A first time builder

[Zephyr]

Hi, I'm building a AMD system. I know a C2D is better but I have faith in AMD to come out with something. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with my build. I'm open to any suggestions.

Here's what I'm planning to get.

Processor- AMD x2 4200

Motherboard- Asus Crosshair

Ram- TWIN2X2048-6400C4

Videocard- Evga 7600 GT

Harddrive- Seagate 250 gigs 16 mb

Powersupply- Ocz GamexStream

Operating system- Windows XP home edition

I'm wondering if I should get a 600 watts or a 700 watts psu. I'm thinking about upgrading my processors and video card in the future. I don't plan to overclock anything since I'm not too familiar with it and I heard that overclocking can void your warranties. And also, should I purchase a third party heatsink?

 

[trixst4r]

700W if you are planning to get the new DX10 ready vid cards.

I am a total fool to have bought a 520W one just 1 month ago.

 

[Giraffe]

dont get a 700watt. 600 is probably even 2 much.
500 or 550 from a decent brand such as Antec will be fine.

you dont need a better HSF. if u want your temps slightly cooler then get 1. but u wont need it on that cpu expecially if u arent gonna OC.

 

[Zephyr]

Oh ok. Thanks. I'm planning to upgrade my video card so I'll probably get the 700 watts. Thanks for your help though Giraffe.

I also forgot to mention that If I build my computer would eveything go into the specs they advertise? As in, would my ram immediately go 800 mhz with 4-4-4-12 latency or would I have to configure it? I'm pretty new to this so I would need some help with the build. Oh and can you guys please rate my build?

 

[WR2]

Nearly all recent motherboards can check the DDR2 SPD to auto detect the memory type installed.
The ASUS Crosshair MB is capable of EPP so it should automatically setup the TWIN2X2048 at its default settings thanks to the SPD. I just can't confirm that the default setting is 4-4-4-12 so it might default to something other than its advertised 4-4-4-12. The DDR2 800Mhz design spec is 5-5-5-15.
You can also use a program like CPU-Z to peek at the Enhanced Performance Profiles (EPP) tables loaded for that DDR2. The EPP tables list for the BIOS what auto configuration options are available for aggressive memory performance settings.

IMO the only people that will need 700+W PSU will be those people that want to run the $600 DX10 cards in Crossfire or SLI modes & have unusually large power requirements such as RAID 5 arrays. The top end of the DX10 cards might top the 300W mark but the current top-enders are already in the 290+ range.
The rest of us that buy just a single top-end card and don't use our PCs to heat our homes can probably limp along with "just" a 500-600W PSU :idea: .

 

[Zephyr]

Thanks alot. I guess I'll stick to the 600 watts Psu then. So what you're saying is that I have to configure the ram settings to 4-4-4-12 myself? Oh and please give me any comments or suggestions on my build.

 

[trixst4r]

I would still go for 700W but it is your preference, its only $20 more right?

Everything on the build looks fine, it will be a decent gaming machine for a bit.

You have to set timing of the ram in the bios of your mobo when you set it up. You can worry about that later when it is up and running 8) .

 

[Giraffe]

wat brand r these 600-700watt psu your looking at?
if they are generic or somethin crap then u shouldnt get them.

a 500 or 550watt Antec would give u more power than a 600-700watt generic

 

[purdueguy]

Is there a reason why you are getting a Crosshair motherboard while getting a Nvidia video card? Crosshair supports ATI's Xfire.

Take a look here for my video card analysis. Make your own conclusions.

 

[trixst4r]

wat brand r these 600-700watt psu your looking at?
if they are generic or somethin crap then u shouldnt get them.

a 500 or 550watt Antec would give u more power than a 600-700watt generic

OP said he was getting an OCZ gameXstream.

 

[Zephyr]

The Asus Crosshair supports Nvidia cards doesn't it? It has Nvidia chipsets on it. And in every review I've read, they use Nvidia cards.

 

[purdueguy]

My bad. I thought that mobo was for Crossfire support. Crosshair, Crossfire. Tomato, Tamato, Potato, Patato.

Let me correct myself. Super sweet mobo. Great Choice.

 

[Zephyr]

Haha. Well, it's not a problem, cause I made that same mistake when I first heard about it.

 

[Giraffe]

wat brand r these 600-700watt psu your looking at?
if they are generic or somethin crap then u shouldnt get them.

a 500 or 550watt Antec would give u more power than a 600-700watt generic

OP said he was getting an OCZ gameXstream.

my bad

 

[Zephyr]

Well, do you think I would need a 700 watts PSU? I'm still not sure if I want to run get the g80 cards, run sli or get AMD's 4x4.