Final rig specs

edma2 · Oct 23, 2005

Hello, I need you guys to help me make some final decisions for my upgraded rig.

My rig: Due 2005, holiday season

[Opteron 146] (already ordered, retail version)
[EpoX NPA9+]
[7800 GT/GTX]
[OCZ Powerstream 520w]
[OCZ EL Platinum Rev2 1 GB]
[TT SI-120]

The Opteron was a must-have, no questions asked.

I don't know too much about the motherboard though, it seems to OC a little worse than DFI, but it's much more stable? How well will it OC the Opteron?

I am obviously having trouble deciding on the video card, dunno if the extra fps is worth it at a max monitor resolution os 1280x1024. There are so many brands of 7800GT/GTX's (MSI, XFX, BFG, etc...), which one is the best?

Powerstream and OCZ RAM were recommended by members of this forum.

I do have a question about cooling though: The SI-120 package at newegg only consists of the the heat sink, right? My (retail) Opteron comes with the stock heat sink and fan (?), could I use the stock fan with the SI-120? Or do I also need to seperately purchase a 120mm fan?

Thanks

maxio098ui · Oct 23, 2005

get a evga 7800
id get a good fan and not use the stock one if you could
close to no one has real experience in the opteron so theres no real know all results or prediction

but thats what i think

edma2 · Oct 23, 2005

Alright, whats a good fan to use with the SI-120?
GT or GTX? And why eVGA?

Turtle Shell · Oct 23, 2005

edma2 said:
Alright, whats a good fan to use with the SI-120?
GT or GTX? And why eVGA?

if you have the money get the gtx but if not the gt is still a awesome card

edma2 · Oct 23, 2005

Ok, thanks.
How about the mobo and ram? Good choices?

jnev_89 · Oct 23, 2005

if you're running 1280x1024 there's just no point in getting a 7800gtx, a gt will work perfectly for you, and even then you probably won't be stressing it too much. good choices on the other stuff, ocz makes good ram/psu's.

edma2 · Oct 23, 2005

Let's say I turn up all the settings to maximum, yet still retain the 1280x1024 resolution. Does the GT run just as well as the GTX even with all the other settings turned up?

Which brand would be the best choice?

Rattle · Oct 23, 2005

evga

if you wanna find out how good that opty clocks get a DFI

edma2 · Oct 23, 2005

Getting a DFI board means a lot of maintenance and tweaking, and I'm a noob..so, what exactly does it take to get it running first time around?

Doesn't the epox board clock almost as high as DFI, albeit a bit more stable?

darksparkz · Oct 23, 2005

From a poll I've read around here somewhere, only about 30% or so of the people that have gotten a DFI board has had any trouble at all on it.

The Epox board runs better with lower voltage ram. The DFI runs better with higher voltage ram. Higher voltage ram tends to OC better usually, especially for the PC4000 and stuff.

I used to think of the DFI as having a lot of problems, but I'd say still go for the DFI. If your patient, you should be able to tweak out the DFI and get the most out of your Opty. Most people I've seen with the Opty paired with a DFI can get up to 3.2ghz on air cooling.

I might recommend the GTX if you have a good monitor or is planning to get a good monitor. It's more of a matter of if you can afford it. If you can shell the extra cash for GTX, then by all means go for it, it'll give you the best results in gaming.

I'd also recommend the eVGA verison. The BFG ones are good too, they all come pre-OCed I think, and it's at the same price as the eVGAs.

edma2 · Oct 23, 2005

Thanks.
For a DFI LanParty nf4 Ultra-D, Opty 146 (hoping to get around 3.0 ghz), and 7800GTX, how many watts should the PSU be?

Edit: Reason is I already have a 400w PSU, dont want to shell out another 100 dollars for a PSU

darksparkz · Oct 23, 2005

Oh I just noticed that your planning to get this around Christmas. So why not go for the expected DFI LanParty "Expert"? Its supposed to OC better then previous DFI models and have less problems with it.

It depends on your PSU. It's not always about the amount of watts your PSU has, its more important if your rails are stable enough. Post some specs on your PSU. If it isn't up to par, then you'd need something with a stronger 12V rail, because that's the rail the video card would draw power from, and you'd want some rock stable, especially for a GTX. So definitely don't skimp on the PSU, it can affect every other component.

edma2 · Oct 24, 2005

We'll see... although the "Expert" is quite expensive.

Would you recommend getting the GT instead, and using the saved money on the "Expert"? How much of a difference are we talking about, between the gt and gtx, at a max resolution of 1280x1024 with all settings maxed out?

darksparkz · Oct 24, 2005

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2496&p=3

Hard to say, not many reviews do resolutions of that. I actually might think that it'll be a good difference. Also, with the GTX, in case you plan on getting a new monitor in the future, you'll be able to take full potential of that monitor with the GTX.

The Expert is supposed to be at $200 or so. It's about $80-90ish more expensive then the DFI LanParty. If you plan on OCing as FAR AS YOU CAN, then it might be worth it to get the Expert edition, depending on how well reviews review it. My opinion would be that the Expert is probably just going to be a few mhz higher, like 10-20 or so, I wouldn't say it's worth paying an extra $80 for that.

brickout · Oct 24, 2005

My vote for video card would be the GT. Pretty common for it to OC well enough to match a stock GTX...Just my $.02

Soichiro · Oct 24, 2005

The GTX is $100-150 more than the GT, and it's not that much better, so go with the GT. Also, I've heard the expert version is supposed to fix a lot of the bugs that were in the DFI Lanparty.

Blackmage · Oct 24, 2005

Lets say i Run Far cry @VERY HIGH 1280*1240 with HDR and never drop below 50FPS Outside , inside i get about 80FPS this with my CPU 3.6Ghz with that opetron you looking to get 2.8GHZ which kick *** with a 7800GT you will be looking to have FPS60+ outside and possiblly 90+ inside.

1cem4n · Oct 24, 2005

get a powerstream 520, very worth it and you'll never need another powersupply.

-1cem4n

edma2 · Oct 24, 2005

Alrighty, thanks for the imformative replies

eVGA 7800GTX ($499 of newegg, the ones that come with BF2)
OCZ PowerStream 520w ($100)
OCZ EL Platinum Rev2 1GB ($170?)
Opteron 146 (hoping for a CABNE, but probably its gonna be CABYE)
EpoX NPA9+ Ultra

I would still appreciate a good CPU cooler Fan+HS recommendation

Motherboard choice is still up in the air, I just want a good stable board that OCs really well, maybe not as well as DFI, but almost as good.
I don't think the "Expert" is worth both the wait, or the money... still haven't made this choice concretely though, still need to do more research.

edit: RAM choice isn't too concrete either...

ckj · Oct 24, 2005

If you're going to get the si-120 get it from sidewinder computers or jab-tech. It's a lot cheaper there. Also, a lot of people seem to like the 3 blade deltas, but my si-120 has got a 120mm sanyo denki.

Final rig specs

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