitasking, surfing the web, video editing, and photoshop.

These are the system specs:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Mobo: ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce
PSU : PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1
Video: eVGA 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Memory: OCZ (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
HDD: WD Caviar SE 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
DVD/CD: BenQ 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With LightScribe
Windows XP Home SP2

The case im still deciding on between NXTZ LEXA and the Lian Li PC-65. I'll probably get another 7900gt at the end of summer.

Any suggestions?

CPU: Get a 3800+ X2 or 4200+ X2, it'll save you some $ and won't be that much slower
Mobo: Get the DFI LanParty UltraD, if you want SLI, get the DFI LanParty nF4 UT SLI-DR Expert, it's cheaper than the ASUS board
PSU: Keep, it's good
Sound: Use onboard, unless you have some $500 set of surround sound speakers, that card is a waste of $
GPU: Keep, can go SLI later but isn't worth it
Memory: What brand? If it's the standard, get the Corsair XMS 2GB (1GBx2)
HDD: Keep, it's good
DVD: Keep, it's good
Get XP Pro with the $ you'd save getting what I suggest

~~Mad Mod Mike, fixin' the world 1 rig at a time

 

[iwantafastpc]

I've had the same PC for 6yrs now. I can't stand it anymore, too many problems. Overheating, random restarts, shutdowns, etc.

I want to build a PC that will last me for maybe another 2-3yrs that is stable and has good cooling. Mostly for gaming, multitasking, surfing the web, video editing, and photoshop.

These are the system specs:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Mobo: ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce
PSU : PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1
Video: eVGA 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Memory: OCZ (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
HDD: WD Caviar SE 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
DVD/CD: BenQ 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With LightScribe
Windows XP Home SP2

The case im still deciding on between NXTZ LEXA and the Lian Li PC-65. I'll probably get another 7900gt at the end of summer.

Any suggestions?

CPU: Get a 3800+ X2 or 4200+ X2, it'll save you some $ and won't be that much slower
Mobo: Get the DFI LanParty UltraD, if you want SLI, get the DFI LanParty nF4 UT SLI-DR Expert, it's cheaper than the ASUS board
PSU: Keep, it's good
Sound: Use onboard, unless you have some $500 set of surround sound speakers, that card is a waste of $
GPU: Keep, can go SLI later but isn't worth it
Memory: What brand? If it's the standard, get the Corsair XMS 2GB (1GBx2)
HDD: Keep, it's good
DVD: Keep, it's good
Get XP Pro with the $ you'd save getting what I suggest

~~Mad Mod Mike, fixin' the world 1 rig at a time

I built my friends pc with a DFI lanparty pci-e mobo, how is the DFI ut sli compared to the asus sli deluxe?

The memory is OCZ Platinum 2GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel.

I got Klipsch 5.1 Ultras on my desk right now. I love em to death. I think im gonna go with a Lian Li PC-65B case.

 

[MadModMike]

I've had the same PC for 6yrs now. I can't stand it anymore, too many problems. Overheating, random restarts, shutdowns, etc.

I want to build a PC that will last me for maybe another 2-3yrs that is stable and has good cooling. Mostly for gaming, multitasking, surfing the web, video editing, and photoshop.

These are the system specs:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Mobo: ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce
PSU : PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1
Video: eVGA 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16
Memory: OCZ (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
HDD: WD Caviar SE 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
DVD/CD: BenQ 16X DVD±R DVD Burner With LightScribe
Windows XP Home SP2

The case im still deciding on between NXTZ LEXA and the Lian Li PC-65. I'll probably get another 7900gt at the end of summer.

Any suggestions?

CPU: Get a 3800+ X2 or 4200+ X2, it'll save you some $ and won't be that much slower
Mobo: Get the DFI LanParty UltraD, if you want SLI, get the DFI LanParty nF4 UT SLI-DR Expert, it's cheaper than the ASUS board
PSU: Keep, it's good
Sound: Use onboard, unless you have some $500 set of surround sound speakers, that card is a waste of $
GPU: Keep, can go SLI later but isn't worth it
Memory: What brand? If it's the standard, get the Corsair XMS 2GB (1GBx2)
HDD: Keep, it's good
DVD: Keep, it's good
Get XP Pro with the $ you'd save getting what I suggest

~~Mad Mod Mike, fixin' the world 1 rig at a time

I built my friends pc with a DFI lanparty pci-e mobo, how is the DFI ut sli compared to the asus sli deluxe?

The memory is OCZ Platinum 2GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel.

I got Klipsch 5.1 Ultras on my desk right now. I love em to death. I think im gonna go with a Lian Li PC-65B case.

The DFI overclocks more and is stabler, not to mention $45 cheaper.

~~Mad Mod Mike, fixin' the world 1 rig at a time

 

[angry_ducky]

The DFI overclocks more and is stabler, not to mention $45 cheaper.

So you CAN have your cake and eat it, too. I agree that you should get XP Pro. I like having XP Pro because it makes it sound like I actually do useful stuff on my computer, rather than play games and surf the internet.

 

[dmantech]

I own the X2 4400+ and i like it compared to my 64 3200+. I'll go with the 4400+ because in the future you'll need the extra cache. I have pretty much the same set up , but have the X1900XT but what you have is fine.

 

[bluntside]

Supreme Law seems to know what he is talking about. :twisted:
I couldnt agree w/him more :twisted:

 

[bluntside]

Dfi Mobos are the best mobo you can get for OC enthusiasts and gamers :twisted:

 

[Noya]

Yeah, you totally want multiple HDD's doing video/photo editing.

 

[infornography42]

One thing I might reccomend. DDR is nearing the end of its lifecycle. DDR2 will start replacing it in the coming years. If you want to further future proof your system you might want to wait a bit and get an AM2 socket motherboard.

Right now I am anxiously awaiting it to really hit the market so I can build a new gaming rig.

I would feel like I was wasting my money if I jumped the gun at this point after waiting about 3 years since my last system.

I would agree with the multiple hard drive crowd. One for your system, one for your data.

 

[iwantafastpc]

Im pretty sure I wont be overclocking my cpu. I guess I could spend another $90 on 1 more HDD.

When does the AM2 mobos come out? The 65nm cpus right?

 

[shadowduck]

Im pretty sure I wont be overclocking my cpu. I guess I could spend another $90 on 1 more HDD.

When does the AM2 mobos come out? The 64nm cpus right?

June, and no they wont be 65nm (the CPUs). 65nm is for socket 1237 (i think thats the name of it) or maybe Rev B-C AM2s.

 

[linux_0]

Im pretty sure I wont be overclocking my cpu. I guess I could spend another $90 on 1 more HDD.

When does the AM2 mobos come out? The 64nm cpus right?

AM2 is due out sometime between tomorrow and early June.

65nm AMD64s are due out in 0 - 180 days or so. It is rumored the 65nm CPUs may be released earlier than originally anticipated.

 

[shadowduck]

One thing I might reccomend. DDR is nearing the end of its lifecycle. DDR2 will start replacing it in the coming years. If you want to further future proof your system you might want to wait a bit and get an AM2 socket motherboard.

Right now I am anxiously awaiting it to really hit the market so I can build a new gaming rig.

I would feel like I was wasting my money if I jumped the gun at this point after waiting about 3 years since my last system.

I would agree with the multiple hard drive crowd. One for your system, one for your data.

AM2 is NOT going to improve performance. DDR2 with its higher latency, is not that much faster than DDR. The only reason to wait would be to see what Conroe has to offer on the desktop. If you have a nice gaming rig, pull the trigger now.

 

[linux_0]

One thing I might reccomend. DDR is nearing the end of its lifecycle. DDR2 will start replacing it in the coming years. If you want to further future proof your system you might want to wait a bit and get an AM2 socket motherboard.

Right now I am anxiously awaiting it to really hit the market so I can build a new gaming rig.

I would feel like I was wasting my money if I jumped the gun at this point after waiting about 3 years since my last system.

I would agree with the multiple hard drive crowd. One for your system, one for your data.

AM2 is NOT going to improve performance. DDR2 with its higher latency, is not that much faster than DDR. The only reason to wait would be to see what Conroe has to offer on the desktop. If you have a nice gaming rig, pull the trigger now.


The truth is we do not know for sure. We have no way of knowing exactly how AM2 or Conroe are going to perform until production hardware is released.

We'll have to wait and see.

There are indications AMD may opt to release 65nm + AM2 at the same time, in which case there should be a dramatic performance increase.

AM2 @90nm + DDR2-800 or DDR2-1066 should offer a performance increase, however it is hard to say by how much.

AMD only demonstrated pre-release AM2 @90nm + DDR2-666 which performed about the same as a socket 939 90nm AMD64 with DDR400.

 

[bweir]

Great system specs, but I'd have one comment. Avoid SLI like the plague. Using anything less than the 2 top-tier cards in SLI is a waste, because you will get the same framerate, or better, from a single top-tier card. So if you aren't buying 2 of the best cards at the time of the system build, save the money and skip the SLI mobo and second mid-range video card later on. you can always buy a single, better video card every six months or so if your heart desires.

 

[infornography42]

It is as yet unclear if there will be a performance boost. If there is one I agree that it will not be significant.

The reason I reccomend an AM2 socket motherboard is for future proofing. Newer AMD chips will come out for AM2 as well as expandability with newer DDR2 memory. Basically it is keeping your eye on future upgrades more than getting extra performance boost now.

If you don't intend to ever upgrade then by all means, build now. If you DO intend to upgrade as the components become available, then wait. Two more months and the next generation of motherboards will be out supporting the next generation of memory and the next generation of processors.

 

[mesarectifier]

....With the next generation of prices.

All anyone is suggesting at the moment is 'Wait for AM2' or 'Wait for Conroe'. Won't someone just f***************************ng buy a PC already? It'll cost about twice as much or will perform the same if you buy the first batch of gear anyway!

But yah, what everyone (other than AM2/Conroe) has said is good. I wouldn't say avoid SLi 'like the plague' (someone has some priority issues!!) but decide now if you're gonna need it or not....because in a few months nVidia will have G80, and a few months after that they'll have G90 and a few months after that they'll have G10000 and you'll be kicking yourself you didn't forsee th.......

 

[shabodah]

Maybe I'm crazy, but no one has mentioned the "opteron" word here yet. I'd go with the 170 or 175 over ANY other dual core AMD, period. I don't care which of the two, either. I know you're not going to overclock, but if you ARE going to keep this one ANOTHER 6 years, do yourself a favor.

 

[weskurtz81]

Well, that is partially true.... you don't know how long AM2 will last or how they will scale with that socket. It may end up being great. Just not the first set of cpu's that realease with it.

 

[iwantafastpc]

When are the new AM2 cpus being released? Are they worth waiting for?

 

[infornography42]

June, and if you are waiting on AM2 for a performance boost, don't

I am waiting on AM2 because I like to future proof my investments as much as is feasable. To that end AM2 will be where I put my money. I do not anticipate it to improve performance notably at first or even for a while to come.

We might be surprised and see a significant gain but I wouldn't bet on it.

End of story, if you intend to upgrade further down the road, wait for AM2, if you intend to build a new system when this one is no longer cutting the mustard, buy now.

 

[mesarectifier]

End of story, if you intend to upgrade further down the road, wait for AM2, if you intend to build a new system when this one is no longer cutting the mustard, buy now.

I guess you're sorta right, but if you build a system now it's not going to automatically going to start becoming unstable and working slowly just because of AM2 and Conroe - it'll still be a kick ass system for a good while, don't get too bogged down in the whole AM2/Conroe marketing/fear campaign.

 

[linux_0]

End of story, if you intend to upgrade further down the road, wait for AM2, if you intend to build a new system when this one is no longer cutting the mustard, buy now.

I guess you're sorta right, but if you build a system now it's not going to automatically going to start becoming unstable and working slowly just because of AM2 and Conroe - it'll still be a kick ass system for a good while, don't get too bogged down in the whole AM2/Conroe marketing/fear campaign.


Indeed, this is very true.

If you need a system now, a nice S939 +nF4 setup will work very well for some time.

If you can afford to wait by all means wait, but keep in mind AM2/Conroe will take some time to mature and become proven. Besides S939 should get cheaper when AM2 is introduced and 65nm AMD64s are going to be introduced soon as well.

AM2 itself is probably not worth waiting for but 65nm AMD64s may be worth waiting for IF you can wait.

AM2 and Conroe are way overhyped so just take everything with a grain of salt.

 

[weskurtz81]

If I were building a new system on AMD, I would wait for AM2. I don't think the first chips that realease will be that much faster, but by the end of the year I think we will see some significant improvements.