Help Choosing

[drezha]

I need some help choosing a new rig. I sorted my low power rig option (the solution was under my nose all the time...I have a Duron that I was using as a media center so that can become my low power rig, underclock it a bit and drop the voltages to drop the power.)

Anyhow, it was my plan to keep my A64 rig as a server and buy a low power rig. Well that was nice but after remembering my Duron and seeing Stalker and C+C3, I want to get back into gaming.

Hence I'll need a gaming rig.:icon_rolleyes: Slightly easier to get I think:icon_lol:

I had a couple of questions regrading it mind. Here's what I had in mind... (the PC will dual boot windows and linux - Windows for games, linux for everything else)

Intel C2D E6400/6600 (whichever I can afford - AM2 X2 5400 or 5000 if I want AMD but not sure...)
2Gb RAM
Mobo - not sure, Any recommendations?
2 x 160Gb SATA HD
nVidia 7900 of some kind? Looking at £150 ish for a GFX card
Antec 900 case - Swung by your guys views of it the other day ;) - Does it have the LED's in? If so I may have to reconsider as I want quiet and little to no lights as this will be on 24/7 crunching in my bedroom
PSU I've no idea about - 450W needed?


Is there anything I'm missing?

Am I best going the C2D route or AMD? It looks like I can get a faster processor Ghz wise going AMD but as we all now, Ghz isn't everything.
Am I best off with a nVidia or ATI? Seeing as it was gonna run nix as well, I was thinking nVidia.

Any help and opinions welcome.

Oh and can anyone recommend a cheap case that's quiet that would let me run a nice server box? Got a case but dislike it at the mo.

[PoorBoy]

Personally I would get the E6600 if you go with the Core 2 Duo just to get the extra 2mb's of L2 Cache it has. The Price difference is not all that much between the E6400 & E6600, I picked up 3 of the 6600's for around $260 by doing some searching a few month's ago, they didn't have the Fan included but I didn't want the stock fan anyway so it worked for me.

I would also go with at least a 550 Watt PSU or even a 650 Watt just to be safe if it's going to be a Gaming rig, you never know you might want to go with SLI down the road & you'll need the Power then a 450 Watt might not give you.

From what I'm seeing the Core 2 Duo's don't have that much advantage at the PI Seg Project over the Higher end AMD's but they do kick butt at most of the BOINC Projects right now anyway ...

[Bender10]

You have your work cut out for you. The cpu choice will depend on crunching preferences.

I agree on a 650w or better ps. You may need a sound card also and mine needs power from the bus, like some video cards.

A motherboard choice might be a Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2, or similar (for games).
If you want to sli, you can buy 2 mid level cards (7600 -7900 range) and get great response, or buy 1 8800 (gt..gtx don't remember) for the same effect. I have 2 - 7600gt sli'ed, and the computer will not run with a 450w ps. And those cards are not externally powered.

My choice for a cpu would be the best am2 chip you can afford. But you may want to go socket 1207?? cpu and mb...

Hope this helps in your thought process.

[Frederic Brillouet]

I need some help choosing a new rig. I sorted my low power rig option (the solution was under my nose all the time...I have a Duron that I was using as a media center so that can become my low power rig, underclock it a bit and drop the voltages to drop the power.)

Anyhow, it was my plan to keep my A64 rig as a server and buy a low power rig. Well that was nice but after remembering my Duron and seeing Stalker and C+C3, I want to get back into gaming.

Hence I'll need a gaming rig.:icon_rolleyes: Slightly easier to get I think:icon_lol:

I had a couple of questions regrading it mind. Here's what I had in mind... (the PC will dual boot windows and linux - Windows for games, linux for everything else)

Intel C2D E6400/6600 (whichever I can afford - AM2 X2 5400 or 5000 if I want AMD but not sure...)
2Gb RAM
Mobo - not sure, Any recommendations?
2 x 160Gb SATA HD
nVidia 7900 of some kind? Looking at £150 ish for a GFX card
Antec 900 case - Swung by your guys views of it the other day ;) - Does it have the LED's in? If so I may have to reconsider as I want quiet and little to no lights as this will be on 24/7 crunching in my bedroom
PSU I've no idea about - 450W needed?Is there anything I'm missing?

Am I best going the C2D route or AMD? It looks like I can get a faster processor Ghz wise going AMD but as we all now, Ghz isn't everything.
Am I best off with a nVidia or ATI? Seeing as it was gonna run nix as well, I was thinking nVidia.

Any help and opinions welcome.

Oh and can anyone recommend a cheap case that's quiet that would let me run a nice server box? Got a case but dislike it at the mo.
the 900 has led lamps. a mate of mine has an antec sonata 2. it comes with a 450 watts psu. he's got a c2d e6400 @3ghz and a 7900 gto and the psu is capable enough

if you want to go socket 1207 the case is too small though. i'd go coolermaster stacker then and a nice 700 watt psu from zalman :)

[Brucifer]

I agree with Bender, buy based on what the largest majority of the intended use of the computer will be IRT to crunching projects. :) And it's a hard decision I know, I fight with it each time I look at getting another X2. :) However, if bucks was not problem I'd go for the $1,000 quad C2. :)

[drezha]

I'd never heard of a Socket 1207 (Or socket F as AMD call it according to Wikipedia)

Why should I go for an Opteron over a normal X2? They don't seem to offer any benefits. Certainly not for gaming.

Thats the Antec case out the window then, I don't want LED's all flashy and shining at me. Keeps me awake :p 700W seems a bit extreme. And costly both to buy and run. Remember, PC components seem to cost twice as much in the UK as they do in the States and Canada. :(

It'll mainly be folding. With some possible dips into projects elsewhere like PI earlier this month. And it looks like (with the help of fahinfo.org) that an C2D may be best. Processor was pretty fixed as it was...Budget was about £150 (possibily thinking £200 now as it is still essentially the most important part of the PC) for a CPU regardless of it being a C2D or AM2. So my choices were fairly fixed.

[Frederic Brillouet]

I'd never heard of a Socket 1207 (Or socket F as AMD call it according to Wikipedia)

Why should I go for an Opteron over a normal X2? They don't seem to offer any benefits. Certainly not for gaming.

Thats the Antec case out the window then, I don't want LED's all flashy and shining at me. Keeps me awake :p 700W seems a bit extreme. And costly both to buy and run. Remember, PC components seem to cost twice as much in the UK as they do in the States and Canada. :(

It'll mainly be folding. With some possible dips into projects elsewhere like PI earlier this month. And it looks like (with the help of fahinfo.org) that an C2D may be best. Processor was pretty fixed as it was...Budget was about £150 (possibily thinking £200 now as it is still essentially the most important part of the PC) for a CPU regardless of it being a C2D or AM2. So my choices were fairly fixed.
i'd go with an antec sonata 2 case then. 450 watts psu included and about 100 euros all in (holland)

[drezha]

i'd go with an antec sonata 2 case then. 450 watts psu included and about 100 euros all in (holland)

Looks good.:icon_thumright:

[Frederic Brillouet]

Looks good.:icon_thumright:
and its silent! (my 900 is a bit noisier than i expected, but still lots better than my last one)

[gatekeeper53]

I have an excellent recommendation on what not to buy! Asus A8V-XE.

Your Newegg.com RMA Confirmation (http://us.f344.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=4827_15323481_27735_1726_2799_0_2 38973_8488_2837337448&Idx=0&YY=22901&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=50&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=&head=&box=Inbox)Fri Mar 30, 2007 (200710kinfo@newegg.com)
Your Newegg.com RMA Confirmation (http://us.f344.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=2728_15328008_28126_1605_3540_0_2 38975_10744_1721410621&Idx=1&YY=22901&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=50&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=&head=&box=Inbox)Fri Mar 30, 2007

Two DOA's gezzz I hate to wait on RMA's

[Opteron]

I have an excellent recommendation on what not to buy! Asus A8V-XE.

Your Newegg.com RMA Confirmation (http://us.f344.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=4827_15323481_27735_1726_2799_0_2 38973_8488_2837337448&Idx=0&YY=22901&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=50&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=&head=&box=Inbox)Fri Mar 30, 2007 (200710kinfo@newegg.com)
Your Newegg.com RMA Confirmation (http://us.f344.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=2728_15328008_28126_1605_3540_0_2 38975_10744_1721410621&Idx=1&YY=22901&y5beta=yes&y5beta=yes&inc=50&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=&head=&box=Inbox)Fri Mar 30, 2007

Two DOA's gezzz I hate to wait on RMA's

WoW... 2 Bad Asus boards???

[gatekeeper53]

LOL after a $20 charge for a new bios chip. Their serial # were only 11 apart and the guy said they have been RMA'ing them all day. Bad lot I guess.

[Opteron]

I'm sorry to hear that on several different levels... You the team and Asus has always been my choice of MoBo's...

[gatekeeper53]

Everyone has a bad day maybe there was a new guy on the production line that day.

[Opteron]

LOL... I sure hope that's all it was...

[AMD-USR_JL]

Why should I go for an Opteron over a normal X2? They don't seem to offer any benefits. Certainly not for gaming.

I heard from someone here, it might have been the overclocking master, Mitro, who said that when AMD tests their CPUs the AM2 chips that pass every stress test become opterons, the ones that pass almost all the tests become high end X2s and so on. This makes the opterons better suited for long term crunching and overclocking.

[vaughan]

I believe that too. Opterons are server class CPUs and designed to work 24/7/365. X2s are gaming CPUs - flat out performance in relatively sort bursts. Keep them both cool and they'll last for ages.

[drezha]

Ah right.

But Opterons are more expensive for less power :(

Currently thinking about this bundle here...
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?MBB-C2D6PU

I've used Novatech before and found to be an excellent service and that bundle looks tasty. For a bit more I can get 2Gb RAM...
There's an AM2 4200 deal. Cheaper deal but it's the same speed chip I have ATM near enough ( I have 2.2Ghz A64 3500+, this is a X2 4200 @ 2.2Ghz) Bit slower than I wanted but I can upgrade at a later date. And it's a price thats quite nice to me with the 2Gb RAM I wanted, ATX mobo etc. Just need to add a better cooler, case, PSU and some hard drives. Oh and a Gfx card.

[Ototero]

I use Novatech sometimes. Good prices with cheap postage.

[gatekeeper53]

Drezha,

Are the taxes that high in England? When I look up those parts on NewEgg I come up with $414, or 210.42 pounds. Amazing.

[Lagu]

Drezha, check this link out:

http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/k.asp

Perhaps they have somthing equal and is mych cheaper.:icon_wink:

[Jason1478963]

If your lucky enough to get the good steppings on the opterons they OC very well. I have a 165 denmark in the wifes running at 2.7ghz stock was 1.8ghz. It seems to be doing good with the crunching. I ordered another 165denmark and didnt get as lucky on that one. Some ppl on the reviews at newegg claimed to get 3ghz on some steppings for a 1.2ghz OC. I didnt feel it was worth trying to pushing the system that hard.

[drezha]

Drezha,

Are the taxes that high in England? When I look up those parts on NewEgg I come up with $414, or 210.42 pounds. Amazing.

Taxes are ridiculous.

To be honest, it may even be worth asking one of you americans to buy it for me and ship it to the UK as a gift (avoids tax ;)) and still be cheaper than buying it all in the UK!

Cheers Lagu, appears Komplett have some cheaper upgrade bundles. Got an AM2 4600 deal for the same prices as the 4200 deal at Novatech.:icon_wink: