New Build Opinion Request

[dahnkster]

Hello,

I am new to the boards but have been reading various posts for a about a week now. There are many people with very good questions and informative answers. This is why I am writing this post.

I have recently decided to build my next computer. I consider myself a fairly knowledgable person when it comes to computers and have been researching components. However, I still wanted those more knowledgable to provide opinions on the setup I have chosen. The following is the system I have chosen:

Case: CoolerMaster CM690
PSU: Antec True Power Trio TP3-550 ATX12V
MB: Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVidia nForce 570 SLI
CPU: AMD ATHLON 64 X2 5200+ (ADA5200CZBOX) RETAIL BOXED W/1MB X 2 CACHE 90NM 65W (WINDSOR)
RAM: CRUCIAL BALLISTIX BL2KIT12864AA804 (or AL804) 2GB KIT (1GB x 2) MATCH PAIR PC26400 800MHZ
Video: XFX PVT84GUDF3 Geforce 8600 GTS 256MB
HDD: WD Caviar SE 160 GB 1600AAJS
Optical: Samsung 20X DVD+-R SH-S203B
OS: Windows Vista 32bit Home Premium

Those are the components I have chosen but I would like to hear from anyone who has thoughts about improvements and/or better components and/or compatibility issues.

Also, I was considering adding an after market CPU cooler such as:

Zerotherm BTF90 92mm silent or Zalman CNPS 9500 AM2

and a second HDD to setup a RAID 1 configuration.

A few extra notes concerning the build:

1. Silence is a plus! The quieter the components and fans the better. I would also like to add a couple of extra case fans so quiet fan recommendations are greatly appreciated.

2. The ability to upgrade the processor (and components in general) in the future is a plus. I have read about AMDs Phenom X4 and would like to be able to upgrade to this processor in the future. However, I noticed there are power requirements the MB must meet to allow the installation of this processor (I do not know if the selected board meets those) or should I go with a MB that has the AM2+ socket?

3. I would like to keep efficiency in mind as I rarely turn off my computer. So more than likely it will be running, say 95% of its life. This also brings up reliability issues too, the components should be reliable!

4. I would also like the ability to overclock to some extent. This is not a major concern but if there are slight modifications to components that would increase the ability to overclock I am not opposed, provided the cost is right.

5. Last but not least, the cost of the system above is around $900, about $800 after rebates. I would like to keep the cost about the same but again am not opposed to spending a little more if it means a big gain.

I am not a huge gamer, but I do play some. So, the build is not geared toward gaming specifically. This will be an all-a-around computer doing pretty much everything.

That is all I can think of at the moment. I appreciate any and all comments. Thank you in advance to all who read and respond.

Dahnkster

 

[mlhm5]

At this time I would consider an Intel chip based board. My fav for price performance is the Abit P35-E board.

Would go with the e2160 and wait until next year for the Penryn chip. You can easily OC the e2160 and if you want a little more go for the e4x00 chip and save your $$ for next year. Even if you OC the e2160 to 3.2GHz, you can do so with stock cooler.

Case selection is right on for price performance IMO.

PSU is great selection.

With HDDs you cannot go wrong with Seagate or Samsung and they are priced very competitively.

My choice for the video would be to wait for the getforce 8800GT 256 which will be $229 ($50 more) or if you cannot wait go for the x1950pro. In stock now - http://shop3.outpost.com/{6Ju9Gr+0D...0zA**.node2?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG<br><b

Raid does not buy you much improved performance and you must pay more for the MB. If you have to have it and firewire, buy two pci cards. A lot of firewire is half as fast as USB coming off the MB.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm i would go with an MSI K9A2 CF mobo which is AM2+ and if you're not opposed to ATI cards the HD 3850 is an awesome card (dx10) which i saw going for $150 after rebates at Newegg I feel this fits the bill for your needs? Your other choices look good but Egg has Earthwatts 500W @ $50 too. IIRC current Phenoms are @ 95W TDP

 

[maxryan]

I really can't recommad any AMD base system when Intel right now offer better performance, better value for money and better in overclocking.

 

[Dunkel]

I started my new build research about 8 days ago and wanted to do an AMD system with the 5000+BE. I changed my mind thanks to these forums and the bright minded people in them. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the Intel E2180.