Getting new comp plz help

demighost · Aug 25, 2006

Hey all, well my first year of college starts in a week but my computer classes dont start for 2 weeks. I will be building a new comp starting now lol. But i have some questions.

First i know im going amd even tho the intels are better atm. I wanan go x2, but should i go w/ the am2 platform? or go w/ socket 939? is there a performance difference atm between the x2 3800 am2 and x2 3800 939. If not ill go w/ whatever setup is cheaper.

my plans are this

x2 3800 ? socket?
asus sli board for wichever scoket i buy
2gb of ram prolly g.skill (2x 1gb sticks)
case w/ 450 power supply
x1800xt dont need the newest one just better then my x850
hows this sound?

CGR · Aug 25, 2006

Sounds pretty good

I am not sure about the new socket performance, last I checked they were about the same as the 939 sockets. Honestly I would stick with 939 for now.

As for video, you can get XT1900XT's fairly cheap nowadays with rebates. Assuming you get the rebate of course (still waiting for my saphire rebate).

I would look into an X1900 series card over the x1800. See if you can find a good deal.

blink922 · Aug 25, 2006

For the video card, depending on your budget, this is a really good deal

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102037

I'd go with that over a x1800

fabulouscoops · Aug 25, 2006

I don't think there is a performance difference between 939 and AM2 but for future upgrades you would need to use AM2.
Pricewise the processors are the same. But AM2 boards use DDR2 RAM and 939 boards use DDR RAM. You can probably put together a cheaper box using 939.

jivetrky · Aug 25, 2006

the price difference isn't really going to be enough to justify going with a discontinued platform. If you are building a new PC, it really only makes sense to go with the latest setup. AM2 is the way to go. I mean with a s939 system you CAN go up to an FX60, but with an AM2, you can go much further in the upgrade chain.

The setup you named looks great. The only thing I can suggest, is nto to get a case with a built in power supply. Maybe if you got a coolermaster with abuilt in, it might be ok as i think those are Toppower PSU's...but I'd still recommend buying like at least an Antec PSU or even better, a Fortron (FSP group)

demighost · Aug 25, 2006

k i will go w/ am2, ordering as we speak. I will be going w/ x1800xt as it performs better then i need and is only 200. So thats the card ill go w/ also. I will look into a better psu. Thanks for the help i appreciate it.

demighost · Aug 26, 2006

Sup all b4 i order, i just wanan make sure i dont need anything else
so far i will buy this

a64 x2 3800+ am2
ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2
g.skill 2x 1gb sticks ddr2 mem
atx case w/450 psu atx form
western digital 250gb hd
x1800xt

i didnt go sli since im going ati. Thats y i chose that mobo. So other thena operating system i should be good to go right?

BossBorot · Aug 26, 2006

are you getting a x1800xt with 256 or 512? depending on how much you are spending there might be better options like this which basically is a x1800xt 512mb for 207 bucks after rebate shipped + you get a free t-shirt if you look under the combo deals.

crfracer290 · Aug 26, 2006

What case and PSU are you getting, usually PSUs that come with cases arent so great.

jivetrky · Aug 26, 2006

yeah, you will find that everyone stresses getting a good PSU. I mean this thing is giving power to everything else in your system. That means that this thing can potentially kill everything in your system. usually the cheapo ones that come with a case are not good at keeping stable power (which obviously is important)

definitely spend a few bucks more now, then potentially a lot later.

This would be a great choice and it only ~$50
FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail

If that is really too much for you then at LEAST go with something like this:

COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RS-430-PMSR/P ATX12V Max: 400W, Peak: 430W Power Supply 90~132V / 180~264V (Selectable) Nemko / TUV / cUL / CE - Retail
That one is only $34 and after Mail in Rebate is only $19

While the Fortron is definitely a better choice the Cooler Master (Made by Toppower) is decent

johneva · Aug 26, 2006

I dont see why anybody would build an AMD rig at the moment you just carnt even compare them to the Intel Core Duo rigs. Granted they are costing a touch more than building a bottom of the range AMD X2 rig but well worth the extra few $s.

If you want a cheaper alternative then use the Intel 805 they are dirt and cheap perform really well once overclocked, also if you make sure you get a MOBO that supports Core Duo you can always upgrade further down the road.

Get a better PSU I never trust PSUs that you get free with a case remember if your PSU blows it can take your other components with it.

Enermax, OCZ, FSP, Seasonic and Tagen are good makes steer clear of pretty much anything else.

demighost · Aug 26, 2006

well thanx guys, the fortron psu sounds hte way to go. Ill l;ook at a sace w/o a psu then now. ALso, im going amd cuz i want to lol. I never liked intels, they ran way to hott for me in the past, and in my room it was a heater. Also i like amd cuz even overclocked alot, my current comp has lasted well past its time. IM still runing a s754 2800 a64- thats the cheapest and first a64 to come out. STill running strong @ any game w/ my x850pro. Its just thats its time for somthing new for school.

jivetrky · Aug 26, 2006

johneva said:
I dont see why anybody would build an AMD rig at the moment you just carnt even compare them to the Intel Core Duo rigs. Granted they are costing a touch more than building a bottom of the range AMD X2 rig but well worth the extra few $s.

If you want a cheaper alternative then use the Intel 805 they are dirt and cheap perform really well once overclocked, also if you make sure you get a MOBO that supports Core Duo you can always upgrade further down the road.

Get a better PSU I never trust PSUs that you get free with a case remember if your PSU blows it can take your other components with it.

Enermax, OCZ, FSP, Seasonic and Tagen are good makes steer clear of pretty much anything else.

That 805 might be cheaper, but the 3800+ OCed will almost certainly beat out the 805 OCed.

There's nothing wrong with going AMD. Conroe does have better performance but their boards are expensive, SLI is kind of limited with having to use hacked drivers and stuff (unless you get a low overclocking nforce based board)

Good luck with the build...oh one more thing....if you are planning on any overlocking, you should consider an aftermarket heatsink/fan Maybe look at a Scythe Ninja, they have great performance, low noise, and only cost around $30

Good luck!

demighost · Aug 27, 2006

jivetrky ty for all the input, its great lol. And for about the first month ima evreything at stock speeds to let it break in and lemme find right software to run on it and stuff. Afer that month i will be looking into water cooling, or some ver xtreme air cooling for when i clock the beast's. This would be my first water-cooled attempt i dont think i will just fromt the fear of a leak. But i will def upgrade all fans after i let it break in.

johneva · Aug 27, 2006

Oh I know the 805 wont be as good as the AMD 3800 chips but then you carnt upgrade to Core 2 Duo from and AMD rig the way you can if you build an Intel rig with the cheap 805 as I recommended and the 805 would not be far behind the AMD 3800.

The only upgrade option on the AMD at the moment would be to go for the stupidly priced FX-62 which is a total waste of money.

But anyways the guy has already said he dont like Intel and wont even consider them anyways.

Getting new comp plz help

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