Time to upgrade to Opteron! Need some help deciding.

I am moving from a dual XP-m to either an Opteron 165 or 170. It's time to get something more modern, and I want it to be a powerhouse. The dually will become a raid5 fileserver eventually. Anyhow, heres what I'm looking at, I'd like opinions on what I'll be buying.


Opteron 165 or Opteron 170 -- I am having difficulties deciding. Might get the 170 to ensure I don't run out of top end but I don't know.***Ordered the 165 - 8/9/06***

Cooling -- No idea here. I'd like to go air this time, getting sick of finding a way to mount water. I want very good cooling, and semi-quiet. Will the retail Opteron HS/F be adequate? I'm hoping for 2.8Ghz.
****Scythe Ninja if the retail Opteron HS/F doesn't suit me.*******Ordered the Scythe Ninja - 8/9/06***

Asus A8N-32-SLI Deluxe -- I want to avoid the DFI. Asus hasn't let me down yet. ***Ordered A8N32-SLI - 8/9/06***

OCZ PowerStream SLI 520W***Ordered OCZ 520SLI - 8/9/06***

Mushkin Extreme Performance 2GB kit -- this I have already, using it in my dually. I bought this in anticipation of a DC Opteron.

Nvidia 7900GTX -- brand undecided, opinions?? I've heard bad things about PNY's "lifetime" warrantee and don't know much about the brands anymore. I'd also like a card that overclocks well. Also, what is the difference, if any, between the 7900 GT and GTX?
****Decided on the EVGA 7900GTX (non-overclocked) Might wait until the bad batches disappear though.*******Changed my mind... Ordered the EVGA 7900GT KO (new PN) - 8/9/06***

2x 74GB WD Raptors (raid 0) -- this I also have in my dually. In addition, I might run a pair of 250GB Seagates but haven't decided for sure.

NEC 16x DL DVD burner***Ordered the NEC - 8/9/06***

I will most likely be putting this into an Antec Sonata II case that I have, minus the goofy duct they give you. ***Changed my mind, ordered the Antec P180B - 8/9/06***

Thanks!

Nice set up, Iv read that EVGA is a good Nvidia card company.

good cooling would be the scythe ninja heatsink and a panaflo, delta, or yate loon 120mm fan(i can think of any other top-end brands right now)

don't run this in the antec sonata II

get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112099

its a very nice case, much better than the sonata II

if you want top top top of the line, go with the 170 but ive heard the 165's oc'ing to almost 3ghz

with the GT/GTX - the gtx is a better card. higher clock speeds, more pixel pipelines, more video memory, and just more powerful overall.

the best three brands for nvidia are bfg, xfx, and evga. evga has this thing called the "step-up plan" where you can upgrade your graphics card to something better within 3 months of purchase for a small price

like if you buy a $300 graphics card and then you decide to upgrade it to a $400 graphics card you only need to pay $100 for the upgrade

Evga on the graphics card.

Make sure you get good steppings on the 165. Some 170's will hit 3GHz.

I've got two NEC dual layer burners and I love em. Flawless performance.

thats a really nice setup. i might follow your setup, but i was wondering if there was an alternative to that motherboard? something from asus, but a tadbit cheaper because i wont need SLI. no plans on running 2 videocards.

for memory, im going to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145486
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
it's 118 dollars after MIR

ive decided to go with the opty 165, cooled with a scythe ninja

i was going to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112099 as well.

Sorry, I forgot to mention I already have the Sonata II case. I like the drive rails in it which that Lian Li lacks. The front of the Sonata could be better, but I'll live with it for now. First post has been edited to reflect this.

Saw this on a Newegg review of the EVGA version:

For those who do not know, eVGA and all other card manufacturers are experiencing a bad batch of GeForce 7900 GPU PCB's with bad voltage regulators. eVGA offically announced this on their forums and will RMA any bad 7900 FREE OF CHARGE. The card will be shipped to you, and you simply return the defective 7900 with the prepaid label, check the forums at their site (www.evga.com) and you will see this is the case.

Click to expand...

Might be safe to wait the card out for a bit.

Thanks for the cooling advice. Does anyone know how the stock Opteron HS/F compares?

Also, are there any problems with the mobo I've chosen? I'm rather worried about a low maximum HTT speed and not being able to run the Opteron 165 at it's fullest potential. However, the price jump to get a 10x multiplier might not be worth it at this point.

moz_21 said:

Sorry, I forgot to mention I already have the Sonata II case. I like the drive rails in it which that Lian Li lacks. The front of the Sonata could be better, but I'll live with it for now. First post has been edited to reflect this.

Saw this on a Newegg review of the EVGA version:


Might be safe to wait the card out for a bit.

Thanks for the cooling advice. Does anyone know how the stock Opteron HS/F compares?

Also, are there any problems with the mobo I've chosen? I'm rather worried about a low maximum HTT speed and not being able to run the Opteron 165 at it's fullest potential. However, the price jump to get a 10x multiplier might not be worth it at this point.

Click to expand...

so then wait out the card, not a big deal.

the stock cooler is actually very good for stock, and will maintian good temps with some oc'ing but for heavy oc'ing like you wanna do it wont hold out. - if u can find the proccy OEM for much cheaper get it that way

as far as i know, you won't have a problem with the board

1. Its asus
2. its ****ing almost 200 bucks at that price there should be 0 problems

Lol, I'll agree with you there!

Thanks for the help everyone! It's always appreciated!

I just got a 165 and I started o/cing it yesterday...IT Overclocks WELL! We were able to get my pc to boot at 3 Ghz...And I'm sure I can take it up higher...BTW, I don't know what you're going to go with but there is like a $70 difference between the 165 and 170... me thinks.

P.S. Make sure you have good cooling...THIS Heats up at 3 ghz lol

Alright, I just ordered the following:

Antec P180B
Asus A8N32-SLI
EVGA 7900GT KO (the new PN)
OCZ 520SLI
Opteron 165
Scythe Ninja+
NEC ND-3550A DVDRW

Plus using the Raptors and ram from the first post. <3 Newegg Prefered account.