rightwingtroll Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 I've done alot of research and its time to upgrade from my old Athlon XP 2400. I'd like to know if there are any compatibility issues with the following, if I am forgetting anything, etc... Here is what I am looking at purchasing - All through Newegg, except for a $400gc to TigerDirect. Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ (is the extra $200 or so worth it for the 4800?) Motherboard: DFI LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR Expert (from what I understand it has more room) RAM: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) PC3200 2-3-3-8 or PC4000 3-4-3-8 Case: Gigabyte Aurora 3D Full Tower Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling 510 SLI Hard Drive: Western Digital 250GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache SATAII Video Card: BFG GeForce 7900 GTX 512MB DVD Drive: NEC 3550a I should note that I will not be doing any overclocking. Should I get a third-party heatsink/fan, and if so, is the Thermalright XP-120 a good match for this system. I notice that it does not come with a fan, so is there a recommended one from Newegg I should get. Finally, after I start my new job, I'm planning on purchasing a 61" Samsung HDTV for use as a big screen monitor. Any thoughts on the quality for PC viewing? The specs label it as 1080p. I've saved up some money during my time at college and this is my graduation present to myself, so I thank everyone who is giving me advice in advance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicked_Wish Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 Looks like a prety BA system to me man, wow. Lets see, I don't know that you would see a huge performance difference between the 4400+ and the 4800+, it's really just up to you deciding if you want to spend the extra 200 for the best (well second best counting the FX-60). Everything else looks awsome, as for the heatsink, the stock should be fine for no OCing, but if you want that headroom or you just want the keep the proc a little cooler then the XP120 or XP90 are great choices, paired with a Panaflo, Delta, or Sunon fan they work awsome. BTW I love that PSU but if you plan on doing SLI in the future you might need more, I don't think you would, but its better to be safe than sorry. Though that is a prety beefy PSU. As for the monitor, i can't comment on the quality, but a 61" would kick butt! Looks awsome to me and as far as I know everything should work fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 everything looks good but save yourself some money on the psu and just get an OCZ Powerstream 520w as you don't need to spend all that for a PCP&C *they are great psu's, but too expensive really* get the OCZ PC4000 memory instead of hte PC3200 (cuz you know you will end up clocking a little bit) I'd go with just an XP-90 heatsink as there's really no difference in performance between the XP series of heatsinks and the XP-90 is cheaper ($28 at the place that is in the link in my sig, or see the SVC.com thread stuck to the top of this section). They have plenty of 92mm fans at the bottom of the XP-90 page at SVC to choose from that will work, and I buy the Zalman 92mm fans myself. and the XP-120 is great, but it isn't going to allow you overclock any more than the XP-90...no heatsink that is aircooled is...and even going to water you might get a little more overclock but usually not, you will just get slightly lower temps. stay away from Delta/Tornado or any other high speed fans...unecessary and extremely loud ps the 4400+ is a great cpu....with the PC4000 memory, you will EASILY be able to do 4800+ speeds without issues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rightwingtroll Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 Thanks for the reply! I was just reading Wicked's reply when I had a couple questions about the memory and then I researched the OCZ Powerstream 520, then I see you recommended it here some more. I do have a question about the PS, be it the PCP&C or OCZ, and that being the 8-pin connector on the expert board. Do either have the 8-pin, and if not (It sounds like the 4-pin will work) do I just use the 4-pin, or would I use 2 4-pin adapters as the OCZ appears to have in this picture http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/pro...-711-002-08.JPG I'll look into the XP-90 and the zalman fans through link in your sig. Thanks for the quick response and helpful advice! I'll keep updating as needed. Right now I'm waiting on my $400 gift card before I purchase anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdLSmith Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 510 ASL You need the PC Power & Cooling 510 ASL For the Expert. For the 8 pin connector. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted March 30, 2006 Posted March 30, 2006 would I use 2 4-pin adapters as the OCZ appears to have in this picture yes, the OCZ has the 2x4-pin for EPS use them together to form the EPS connection Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rightwingtroll Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 A finally more thoughts... Currently I'm using an SB Live! 5.1 Card. Obviously I'll be using the onboard audio from now on, but will I notice that much of a difference with my 5.1 speakers? Also, I have both AS5 and AS Ceramique at my house available. It seemed that others liked the Ceramique a bit better due to ease of use and non-conductiveness. Is this still the case? Finally, I noticed in another thread that Angry mentioned having the NV Silencer v2. I saw there is a v3 available for the 7800 cards, are they also compatible with the 7900 series as well? Hopefully I can keep my computer running pretty cool. I'm shooting for under 35-40c, with a recent A64 3000+ getting 27-28c on air cooling, but thats just being greedy with higher end stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 A finally more thoughts... Currently I'm using an SB Live! 5.1 Card. Obviously I'll be using the onboard audio from now on, but will I notice that much of a difference with my 5.1 speakers? Also, I have both AS5 and AS Ceramique at my house available. It seemed that others liked the Ceramique a bit better due to ease of use and non-conductiveness. Is this still the case? Finally, I noticed in another thread that Angry mentioned having the NV Silencer v2. I saw there is a v3 available for the 7800 cards, are they also compatible with the 7900 series as well? Hopefully I can keep my computer running pretty cool. I'm for under 35-40c, with a recent A64 3000+ getting 27-28c on air cooling, but thats just being greedy with higher end stuff. to my knowledge: no. i would use as5. i believe so. 27-28 air cooling-where do u live? lol.. my 3700 can idle around 3500 on the stock hsf and its like 80 degrees in the room im in.. its so hot im y sweating every time i use the comp for long hours Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rightwingtroll Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 27-28 air cooling was with a socket 754 a64 3000+ with a couple PCI blower fans, AS5 and I think a thermaltake heatsink/fan. I live in Michigan btw. I just finished a 3700+ for a customer with a radeon x550 and all stock parts in an Antec Sonata II case and it runs around 35-36c. My Athlon XP 2400 runs at 41-43c depending on its mood. I'm usually not on it anymore since my laptop from school is nearly as fast and I'm never home. Because the 7900 GTX's are always out of stock, I jumped when I saw a couple XFX cards available on Newegg a few minutes ago. Here is what I purchased so far: OCZ Powerstream 520 XFX GeForce 7900GTX 512MB (The 665MHz one) Western Digital 250GB SATA II 7200RPM 16MB Cache AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ OCZ Gold GX 2GB PC4000 Once the giftcard for TigerDirect comes (I hear from others should be tomorrow) then I'll finish the order with my Case/Mobo/DVD Burner. $400 gift card and I got the parts adjusted so its exactly $402.17 after shipping, so I'm pretty happy. I'll take another look at the SVC site through the referral link and look at the XP-90s there as well. On a side note: Anyone wondering about how I got the giftcard - I completed that "Free XBOX 360" site, but they are still backordered, so I figured I'd rather have the PC parts. Thanks for all the help, I'll continue updating... UPDATE: I just purchased an XP-90, 92mm Zalman Fan and AS ArctiClean from SVC through the link here. I'm glad I could help the site out through the referral for all the advice and help given to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted March 31, 2006 Posted March 31, 2006 As5 and Ceramique are pretty much the same...so take your pick the onboard sound is superior to Live! 5.1 cards, and probably even Audigy1 cards, but Audigy2 cards or better are still superior to onboard sound (especially for games that use EAX) I have the ATI Silencer for X800 cards and it is fantastic. My 7800 cards are watercooled heh...but...if the NV Silencer is anything like my ATI Silencer (and I am gonna order one), then I would HIGHLY recommend it...I think they are awesome, though my experience is limited. But I don't know if they make one for the 7900 series yet...best to check Arctic Cooling's website Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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