My First AMD Rig

M

Moericus

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Jul 14, 2005
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I have built 6 computers using Intel chips. I guess when I was younger I liked watching the Intel guys dance in space suits.

But my dad has finally convinced me to convert to AMD. He just built a dual core PC and I am impressed. So, I figured I would start out small and help out a friend who has been bugging me for a new comp.

I want to build a great gaming maching for under 2k that will be adequate for Vista. Its a machine for playing music, surfing internet, and gaming. I would like it to handle graphics on the latest games, but he really only needs enough power for WoW or another mmorpg.


So my first idea is this:

Modest case w/450W PS
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ 1MB 90nm Rev. E San Diego (939)
2 of Kingston 512MB 400MHz DDR Non-ECC CL3 (3-3-3) DIMM (KVR400X64C3A/512)
ATI SAPPHIRE 100106-RD Radeon X850XT 256MB
I will probably get a SATA 7200 rpm 200 GB drive and a DVD drive too.

I'll take any advice I can get. Please look this over. If you have ran a similar system please tell me it works. Thanks
 
I think that motherboard is overkill especially if you're not going to be doing SLI. Maybe go for something cheaper like a DFI Expert instead of an SLI chipset.
 
i would go with a 7800GT over the x850xt, the x850 is some old tech, major lackage in feature department. 78 series or x18/x19 series is the way to go..

get a dual core chip, a cheaper mainboard, more ram, and dont use the PS that comes in a case unless its an Antec case. case PSU's are typically shit.
 
i second the above post.

512 is way wayy too low. get at least 1 gb, preferably 2 gb.
the differnce between 512 and 2gb is very much worth the extra cost now.

it will cost him less in the long run to go with 2gb now rather than have to upgrade to 2 gb later.

using 4 dims of 512 for 2 gb is slower than 2 dims of 1 gb each in dual channel config.
 
i run 4x 512 and the extra ram out weighs the slower 2T cmd i have to run
 
Thanks everyone.

Any suggestions on different mobo? I'd like to stay with ASUS. Its been the most reliable brand I have ever had.
 
well, theres the a8n-e, a8n-sli deluxe, or a8n-sli premium. i got the premium for the passive chipset cooler, and i got it for $160 shipped at newegg through some sort of pricing error when it was $190... its a nice board.
 
$2K of someone else's money to spend :D
2x1GB ram
3800 X2 or 165 opteron
7800/7900 nv vid card or x1800/x1900 ati vid card
Good psu...budget $100-$150 for this. Very important. Don't buy some crap $50 600W psu.
Asus mobo of you liking.

This puts you ~$1000-$1100......spend rest on 2405 lcd monitor
$2000 spent :D

Don't forget the POS floppy drive if going strictly sata hard drives.
 
SpoogeMonkey said:
$2K of someone else's money to spend :D
2x1GB ram
3800 X2 or 165 opteron
7800/7900 nv vid card or x1800/x1900 ati vid card
Good psu...budget $100-$150 for this. Very important. Don't buy some crap $50 600W psu.
Asus mobo of you liking.

This puts you ~$1000-$1100......spend rest on 2405 lcd monitor
$2000 spent :D

Don't forget the POS floppy drive if going strictly sata hard drives.
Click to expand...
what about a case, cd/dvd drive, os, ect?
 
That's too much money for that setup. That's the super-budget version of the A8N-SLI.
 
I built the rig in my sig for ~$1800 and that's with an expensive case. If you don't need a case that nice, you could easily drop $100 or so. This rig is very nice for gaming and I've got it overclocked to 2.5Ghz so far (testing 2.6Ghz this weekend)... :D

EDIT: Already have the LCD monitor BTW, that was another $300.
 
DarkStar02 said:
Ummm, Opteron 165 over the 3800 x2 anyday.
P.S. Why an SLI board with an ATi video card?
Click to expand...
um, why?

the opterons are more expensive, have a lower multiplier and stock clock speed, and generally OC to the same. id say theyre about equal.
 
lithium726 said:
um, why?

the opterons are more expensive, have a lower multiplier and stock clock speed, and generally OC to the same. id say theyre about equal.
Click to expand...
2x the cache...and the 165 is not more expensive than the 3800+ for me. Im getting it for $261 :D
 
cache matters very, very little when it comes to dual core chips. cache is generally overrated and has a placebo effect.

why does it matter how much you are getting the chip for when it doesnt apply to the OP?
 
DarkStar02 said:
Ummm, Opteron 165 over the 3800 x2 anyday.
P.S. Why an SLI board with an ATi video card?
Click to expand...


I decided against SLI mobo and ATI card. Read last post.
 
I've been making Intel boards with ATI graphics cards for a while. I wanted to see how the other half lives this time for both AMD and nVidia.
 
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