new here, advice on first build.

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rntnsks

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May 31, 2006
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I found this site a few weeks back and found it to be very informative. However, I am putting together my first build and cant seem to decide on a few components. I am not going to wait for AM2, nor conroe. I think S939 still has quite a bit of kick. Anyhow, here is my newegg list:

DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136151

or

ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131568

__________

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103562

or

AMD Opteron 165 Denmark
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103588

__________

CORSAIR XMS 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145575

__________

Western Digital Raptor 150GB
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136012

__________

FSP Group (Fortron) 500W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817104934

__________

2* eVGA 7900GT KO
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130016

The only components I am having a hard time choosing are the motherboard and the cpu. If anyone could comment on this setup, it would be appreciated. I forgot to mention this computer will mainly be used for gaming/media. Thanks in advance.
 
PCKid777

PCKid777

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If you're a noob at computers, you may want to consider the ASUS board for simplicity and performance. DFI may provide better overclocking results, but the interface is much more complicated for first timers... Anyhow, you don't really need the DFI if you aren't going to do major OCs since the ASUS does OCs just fine, and it has the 8-phase power regulators for more stability. Also, the ASUS board provides higher speeds on the PCI-E ports (at 16x for Sli cards rather than 8x for Sli on the DFI - it allows for future upgrades to new graphics cards).

As for the RAM, look at the reviews; both are great companies.

Also, I read somewhere that the Fortrons do NOT handle Sli well (in fact, I think it was on Newegg, poss. the 700 watt version...) Consider OCZ, Seasonic, Silverstone, Thermaltake (Toughpower), or Enermax.

I heard Opty's are better, tho I can't really comment on them...

And oh, here's another great site if you want to compare prices: ZipZoomfly.com
 
R

rntnsks

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I don't think I'll be doing any overclocking, so the A8N32 / X2 should do just fine. I'm still looking into memory and a different power supply, since someone mentioned the one I chose doesn't handle that well. Are the video cards I mentioned worth the $? How about the HD? It's serial ATA150, yet the mobo supports ATA100 / SATA 3Gb/s. Not too sure about that sorta thing. Again, thanks in advance.
 
waylander

waylander

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You can see what PSU I have in my sig and I'm running SLI with similar specs but I have 3 HDDs and 2 optical drives so it should be good for your set up too.

I personally prefer OCZ or Mushkin to Corsair due to the value for your money, you tend to get more for what you are paying. Try to get as low timings as you can for what you can afford, 2-2-2-5 would be ideal but expensive.

In terms of your vid cards, you might be better off getting a single 7900GTX for the cost of 2 7900GTs, I think that the SLI system will perform better (but not worth the increase in cost). Then you can also save by getting a non SLI motherboard. This may sound strange since I do have SLI but I did it to get more performance than was available with the best card at the time. The only way to do this was to get 2 of what was best at the time... You may want to look at the 7950 as well as that may even beat the 7900GT sli system for less.
 
R

rntnsks

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How about the HD? It's serial ATA150, yet the mobo supports ATA100 / SATA 3Gb/s. Not too sure about that sorta thing.

WD 150GB Raptor
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136012

ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131568
Click to expand...

Again, I don't know too much about ATA, SATA drives, could anyone tell me if I'll have a problem with this hard drive and my Asus A8N32 deluxe, as far as compatibility goes? Or is there a better drive I could go for?
 
PCKid777

PCKid777

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That HDD is fine (the ASUS board has SATA and ATA ports, the latter mainly being used with CD/DVD drives nowadays). Basically, the SATA 3GB/s is more of a future-like technology, as it does not provide much more speed (if any) over SATA150. The WD Raptor is backwards compatible with SATA 3Gb/s ports.

Since you are familiar with Newegg, check this options in the "Advanced Category Search":

PFC: Active
Sli Support: Yes
Dual 12V: Yes
Modular Cabling: Yes (If you are concerned about wire overcrowding in your case)

Some choices (depend on amount of cash your willing to spend:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817256006
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153036
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151025
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817194004
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817341002
 
sailer

sailer

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Apr 9, 2006
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The Raptor will work fine. Its a bit expensive for the small performance gain that it gives. I'd suggest getting a 80 gb drive for the operating system and a 160 or 250 gb drive for storage. You might want to partition part of a 250 gb drive so that you can make a mirror copy of your operating system in case things ever go bad. I prefer to do that every 2 weeks or so, but to each his own.

I've had good luck with Corsair ram, but am thinking of getting some OCZ. I don't think you'll go wrong either way. Unless you're really into overclocking and technical setups, I'd get the ASUS A8N32-SLi board over the DFI. I think DFI is a better board, but its more work. The ASUS board can be overclocked, but just not as much as a DFI. I think I would go for either an ATI 1900 XTX or the new Nvidia 7950 quad card over getting the two cards that you list. But again, to each his own.
 
R

rntnsks

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I've been hearing alot about the upcoming 7950. Is there review site with information about this card? I did a search, however not much luck in finding any decent information.

edit* Again, I thank everyone for their help.
 
sailer

sailer

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I tried a search on Goggle for Nvidia 7950 and came up with a lot of references. Prices seem to be estimated between $600. to 700. (US). Probably depends on which company you deal with, and the extra stuff that might be thrown in. I think I saw a review from Anantech, but I didn't find it in a quick check. Some computer companies are now advertising it, but I don't know how soon Newegg and such will get have it listed. There should be a lot more information out in the next couple weeks. The review that I did read showed fantastic performance, and for less estimated cost than getting two cards in a SLI setup.
 
angry_ducky

angry_ducky

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I tried a search on Goggle for Nvidia 7950 and came up with a lot of references. Prices seem to be estimated between $600. to 700. (US). Probably depends on which company you deal with, and the extra stuff that might be thrown in. I think I saw a review from Anantech, but I didn't find it in a quick check. Some computer companies are now advertising it, but I don't know how soon Newegg and such will get have it listed. There should be a lot more information out in the next couple weeks. The review that I did read showed fantastic performance, and for less estimated cost than getting two cards in a SLI setup.
Click to expand...
That card is a ripoff; get an X1900XT.
 
sailer

sailer

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Apr 9, 2006
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I tried a search on Goggle for Nvidia 7950 and came up with a lot of references. Prices seem to be estimated between $600. to 700. (US). Probably depends on which company you deal with, and the extra stuff that might be thrown in. I think I saw a review from Anantech, but I didn't find it in a quick check. Some computer companies are now advertising it, but I don't know how soon Newegg and such will get have it listed. There should be a lot more information out in the next couple weeks. The review that I did read showed fantastic performance, and for less estimated cost than getting two cards in a SLI setup.
Click to expand...
That card is a ripoff; get an X1900XT.

It might well be, but that is for the individual person and his budget to decide. If you look at my first post on this, you'll see that I did recommend a 1900XTX as an alternative to an SLI setup, both for better performance and for a cheaper total cost as compared to buying two 7900's.
 
I

INeedCache

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Not overclocking? Then take a look at the Foxconn Winfast NF4SK8AA-8EKRS board. Lots of features, good performer, and stable. Pay less for this board and spend the savings elsewhere. Here's at least one review for you to peruse: http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Motherboards/Foxconn-Winfast-NF4SK8AA8EKRS-Motherboard-Review/.

For a non-overclocker, nobody can justify the Asus or DFI boards as being worth the extra $60-70. But I'm sure the fanboys will try anyway.
I also cast my vote for OCZ memory. As always, just another opinion. Good luck.
 
linux_0

linux_0

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You have a good config there :-D

The Raptor is fast but that doesn't justify the price tag.

A couple 250GB WD2500KS drives @ $90 each will be fine!

Corsair XMS is great should work fine.

PSU wise I recommend Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Seasonic, Silverstone, OCZ, FSP roughly in that order

The 7900GT or an X1900 will work fine too (nV=OpenGL+Linux+BSD, ATI=D3D+windoze)

Good luck :-D
 
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