IS MY BUILD RESTRICTED TO FUTURE UPGRADES?????

[kcosta]

CASE:antec six hundred
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=33261

CPU: AMD II X4 955 BE
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=33448

MOBO: asus m4a88td-v evo
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=34400

HARD DRIVE: SATA 2 500GB WESTERN DIGITAL 7200 16M
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=26265

OPT DRIVE: LG GH22NS50 SATA
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?cPath=2060210&products_id=22403

PSU: ANTEC EA 650
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?cPath=2110200&products_id=29357


RAM: KINGSTON HYPER X 1600 MHZ
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?cPath=2031003&products_id=36277

GPU: EVGA GEFORCE GTX 470
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=34257


I just want to know if my psu is modular and if not should I ? how about 650 watts ? enough?
i dont plan on going sli or xfire really soon but maybe in the summer>=? if i have some extra cash i can waste,
also i know that fans and neons case mods need a psu so wouldi have enough wires to add lets say 3 fans and a couple neons and maybe a fan controller in the future?
also is my mobo a good one that i would be able to upgrade cpu lets say in a year or so, or if i wanted to upgrade id have to change my whole system

 

[hunter315]

The EA650 is not modular, but you can pick up a modular 650W unit from XFX for less after rebate
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207007&cm_re=xfx_650-_-17-207-007-_-Product

You cannot SLI on that board so you can ignore that option, that board also only supports 16/4 crossfire, so if you plan to crossfire during the life of this build i would suggest finding a board that supports 8x/8x CF.

The new AMD cpu's that are coming out soon will be on a different socket so you wont be able to upgrade to one of the new Bulldozer units when they come out, the best you will be able to move to is a Thuban.

 

[kcosta]

what do u recommend i do ? is there a mobo with 8x/8x and has the bulldozer socket ? at a close price ?

 

[hunter315]

No board has the bulldozer socket because bulldozer hasnt been released yet, and what are the odds of you actually upgrading the CPU in about a year anyway? I would say slim to none, same with crossfire and SLI, if you arent getting them from the start you probably wont end up getting them down the line either.

Get the best you can for today, the future is unpredictable and there is no way to know whether or not you will feel the need to upgrade before you need a whole new system anyway.

 

[kcosta]

good point man !! thanks alot

 

[mosox]

Crossfire mobo
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198
Another good PSU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
RAM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276
HDD
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=spinpoint_f3-_-22-152-181-_-Product


and a HD 6870 for future crossfire.

 

[kcosta]

i probably wont be crossfiring since its a lot of money for not alot of extra performance,
that being said ill stick with what i got
is it psu good ?
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=35211

 

[kcosta]

and also if i get6gb of ram (3x2gb) will that be better then (2x2gb)? taking into account the dual channel on the mobo ?

 

[kcosta]

what im trying to ask for the ram, if i buy 3x2gb 1666MHZ sticks will 2/3 sticks work in dual channel mode? and will that be faster then opposed to just 2x2gb sticks
btw is 1666 mhz ram compatible with http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646&cm_re=asus_m4a88td-v_evo-_-13-131-646-_-Product ??? i only see 1066mhz/1333mhz/2000 (OC)

 

[hunter315]

You want even number of ram sticks for dual channel boards, if you put in 3 it will go back to single channel mode because its now unbalanced. 4GB is generally plenty for most things too so there isnt much of a need to move up to 6GB and take a speed hit for the added capacity.

 

[kcosta]

alright so 4 gb it is
which would be faster between these two ?
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?cPath=2031003&products_id=32410
http://www.microbytes.com/computer/ordinateur/product_info.php?products_id=36277
would the speed depend on timing ? like 9-9-9-27 ?
so the lower the better?

 

[joelmartinez]

Go with the Kingston, OCZ memory isn't the best.