Need Help Choosing Parts For First System Build!

[EdwardTobia]

Hey ppls,
Im thinking of building a new system, possibly Dual Core, but im also interested in the single core opterons.
Anyways tell me what you all think of this setup and please feel free to recommend me with different parts, also please tell me if there are any other places IN THE UNITED KINGDOM that may sell the parts cheaper. Also could you please point out if i have missed anything as its the first time im building a system from scratch. I would like to keep the price as low as possible.
Thnx ppls.



CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA3800BVBOX) (CP-134-AM)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/AMD_64_X2.html
£211.44

CPU Cooler: VapoChill Micro Extreme Performance (Socket 754/939/940) (06-L-0015) (HS-005-VP)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Vapochill_Micro.html
£28.14

Motherboard: Gigabyte K8N Pro SLi nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-038-GI)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Gigabyte_Socket_939.html
£82.19

HDD: Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 250GB 6V250F0 SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-088-MD)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Maxtor2.html
£70.44

Graphics: Gigabyte GeForce 6800 GS 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) & Quake 4 Bundle - Retail (GX-016-GI)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/6800PCI_Series.html
£140.94

RAM: OcUK Value 2GB (2x1GB) PC3200 184pin DDR Memory Dual Channel Kit (MY-006-OK)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/OcUK_ValueRAM.html
£111.57

DVD-RW: Samsung SH-W162C 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) (CD-068-SA)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/DVD_RW_Drives.html
£26.97

CD-RW/DVD: Sony CRX320E 52x32x52x16 CDRW/DVD Combi Drive (Black) - OEM (CD-025-SO)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_CD_DVD_10.html
£21.74

Case: Thermaltake VB1000BWS Soprano SuperMidi Tower - Black (CA-015-TT)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermaltake.html
£49.94

PSU: Hiper HPU-4K580-MK Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Red UV (CA-008-HP)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Hiper.html
£54.95

TOTAL £798.32

 

[Flip-Mode]

Motherboard: Gigabyte K8N Pro SLi nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-038-GI)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acata...Socket_939.html
£82.19

A big no no, don't take a chance with unbranded mem.
Everything else is good but you might want to pick up a non SLI board to save a few pounds.

 

[EdwardTobia]

alright thanks mate, could you recommend me a good non-SLI motherboard? anyone else please feel free to post your opinions

 

[moneyownzall]

i recently got a dfi lanparty ultra-d nf4 (pic e) and its worked awesomly. only bad thing was the first board was DOA but we got it returned

 

[Flip-Mode]

Gigabyte K8NF-9 nForce4 (Socket 939) PCI Express Motherboard (MB-032-GI)
Abit KN8 nForce4 (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-086-AB)
Asus A8N-E nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-088-AS)
Epox EP-9NPA+ Ultra nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-027-EP)

all are good boards but I recommend you do a research on each board, here on the forums and google.

 

[<<Spider>>]

I have DFI and it is the most problem of all boards. It's very picky on RAM, bios, driver, etc. This board require a LOT of tweaking.

For your first system build, I would recommend The MSI Neo4 Plat Ultra (non-sli). It's very user friendly, dual-core ready, and very stable.

The SLI version one has better sound for just a little more (but you don't want SLI).

PSU: Hiper HPU-4K580-MK Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Red UV (CA-008-HP)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Hiper.html
£54.95

I'm not sure about this PSU. I've never heard of it but that may be because I'm in the US.

 

[EdwardTobia]

the Epox board looks more promising than the others so thats been inserted into my list...could you recommend some good reliable RAM, but thinking about price/performance? btw thanks for the help, really REALLY appreciated guys (or gals)

 

[fullup3]

The dfi nf4 lanparty ultra-d is a very, very nice board if your goal is overclocking. The amount of options far outweighs the bugs that many people report. With one of the new updated bios', and a knowledge of the settings in the bios, this board will provide a superior overclock in terms of mhz and stability to most other boards around. Also, the ultra-d can easily be modded to the sli-d with only a graphite #2 pencil. If you are still a little worried about the bugs, which I have not experienced at all, the new asus sli board is very nice also.


As far as ram goes, this stuff is awesome. Many people are getting it to 275 - 285 mhz. Also because it uses UCCC ram chips, it requires very low volts....usually around 2.6 or so. Check it out here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231021

 

[<<Spider>>]

Here is a nice PSU for that same price. This PSU is usually over £100.00 and being sold here for £59.00.

FSP 550W PSU Active PFC for Intel Server 24pin + 8pin FSP550-60P

 

[EdwardTobia]

thanks for all the help and opinions guys i really appreciate it
I was thinking.....should i go for a dual core x2 3800+ or one of the single core optys, like the 146 E4 Stepping?

 

[<<Spider>>]

The dfi nf4 lanparty ultra-d is a very, very nice board if your goal is overclocking. The amount of options far outweighs the bugs that many people report. With one of the new updated bios', and a knowledge of the settings in the bios, this board will provide a superior overclock in terms of mhz and stability to most other boards around. Also, the ultra-d can easily be modded to the sli-d with only a graphite #2 pencil. If you are still a little worried about the bugs, which I have not experienced at all, the new asus sli board is very nice also.


As far as ram goes, this stuff is awesome. Many people are getting it to 275 - 285 mhz. Also because it uses UCCC ram chips, it requires very low volts....usually around 2.6 or so. Check it out here:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231021

The updated bios makes mine less stable. The DFI Ultra D is a decent board but too much problems for a noob. Compatibility issues like RAM and bios is really not worth it. DFI support and utilities sucks. The best support for this board requires going on DFI street forum.

The DFI does offer much more OC options. But it does not necessary overclock better. My MSI overclocks better than my DFI and with no issues at all.

For a veteran overclocker who want to tweak every little thing possible, the DFI is the board. For a noob who just wants good overclocking result, the MSI is nice.

 

[EdwardTobia]

XFX GeForce PCX6600 Extreme Edition 512MB DDR2 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (PVT43-PYDL3) (GX-063-XF)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/6600_Series.html
- 560MHz 3D GPU Core Clock Speed
- 900MHz 512MB DDR2 Memory Clock Speed
£99.82

or

XFX GeForce 6800 GS Extreme XXX Edition 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-056-XF)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/6800PCI_Series.html
- 485MHz Core Engine Clock speed
- 256MB 1100MHz high speed GDDR3 memory
£158.57


Which one do you think is best for price/performance?

NOTE: Overclocking WILL be an option

 

[<<Spider>>]

For PCIe, The 6800GS is a nice card and a good overclocker but the best performance for Price is the X800GTO2. Best overclockable and unlockable card avialable.

 

[EdwardTobia]

does the Epox EP-9NPA+ Ultra nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-027-EP) support dual channel memory?

 

[<<Spider>>]

does the Epox EP-9NPA+ Ultra nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-027-EP) support dual channel memory?

I'm not sure if I understand what you are asking. 939 platform has dual chanel memory (all boards). Not the same as DDR2 memory. 939s does not support DDR2. DDR2 will be suported with the new platform AM2 (which is not out yet).

 

[EdwardTobia]

yeh sorry it was a nooby question, this is my first s939 build, as atm im on s754 which does not support dual channel memory, and i wasnt so sure if s939 did but now i know it does thnx!

 

[welco]

If you really want to save money you could just buy a single 1GB stick of OCZ Gold. I would imagine you could live with only 1GB for a little while. That EPoX board is very nice and I'm using the same one except mine uses the regular NF4 chipset. Overclocks very nicely (3000+ @ 2.4ghz on stock volts) and I haven't had any issues with it.

 

[EdwardTobia]

ok guys this is what i have come up with, again feel free to recommend other parts to me, i want to keep the system under £1000.

CPU: AMD Opteron UP 146 San Diego 2.0GHz 1MB Cache (Socket 939) - Retail (CP-142-AM)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/AMD_Athlon_MP.html
£146.82

CPU Cooler: VapoChill Micro Extreme Performance (Socket 754/939/940) (06-L-0015) (HS-005-VP)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Vapochill_Micro.html
£28.14

Motherboard: Gigabyte K8N SLi nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-040-GI)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Gigabyte_Socket_939.html
£64.57

HDD: Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 250GB 6V250F0 SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-088-MD)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Maxtor2.html
£77.49

Graphics: OcUK GeForce 6800 GS 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-034-OK)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/6800PCI_Series.html
£135.07

RAM: G.Skill 2GB DDR ZX PC3200 (2x1GB) CAS2 Dual Channel Kit (F1-3200PHU2-2GBZX) (MY-007-GS)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/G_Skill.html
£158.57

DVD-RW: Sony DWQ30AB 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-044-So)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/DVD_RW_Drives.html
£26.85

CD-RW/DVD: Sony CRX320E 52x32x52x16 CDRW/DVD Combi Drive (Black) - OEM (CD-025-SO)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_CD_DVD_10.html
£21.74

Floppy: OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Black (HD-001-OK)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Other_Drives.html
£6.99

Case: Thermaltake VB1000BWS Soprano SuperMidi Tower - Black (CA-015-TT)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Thermaltake.html
£49.94

PSU: Hiper HPU-4K580-MK Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Red UV (CA-008-HP)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Hiper.html
£54.95

Monitor: Hyundai ImageQuest Q995 19'' Perfectly Flat CRT Monitor - Black/Silver (MO-004-HY)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_CRT_Monitors_66.html
£129.19

Mouse/Keyboard: Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 - Black/Silver (KB-073-LG)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Desktop_Combinations_54.html
£41.07

TOTAL £941.39

 

[<<Spider>>]

Hmm.. My Opionion, These are some excellent choices

CPU: AMD Opteron UP 146 San Diego 2.0GHz 1MB Cache (Socket 939) - Retail (CP-142-AM)
HDD: Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 10 NCQ 250GB 6V250F0 SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-088-MD)
Graphics: OcUK GeForce 6800 GS 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-034-OK)
RAM: G.Skill 2GB DDR ZX PC3200 (2x1GB) CAS2 Dual Channel Kit (F1-3200PHU2-2GBZX) (MY-007-GS)
Floppy: OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Black (HD-001-OK)
Case: Thermaltake VB1000BWS Soprano SuperMidi Tower - Black (CA-015-TT)
DVD-RW: Sony DWQ30AB 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM (CD-044-So)

I would not get that these below and will recommend another from your website.

CPU Cooler: VapoChill Micro Extreme Performance (Socket 754/939/940) (06-L-0015) (HS-005-VP)

Here is what I would recommend as a CPU cooler from your website.
ThermalRight SI-120
I would recommend the Ninja but that website does not carry it.

CD-RW/DVD: Sony CRX320E 52x32x52x16 CDRW/DVD Combi Drive (Black) - OEM (CD-025-SO)

Why do you need two drives. The Sony DWQ30AB 16x16 DVD±RW does it all. It burns CDs and DVD, watch DVD, etc.

PSU: Hiper HPU-4K580-MK Type R 580W Modular ATX2.2 PSU - Red UV (CA-008-HP)

I really think you are better with this less expensive one.
FSP Sparkle ATX-400PNF 400W ATX2.0 PSU (CA-006-SK)
Price: £25.95
Fortron/Sparkle is a well know high quality power supply manufacturer and they are not very expensive. You can choose the more expensive Fortron if you want but do get a Fortron PSU.

And Lastly, the Gigabyte motherboard. Your motherboard is very important and it determines your computer's stability and overclock ability. You need a motherboard that his very stable and that can do over 260HTT to overclock this CPU well. 260HTT will only get you 2.6Ghz.

Get the MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum nForce4 Ultra (or SLI version-- both same price) £69.95. This board can do over 350HTT.

The DFI-Ultra can also do over 350HTT but it requires more tweaking.

 

[EdwardTobia]

just wondering, is this mobo any good, and would i be able to reach high HTTs with it?...

BFG RNF4U nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-000-BG)