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Building AMD Athlon 64 2800 system

Stu55

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jan 25, 2005
Messages
1,679
I just want to get your opions, suggestions, and ideas. Keep in mind i'm trying to keep it kind of a budget.
Chenming 602 Silver Entry server
Super Flower Modular 450 watt
ABIT NF8 Nforce 3 250GB
AMD Athlon 64 2800+, retail
Mushkin 512MB PC3200
XFX 6600GT 128MB AGP 8X (Gigabyte maybe?, whats the best brand 6600GT AGP?)
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value- Retail
120GB-160GB, 8MB cache, 7200RPM, ATA (whatever i can find on sale)
17"-19" Flat Screen CRT
Dual Boot/ Win. XP Pro/ 98 S.E.
 
Looks ok to me. Bear in mind that the motherboard you have chosen has onboard sound which is likely to be of a fairly good quality. It gives you an excuse to not buy the sound card right now and see if you are happy with the onboard solution. Using onboard sound will probably eat up a couple of fps in games, but nothing noticeable. Perhaps get the AMD 64 3000+ if it's only a fraction more money.

Get the best 19" monitor you can afford. It will stand you through many upgrades as long as it doesn't break (shouldn't be an issue).

The 6600GT is a great card for the price and implies you are going to use the PC for a lot of games. If this is the case, you will really feel better with 1Gb RAM instead of 512Mb. Things load quicker, games have less stutter, paging is reduced massively. It might not sound much, but the difference is surprising.
 
abit NF8 bad.
DFI Lanparty NF3 UT 250Gb good.

nuff said, but ill say more.

the DFI would be a MUCH better overclocker and get get you much more for your dollar from that processor than the NF8. the NF8 is not an overclocking king (or not a proven one) like the NF7 was...but the DFI board is. my 2800+ runs at 2.4ghz with only 110% increase in vCore

if your not into overclocking the NF8 would be wa good board.
 
I was thinking of doing a little overclocking to it after warranty is up, but nothing serious, like nothing beyond 3200 speeds if that, and i'll get another stick of 512 for my birthday :)
 
I have the xfx 6600 gt AGP, and I love it. However, Ive heard other people having problems with the xfx 6600 gt, so I would probably have to reccommend against it. Your best bet would probably be the MSI 6600 GT. Most of the 6600gt AGPs are the same besides looks and bundle, so just choose the one that suits you best. As for the mobo, definately go for the DFI lanparty UT 250gb or the MSI k8n neo platinum, both are great performers and look sweet. Especially the DFI if you like UV.
 
I heard some bad things about the MSI 6600GT AGP, they said they had some problems with heat and a couple people said their heatsink actually came off.
 
Back with the 6600GT - BFG are often regarded as the best manufacturer. They overclock their products slightly out of the box and you get a proper lifetime guarantee, covering the factory overclock as well (but not any extra you might add on top ;) ). They might cost you a slight price premium over the others though.
 
If it's a Socket 754 set-up, the MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM (yeah, the model name is in all caps) is a great motherboard. NForce 3 250Gb, ton's of onboard stuff (4x SATA, 2x PATA, 3x DIMMS, great overclocking options). Built two systems for friends/family with this board, comes highly reccomended.
 
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