Decisions, Decisions...

[swampdonkey]

Well it's about that time for a new system. But...what to build. I definitely want AMD but I dont know which socket would be a better choice, AM2 or 939. I dont want to make the same mistake I made on my last build, buying a socket 754 and not being able to upgrade due to it becoming obselete much quicker than I imagined. I want to reuse as many parts as possible from my current build as seen in my signature. Definite things I want to reuse are my case, CDRW, HD's, and hopefully my videocard. The problem is, it's an AGP.

A few things are drawing me to AM2...DDR2 ram is much cheaper right now than DDR1. Another being the A64 CPUs are also quite cheap. The problem is I know it is very new technology and dont want to take many risks.

Socket 939 is my other choice and it seems to be a viable one due to it is proven, still very powerful, and just as good as AM2. But I'm not sure I want to invest in a 939 rig because I dont know how much longer the socket is going to be around.

So basically I'm asking for a little help with my decision. Things I know I'm going to need are a new PSU, mobo, cpu, ram, and probably a videocard. This system will be used for gaming so I need a good videocard and at least 1 gig of ram. I'm hoping to spend as little as I can.

Thanks.

[jayb1234]

Stick with 939.

AM2 is still too buggy and has a lot of RAM compatibility issues and other stuff like getting the RAM running at the right speed.

Also the current AM2 processors are just reworked versions of the 939s and there is no performance upgrade from the equivalent 939 models.

Personally, I would go with Core 2 Dou, they are quite a bit better than anything AMD currently has on the market.

[swampdonkey]

Thanks for the reply.

I had a few part picked out...but I'm not sure on the CPU I should go with. I have a pretty limited budget here, so bear with me...

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131517

OCZ 1 gig DDR400 stick
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227221


AMD A64 3700+
http://www.newegg.com/product/Produc...82E16819103622


Few things- Not sure if I should go with a dual channel kit or not. What are the advantages of doing so?

Also I'm not exactly sure on the CPU. The 3700+ I listed has 1mb of l2 cache and a San Diego core. Should I go with the Venice core instead? What are the differences besides double the cache? Will I see that much difference between 512 and 1 mb caches?

I know I'm going to need a new videocard too. I'm thinking about a 7600GT like this card- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017 What is ATi's equivalent? I probably should stick with nVidia since I did pick out an SLI board. Which brings me to my next question...Is SLI really worth it or should I save some money and go with a board like the A8N-E?

Finally the power supply. Would a 400w be enough if I did not go with an SLI build? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104952

thanks again.

[minsonngo]

Go with dual channel, it will give you a small performance boost.

The PSU you picked out is good but you may want something with a bit more juice. It may be just enough now but will not leave much room for upgrades. And if you plan on going SLI you will need a much stronger PSU.

SLI isn't really worth it unless your will to spend a lot on better video cards.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by swampdonkey Thanks for the reply. I had a few part picked out...but I'm not sure on the CPU I should go with. I have a pretty limited budget here, so bear with me...

How much is your budget?

Originally Posted by swampdonkey Few things- Not sure if I should go with a dual channel kit or not. What are the advantages of doing so?

Yes, get the kit. Dual Channel DDR will give you a slight performance boost, but having two sticks of RAM is also helpful for troubleshooting purposes.

Originally Posted by swampdonkey Also I'm not exactly sure on the CPU. The 3700+ I listed has 1mb of l2 cache and a San Diego core. Should I go with the Venice core instead? What are the differences besides double the cache? Will I see that much difference between 512 and 1 mb caches?

I'm not familiar with all the different Athlon cores, but having twice the L2 cache will definitely give you better performance.

Originally Posted by swampdonkey Finally the power supply. Would a 400w be enough if I did not go with an SLI build?

It depends on how many hard drives you have and the power requirements of the video card you use. My guess is it'll work, but will work hard to power the system (creating more heat). A 450 watt Fortron Source might be a better option...gives you more headroom if you add more drives.

Cricket

[swampdonkey]

Update

Instead of the A8N SLI I'm going to go with an MSI K8N Neo4-F to save some money. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130491

I'll go with this OCZ Ram-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227039

For the power supply- I have built a few systems using this Thermaltake But I wasnt sure if it would work in my new system. 420w should be enough but what about dual +12v rails? What is the difference exactly between dual 12v and a single 12v?

For my video card, I was wondering how a 6800xt would stack up against my current card and a 7600gt. the 6800xt can be had for $99 at newegg right now, and it is also a 256bit card. I'm not looking to play all my games at 1600x1200 maxx everything, I just want 1024x768 high settings all around. I need more FPS in games like HL2 and CSS. I also want to play Oblivion with mostly high settings. Could I do this with a 6800XT?

My budget is...as little as possible I want to keep it in the 400- 450 range if possible. This includes my buying a new DVD RW drive.

[blue60007]

I'd suggest this board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131569

MSI boards are OK, but ASUS has been better (it's your money though, and I don't think you'll go wrong with the MSI).

No, that power supply won't work. You need one with a 24 pin main connector (or 20+4) and dual 12V rails (basically two seperate 12V outputs internally). PCI-E builds use a lot more 12V power and dual rails usually doubles (or close to) the 12V power. That Thermaltake has 18 amps on one 12V rail. I think that Forton 450W power supply has *two* 18A, 12V rails. (effectively 36A of 12V power)

I'm not sure about the 6800XT, but the 7600GT is a great bang for the buck and should handle games pretty decently. We've been recommending it as the minimum for a gaming rig lately. I think the 6800XT will be better than the 6600GT, and the 7600GT will be another jump up.

[Mr.Ferrari]

This is One HECK of a psu for the price: http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-E5140GH&c=fr (400W)

This is also another one:
http://www.directron.com/enp5246g.html
(460W)

BUT, I suggest the 400W as it uses some better parts and has 80 Percent efficiency. And no the 60w is of no use as its mostly on the 3.3v and 5v rails. Both are very nice psu's.

[swampdonkey]

I've pretty much have everything picked out, except the video card. Now that I've decided not to go with an SLI board, I am considering ATi. I'm kinda leaning toward an X850XT after checking things out on newegg. It seems to be a much better performer than a 6800xt after checking benchmarks at toms hardware. Anyone have an X850XT? how do they stack up? Am I going to need more than 400 watts if I get a beefy card like this?

[Mr.Ferrari]

Yes but you will lose alot of features such as Shader model 3. I really suggest you choose between a 7600GT or a X1600XT. Minimum gaming cards.