Building a new rig

Remove all ads!

My bro's P4 ate a power surge a few days ago, and did not survived - idiot did not bothered getting a power bar.

In the meanwhile I lended him my old P3, but this old dinosaur cannot run recent games. He offered to buy my current rig off of me... I don't mind, as it gives me the occasion to build myself a new rig.

Since I dropped out of the computer tech class, I haven't really been following what's going on in this "wonderful" world, so I thought I'd ask for some input from you guys.

AMD are soon launching the Phenom processors, and I plan on getting a dual-core Phenom, but I'm not opposed to a Quad, if the price difference isn't too steep. I DON'T WANT A DAMN CORE 2, SO DON'T MENTION IT..

After a tidbit of research, I see that dual-core Phenoms will be socket AM2+. My X2 motherboard was a Gigabyte (so was my P4), so I've looked into AM2+ Gigabyte motherboards, and I've chosen the GA-MA790X-DS4.

Memory-wise, I was planning on some 800 MHz (or something like that) DDR2. The board I chose supports DDR2 1066, but is it really worth it?

Finally, video card. I have absolutely no interest in video cards. My old rig had a Radeon X1300, which was decent, but borderline for Oblivion and Dark Messiah. I'm looking for a card that would fare better than my X1300. I'd prefer another ATI card, but I'm also open to NVIDIA.

HDs and DVD-RAM will be recycled from my X2.

My new rig's case will also be an Antec. I want my new rig to be as quiet as possible.

I'm building the rig myself, and I have a retail version of XP I got when I was taking the computer tech class, so I don't need Winblows. I hate M$, but unfortunately for gaming it's a necessary evil.

Opinions and suggestions are welcome. Pricings also would be nice so I can have a better idea of how much this rig would cost me.

 

So... what *haven't* you got at this point?

For a quiet case, there's the Antec P182. I know you like the "bling" look, so you might like the P182SE case that has the mirrored finish.

For power supplies, only go with the '80 Plus' certified PSUs. Click the link for a list.

Well...IIRC, if you get RAM that has the same frequency as the front side bus, you get better performance...

If you're serious about the Core 2 Quad CPU, you can get a Q6600 @ 2.4GHz for $280.00.

Since you like Gigabyte mobos, I'd choose one of these two for an Intel setup. The P35/X38 are Intel's newest chipsets, and when paired with the new ICH9R shouthbridge, they make one hell of a good mobo.

If you're a hardcore gamer however, you want a mobo with PCI Express 2.0. To get that, you need a board with the Intel X38 chipset, AMD's RD700 chipset series, or the NVIDIA MCP72. I don't know about the other two, but the X38 is *really* new, and the mobos that have it are pretty expensive...but waaaaaay fast.

 

Uhh, Kit, I mentioned in bold I do NOT want a Core 2 - My new box WILL be AMD, and I'm waiting for the Phenom processors to come out before upgrading.

I'm looking to get a Phenom X2, but I'm open to a Phenom X4.

That mirror-like Antec case sure looks sweet.

 

Ah, it's been a while since I've read one of Disciple's opposed-to-Intel-chips-at-all-costs-no-matter-how-good-they-are rants. It's good to see it back again.

 

Ahh...now that I re-read your post, I must have pulled this quote out of context in my head...

Sorry to imply that you might actually want a better performing product.

@Harbs, LOL...

Honestly though, what's wrong with a Intel based PC running Windows on a Samsung LCD screen? I'd buy one.

 

Seriously, Intel-bashing is always a great sport I immensely enjoy, but this time, I started this thread as me seeking information.

That being said, and with Intel out of the way, any info about the launch dates/pricing of X2 and X4 Phenoms? Better board than my choice? Video card recommendations?

 

No, you want the fastest memory supported if you are looking for performance. Using higher spec memory will increase the available memory bandwidth and reduce the RAM latency, both of which contribute to better performance.

 

DDR2 frequencies above 800 are good for overclocking and the like and, well, there are some circumstances where RAM bandwidth matters, so if it's a matter of saving a couple of bucks, don't. But if you were grossly to overpay the 1066 version, stick with 800. Don't go below 800. No matter what.

As for graphics, avoid Radeon HD series 2K like bird flu. While 3K does seem to be better, the nVidia 8800GTS looks a bit safer as an investment... except it's already old compared to the ATI card. Therefore to me it seems like something's going to happen in the graphics card market soon, so it might be good to wait and see.

And if your brother is not quite a serious gamer, you don't need more than a cheap 8600 GT anyway, let alone a very expensive processor.

 

Good to know you appreciate those rants, Harbs.

At any rate, I don't mind waiting - Phenom X2 processors aren't coming out until Q1 2008, and a X4 would be a gross overkill. Besides, When both Phenom X2 and X4 lines are out, we can expect a price war between AMD and Intel - a war which benefits us.

Videocard-wise, my X2 has a Radeon X1300, which was exponentially quiet compared to my P4 and it's old FX5200. The 8800 GT BTA pointed out piqued my interest... but the size of that thing makes me more than a little worried about noise... and I shudder to think how much dust this gigantic heatsink would pick-up...

So, here's how it looks so far:

Antec P182SE
Phenom X2 2.6 GHz OR Phenom X4 2.6 GHz
Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4, socket AM2+
2 GB DDR2 800 - probably Corsair, as it's what I have in my X2.
NVIDIA 8800GT
LG Super Multi DVD-RAM (salvaged from my X2)
Seagate 120GB SATA HD (also salvaged from my X2)

 

Today's overkill CPU is tomorrows struggling-to-keep-up CPU. I always suggest buying the fastest CPU you can afford...even if it *seems* like overkill now.

First, the *size* doesn't determine the noise. The fan speed and to a certain extent, how close the fan is to the back of the case. Look at the 120mm fans compared to the 80mm fans. The 120mm fans generally spin slower, push more air, and are generally more quiet.

As for dust... If you get the Antec P182 or P181 case, they have removable/washable air filters on the front of the case. You'd be surprised how much those things help. Also, keep the actual case as high off the ground as possible. Then every 6 months or so, use some "canned air" with the long spray tube and slide it past the videocard's fan and blast the dust out of the enclosed heatsink.

 

Doesn't look bad. If you're seriously concerned with noise, I suggest finding out which manufacturer's version of the graphics card you want. I strongly, utterly and completely discourage buying passively cooled cards of this power unless it's water cooling and water cooling doesn't come with standard issue graphics cards. Getting a card with some good cooling will mean paying a little more, but it'll cost less money than replacing the cooler on a cheaper card anyway. So get a card from a renowned manufacturer but make sure you've seen and analysed the architecture. In particular, try to find out if you can take the noise of the fan and if the RAM chips are also cooled (some cooling systems leave some RAM chips in the open, without much cooling).

As for dust, tough luck. Need to have a properly designed airflow in your case and/or vacuum it often enough. I suggest spending some bucks on strong but quiet fans. Big sizes are better because the noise is more bearable, although they don't always offer the same power of cooling as a well-placed high-RPM smaller cooler. Do some search in google or on modding sites (usually an overclocking site will give a lot of attention to cooling or even have cooling sections; I recommend http://www.ocforums.com, which is a place a bit like SP in terms of combining knowledge and kindness), ask the gurus for help, check out some physics, do a calc or two or an experiment if you prefer and you'll be set. The key is not saving small buck (because it doesn't pay) and testing everything out (because you never know).

As a rule, however, all your needs as regards cooling and silence may be fulfilled by simply buying a proper case and putting some additional fans where recommended. The cheapest solution over all in terms of cash and time, while at the same time designed by specialists and proven successful in the market.

 

I thought they shifted to a smaller fan than what the 8800GTS had, but these charts suggest that hasn't caused any problems, but rather than the 8800GT is quite a quiet card in comparison to the competition.
Its a really top product in its price point - so much so that Tom's hardware have recomended against buying any card priced between US$300 and $500 simply because the $250 8800 GT has comparable performance and a much cheaper price link (near the bottom of the page)

 

Indeed, the 8800 GT seems to be a real monster for a cheap price. Unfortunately the availability of the card is quite bad for the moment.

 

Very bad to say the least. What some stock vendors receive in total is about what they would be able to sell in one day. There's some problem with the older version of 8800 (G80 chip) not being allowed to be sold and the low availability of the newer chip (G92). According to some recent news, the chip is not the problem because they have enough G92 but they don't have enough power units for D8P cards. NVidia has approved only one supplier of such components so far and that one isn't able to meet the demand alone on its own.

 

Strangly Ati has a good alternative, the new dx 10.1 3850 159 euro and 3870 229 euro are available. Check those out on hardware sites. they are a bit slower(3870) than the 8800, but give the most value for money. If you can get a 8800gt, congrats, if not...

Only one 6 pins additional power socket needed.

 

The 3870 does look pretty alright - all up the 8800GT is meant to be 18%faster with filters and 11% without, but the 3870 is around 20% cheaper. It's also only slightly louder than the 8800GT and only under load.
source

 

Update...

Here's the final configuration for the new rig:

Antec P182SE
Phenom X4 2.6 GHz, socket AM2+
Gigabyte GA-MA790X-DS4
Corsair 2 GB DDR2 800
NVIDIA 8800GT
LG Super Multi DVD-RAM
Seagate 120GB SATA HD

I've asked the seller at work to get me the total cost of this rig, but with the Phenom pricing absent, it's kind of hard to get a final price. Still, there's still plenty of life left in my X2, and the launch of the Phenom WILL trigger a price war, so it's all about the waiting game now.