Which ddr3 memory? And then there's Ubuntu!

[Viperone]

Since I bought my first Amstrad PC (cira 1978) my subsequent PC's have all been self-builds. Unfortunately, finances have decreed the gap between builds is usually around 5 yrs, but this time around the difference and necessary 'learning curve' to close the gap between builds is bigger than ever, so I need your thoughts on my latest proposal which I hope to build before the month is out.

First off I ought to nail my colours to the mast and declare that my main daily activity on the PC is surfing, writing and moving numerous large RAW files around in Adobe Bridge and Photoshop. Currently my existing Athlon 64 X2 is clunking around with Windows Pro XP. Another reason for change is my desire for a MUCH quieter machine.

I want to stretch my horizons with a much more powerful machine that can do my daily tasks with ease and take in a few strategy-based games when time allows, but one that will also allow me to enter the world of 'overclocking'. It all sounds like rather 'fun' at my age as I head towards retirement!!

Here's my shopping list:

PSU
Corsair CMPSU-520HX (Already ordered).

Case
Antec 193

CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 955

CPU Cooler
Arctic Cooling Freezer Xtreme Rev 2

HDD
WD5001AALS x2 or more

Video
Sapphire Radeon HD4870

Motherboard
ASUS M4A79T Deluxe

Optical Drive
CD/DVD-based but no thoughts yet.

Sound
Not really interested - I tend to use headphones (partly to keep the whirr of fans down) and would prefer to remove all the cables and speakers of my existing 5.1 system. (I'm something of a 'HIFI nut' and nothing a PC could make can touch my electrostatic system for sound quality).

RAM
I'm happy to take the plunge and go for DDR3 RAM. But I can't get my head around all the permutations available - and what's 'NonECC'? One example that's caught my eye is the Kingston HyperX 4GB 1600MHz DDR-SDRAM Non-ECC CL9 unbuffered Memory Modules. But will it even work OK on my proposed system? Can you guys confirm my choices or suggest alternatives?

And then there's Unbutu which I'm keen to use alongside Vista on this machine.

 

[Helloworld_98]

non-ecc means it doesn't have ECC.

ECC is a special ram feature which the majority of ram in servers use. Also most of the time desktop's cannot use this ram.

May I make a few suggestions?

1) You shouldn't have ordered that PSU, you should have got a nice 750w instead, it would have given more upgrade potential, e.g crossfire.

2) why have you got an FX motherboard if you went with that PSU?

3) Spend the extra on the hard drives for two WDC black 640GB or two samsung spinpoint F1 1TB.

 

[Viperone]

1) I reckon I'm being ambitious already. The idea of having having two hi-power cards on top is, for my purposes, I feel, too extreme. Such that it would leave two cards under-employed and that bigger psu eating into my power bill.
2)That Q is beyond me. Explain.
3)Like that idea. Esp. the two 640's.

 

[aevm]

The bigger PSU eats into your power bill exactly as much as the smaller PSU. For example if your system needs 400W, it will get 400W from the 520HX and also 400W from the 750TX. No difference. Assuming both work at 80% efficiency, with either PSU you use 500W from the wall socket and pay for 500W. So yeah, if you can return the 520HX and get a 750TX instead, do it.
The 520W and 750W numbers are "maximum" numbers. As in, if your system ever wants 700W, the 520HX shuts down while the 750TX keeps going.

+1 for the WD 640GB Caviar Black too (WD6401AALS). It's a bit faster than the WD5001AALS and costs less per GB normally. Also consider the WD1001FALS, even better price/GB and it's identical to the WD 640GB except it has 3 platters of 320GB each instead of 2.

Question (2): the 790FX motherboards are optimized for full-speed Crossfire. That is, you pay extra but get the best possible performance when using them with two video cards. Too bad your 520HX won't support two video cards. The 750TX can fix that.

 

[aevm]

There's a Sapphire HD 4890 for $205 after promo code at Newegg. It would be a good idea, compared to HD 4870 at $190 or similar.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102830


RAM: you could get this combo for example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.192082 $267
CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1600C9DHX - Retail
ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail newegg

With that combo, you get the MB you wanted and add 4 GB of good RAM for $67.

 

[aevm]

Oops, bad idea with that combo. That's because you can already have a better combo (saving $45, not $30) if you combine the Phenom II 955 with the M4A79T Deluxe.

Since you are interested in strategy games, which typically don't need that much power, maybe Crossfire is not in your future at all. You could stick with the 520HX after all, get one HD 4890 and stick with it, and downsize the MB to something cheaper that doesn't make you pay for the full-speed Crossfire. Here's a combo for the Phenom II 955 + GA-MA790X-UD4P. Compared with the combo for Phenom II 955 + M4A79T Deluxe, you save $64 and lose nothing important. Also, with the GA-MA790X-UD4P you need DDR2 instead of DDR3 and save more money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.190735

Here's some excellent DDR2 if you like the idea with the GA-MA790X-UD4P:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 $59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

 

[Viperone]

The hd4870x2 price is prohibitive right now and I feel its potential would be unrealised at present for me. That said, I felt that maybe I could add a second unit at a later date and thereby divide the cost. Thus, the asus board would pave the way nicely for me while I enjoyed its benefits meantime. On that basis I believed the 1600MHz DDR3 RAM would stand me in good company for the future.

With hindsight the 520W PSU is a mistake which I should be able to rectify without trouble. When I ordered it I was looking to upgrade the PSU at the same time I purchased the second 4870 card - say in 3 years time. . . . .

 

[Viperone]

The Phenom 955 with just the one Sapphire HD4890 card and DDR3 RAM is my preferred choice. So what board should I put them on?
The Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P is one suggestion. What are your thoughts on this people?