--->Need PSU and Review For My AMD 64 3000 SetUp<---

Well, first off my name is Jacob, and this is my first post on this forum and thanks to anyone for helping me here
Ok, this is my first CPU build, and I need help choosing a PSU and I'd like if you can just take a look and review my setup and comment on whatever and give any advice, like swapping a part for a better one. But my budget is tight now. So far I've picked.....

AMS CASE
AMD 64 3000
K8V SE DELUXE I'm partial to ASUS, but I dont know the differences between this and this
nForce3 250
CORSAIR 1gb
120GB HD
SONY CD/DVD
SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY 2
LOGITECH X-530 SPEAKS
VIEWSONIC FLAT
And a BFG 6800 OC once I find one in stock (the BestBuy sale is out of stock)

As for the PSU, I know a friend with this ASPIRE but is it suffiecient for my set-up here? Also, I liked Thermaltake, since they advertise "silent" purepower. Basically if you can help me choose a PSU for about $50-70max, and any comments on my current build make sure everything is compatible, or post comments, it will be greatly appreciated.

~Jacob

1. That's a pretty basic case, and it appears to be one that might restrict airflow. Then again, cases tend to be very user-centric, so I will leave this up to you.

2. The Athlon 64 3000+ you have in mind is based on a single channel socket. There is also a dual channel socket (s939) that comes with little price premium over your current choice. I will recommend a good chip in a bit.

3. The ASUS K8V is a motherboard based on an old chipset witho no working AGP/PCI lock. So if you plan on overclocking at all it would be pretty useless here. Even if you did want to run stock, however, I'm going to have to recommend against this.

4. The gigabyte is ok, but I will recommend another alternative soon.

5. Don't waste your money on an IDE drive. Get SATA instead. IDE is a dying interface. If you already owned the drive then it would be fine, but I wouldn't buy a new one so late in the game.

6. I'm going to recommend a Fortron 530W to you. They're about $80 bux on Newegg, but they are excellent power supplies. I am sure you will hear a lot of good recommendations on this one.

7. If the 6800OC is out of stock, look at the 6600GT AGP instead. It's a really good card and worth the money. Of course, you could also look at another 6800NU card, too.

8. I'm not a big fan of the memory, either. Do you plan to overclock?

Here are my recommendations to your exisiting lineup:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 s939 90nm 3000+
Mobo: MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 120gb SATA
Graphics Card: XFX 6600GT AGP or other brand-name 6800 Non-Ultra
Memory: The current choice is fine unless you're going to overclock
Power Supply: Fortron 530W

Price these items out on Newegg, and see how it works for you.

deception``

Sorry, I should have stated earlier that I was NOT going to overclock. I know im in an overclockers forum but im just starting to get into computers, this being my first, and the fact that I have no knowledge about over-clocking whatsoever I'm just looking for stock capabilities for now, however If i ever get enough knowledge and courage to over-clock I might try it. Thanks for your input though. I know the case might seem plain, but its honestly the only case I like. Ive spent like 5 hours one night looking at all the cases on newegg, and since my brother has this one too, I just love it. It's sleek, got the window, and the paint finish is great. But it seems like it doesn't perform well according to your standards, I might need extra fans I think. What other RAM might be sufficient, Corsair = no good? And for the HD, is there a big performance difference between the IDE and SATA?

LiquidMetaL said:

Sorry, I should have stated earlier that I was NOT going to overclock.

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That's fine. Then go with my other suggestions, but keep the Corsair Value ram.

I know im in an overclockers forum but im just starting to get into computers, this being my first, and the fact that I have no knowledge about over-clocking whatsoever I'm just looking for stock capabilities for now, however If i ever get enough knowledge and courage to over-clock I might try it. Thanks for your input though. I know the case might seem plain, but its honestly the only case I like. Ive spent like 5 hours one night looking at all the cases on newegg, and since my brother has this one too, I just love it. It's sleek, got the window, and the paint finish is great.

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It really helps to pick cases will airflow in mind, but if that is the case you want then stick with it.

And for the HD, is there a big performance difference between the IDE and SATA?

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There is not a HUGE difference, but SATA is in fact the more future-proof interface. In other words, all new hard drives are made on SATA. Hell, even the old motherboard you had in mind ran SATA hard drives. Additionally, it should not cost much more (if more at all) to swap out that drive for a comparable SATA solution. All the more reason why SATA is the better option.

deception``

LiquidMetaL:
deception`` didn't an excellent job making suggestions for you.
you are not overclocking now but if you enjoy computers you WILL in the future, that is why those suggestions were made.
You will get your system up and running, and after that you will want to start "playing" and tweaking it. If do not had equipment that has the options or ability to overclock or tweak you will be spending $$ very quickly to get ones that will.
Been there, done that.
I do like Corsair Ram but a lot of people in the forums have very good luck with value ram, you can do a search, at least get some 3200, i'm running 2700 and its limiting my overclock a lot. Oh, and BTW, the fortron is a fine PSU.
Just my $0.02. Good Luck.
WELCOME TO THE FORUMS.

Fortron FSP530-60GNA P/S is crap for the A64. Mine has been screwing with me since I got it and I never would of figured it was that. Maybe get one of the OCZ.

well I would suggest you go with Kingston Value Ram its a little bit cheaper and you might get lucky and end up with some great memory modules that run faster than Corsair Value Ram.

I would also suggest the DFI Lanparty for s754 as it appears to be doing the best.

Then last time I checked outpost.com had the BFG for $250

Ok guys, I really appreciate all the input and help. I have made some changes, and have some questions too. I am going to stick with a 754 socket for now, I wont be overclocking, my brothers friend will be putting the system together for me. This is really just my everyday stock computer.

I've decided to go with a 80G HITATCHI SATA Maybe I'll use two HD. I wanted to know like, If I buy two harddrives, obviously things will load faster right. But what combination do I put on each drive. I use XP, mainly play css/hl2 and 2 other games, download music, and have program files etc. Do I install CSS on one drive, and use the other for the other games, program files, data storage? And is it worth buying another HD down the road and moving the files, or will getting two 80's now make a BIG difference. Also, is the load time considerably faster when using two drives? I know I asked a lot of Questions, sorry, but I'm just not getting into computers and want to learn as much as I can.

I'm probably going with the DFI LANPARTY even if it is all nasty yellow

As for RAM I found some KINGMAX It is about $20 cheaper and 2.5 cas latency compared to KINGSTON, In my eyes, RAM is RAM. But if you strongly disagree with this company, pease say so. I just picked it for price and good reviews and stock capabilities.

I also found some LOGITECH Z-640 I think these are actually better and have much longer wires than the X-530 I posted at the top. Im still undecided about which 5.1 to get. Maybe by X-MAS I'll have some more cash and can splurge a lil more on these. Any recommendations?

And for the BFG 6800OC from Outpost. I dunno, it doesnt "look" like the other BFG's. The fan looks like the stock green, not the two blue LEDs with the nickel heat shield. Someone correct me if Im wrong, as I am confused about the card from them. Either way, I have a coupon for Bestbuy, since I'll be purchasing everything after X-Mas because I will have more money, they might have it in stock around then. But let me know!

One thing I still HAVEN'T picked is the PSU. I know I might get flamed for considering ASPIRE Especially with all the Fortron fans out there. But it's what my buddy whos building the comp uses on his, and he's really genius when it comes to computers, I am DUmBo. I'm just looking for a stable PSU, to run A64 3000, 1 or 2 HD, 3 fans, maybe 2 cathodes, CD/DVD drive, nothing special. The Aspire has a fan controller which I like, some blue fans, as well as all positive reviews. Not to mention high amperage (bout 34) for 12v. Is that how I look for a PSU? High watts and higher 12v amperage the better? It is going to stay stock. But once again, I am still undecided on a PSU. Also considering thermaltake. I am partial to fan controllers.

Pretty much everything else is the same, im sticking with the AMS case, I love this thing, its gorgeous. Maybe I'll add a front blow-hole one day to it. I've seen lots of projects on it, looks good. Anyways, keep the inputs and comments or concerns coming. I really appreciate it.

~Jacob

LiquidMetaL said:

Ok guys, I really appreciate all the input and help. I have made some changes, and have some questions too. I am going to stick with a 754 socket for now, I wont be overclocking, my brothers friend will be putting the system together for me. This is really just my everyday stock computer.

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I wouldn't go s754 this late in the game. Furthermore, you have no need for such an enthusiast-centric motherboard such as the DFI unless you plan to overclock. You're much better off with a good s939 system, which won't be much more than anything s754.

deception``

I recommend against Thermaltake and Aspire - they're not bad, but there's better (more reliable) out there for the money.

If your looking for silence, I would suggest the OCZ units, Seasonic, Antec Neopowers, and Fortron AX-500A. The Fortron 530w will also do, but won't be as quiet.

Jsmooth65 said:

Fortron FSP530-60GNA P/S is crap for the A64. Mine has been screwing with me since I got it and I never would of figured it was that. Maybe get one of the OCZ.

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did u ever jack up the voltage pots? i hear thats what everyone else does. i havent since it runs the athlon xp fine.

as for the z640s, link is partially broken or something...

they are only 45 shipped from amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006HYPD/ref=pd_pym_ka/002-0762691-5825622

deception`` said:

I wouldn't go s754 this late in the game. Furthermore, you have no need for such an enthusiast-centric motherboard such as the DFI unless you plan to overclock. You're much better off with a good s939 system, which won't be much more than anything s754.

deception``

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Yea especially when the CPU's cost almost exactally the same..example:

3000+ = $149

Gigabyte K8NS Ultra = $116

or

Asus A8V Deluxe = $125


<Sen's Note....ChiefValue is a division of Newegg>

Going with a S754 platform is a big mistake in my book. Especially considering the prices of S939 currentally.

trueplaya4ever8 said:

did u ever jack up the voltage pots? i hear thats what everyone else does. i havent since it runs the athlon xp fine.

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Nope, never did anything to it. I've heard the 18A +12V is the culprit.

Jsmooth65 said:

Nope, never did anything to it. I've heard the 18A +12V is the culprit.

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Yep and you probly heard it from me. You need atleast 20 and 30 being optimal. Personally I wouldnt go below 25amps

On my 430W True (that had 20A) my 12v+ on load would go as low as 11.38

i wish i could afford a powersteam. lol

The Fortron 530w is good for 28a on the 12v line when the 5v is not being heavily drawn, as it would be on an A64 - the two rails share power on this unit. This is one reason why Aopen has dual ratings for it. In any case, many people are using these to run A64's with no problem.

Jsmooth65, you may have gotten a defective one - it does happen once in a while, though not very often. What exactly was happening?

Edit - for those interested, here's a thread from the Extreme Overclocking forums where I found the info on the dual ratings of the 530w:

http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=139260

BSOD's all the time, sometimes caused by memory errors, sometimes video card errors. Random reboots. You name it.

What were the rails doing on a multimeter when this was happening? Have you replaced the PSU yet to see if another one worked better, or ruled out other possible issues like memory?

i havent done any checks on the PS exactly, but I did have my OCZ memory replaced because I thought it was that, but the new Corsair XMS Pro's did the same thing. I'm buying some new parts soon anyway, so i'll probably just let this one go on the classifieds and get a PC P&C or an OCZ.