Building a (budgetish) NF4 machine

I am selling my AXP machine and I have a sale pending locally for $500. So, I'm starting to seriously look at components for my new build (like I ever wasn't). I want to keep it as close to $600 as possible, but it'll probably end up spending about $750. I definitely want to overclock (I mean, who doesn't?), so I'm looking at quality components and good coolers. I know that I'm going to have a tough time staying under budget, so I'm willing to buy some parts used (I don't have 100 posts yet though, so I'll have to go over to anandtech) These are the components that I'm looking at right now:
(All prices include shipping)


DFI nF4 Ultra-D - $131
3000+ Venice - $149
Fortron AX500-A - $69
2x512 Twinmos Speed Premium - $113
eVGA Nvidia GF 6200 - $99
NEC 3520A - $51
Seagate Barracuda - $66.50
Sunbeam Rheobus - $22
SLK3000B - $46
used XP-120 w/ fan - ~$40

I want to try and get the hard drive, RAM, and maybe video card used to cut back on some costs. If you can suggest better components or better prices than the ones I have listed, I'd appreciate it.

looks like a very nice build. those 3000+ venice's have been oc'ing like mad!

my concern lies in your video card, to be honest. if you're a heavy gamer you might find this video card lacking. That said, my recomendation is (if you can manage this...) pick up a cheap card for the time being and save up as much as you can and buy a nicer card later. i ran into a similar problem when i built my rig in that i wanted an x800XT PE pci-e but they were all outta stock, then i grabbed the x850XT when it came out a couple months later.

i like everything else you have put in your system, but haven't heard much about the memory. based on the reviews given on newegg it looks acceptable. the harddrive with ncq should be very speedy.

do you already have a mouse & keyboard? are you planning on running a lot of fans? (and do you have the fans to run?). if not, you might look into not using the rheobus, though they do come in handy and that is a top notch one you have chosen.

what about speakers or headphones? lcd or crt?

Just things I have thought of that you really haven't commented on... hope the build goes well, keep us up to date and ask all the ???'s you have!

I did forget to mention a few things. I'm not a very heavy gamer at the moment, and I think that the 6200 will probably be more than I need, for the time being at least. Right now all I play is CoD and that plays just fine on a GF3 Ti200, but I would like to get into HL2 maybe. I don't need the absolute best quality textures. I do already have a mouse and keyboard, crappy speakers, as well as a 1280x1024 crt from my old machine. These will do for awhile, as I need to spend as little money as possible (college student), but I will probably eventually pick up a 1905FP or a 2001FP and some good 2.1 speakers.

On another note, hopefully I can work up the 100 posts soon so I can pick up a few things from the classifieds..

Also, I plan on running 2x120mm case fans if I get the SLK3000B, along with the 120mm fan on the XP-120. I may, also, rig a 92mm fan to actively cool the memory. I'm not sure if I want to go with the case that I have listed, though. I have my htpc in the same case, and I just think it's a little small for a highly overclocked system. I like simple, no-window, preferably black cases. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

i'd get a better vid card. like a x700pro or a 6600GT. maybe get 512mb of ram to accomodate that?

I gotta keep it down in price, and, as gaming isn't my top priority, I think the 6200 will be fine until 6600GTs come down more in price. I'd definitely rather have the gig of RAM than a slightly better video card. If I can get a good deal on a used 6600GT, then I might do that, however.

well, if you like simple design, i'd go with the chieftec dragon black. you can get it with a window or without, sounds like you would prefer without. The chieftec matrix is a bit snazzier (different front bezel) and also has an 80mm fan on the side (at least mine did).

the cooling i have on this case at the moment (i'm in the process of building a wc setup for it, but have been running into a few minor glitches) is:

2 80mm "silent" fans in the back (not sure on specs, but they don't push much air at all)
2 80mm "silent" fans in the front
SilenX Ixtrema 120mm HS (www.3dcool.com -->just go with an xp-120 for yourself)
And the nice part: 2 120mm Sanyo Denki's on the top as exhausts (this is where my radiator will be placed).

This setup keeps everything really cool, yet really quiet at the same time. I could also throw stronger 80mm's in the case as well, as the ones in there (all 4) can't be heard over the sanyo denki's on top (and those aren't that loud either).

Yes, if you know you'll be satisfied with that vid card, keep it. If you want to get into serious HL2 gameage then you might want to upgrade it later on. I understand the need to keep it inexpensive due to college, I've been blessed with a well paying job this year so I can actually afford stuff.

The Chieftec Dragons aren't bad, but I'd really rather space for 2 120mm fans, as I could turn them down and still get decent airflow. Also, I couldn't find one at a very good price.

On another note, the more I read about the Dfi Ultra-D, the more I'm thinking about finding a different board. Seems that there are lots of small problems with the Dfi, especially when the vdimm jumper is set to 4 volts. And with the Twinmos, I'd need to pump at least 3.3 volts through it in order to get a good overclock. Also, I'm not sure if the XP-120 fits on the Dfi without any modifications. Is there another popular Nf4 board among overclockers?

What do you guys think about Kingston PC3200 HyperX? I can get 2x512 for $90 AR.

I have Kingston HyperX in my system, but it's DDR2. I'm still learning on OC'ing the memory and everything so I haven't heard a whole ton about it or know a ton about it, sorry I'm of no use on that end.

As for the mobo, I believe that MSI has an NF4 board that has been working well.

link <-- perhaps this one?

If you're fine with cutting an opening at the top to run the extra PSU cables behind the mobo tray, I'd go with a Thermaltake Tsunami case.

link <-- extremely light, and has 2x120mm (intake/exhaust) and 1x90mm side intake. If you're comfie with a dremel, cut the area to run the psu cables for better airflow, and put 1 or 2x120mm exhausts at the top. Should run super cool! (I used it for several months and loved every minute of it, can't wait to put a new rig into it but I bought a Chieftec Matrix so I could hack it up and not care )

Good luck!

I've had a couple MSI motherboards, and I'd really like to stay away from MSI. I know there are a bunch of other people who feel the same. Also, I actually do like that Thermaltake case, and I've heard a couple owners of it say that they're satisfied with it, but it's really pushing my budget. I'll see how much money I can swing after I get most of my other components.

Anyone have experience with this ram?

The antec Super Lanboy is a bit cheaper (~70 i believe), and also has 2x120mm. I personally don't think it looks as professional (which I'm a big fan of), however.

I concur with you on the MSI part, just thought I'd toss it out there. What you might want to do is go to the Mobo section and peruse through their AMD boards stuff, run a few queries and I'm sure you'll have a ton of answers right away.

JasonE4 said:

Anyone have experience with this ram?

Click to expand...

judging by the timings and the brand name (OCZ) I would assume that would be really good memory. OCZ is known for their quality, and if you could afford a gig of their EL Platinum Rev 2 I would send you that way, but it would really blow your budget (~$200 I think).

Reviews look good on it, again, wish I could offer more.

I agree with you on the super lanboy. If the Antec P180 comes out soon, I may have to swing and grab that, even though it'll be a little extra money. I liked the P160, but the P180 looks 5 times better.

I heard of some people getting UTT sticks with that OCZ ram that I linked to, so that may be a good budget performance RAM. I'll do a little more searching for reviews on it.

I'm thinking about sucking it up and just getting this ram so that I don't have to pump high volts into it to get a good OC.

there's not much better you could "suck it up" on. it's one of those things where you won't have to worry about it in the future.

I've been planning my next system (see sig) since last summer (obviously the plan went through many revisions ), and I've come up with the same base system as you have. The only things I'll do differently is to use TCCD I already have, go with a Lian Li case, and buy an X800XL. The video card drives the cost of my system up towards $1000, though, so it's not exactly budget(ish). But, I think the DFI Ultra-D/Venice 3000+/TCCD combo is the best for the budgetish-minded. I look forward to seeing what you end up buying and how it works together. I plan to build in late June.

looks good. alot of people have been flashing those 6200's to 6600's to open the other 4 pipes. great budget move =) Everything looks great to me as you can also do the VERY simple pin mod to make it support SLI and SATA II.

Gl with your setup!

Does or doesn't the Ultra-D natively support Sata II. I thought that only the Dfi nF4-D didn't support Sata II and needed to be modded?