New build, please comment and sugest

[mappy357]

hi there, in about a week i'll be buyig pieces for a new com. it is my my first time building one so please do tell me if i'm doing something wrong here!

Parts:

Mobo ASUS M2A-VM
CPU AMD ATHLON X2 5200
RAM CRUCIAL 2G PAIR OF DDR2 800
GC SAPPHIRE 3970 512MB RAM
SC CREATIVE SOUNDBLASTER XI-FI EXTREME GAMER
HDD SEAGATE 500G 7200.11 32 MB/S
PS THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850W
Casing LIAN LI TJ-09
Speaker LOGITECH X-230

OS VISTA PREMIUM

basically that's it. as for optical drive and keboard and mouse i'll use what i already have.

the mobo and CPU are kinda weak i know, but i just need the to last until the nehalem chips come out (suposedly in mid 2009) once they come out I'll upgrade the mobo, CPU, GC and RAM. do you guys think this will do fine till then? not great but fine?

the casing and power supply are a serious overkill compared to the rest fo the system. reason i do that is because i fear that future graphic cards and who knows what other component will need some serious juice and space (specially the GC, anybody that had a normal midtower and wanted a 8800GTX knows what i mean) do you guys think is still an overkill?

so overall should I shift some cash from one part to another or change any part?

thanks for the help!

 

[akhilles]

I'm shocked people are still buying AMD. I can't wait for them to declare chapter 11 so that we'll be paying $1000 for a celeron. *sarcasm*

I recommend against an AMD build especially you have set your eyes on Nehalem. Get yourself familiarized with Intel chipsets. I'm assuming you'll be overclocking the intel cpu. Playing with a cheap build is a safe bet.

Anything beyond 500-ish watts is overkill for a current single GPU stock pc. If you must get 850w, I highly recommend Antec Quattro. You won't agree until you read a review on the top psu's. Look at the voltage ripple, efficiency & acoustics.

 

[rgeist554]

Mobo ASUS M2A-VM
CPU AMD ATHLON X2 5200
RAM CRUCIAL 2G PAIR OF DDR2 800
GC SAPPHIRE 3970 512MB RAM
SC CREATIVE SOUNDBLASTER XI-FI EXTREME GAMER
HDD SEAGATE 500G 7200.11 32 MB/S
PS THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850W
Casing LIAN LI TJ-09
Speaker LOGITECH X-230

I think you mean the 3870. Don't think there is a 3970 yet.

It looks pretty good besides the PSU (unless you plan on trying to reuse it in a later system). As akhilles said, ~500-550 is just fine for that rig.

I recommend against an AMD build especially you have set your eyes on Nehalem. Get yourself familiarized with Intel chipsets. I'm assuming you'll be overclocking the intel cpu. Playing with a cheap build is a safe bet.

This isn't a bad idea if he plans to OC with the Nehalem as well, but I wouldn't say AMD is a bad choice for a mid-range build. If you just want something in the upper-middle class, stay with what you've got.

If you change your mind and want to mess with Intel, you can try something like the Gigabyte P35-DS3L (only like $91 or $99 on newegg last I checked - pretty good deal ) and an E2160 (about $89). This should be able to almost 3Ghz+ on air.

 

[aevm]

I assume you mean Silverstone TJ09. I got one, I love it.

You'd be better off with Q6600/GA-P35-DS3L. Nehalem won't be around that soon.

HD 3870 is a great card. I would recommend it over nVidia's 8800GT even though it is a bit slower, because it gives more fps/dollar and it doesn't have noise/heat issues. You could get an X38 motherboard and later do Crossfire.

The Antec Quattro 850W is very good. Look at www.anandtech.com. They have some excellent reviews. The last thing I read there was an article yesterday about 1000W PSUs, and the Antec Quattro 1000W was the best IMO out of the 8 models they compared. On the other hand, the Toughpower is great too. Both are major overkill for what you're planning. A PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W would be just fine, for example.

 

[nhobo]

For a few $ more you can get a P35 mobo. Get a cheap C2D and upgrade the CPU later. Power use is going down, so the PSU is total overkill. 500+ is enough for any reasonable system and powerful GPU. Do you run *any* software that requires Vista? DX10 isn't a reason to run Vista (though M$ wants you to think it is).

 

[mappy357]

yup i meant a 3870 and yup i meant silverstone

thanks a lot guys, i think i will go with a intel. chipset actually i was previously planing on a E4500 with a P35-DS3R but i thought i could save a bit by switching to an AMD platform, but i realize that i save really little, so is not worth the try.

is the thermaltake PS of lower quality than the antec? my current casing and PS are from antec (sonata) and i have no complains but over here (i moved to singapore a while ago) thermaltake is cheaper than antec, thus my choice. the gap between the quattro and the thermaltake is almost SGD $80 which comes to be about USD 50...

BTW prices here don't really match newegg. at one point the 8800GT stock matched 8800GTS prices. bloody thievery!

and yeah, i agree with you akhilles, cant wait for AMD to collapse so that intel can start charging a liver and an eye for their CPUs...

 

[mappy357]

oh and nhobo, reson why i'm getting a vista is because in singapore, if you buy a few parts from a single shop, you can buy an OEM Vista quite cheap. nevertheless i will continue to use my trusty XP until the time comes to switch over to Vista

 

[akhilles]

How often do you see an AMD fan boy recommends Intel? I'm probably the only one in this forum. I have a C2D rig & know how to o/c it. Now that I got an AMD build, I tend to read more about AMD news more than Intel news. Plus, I o/c my pc. It's entirely different to o/c AMD. There are 3 steps. I'll spare you those. With Intel, there's only 1 step. Or major step with smaller steps. It'll take more time to o/c AMD then Intel. Unless you don't want to o/c AMD or don't want to get the most out of it.

The reason I suggested Intel is you can familiarize yourself with o/cing C2D. When the new cpu comes out, you're ready to jump right now. There'll be no catching up to do. No time wasted.

It's your call.

 

[mappy357]

i see your point akhilles, and given the small amount of money i save by using a AMD CPU I'll switch back to the Intel build. now just waiting for the power supply reply and i think i'm good to start my christmas shopping.

 

[mappy357]

well i bough some pieces already, yet i'm still short of 3 120mm fans. i know that there are plenty of threads about 120mm fans CFM vs dB but the thing is that i couldnt care less about the noise (i blast my speakers pretty damn loud). so do you guys know of any good, sturdy 120mm fans? i have the antec trio in my current casing, thing is, its the second time i had to replace it, the previous one barely lasted 1 year so it hasnt left a good impression

 

[aevm]

I used SFF21E in my TJ09. They make under 21dB of noise just like the two fans that come with the case. They're supposed to be a newer technology with very good durability.

If you overclock and really don't care about noise you can try SFF21F. 1600 rpm instead of 1200 rpm, same price ($19 where I live), 30 dB.

 

[mappy357]

right, thanks, i'll check them out next off day... so many pieces to go so little time.

 

[akhilles]

I use only specialty case fans from a select few stores. Yep, mine are crazy loud, but I put on my headphones almost all the time. Anything below 100cfm is too weak for me. The brand is Panasonic Panaflo.

You might want to check out newegg's Scythe fans. They're popular.