Review first build

[KQFan]

Long time listener, first time caller...

My first build, but I've been supporting my company's workstations since 1985 so a build from scratch is the new part.

I want to get to the $1000 sweet spot but $1150 is my limit. I built this pretty tightly from recommendations on mysuperpc.com. I want an AMD just 'cause I've never had one.

This box replaces a 1 ghz Dell and while kids are mainly on it (they'll tax it with titles like Pirates - Legend of Jack Sparrow that my current box won't run), I want to run Photoshop CS, transfer TiVo recordings, etc. Eventually burn DVDs from DV tapes so Firewire is needed and I'd probably land on the consumer version of Premiere down the road.

Case:
Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 Power Supply $99.99
(I like the front USB, FireWire and audio ports; hope the included PS meets snuff)

MoBoard:
MSI K9N SLI Platinum Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard $122.99
(some posts say NB gets hot but I won't be an overclocker and see chip fan; has built in dual gigabit ethernet)

CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA3800CUBOX $135
(I don't need the cuttingest edge chip and have bought at what looks like the low end of the range of Windsors that still has a 2x512mb L2 cache)

CPU Cooler:
Mini Typhoon Value Pack CL-P0343 $49.99
(has side mounted fans to cool the RAM and NorthBridge Chip Set)

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $74.99
(That or a 320gig - again, I was trimming to get closer to $1K)

RAM:
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 $221
(I'll blow a wad here cause I don't think there's ever enough RAM)

Primary Optical:
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe Technology Black IDE Model LH-20A1H-186 $37.99
(Always wanted a lightscribe when HP started selling systems with them - would I ever use it??)

Secondary Optical, FDD, Modem:
(would probably yank out of current box before I recommission it.)

Sound Card:
(at this point, I think I'd try the MoBoard's built in 7.1 sound and see if it suits)

Video Card:
ATI 100-437601 Radeon X1300PRO 256MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Ready Video Card $79.99
(tried to stay away from the price of an X1950)

Keyboard/Mouse:
(Dell optical that came with a server and I use a KVM so they were spare)

Monitor:
SAMSUNG 941BW Black 19" 4 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 500:1 $214.99
(have a fairly new 215TW at work that I love so this seems decent baby brother)

Speakers:
ALTEC LANSING 121i 20 Watts Total Continuous Power 2.1 Speaker $23.99
(Not asking for a whole lot here but didn't look too hard at it.)

OS:
(have a legit unused XP Pro; would upgrade to Vista once dust settles)

That lands at $1010.93 with what I've got on hand already. Let me know if anyone has any suggestions or sees any incompatibilities.

[newbuilder14]

Hi, welcome to PCMech.

At this point, a Core 2 Duo E6300 would make that setup look sick and it would cost around the same price. What you should shoot for is an E6300 chip, an Asus P5B motherboard, Corsair ValueSelect DDR2-667 memory, a Seagate 7200.10 hard drive, a 7600GT video card, and everything else you have chosen but make sure the DVD burner is a retail box so you get the software (SATA is a better interface if you can locate one).

I'm not biased against AMD at all, but benchmarks show that the Core 2 Duos are outperforming AMD counterparts, which is why they are so highly recommended around here.

[KQFan]

Thanks, I'll take another look and repost. I had seen recs leaning toward Intel and thought, "they've gotta be neck and neck so it's preference". But when something else could make your build look sick, you've got to take another look or you'll hate it from day one.

[newbuilder14]

Sick is an exaggeration, but a Core 2 Duo system will definitely beat any AMD system on the market. For some help you can look at other threads.

[Mr.Ferrari]

FYI, if your not overclocking you have no use for such additional cooling devices. Your motherboard will run perfectly fine when stock. A hot northbridge is normal. And by using any other heatsink besides the original you will void the warranty on the cpu.

[KQFan]

Originally Posted by newbuilder14 Hi, welcome to PCMech. At this point, a Core 2 Duo E6300 would make that setup look sick and it would cost around the same price. What you should shoot for is an E6300 chip, an Asus P5B motherboard, Corsair ValueSelect DDR2-667 memory, a Seagate 7200.10 hard drive, a 7600GT video card,...

If the Corsair VS runs $189.99:
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2 - Retail

and the XMS series is $204 after mail-in
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

...I'd go for the XMS if it is still compatible???

[Cricket]

You'd only need the XMS RAM in a C2D build if you're going to overclock it. If you run the system at stock speeds you'd only need the DDR2 667 VS RAM...XMS DDR2 800 would be a waste.

Cricket

[glc]

If you get XMS2, don't get the C4, get the standard CAS5. There's timing issues (spelled stability) with the P965 chipset and tighter timings are virtually unnoticeable.

[KQFan]

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail
is $183.99

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (cas latency 5)
is $220-$40 mail-in - cheaper!

Would you leave it open to overclocking and buy the cheaper XMS or stay safe with first build and assume you'll never start tinkering once built and go with the VS?

[glc]

Get the XMS if it's cheaper.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by KQFan Would you leave it open to overclocking and buy the cheaper XMS or stay safe with first build and assume you'll never start tinkering once built and go with the VS?

Getting the cheaper XMS RAM will give you the option to overclock if you decide to give it a try, but just know that overclocking isn't without it's perils (like data corruption) and you should do your research before you give it a try.

Cricket