Phenom II build....????'s.....Suggestions

[adarryl]

Got a birthday coming up and my wife *insists* I purchase parts for a new build. Sorry, I found her first!

Earlier, I posted about i7 Core motherboards but I am leaning in a new direction. I have decided upon a 720 Phenom II build. I am upgrading a PC in the process so I don't need everything, just almost everything because of the platform change. I will be re-using a CoolerMaster Centurion and a 600w power supply with 35 amps on dual 12v rails. The guts of the new build are as follows:
1. - X3 720 CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

2. - Asus AM3 Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366

3. - Heatsinkfan: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

4. - Hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

5. - Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339 (Though I have a 9600GT and an 8800GTS I could use, I thought I would pick this one up.)

6. - Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146739 OR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231134

OR??? Memory is where I am really hung up. I hate Vista (we use it at work) so I would stay with XP for now and thus keep my RAM at 2 gig. However, I am unsure of brand and whether I should just go ahead and get 4 gigs (2 X 2gig) and live with the 3 gig limit for now with the idea of moving to Windows 7 when its released. I do plan on overclocking and from what I have read, the 720 Phenom II can hit 3.6-3.8 Ghz with the right configuration. Your thoughts?

[csimon]

If you're serious about overclocking you may want to browse for some links from ppl who have done it successfully and try and match some of the hardware ...especially the ram, motherboard, and psu. Just my $.02 to get you started in case you haven't already done so.

[Komete]

Seems like DDR3 and phenoms don't go so great together when you have 4 sticks of ram. Read this news article from Icrontic. (I can see Buddy J smiling). http://icrontic.com/news/amd-explains-phenom-ii-memory-downclocking It may be an issue later if you want to add more sticks of memory. Also I think I read somewhere that ddr 3 isn't doing much for I7 or Phenoms. I know I read I7's will be dumping ddr3 support later in the year.

I also think you should go for four gigs of ddr2. Even if you can't use it now, you'll be able to use it soon.

I'm wondering if 9800gtx is that much of an upgrade from a 8800gts. I'd go for something with a little more punch to get more satisfaction when you do some benches. But don't think you'll be disappointed with the 9800gtx+.

Anyhow, that's my thoughts. I hope your post some overclocking results :) Phenom2 tricore seems like that sweet spot.

[adarryl]

Thanks for the replies. One of the glitches here is to avoid the AM3 vs AM2 mix up with the Phenom II AM3. Some mobos support both AM2+ and AM3 while others do not. So I would need an AM3 board or one that supports AM2+/AM3. AM3 boards don't support DDR2 while AM2+/AM3 boards do. What about this board?: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131368
That would allow DDR2 1066 and I would stay with a 2 X 2 gig config. Doing that, I am not sure of the best model to go with for overclocking sake. I use a lot of Mushkin product and have been very satisfied, but in this situation, I am not sure of the best pick. How about these?: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146785

Or would you recommend something else? I do like the idea of the 9800GTX+ Komete mentioned.

[Komete]

I think all all AM2 boards can technically run a Phe am3 chip, it's just if the manufacturer has released a bios for it or not. At this point in your research, I think you should listen to Csimon and read some overclocking threads and see what people are useing to get them nice overclocks on PHE3's.

With AM3's, with them being so new, your paying a premium. I'd search for some reviews before buying.You could end up paying extra for last years dudes, repackaged with a bios update... Know what I mean?