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New Build - Need Help Finetuning

M

Mana

n00b
Joined
Nov 18, 2007
Messages
12
Hello, I am building a new computer to coincide with the release of the new Phenom processor from AMD. I have the parts mostly picked out, however it would be appreciated if I could get input and suggestions, especially with regards to the compatibility of the various parts.

The computer I am building is based around Phenom and AMD's new 790FX chipset. The main use for the system will be gaming, as well as homework typical of a Computer Science student in university. I plan on doing a bit of overclocking, but I am not going to do anything extreme. Also, I live in Canada, so NCIX.com, Tigerdirect.ca, and Canadacomputers.com are essentially my only choices for retailers. Anyway, here is what I am looking at, along with roughly what I want to spend for each part. All prices exclude taxes, and are in Canadian:

Power Supply: $120 (Currently looking at buying the Antec Truepower Trio 650W])
CPU Heatsink: $50 (Currently looking at buying the Thermalright ULTIMA-90)
Case and CPU Heatsink Fan: $25 * 2 (Currently looking at buying 2 Antec TriCool 120MM DBB Case Fans)
Motherboard: $225 (Currently looking at buying the Gigabyte MA790FX-DS5 AM2+ Motherboard)
CPU: $320 (Currently looking at buying the Phenom 9700 Quad-Core)
RAM: $130 for 2 GB (Currently looking at the Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 DDR2 2GB 2X1GB)
Harddrive: $100 (Currently looking at the Western Digital SE-16 320GB 3.5IN SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Hard Drive)

I have already bought the following:

Speakers: $75
Optical Drive: $40 (A typical DVD/CD burner)
Case: $120 (The Enermax Uber Chakra ECA5001B)
Videocard: $240 (The HIS Radeon 3870)

In total, for the parts I still need to buy I don't want to spend much more than $1025 (excluding shipping and taxes).

Thank you in advance for your help :)
 
Looks pretty good so far. Try to see if you can get Scythe S-Flex fans instead. They're much quieter and move a bit more air than those Antecs.
 
Thanks for the reply :)

I have some concerns with the heatsink and RAM, if someone could clear this up it would be appreciated.

I have now decided to go with the Thermalright ULTRA-120 Extreme over the Thermalright ULTIMA-90 that is in my original post. However my big concern with it is, given the motherboard, CPU, and case that I am buying, will it fit? Specifically, should the heatsink be compatible with AM2+ because it is compatible with AM2? As well, given the 25cm fan in the case, will the heatsink be too tall? Finally, with the motherboard, will the heatpipes on it block the Thermalright ULTRA-120 Extreme?

Additionally, I just want to double check that Phenom should support PC8500 memory at 1066 MHz, right? And that the Crucial Ballistix I listed, even though it is not tested with the motherboard, should work?
 
The Ultra120x should be fine on that board, but I'm not sure about that case (and its huge sidefan, lol). Yes, I believe the mounting mechanism is the same for both AM2 and AM2+. If you want to be safe, go for the Ultima90 instead, especially since you don't plan on OC'ing very high. I have no idea how the ballistix will work with that board, but it should work, lol. If not, Crucial should do something about it for you.
 
Thanks for the reply, I switched my platform over to the Abit IP35-e motherboard and Q6600 CPU, with everything else being the same, and ordered my parts after some more research and talking to friends. I really really wanted to go with AMD but unfortunately the CPUs just aren't there, and I can't wait 2-3 months for the revisions to come out that will make Phenom competitive -.-

As well, after doing measurements I determined the Ultra-120 wouldn't fit, so I had to go with an Ultima-90, which still isn't bad.

Anyway, thank you again for the replies, it may not seem like much, but it did help me.
 
Good choices. Trust me, the Ultima90 is great. It keeps my E6750 @3.8Ghz at a cool 28°C idle and only reaches 52°C during full load (22°C ambient).
 
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