Time for a new computer

tefleming

After quite the experience on the far side of the pond, I'm back, and itching to build myself a new computer.

Thanks to a few people around here I've talked to, I've figured out that this is my general framework:

AMD Socket 939 System (I'm thinking an ASUS A8V-E Is it really gonna be worth the extra $100 for the SLI?

Either pull my 512 of Crucial SE PC3200 (does 6-2-2 at stock) out of my parent's computer or, if my budget can spare it, Some New RAM

Vid Card will probably have to be an NVIDIA card, mainly because I don't think I can afford to throw an ATI PCI-Ex card on top of my already heavy spending. But, I do need reccomendations as far as what are the best values for the PCI-Express platform both ATI and NVIDIA.

Power: I'm looking back at the Antec TruPower line. How many watts do I likely need?

Optical: Again, haven't researched this area at all. What's the best way to get a decent DVD burner. Also a recc on a DVDROM would be nice.

Processor will be dependent on budget. I might just pick up a 3000+ knowing that I'll updgrade later.

Thanks in advance and Happy Holidays!

muddocktor

First of all, how soon do you plan to build this machine? If you need to build it real soon, you have to decide how bad you need the pci-e slots for video. As far as for SLI. I don't know that having a board that is SLI-capable is worth $100, especially if you aren't using it to it's full capability right away. If you already have a good AGP vid card, I would give serious consideration to just building an nforce3 socket 939 solution right now and waiting a while for the prices on nf4 boards to come down and for the selection to go up. Also, if you are feeling really brave (or foolhardy, whichever applies), there is a non-SLI Gigabyte nforce4 board at Newegg for $129.

For your memory, there are a few other choices besides the Corsair you can go with. I'm using the OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2 and it kicks serious overclocking ass and Newegg is also selling Patriot ram (check Missileman's thread out in the overclocking forum on it) and GSkill and PQI ram. All the above are rated at 2-2-2-5 timings at PC3200 speeds but they all use Brainpower PCB's instead of the reference design (that Corsair uses) which is better for overclocking.

For your proc, the retail 3000+ at ZZF or mwave.com will do you just fine and will even overclock pretty well with the stock retail hsf. If you put a decent hsf on them they really run cool even when pushing them hard.

Your main holdup to building an nforce4 machine right now is the newness of the chipset and boards to being released. If you can wait around a month or 2, the selection should be a lot better.

tefleming

Well, I'm starting from scratch so there are few limiting factors other than budget.

I take it from your reply that you aren't reccomending the Via K8T890 Chipset as a good 939 Solution?

I can probably last a little while longer on my laptop, I don't know about two months, I'm about ready to get back to full speed computing.

I'd like to get *something* up and running that I can at least build off of once I get more money. (the inability to upgrade is why i'm not going 754)

profdlp

What's your budget for the new system right now?

tefleming

I'm prefer to keep the spending down, but I also don't want to buy anything that is so out of date that it prevents an upgrade path. So, less than $700 would be ideal.

(That assumes I take back the RAM from my parents' computer and only put one optical in it for now.)

I'm nowhere near ready to order, Christmas might change my budgetary considerations, but I doubt it. For now, I am just trying to get reaquainted with all that I missed over the past 4 months or so.

muddocktor

I don't trust a 1st generation anything from Via and the K8T890 is their first generation with pci-express and if the past is any indicator, it's liable to have troubles, IMO. Hell, even with the 8KT800 pro they had problems getting the pci and agp busses locked and that was their second generation A64 chipset. That's my main problem with Via.

If your budget is $700 or so, then you are going to have to cut back somewheres so that pretty much rules out the Asus SLI board. Since you aren't in a bind for a machine right away, I would say for you to wait a month or 2 and let both nforce4 and 8KT890 boards get out to the buying public and see how they perform before deciding on a mobo. The choices should be much less muddy by February on which boards and chipsets work well and which do not, since you are starting from scratch and want to go pci-e.

profdlp

muddocktor wrote:

...The choices should be much less muddy by February...

Coming from you, I'm not sure how to take that.

I agree with the Doc. I'd even be leery of jumping PCI-Express and VIA in February. Remember when the NF7-S (I know, not a VIA chipset) came out and everyone thought it was the deal? As it turned out, it wasn't until the Revsion 2 boards arrived that it really hit its stride.

I'm building a Socket 939 system after Christmas and intend to stick with an AGP-based system. By the time I'm ready to upgrade it's likely that PCI-Express II (or whatever they decide to name it) will come along and make a lot of people regret spending a chunk of cash as an early adopter. If I had money to burn I'd go for it, but my budget is about the same as yours and every time I did the math it made more sense to hold off on the cutting-edge stuff for a while.

Just my opinion.

Thrax

I won't be making the switch until the dust settles on Abit and DFI's release of the nForce4 SLI chipset. I will, however, not be buying another AGP computer.