New Build

[bloogrape]

Hi

I am looking into building my own super computer, never done it before but im confidant with hardware and mostly software (drivers) side of things.

These are the parts im exspecting to get within the next two months...
AMD Athlon 64 (ADA4400CDBOX) X2 4400+ socket 939 Dual Core 2.2Ghz 1Mb and 1Mb Cache
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 Nvidia NF4 ATX - Sound 2 x GIGA LAN 1394a USB 2.0 1066 MHz FSB SATA-R
Point of View GeForce 7800GTX 256MB DDR3 ,PCI-Express, Dual-DVI/ViVo, with FarcryPoint of View GeForce 7900GTX 512MB, GDDR3, PCI-Express, DVI/Tv-Out, Retail

Which ever graghics card i decide to get about 4months down the line il be buying the same again and doing the SLI. i mostly want a computer for gaming. My current system specs...
2.8ghz intel p4
1gb ram
nvidia fx 5200 256mb pci (not express)
some crap motherboard that this dell (hides) system has.

i been thinking about building a system for ages and my friends dad builds for a living and would be getting me the parts at trade price, which im told can be good on certin things.

if you can recommend anything im more than happy to check it out but be aware that im in the united kingdom so prices or examples would have to be targeted for this.

i brought ghost recon and my system dies flat, cant play it as mouse lagg is unbarable and the fact that i only see the aimpoint icon in middle and everything else is a weird black. i can make out the sky. so id like to play ghost recon advanced warfighter, i got doom 3 which i can play fine on lowest settings and americas army on highest settings.

is there also something i should be looking out for as this is my first build?

 

[PCcashCow]

Well, since you took the time to cut and past your specs, now take the time as a new member to search the forumz. I have seen many individuals here that have similar specs to what have started with. You may find that SLI is not good for you.

If you can get trade prices then go all out. 2 gigs of OCZ tam, two pairs of raptors in a raid 0 setup. Depending what you like, your can get an nice TH blue window case with a 500W PSU.

No matter what you do, your gamming will improve, but have a gander at some other threads here and come back with more specs. I find it easier to give advice on a build when a complete configuration is posted.

Cheers.

 

[bloogrape]

ok..

i will do some searching on here to see reviews. although i dont understand why SLI wouldnt be good for me? if i didnt go for SLI id have to get the 512 nvidia chip. idealy i wouldnt want to update my system for least 2years. (ive had my current system for over 2years)

i cant realy put full specs up of the system i want to build as i dont know what other parts i would sudgest to myself

 

[llama_man]

Well, I'd go with a skt939 Athlon, 2x1Gb of RAM and a decent gfx as a start point. Throw in a nice case and a beefy PSU from a good manufacturer and you're well on your way.
There are forums discussing each type of component - go there and see what people are discussing.

I'd recommend against SLI unless you're buying two of the VERY best card on the market. Why? Because SLI doesn't offer twice the performance of a single card.

Think of it this way:

Imagine Card A costs £250 and Card B costs £500.
Buying 1 Card B will outperform 2 Card As in SLI for the same price, PLUS you'd still have a spare slot for SLI later.

The only time I would recommend SLI is if you can afford to buy 2 of the very best card on the market, and don't mind getting poor price/performace ratio.

 

[mesarectifier]

2x1gb RAM is an absolute must, there is no sense in even comprehending SLi before 2gb RAM is installed.

I would not bother with SLi, a 7900 will do very nicely indeed, and by the time you come to buying another card, you'll want a G80 - and dual 7900s are not going to be faster.

To take advantage you really should install both cards now - if it doesn't fit in your budget, it doesn't belong in your build.

 

[bloogrape]

thanks you two...

when i stated the two gfx cards i was marly sudgestion one out the two and that one id buy two of the same.. if i didnt do SLI, what type gfx card would suite my budgest of around £300? so far those cards would cost me £190 each so maybe a £50 leave way above my £300 budget.

also would the 512 version out perform the 256 buy much? i got a 256mb pci on here nvidia fx 5200 and my other card ati radeon 9600 pci 128 performs just as wel and only had a 100 point below on aquamark.

i was hoping todo SLI purly so when game can support it to the max i could be in the running, but saying that as long as i got that motherboard it would be ready to id just have to buy new cards as and when.

my total budget at the moment for my build... well i havnt got a set price, it takes what it takes, but im looking at around £400 spending each 4 weeks on my payday

 

[shadowduck]

thanks you two...

when i stated the two gfx cards i was marly sudgestion one out the two and that one id buy two of the same.. if i didnt do SLI, what type gfx card would suite my budgest of around £300? so far those cards would cost me £190 each so maybe a £50 leave way above my £300 budget.

also would the 512 version out perform the 256 buy much? i got a 256mb pci on here nvidia fx 5200 and my other card ati radeon 9600 pci 128 performs just as wel and only had a 100 point below on aquamark.

i was hoping todo SLI purly so when game can support it to the max i could be in the running, but saying that as long as i got that motherboard it would be ready to id just have to buy new cards as and when.

my total budget at the moment for my build... well i havnt got a set price, it takes what it takes, but im looking at around £400 spending each 4 weeks on my payday

Let me throw in my 2 to 5 cents:

Save money, instead of getting the X2 4400+, get an Opteron 165 instead and overclock it (easily) to 4400+ levels. It has the same 2x 1MB cache as the 4400+, just runs at a slower clock (but you are going fix that)

Do not go SLI unless you can purchase both cards in 90 days. Since it looks like you cannot, do not spend almost $200 USD on that motherboard. Get the much more reasonablely priced and much better for overclocking £95.11 DFI Lanparty Ultra D instead.

The 512MB GTX will be equal or slightly outperform 2 7900GTs in SLI while being around 60 pounds cheaper. The GTXs are around 350 pounds. A decent GT card is 227.

 

[techtre2003]

If the Core 2 Duo processors are released before you decide to order your parts, you may want to take a look at them. Read up on some of the benches done with these processors. I don't know how the prices will compare, but I would at least take a look. Good luck with your build!

 

[bloogrape]

i have decided against the duo as i have allways had an intel and would preffer to try new and specialy the fact that i get good reviews on amd for gaming. even tho i wont overclock as i do not beleive in this method of squezing.

Here are a bit more of a round up of specs i will be buying.

Point of View GeForce 7900GTX 512MB, GDDR3, PCI-Express, DVI/Tv-Out, Retail (proberly wont do SLI as it was stated i wouldnt buy both cards in a close enough time frame)

Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 Nvidia NF4 ATX (unsure whats the difference with premium apart from the SLI software switch?)

Asus TA -21 Case

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ socket 939 Dual Core 2.2Ghz 1Mb (unsure if there is a processor made by AMD that isnt dual core but can run faster than 2.2ghz [remember that im an intel boy so im looking at the ghz even tho i know amd dont use that measuring method lol] something around the £320 )

Corsair (TWINX2048-3500LLPRO) 2 x 1 Gb DDR XMS3500 2x128Mx64non-ECC 2x184 (read up that Corsair was designed for the Asus boards.)

Zalman CPU Cooler (figure of 8 type that was reviewed by TH) [Unsure if this will fit the motherboard as its got a heatpipe]

Seasonic S12 Series 500W SLI Certified ATX2.0 PSU

Harddrive will proberly be a seagate and ide 80gb as i dont use alot of space. wont post as it could depend on retail price around me, or what my friend can get at a good price.

unsure what else i need, got a 19inch monitor il use (crt. dont like tft's) any sudgestions on the pickings give me a shout.

 

[techtre2003]

I understand trying new things, I was going to build an AMD machine rather than my current build, but I ended up winning a processor at an Intel conference However, I don't think now would be a good time to switch. Intel has shown that the Core 2 Duo will smoke any AMD even in gaming. Now if you said you were going to wait for the new AMD processors to see how they perform I could understand that. Either way, it looks like you are going to have one heck of a machine! I don't know what kind of a machine you are currently using, but I'm sure you're going to be happy.

 

[bloogrape]

Duo core hmmmzz.... i cant seem to find much about it apart from press release. even if i had something slightly to compare to i would read up on it (any links welcome) my machine at current is

Dell 2.8ghz P4 (not HT)
1Gb Ram
Nvidia 256mb fx 5200 (pci not pci-e)
this machine blows, getting fed up of it for gaming as i can play like one game properly (americas army lol)

if this new chip is good then i might consider it although a new motherboard with the correct socket will have to be researched again lol unless its 939 (proberly 755 i guess)

 

[bloogrape]

excuse my ignorance, done a forum search for once rather than being lazy and found that iterations post on the duo is somewhat very good and makes a good hours reading.

might stick around two months and save money for the top end processor as the features seem very good although can they perform upto it.

il proberly gofor the Core E6700 - 2.67GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 32+32KB L1, 4MB L2, Dual Core, TDP 65W - $529 - Q3 however i better do some more reading to see what socket it is ect.. or if a new type will come out.

 

[techtre2003]

It will be the same socket (775). The supported platform chipset will be 965. However the 975x is compatible and as I have read some places, the 945 may also work Don't worry, they will perform. The specs you see are from final shipping products.

 

[bloogrape]

are you 110% sure that the motherboard is socket 775? (please show me) if it is i can look for a motherboard, do some forum searching and then purchase a 775 now and sorry but you lost me with the last bit you posted... 7x 765 or what ever you put i dont understand.

this is my first build and im only just learning that a ceryin socket fits some processors.

 

[techtre2003]

I am absolutely sure that Intel is not going to do another socket change for Core 2 Duo. I am in the Intel Channel and have read many articles on the Conroe processor. I am going to take the lazy way out right now as I have some stuff to get on e-bay, so I am not going to take the time to do research to support this; that will be your job if you choose to do so The 945, 965, and 975x I was talking about are all chipsets. When you refer to a motherboard, you refer to which chipset it is. The Core 2 Duo's
"platform" will be based on the 965 chipset (or 965 motherboards if you like). I have also read that 945 and 975x motherboards that are currently out and in use now will support the Conroe processor. However, if you want to be absolutely sure your motherboard will work with the new processor, I would hold off on buying anything until the 965 motherboards are released. If you have to have one now I would recommend getting the 975 motherboard as it is most likely to be compatible, however, be prepared to pay a premium for that board!

 

[bloogrape]

unsure if you have seen my other forum post but i have created an intel site lol

do you fancy writing some reviews on it? and helping out?

i cant give out link in here if you'd like a preview. msn me f_l_u_x@msn.com

i will be waiting for the core duo after doing alot of research! looks promising

 

[mesarectifier]

Why don't you give us all a preview?

 

[bloogrape]

because the other topic post had so many bad replys i feel by posting a link to the new site that isnt finished (only frontpage) it would be slated before it even gets of the ground.

The design is done although some layout options are buzzing around which will be added within the next few days.

A public preview will be given this weekend if i manage to catch up on the design aspects, As i have a fulltime job and dont have alot of time in the evenings i cant promise it would be ready by weekend.

 

[bloogrape]

because the other topic post had so many bad replys i feel by posting a link to the new site that isnt finished (only frontpage) it would be slated before it even gets of the ground.

The design is done although some layout options are buzzing around which will be added within the next few days.

A public preview will be given this weekend if i manage to catch up on the design aspects, As i have a fulltime job and dont have alot of time in the evenings i cant promise it would be ready by weekend.

 

[bloogrape]

http://www.myintel.co.uk ok knock it as much as you like, one link working at the moment which is legal for obvious reasons. rest will be done in the next couple days including the review system.

 

[49ers540]

You should wait for 6 more weeks, you will soon aquired the best cpu, the Conroe, cheaper and way faster then AMD with 64bit. Why build yesterday technology. Be patient and wait. $500 is a lot just for a CPU. Conroe is starting at $200 and benchies has beaten the FX-60 flat out by 20-40% in performance and uses less power. The Real Cool and quite.