Need advice for a new computer

Medlock

I'm looking to build a new computer over the next few months, but I've been slacking off lately in reading up on reviews and stuff and could use some help.

I heard a lot of good things about the dual core opterons... They seem pretty cheap and very overclockable but it seems 939 is on it's way out. Should I go for AM2? Or maybe Intel?

I really don't have a clue about video cards or motherboards anymore... I don't think I'd want to go for SLi just yet, but I'd like the option to get it in the future.

Basically this is what I need:
CPU - up to $250
mobo - something with SLi that will let me OC but isn't too expensive, maybe $150
Video card - not sure yet, maybe 230-250 at most
RAM - I don't know just yet
HD - I'll need SATA, maybe 2-160 gigs (not to use in raid)
Audio - whatever puts out decent surround
I don't want to skimp on the PSU... any suggestions welcome.
Any other suggestions are welcome!

I've waited pretty long for an upgrade. Right now I'm using a P4 2.8, a 9700 Pro and a crappy mobo so anything is a pretty big upgrade.

I'm using 1GB RAM now and it's worked well so far. Is the jump to 2GB worth it?

One last thing. The monitor will probably be the last thing I get since I have an OK one now, but I'd like a widescreen LCD. I'm using a Veiwsonic CRT that can't do 85hz above 1280x960 and I think I'll need a better monitor to match the computer.

Thanks!

Medlock

Anyone?

I realize this type of thread warrants a kinda lengthy response, but I could really use some pointers.

Sledgehammer70

CPU - up to $250
mobo - something with SLi that will let me OC but isn't too expensive, maybe $150
Video card - not sure yet, maybe 230-250 at most
RAM - I don't know just yet
HD - I'll need SATA, maybe 2-160 gigs (not to use in raid)
Audio - whatever puts out decent surround
PSU -

Let me see here....

Well I am a AMD lover but for the best performance for your buck Intels new Core 2 Duo will be the best bet.

CPU - Cores 2 Duo E6300 - E6400 OC'ed just a bit and performs better than most of AMD’s offering.

MOBO - Anything ASUS, as most of their Mobos will be upgradeable ot the new Quad cores.

Ram - DDR2 is pricey no matter what so expect to spend money on it. Corsair, OCZ, Geil, are all good brands.. I like Corsair XMS2 the best.

Video - I love what NVIDIA has to offer, but I would save the cash for the upcoming DX-10 cards that will roll out in the coming months. so if you can wait do so, if not a 7900GTX or better or a X1900XT or better will do you good for a few years but I would wait for DX 10 cards if I were you.

Hard Drive: I would go with 2 drives both being 7200RPM throw your OS on a 60GB drive and than get a 250GB or larger for app's and games? you can never have enough storage in this day and age, and drive are so cheap it is worth it.

Audio: Well Creative is great for an add on card, but if you just have normal desktop speakers most onboard sound from today’s Mobos is sufficient.

PSU: I have become a huge fan of Aspire, as most of my other higher end PSU's always caused me issues. I have never had a problem with Aspire PSU's and I am running some pretty high end equip. But OCZ makes a few kick butt PSU's also

edcentric

And another county heard from....
Croe2Duo may have the power, but the newer EE A64X2s still are fast and they sure don't use much power. You could build a very quiet machine.
The current drawback to C2D is that the mobos are still real expensive. The nicer ones are about $250.
One reason to still look at 939 is that you could use your memory. If you go C2D or M2 you will be buying DDR2.

Power is funny. Today the CPU power levels are dropping, but the video cards are still rising. My guess is that it will be 9-12 months before we see the power levels on video cards decrease. In the meantime I expect to see some huge power needs for video.

Medlock

Thanks for the reply. I've heard good things about Conroe and Intel finally dumping NetBurst.

After looking around a bit I found the P5N-SLI mobo... Seems pretty nice, but worth the higher cost? Would this really work as a wireless access point?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131031

Does the system really benefit from having the OS one one HD and your apps and other stuff on another? So far I've had my OS and apps on one HD and all my other stuff on another.

I know ram can be kinda expensive but I'm still not sure whether I want to make the jump to 2gb

EDIT: Ed, you snuck a post in right before me.
Nice argument for 939, but I'll be getting new memory either way. I don't think Value ram is gonna cut it for this system.

The video is one thing I'm slightly concerned about... It'll probably be the single biggest hog in the system and I want to make sure I get the right PSU.

muddocktor

Any board with Nvidia chipsets for Intel so far is crap for overclocking the fsb, so that board isn't a good choice for an e6300 or e6400. If you are presently looking for a board to go SLI with for Intel and have great fsb overclocking, you are just out of luck unless you want to google up some hacked drivers. But there are several Asus C2D boards that are stellar choices for fsb overclocking, are Crossfire ready and are in the same price range as the board you linked to. Plus, I know that there are hacked Nvidia drivers out there that will let you run SLI on these boards too.

For an e6300 or e6400 and basically with all the wifi options and features that the board you linked to has, I would go with the P5B Deluxe/WiFi. It is Crossfire capable and it will also run the 7950 GX2 vid cards with no problems (ask Thrax ). They are overclocking monsters too, abloe to reach 500+ fsb in many instances. Basically, any of the P5B derivative boards are a great choice; it all depends on what features you want of need and the price point you want to work at.

EDIT: Your choice of video cards depends on how big a gamer you are and how soon you plan to upgrade to Vista, which will be the first (and only) DX10 capable OS. These next gen vid cards seem to be offering some great improvements in performance, but at the cost of some atrocious power requirements. I keep reading of power requirements in the 200-300 watt range for either of the vid gpu manufacturers highest end cards. So if you plan to go with a single high end next gen vid card, I wouldn't get less than a true 700 watt psu. For SLI/Crossfire with them, you better plan on a 1 KW monster, unless they sell these high end vid cards with a dedicated power brick to power them. If you don't plan to go Vista for a while, I high end presently available vid card such as the 7900GTX, 7950 GX2 or Radeon X1950XTX are good choices.

For ram, spend the extra bucks now and get a 2 GB kit, no questions on this. It only hurts a little while (paying for it ) and if you do want to go Vista, you will need all of that ram to keep it running smoothly.

Medlock

That board seems nice too, but I'm not really interested in 500 fsb overclocks. Also for video, I can't justify spending more than $300-320. How does a 7900GT sound?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150150

muddocktor

The video cards sounds good. But for that amount of money, the Sapphire X1900XT is a great alternative with even higher performance (albeit with more noise though). It's based on the full X1900XT core and not a crippled core like the Nvidia. But either should do great.

As far as C2D and Nvidia chipsets go, unless you are going to buy the $1000 totally unlocked X6800, stay away. That board you picked overclocks like dog**** and the Nvidia chipset Intel boards have been known to be very problematic, with multiple problems in the past. As it stands now, a board using an Intel chipset is a much better option. And since Conroe procs run on a native 266 fsb, you need to have at least 400 fsb capability out of the mobo to get a decent overclock out of it and that board you linked to just ain't gonna cut it. The only advantage a Nvidia chipset Intel board gives you is the native ability for it to run SLI without using hacked drivers and I look for Nvidia to even open up SLI options to Intel chipset boards in the future, since their main competitior is now owned (or shortly will be owned) by AMD.

Sledgehammer70

I will agree with the X1900XT over the 7900GT, even as a Nvidia fan boy

The P5B is the mobo I am running for my brand spanking new setup and that baby screams, I am not pushing to its extreme but I am ocing a bit and it is well worth the boost. My stuff is all here

I am not to sure on what your planning on doing with your system but pretty much any of the above spec'ed items can be declared as high end items.

AMD does offer some great chips, and good prices, and they are fast in comparison to your current setup, but for performance for the buck Intel’s Core 2 Duo is the current champ. I almost cried when I ordered my setup as I betrayed my AMD boys "4x4 for the win"

Also with Dual HD's I did see a perfomance increase in my gaming along with my professional app's liek Photoshop and 3DsMax 8. I think the perfomance will only show depending on what you do. Also it never hurts to have a Backup drive with all your content on it

Medlock

I thought the 7900GT might be better because I noticed it has 8 more pixel pipelines than the X1900XT (or so Newegg says). What makes the Radeon faster, is it the clock speeds?

As for the computer, I plan on using it mostly for gaming and a small bit of video editing.

muddocktor

The 7900GT has 8 more pixel pipelines, but the X1900XT has 48 pixel shaders, compared to 24 for the 7900GT. BTW, I was wrong about the 7900GT being crippled on pipelines because it's not. It is the 7900GS that has the crippled pixel pipleines.

The X1900XT also has the advantage in that it can be sued for pgu folding too, but that is still very beta right now.

Either card will make a great vid card for your new rig though, so you really can't go wrong with either. And just to let you know, my choice for my Conroe rig was a 7900GTX and not the X19000XTX. The 7900's draw a bit less power than the ATI cards and the coolers run a little quieter too.

Medlock

That's great, I'd be more than willing to help test

Thanks for the help guys. I might start ordering in a week or 3. Got some more looking around to do.

Sledgehammer70

I am also running a 7900GTX 512MB card over the X1900 as I like to believe it runs faster in the games I play, and in the App’s I use.

To note: I did get SLI to work on the P5B but it did take some tweaking and new modified drivers from online.

tmh88

sledge, any idea when the first dx10 cards are going to be released?

Medlock

Can anyone recommend a cooler for this cpu? The Thermaltake Big Typhoon seems to perform very well from the reviews that I've looked at so far, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around how big it is. It seems like nearly half the size of the mobo! It looks to be very tall and I can see my side case fan being in the way.

Or maybe I'm thinking too big. Is that really needed to cool an E6400? Things have changed a bit since the Northwood P4's. I thought my Thermalright SP-94 was big...