Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

I'm not saying the system wouldn't be okay with that, but with any overclocking you'd be running a risk, and anything over a 7600 series card would probably create problems. With a more powerful PSU, he's ready to upgrade his video card without replacing his PSU.

[Munkul]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

youre absolutely right in that last post.

[Fae]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

It's been some time since I've come back from England (England, glorious England!)
and finally I've got enough time to really get going - buy some hardware!
Thanks to good circumstances I'll be able to spend a bit more
on the new hardware... so I've read some more reviews, changed
my mind on some items and here's what the list looks like right now.

Comments are highly apprecianted!!!
Nothing bought yet - there's still time to change my mind!


1) RAM:
2x G.E.I.L. DIMM 1 GB DDR2-533 Kit (GX21GB4300DC)

2) CPU:
AMD Athlon64 3500+ (Boxed, OPGA, "Orleans")
or
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (OPGA, "Brisbane")

+ Thermaltake Silent K8

3) Mainboard:
MSI K9N Platinum

4) GPU:
XFX GF7900 GT Extreme Edition 1500 (Retail, TV-Out, 2x DVI)

5) PSU:
Seasonic S12-500HT
or
Cooltek 500W Ultra-Silent

6) Case:
Antec P180 or P150
<= I need a case where I can add some additional fans,
the last case had zero airflow and the parts ran awfully hot.


So, what do you think? No bottlenecks anymore (changed 7600GT to 7900, etc)?

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

Go dual-core. In two days the Athlon 64 X2 3800 takes a huge price drop. You'd be nuts not to get one.

Seasonic over Cooltek for sure.

Antec cases are great, but super expensive. I usually get a cheap Raidmax or the like and add fans as I please. They usually have room for plenty. If not, I get out the rotary tool and make room.

[Fae]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

Right now the AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (OPGA, "Brisbane")
is at 169 EURO. Hopefully the price drops will affect
German retailers also - I keep my fingers crossed but
I doubt it...

I had a long discussion with a good friend of mine
yesterday while in cinema (God... "Poseidon" was
bloody awful - nice FX, otherwise a desaster (literally). That's
why we had so much time to talk *lol*) and he told
me to NOT get a 500W PSU, 'cause it would not be needed.
He worked for a German pc magazine and the fellows of
the hardware section told him, that the important thing
is that the voltage lines (12V , 5V) etc are stable.
It's not so much a question of how much Watts it
features, it rather needs quality lines that don't
begin the "flicker" when the hardware starts "watt hogging".

What about that? Can you agree? He explained that even
with a Seasonic 430W (for 69Euro) it'd be on the safe side.
No need for spending 99Euro on the 500W equivalent.


Problem with the case is: many of the manufactorers you
told me about can't be found in Germany (haven't found
Panaflo(w) fans or Raidmax cases :-/), that's why I'm
so hitched to the stuff the one shop sells, where my friends
gets a ~10% discount.

But I'll have a look for those Raidmax cases, maybe
I can find a retailer here. More info soon ;-)

Hm... if you want too look at the cases that the shop
sells (where I'm planning to buy the rest of the stuff), here
are two links - side pannel is in German but products have
factory names, pictures and prices.
Maybe you see one and say "Hell! Get that one! Cheap! Good quality",
which I've overlooked.

Midi Towers

Big Towers

[Yawgm0th]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

If you're going to be overclocking you will need a 500W PSU. For a regular system, a high-quality 420-460W with good 12v rails is all that you need. For overclocking, you need more than just good rails; you need the extra wattage. The quality of the PSU is almost always easy to determine based entirely on brand, Seasonic being a brand I would trust without question. A 430W PSU will do the job as your friend said, but you said earlier you want the overclockability to be there, and it won't be if you get a 430W power supply. Maybe a 480W would be safe, but definitely not a 430W. Also, make sure you're getting an ATX 12v 2.0 PSU, meaning it will have a 24-pin power connector and dual 12V rails. If money is a big issue, try eBay.

I kind of the like the cooling on this one. It's cheap, has a 120mm exhaust, something in the front, and a CPU duct, by the looks of it. It should get the job done, and it's one of the cheaper cases. It's way too expensive by USD standards, but based on the prices of the other cases, I'd say it's a good bet EURO. I certainly wouldn't spend more than €40 on a case.

I haven't checked out what EURO values the processors are changing to, but X2 3800s are supposed to go from $295 USD to $165 over the course of a day. Now your average online retailer isn't going to do this immediately, but the price will usually drop within a couple weeks, and it might slowly go down as time passes.

[casecutter]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

I will never understand the concept of building a $1000US+ PC and spending as little as possible on the power supply. Do you realize that if/when a cheap or underpowered power supply gives out it almost always takes out other parts of the system? Why would you want to buy the cheapest one possible when if you upgrade 6 months from now it will be too weak to use? You save $40 now, but have to spend $100 later to upgrade the power supply. To end this rant, you get what you pay for. A cheap power supply is never ever a good idea and anyone that tells you otherwise is a fool.

[Fae]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

Ok, this is settled then. I'm going to buy the 500W Seasonic version.
I may spend 30Euro more on the PSU but getting a case for 39EURO
(such as the one you liked - looks good, not to flashy, not a beige
monstrosity either ) leaves a lot more room for such things.

I guess I'll wait a few more days and maybe try to contact Alternate
via my friend's connection. They should know if they'll adapt the prices
in the course of next few weeks.

And thank you so much again - it's unbeliebable how much care
goes into your postings.

I will never understand the concept of building a $1000US+ PC and spending as little as possible on the power supply. Do you realize that if/when a cheap or underpowered power supply gives out it almost always takes out other parts of the system? Why would you want to buy the cheapest one possible when if you upgrade 6 months from now it will be too weak to use? You save $40 now, but have to spend $100 later to upgrade the power supply. To end this rant, you get what you pay for. A cheap power supply is never ever a good idea and anyone that tells you otherwise is a fool.

<= Point taken :-)

[Fae]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

I just saw something that I have (unfortunately) overlooked
up till now... I have 2 IDE harddrives and 2 optical drives...
all the motherboards today (especially the MSI one I had
picked) feature only 1 IDE line... only 2 drives.

Is there any way to connect IDE via SATA or something
like that?

If not it's ok because my roommate would buy the IDE
hd from me and I would get myself a decent SATA hd.
Any suggestions on that one?

Update:

Just checked prices at Alternate and ... wow! 300GB
for roughly 100Euro?? I guess I'll buy one ^^
Only have to figure out which one...

btw: switched from MSI K9N Platinum to
Asus M2N-E - hope it's a good choice?

[Amd_Lover2004]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

Make sure you stay away from Maxtor. SOme people have had nothing but good luck with them, but most stories I've heard are bad.

Try to stick to Western Digital or Seagate if possable, much better hard drives.

maxtor has been bought by Seagate, but there still may be older drives floating about that you dont want to get your hands on.

[Fae]

Make sure you stay away from Maxtor. SOme people have had nothing but good luck with them, but most stories I've heard are bad...

Yep! Had 2 Maxtor HDs, both shipwrecked before the warranty run out
(thankfully..) - won't get those anymore. The Samsung one seems to
be good, read some nice reviews. Pretty fast and stable.

[[email protected]]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

Hold on, I thought that you were going for a 500w psu? A 430w model is not going to hold in this circumstance. I hope this is a misprint or something.

Secondly, I would go with a Seagate or Western Digital HD. I have had great luck with both of them.

I hope this helps, but do change that power supply.

[Munkul]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

the samsung drive is great ive bought two of them for friends and they are pretty quiet, and very fast for what they are.

[orangutang91]

Re: Need help / clarification regarding hardware config

Hold on, I thought that you were going for a 500w psu? A 430w model is not going to hold in this circumstance. I hope this is a misprint or something.

Secondly, I would go with a Seagate or Western Digital HD. I have had great luck with both of them.

I hope this helps, but do change that power supply.

I would go with a mor juicy PSU also, no upgradability without power.