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Geek Culture / hardware boffins : system building advice

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indi
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Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Earth, Brisbane, Australia
Posted: 5th Oct 2006 03:28 Edited at: 5th Oct 2006 03:28
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thinking about putting something like this together but want to know if ram
CPU and motherboard are the most compatible.. if you have a similar setup please tell me what its like.

Quote: "
AMD Athlon™ 64 4600+AM2 Processor Retail Dual Core AM2
Thermaltake Golden Orb II (P4 S775, AMD S754, S939, S940)
ASUS A8N-SLI-SE nForce4 SLI HT2000 DDR400GbLAN Socket 939 Motherboard
1024M (2X512Mb,1G Kit)PC3200 DDR RAM Kingston/Kingmax
Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)
Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)
Asus EN7600GT-2DHT-256 GF7600GT-256MB HDTV-OUT 2XDVI-I
Pioneer DVR-111D 16X DVD-/+R/RW Dual Layer(OEM Beige)(no software)
Panasonic 1.44 Floppy
Creative SoundBlaster Audigy Value Sound Card 7.1
10/100 Netgear PCI network card(FA311)
Creative SBS370 2.1 Speakers-black
Lian Li PC-201B Full Tower Aluminium Case w/Accessory (PC-AD02) Black
Logitech Cordless Rechargable Desktop Keyboard/mouse(967496-0122)
Microsoft Windows XP PRO (OEM)"


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Steve J
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Location: Vancouver, Washington
Posted: 5th Oct 2006 03:42
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Nope, the mobo is 939, and the processor is AM2. Get an AM2 mobo.

http://phoenixophelia.com

Steve J, less, and less Controversial!
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UnderLord
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Posted: 5th Oct 2006 03:46 Edited at: 5th Oct 2006 03:50
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You won't need the sound card with the asus A8N it has built on 7.1 which sounds decent, unless you really really want that sound card =P i know nothing of the AM2's but up the gfx card to a 7800gt if you can afford it. but looks like you got a good system going on there...here is the specs for mine, which will be completed tomorrow!!! YAY!!!!!

Quote: "
Sony Black 52x IDE CD Rom Drive
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe nVidia nForce4 Socket 939 Mobo
Ultra 600w X-Finity Power Supply w/2 80mm / Black
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939 (Venice) BOX CPU (Soon to be a X2 i hope)
Maxtor 300GB Serial ATA HD 7200/16MB/S-ATA-150
Corsair TWINX 2048MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz (2x1024)
Thermaltake Armor Alum Silver Full Tower w/ Window
eVGA 512-P2-N635-AR Geforce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail (coming tomorrow)
"



Quote: "Nope, the mobo is 939, and the processor is AM2. Get an AM2 mobo."


Steve is right your mobo and cpu are not going to work get a AM2 mobo or get a socket 939 CPU. I suggest keeping the A8N mobo as its sweet! and just changing the CPU.


BTW what type of PSU are you going to use? Don't see one listed.

"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."
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indi
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Posted: 5th Oct 2006 04:36
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not sure about the power supply yet, thinking 500w to future proof it a little.
thanks for the tip on the mobo Ill have to change my cpu

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Steve J
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Location: Vancouver, Washington
Posted: 5th Oct 2006 04:45
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I would actually suggest buying an intel chipset (Core 2 Duo e6600). Cheaper, and better.

http://phoenixophelia.com

Steve J, less, and less Controversial!
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transient
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Location: Australia Zoo
Posted: 5th Oct 2006 04:49 Edited at: 5th Oct 2006 04:49
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I'm not sure where your shopping for this, but check out this place.

It looks a bit dodge, I know, but they're pretty good and have cheaper prices than gamedude or umart, if that's where you're going at the moment.

This

mobo is the am2 version of the one you originally quoted, although I don't think it has sli, if that's a selling point. Otherwise this mobo is good, too.

It's good to see you're getting a nice case. Most people skimp on these parts.
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indi
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Posted: 5th Oct 2006 04:53
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thanks for the am2 mobo tip.
that first place looks extremely dodgy, reminds me of the chinese shops in sydney.
The second one is another OSCommerce looking setup.

I do shop at umart but also at http://www.instantit.com.au/

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transient
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Posted: 5th Oct 2006 05:42
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They're not dodgy, they just haven't bothered to make a decent website.

I haven't heard of instantit, but you should always shop where you feel most comfortable with the setup and service. Price isn't necessarily the best way to shop.

I only recommended msy because most diy brisbanites go to umart or gamedude (because they're cheap). Msy is the same no-frills setup as these two, except is a bit cheaper in most cases.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 5th Oct 2006 07:03
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are we forgetting about newegg.com?

I'm about to price out a new system tonight while I wait for windows to install. I'll be going with the intel myself.

As a side note, I heard IBM just released new lower power PPC chips. Who's gonna buy them since Apple no longer sells any PPC computers?

"Using Unix is the computing equivalent of listening only to music by David Cassidy" - Rob Pike
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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 5th Oct 2006 12:17
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My 2 cents...
1)
Quote: "10/100 Netgear PCI network card(FA311)"
Why? The mobo has at least 1 onboard GBit NIC.. Most usually have 2.
2)
Quote: "Microsoft Windows XP PRO (OEM)"
Are you going to connect to a domain? If not there is very little reason to get Pro over Home.
3)
Quote: "Thermaltake Golden Orb II"
Why? I have an Athlon939 4400+ and am using the stock heatsink. I never go about 35C (although I'm not overclocking it). I just build a system for my girlfriend and used the retain heatsink on an Athlon64 3200+ AM2 and it idle's at 30 and I've not bothered checking what it goes up to. The retails heatsinks with AMD's are MUCH better than they used to be. I think (cant rememeber exactly) mine came with heatpipes too!

One other question - whats the purpose of this PC? Is it a storage/media machine (eg video editing), gaming, Word/Excel, etc? That effects the hardware you use...

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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 5th Oct 2006 22:05
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Go with an e6300 Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. It runs at 1.86Ghz but can easily overclock past 3Ghz with the right Mobo. I'm getting the DS3 Mobo, only downside on that mobo is it only has 1 PCI express slot so that means no crossfire for me!

Also your going to want at least DDR2 667 if your even going to dream about overclocking. I'd go with DDR2 800 if your a gamer.
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indi
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Posted: 12th Oct 2006 01:24
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ok so here is a revision before i get closer to buying

Quote: "
AMD Athlon™ 64 3700+ Processor Retail (939)
Thermaltake Golden Orb II (P4 S775, AMD S754, S939, S940)
ASUS A8R-MVP Express 200 CrossFire,939,A64FX,DDR400,2XPCIE16,SATA2,1394,Glan
1024M (2X512Mb,1G Kit)PC3200 DDR RAM Kingston/Kingmax
Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)
Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)
Asus EN7600GSSLN-HTD-512 GF7600GS SLN, 512MB, HDTV OUT, DVI, PEx
Pioneer DVR-111DBK 16X DVD-/+R/RW Dual Layer(OEM Black)(no software)
Panasonic 1.44 Floppy
Creative SoundBlaster Audigy Value Sound Card 7.1
Creative SBS370 2.1 Speakers-black
Lian Li PC-201B Full Tower Aluminium Case w/Accessory (PC-AD02) Black
Logitech Cordless Rechargable Desktop Keyboard/mouse(967496-0122)
Microsoft Windows XP Home (OEM)
"


looks like i cant purchase that mobo anymore so i had to choose another.

tech spec comments welcome again.

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UnderLord
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Posted: 12th Oct 2006 04:57
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Looks good indi, i just got my 7950gt, been meaning to post pictures but i see no ponit as i'll want ot post again once i get my new dell 20.1" widescreen LCD (in 2 months) The 7950GT by its self works wonders! i love it, can't get enough of it! Still need to see what the temp is at full load though. But keep it up your lookin good there indi!

"I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."
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Phaelax
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Posted: 15th Oct 2006 06:55
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Lian Li cases cost way too much money in my opinion. No case should ever cost over $100, much less what they charge. I got a very nice full tower Antec for $70.

Have you priced this out yet?

"Using Unix is the computing equivalent of listening only to music by David Cassidy" - Rob Pike
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indi
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Posted: 16th Oct 2006 03:32
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yes so far they want $2222 AUD

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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 16th Oct 2006 05:46
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Wow you need some help... I'm not even sure compatibility wise (I'm not gonna do your homework for you ), but technology wise your struggling. What do you plan on doing with this computer? Don't say gaming. Because if you do I'm gonna have a heart attack.

I'm willing to help you out. I'll check back here tomorrow.
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indi
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Posted: 16th Oct 2006 06:10
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I dont want to pay for bleeding edge technology, I buy into technology when the price has dropped to something rationale.
I need a good raid backup for all my other windows machines so i can back it all up to disk.
hence the twin 500's looks like a good solution.

I need a development platform for DBP and my game DT
I want a shader testing environment and that card looks ok for the price.

I hardly play games anymore, I need to upgrade the windows side of my business so I can continue development of long running projects as well as a backup solution.

I was thinking AMD for a long time but with the advent of intel and MacOSX I could extend the life of the machine so I will have to choose and intel based mobo and chipset to go that way.

I dont think I will require your help sid but thanks for the positive insight to your comments.

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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 17th Oct 2006 05:29
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Yea not problem Indi. My only suggestion would be yes, go with intel this time around. The Intel Core 2 Duo is the best bang for the buck right now, especially the e6300. It also sounds like you can get away with DDR2 533 or 667 RAM, but always get at least a gig of what your gonna get. I don't know to much about Hard Drives, but it looks like you've done some research there. As far as graphics go, a good site to check that out on is tomshardware.com. Here's a link to the page on his site i'm talking about. You can get a feel for what card you'll want for the amount of money your willing to spend. Enjoy!

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/09/26/the_best_gaming_video_cards_for_the_money/
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Phaelax
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Posted: 17th Oct 2006 11:50
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Here's what I been pricing out for a Core 2 Duo setup. The second junk of items I just threw in for a similar comparison to what you have, since I tend to reuse a lot of stuff. I already own a copy of XP so I didn't include that in the price. Only big difference is I have twice the memory but you have 3x the storage. And I only listed a 256mb card vs your 512mb.

I've read quite a bit of stuff, mostly on toms hardware, about the new Intel Duo chips. Research definately points to going the Intel route, AMD has nothing on these chips.




"Using Unix is the computing equivalent of listening only to music by David Cassidy" - Rob Pike
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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 17th Oct 2006 22:01
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Just be careful with the voltage requirements between the Motherboard and RAM. Most DDR2 800 RAM needs over 1.8v (Unless it's a higher latency, like 5). The reason I say this is because I found out through newegg that the P965 Express North Bridge doesn't accept RAM over 1.8v. Go to any P965 Express board on newegg and read the disclaimer at the bottom of the specs page. It'll tell ya this:

Quote: "Notice: Only DDR2-800 memory supporting JEDEC approved 1.8V operation with timings of 5-5-5 or 6-6-6 is supported on Intel Desktop Boards based on Intel 965 Express Chipsets."


Read the Motherboard Documentation and check the RAM Compatibility chart before buying your mobo. Kingston.com has a great compatibility chart for their RAM.
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indi
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Posted: 18th Oct 2006 03:59
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I bet that price above doesnt factor in shipping to australia though huh?
There is a GST and wholesale % to add. if so thats a nice price.

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Phaelax
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Posted: 18th Oct 2006 08:21
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I noticed that Sid. Just so happens that the ram I had chosen was also the same ram that Newegg was selling as part of a combo deal with that mobo. I couldn't see Newegg selling an incompatible combo.

Although, I haven't a clue what JEDEC means.

Nope, doesn't take into consideration shipping. Although, if it can save you enough money to go through the trouble, have someone in the states order the parts then ship them to you. Might be cheaper, might not.

This used to be so much easier. Ram was one voltage and the only thing you needed to know is if your EDO had to be gold pin or not.


And now I see ppl saying certain power supplies aren't compatible with their motherboards. All it does is deliver power, how can it not be compatible?

"Using Unix is the computing equivalent of listening only to music by David Cassidy" - Rob Pike
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Nicholas Thompson
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Posted: 18th Oct 2006 17:25
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Just to step in at the last minute - I have a Lian Li PC60 (Ali with a window) and wanna say its the best case I've ever had (I'm built about a dozen computers, all with different cases).

The Lian Li has easily been the best case in terms of assembly and is fantastic in terms of cooling.

[center]
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Sid Sinister
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Posted: 19th Oct 2006 06:45
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JEDEC means this (taken from google dictionary XD): "Joint Electron Device Engineering Council. The group that establishes the industry standards for memory operation, features, and packaging."

Yea I've never heard of newegg doing that either. They're usually pretty good with that kind of stuff. On a side note I don't like neweggs website layout now...

Nice case, I like mine though.
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Phaelax
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Posted: 19th Oct 2006 13:03
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I looked up what JEDEC stood for, but what does it mean? Like a level of quality or standards?

I don't like newegg's new layout either.


A perfect case to me would be:
- deep enough to not have drives/wires over the mobo.
- removable mobo tray
- drive rails
- NO see-thru windows
- NO top mounted fans
- Doesn't look like it belongs to a "ricer"

I'm not asking for much am I?

"Using Unix is the computing equivalent of listening only to music by David Cassidy" - Rob Pike
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