New system for max upgradeability... opinions pleez

[jakemo136]

So this is my first post, but I've been reading the forums and THG for quite a while, and have built a couple computers before. I'm building a new system for ~$1000, with future compatibility and upgradeability in mind. I'm sticking with dual-core for now since the 5000+ BE is amazing for the price, and I want to wait for the next series of Phenoms before I get one. I'm only using XP now, since DX10 isn't enough of a reason for me to switch to Vista just yet. On that same note, that's why I'm only getting 2GB of ram. I enjoy overclocking and I'm a fairly serious gamer. With that in mind, here's what I plan on getting:

Mobo: ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe/WiFi (for future upgrade to Phenom)
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131224

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ BE Brisbane (do u really need a link? with Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro

Ram: Crucial Ballistix 2 x 1GB DDR2 1066 Model BL2KIT12864AA1065
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820148069

VGA: Sapphire Radeon HD 3870

HDD: 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250Gb SATA II 16Mb cache

PSU: Thermaltake Purepower RX W0143RU 550W
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817153051

Case: Cooler Master RC-690
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119137

Monitor: Hanns·G HW-223DPB 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824254020

Planning on upgrading to:
Phenom of some sort, once they get a little more refined aka B3 stepping...
4gb of same ram
2x or 3x Radeon 3870


Thanks for your input!

 

[chuckm]

I'd go with this PSU;
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX-550W-Power-Supply/q/loc/101/205852646.html
Probably would just go with DDR2 800 memory. Good luck with your build.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148076

 

[grieve]

With future compatibility and upgradeability in mind…

Why not go for a motherboard that supports Intel 45nm process? AMD doesn’t hold a candle…Just buy a cheaper C2D

The future is Intel… for a couple years at least.

 

[jakemo136]

Thanks for the recommendations, I was actually just looking at a corsair 620 watt model, according to the PSU tier scheme ( http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088 ) it's a pretty dang good one, and 620 watts will support oc'ing and crossfire a little better.

The reason I'm going with ddr2 1066 is so that I don't have to upgrade when I get a phenom...

 

[grieve]

Then one day you can get a kick as* quad core for dirt cheap.

 

[jakemo136]

true... hadn't really looked at intel, but that would potentially solve my ati/nvidia dilemma (which is more moral anyway), but I'm kindof an amd fanboy...

 

[Shadow703793]

^ :lol:

I would get these:
2GB RAM
E6x50
P35-DS3x
Corsair 520HX
250+ HDD
8800GT
And if OCing
a Thermaltake/Zalman CPU cooler like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118115

 

[jakemo136]

Ok so I did think about going intel for a minute... but decided to stay with AMD (hey, I like to support competition ) Here's what my system will be (until phenom upgrade) after I put it all together:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ BE @3.2~3.4 GHz
MSI K9A2 Platinum 790FX
Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620 W PSU
Crucial Ballistix 2 x 1 Gb DDR2 1066 @ 5-5-5-15
Western Digital Raptor 10k SATA 150Gb (OS, games)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA II 250Gb (media)
MSI Radeon HD 3870 OC (800/2250)

Cooler Master RC-690 case w/6 fans
Zalman CNPS 9700 NT CPU fan
G Hanns·G HW-223DPB 22" 5ms widescreen LCD