N00B in need of help

[superorca]

I'm new here to the forum, which by the way has already been very very helpful. As you'll see in my sig, I have a very old/outdated computer, and will be building a new one over the summer.

 

Here's the setup I was highly considering:

 

DFI Lanparty UT NF4 SLI-DR Expert

Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego

OCZ 2x1024MB DDR400 Dual Channel Platinum OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K

eVGA e-GeForce 7900GT KO 256MB

Onboard Sound (on a budget, and can't play games too loud around here)

Western Digital 250GB SATA HD

Lite-On DVD+-R/RW (I can't remember the model number, but I already have this somewhere in my house...)

OCZ PowerStream 520W OCZ520ADJSLI *OR* OCZ GameXStream 600W OCZ600GXSSLI

 

I do have a question on the PSU's. I was reading on here about the OCZ PowerStream 520, and basically decided to get that PSU. That is, until I saw on Newegg the GameXStream 600 for a few bucks more. Any reccomendations on which PSU is better? Also, are there any other reccomendations/changes to the system specs I have listed above?

 

Thanks,

SuperOrca

[soundx98]

dang nice sytem you have planned.

If you don't plan on using SLI you may want to go with standard Ultra-D and save some dollars.

I've had two OCZ520 and was thrilled with their performance

Not enough GameStreams in the field yet to have a solid verdict but I would imagine they will be very good.

www.bleedinedge.com for more input at the OCZ Support forum

[superorca]

Glad to hear I'm on the right track for components - thanks for your help. I won't be using SLI right now, but I want an SLI capable machine should I end up with a matching eVGA e-GeForce 7900GT KO. Since I'm already buying an SLI mobo, I wanted to make sure I'd have a good SLI PSU, possibly even one that could handle two 7900GTX 512's should they start falling from the sky lol.

 

On a bit of a side note, I noticed you're running an Opteron 146. I want to do some serious gaming with my new machine (including COD2 and F.E.A.R., and looking forward to Crysis), and was wondering why you chose an Opteron over an Athlon 64. Is it better for gaming?

 

Thanks

[dab]

Opterons are considered slightly better for both overclocking headroom and larger cache. YMMV, and the Athlons are great processors for gaming too. If you plan on overclocking, I'd recommend some PC4000 (DDR500) over the PC3200 you have planned. There's simply more headroom, although either will do.

 

The Gamestream psu's are built by Fortron Source (FSP), and the specs on them look excellent.

[soundx98]

was cheaper and I love overclocking. easy choice.

[UncleDavid218]

I might suggest you get a dual core CPU as it appears that you don't upgrade frequently. Single cores are still great for gaming, but if you're not looking to upgrade soon it might be worth the extra money to go the dual-core route. The Athlon X2 3800+ if you're not overclocking, and the Opteron 165 if you are. As for the PSU I would get the GamerXStream. I myself will be getting one, too. And it appears like it's not much more than the PSU you had planned on getting. I've also heard it's more quiet than the old Powerstreams, while producing significantly more power. Otherwise, looks good and you'll be happy with a DFI... good luck!

[superorca]

Well, I've looked at some benchmarks for Athlon 64 3700+ vs. an Athlon 64 X2 3800+, and for gaming, the 64 beats the 64 X2 by alot, and is cheaper and more overclockable. I'm not opposed to dual core at all (and I do plan on overclocking my machine), but since the Opteron 165 is about another $100 on the 3700+, I was wondering if anyone had some specific gaming stats on 3700+ vs. the 165. I can sacrifice a few frames per second now if it means I'll get more later on when games utilize dual core to the max, but I am interested in how good of a gaming chip the 165 is.

 

Also, I've read on here that all you smart people are reccommending the PC4000 stuff, but it's just a little too far out of my budget. I was hoping to stay around $1000 or so, but I'm now up to about $1200 lol. They've been the "oh just a few bucks more gets me the better [insert component here]". I've also read that the 4000 needs to be overclocked in order to truly have an advantage over the 3200, and that even still it's not significant enough for the price. But, I'd be willing to pop for the Opteron if it's as good for gaming as the 3700+, and since it's a dual core, it's future proof.

 

Thanks,

SuperOrca

[dab]

Well, I've looked at some benchmarks for Athlon 64 3700+ vs. an Athlon 64 X2 3800+, and for gaming, the 64 beats the 64 X2 by alot, and is cheaper and more overclockable. I'm not opposed to dual core at all (and I do plan on overclocking my machine), but since the Opteron 165 is about another $100 on the 3700+, I was wondering if anyone had some specific gaming stats on 3700+ vs. the 165. I can sacrifice a few frames per second now if it means I'll get more later on when games utilize dual core to the max, but I am interested in how good of a gaming chip the 165 is.

 

Also, I've read on here that all you smart people are reccommending the PC4000 stuff, but it's just a little too far out of my budget. I was hoping to stay around $1000 or so, but I'm now up to about $1200 lol. They've been the "oh just a few bucks more gets me the better [insert component here]". I've also read that the 4000 needs to be overclocked in order to truly have an advantage over the 3200, and that even still it's not significant enough for the price. But, I'd be willing to pop for the Opteron if it's as good for gaming as the 3700+, and since it's a dual core, it's future proof.

 

Thanks,

SuperOrca

If i had to flip that around to get you some wiggle room, I'd recommend the NF4 SLI-D or Ultra-D, which is generally quite a bit cheaper than the DR models. The pc 3200 works great, you just need to use a lower divider. As for dual core vs single, the 165's are known for being awesome clockers and will soon be taken advantage of in games, but let me assure you, nothing is truely future proof.

 

I plan on grabbing a dual core when the price comes down a bit and/or the games i want to play need it. So get what you need really, it's about what makes you happy

[iamkoza]

Well, I've looked at some benchmarks for Athlon 64 3700+ vs. an Athlon 64 X2 3800+, and for gaming, the 64 beats the 64 X2 by alot, and is cheaper and more overclockable. I'm not opposed to dual core at all (and I do plan on overclocking my machine), but since the Opteron 165 is about another $100 on the 3700+, I was wondering if anyone had some specific gaming stats on 3700+ vs. the 165. I can sacrifice a few frames per second now if it means I'll get more later on when games utilize dual core to the max, but I am interested in how good of a gaming chip the 165 is.

 

Also, I've read on here that all you smart people are reccommending the PC4000 stuff, but it's just a little too far out of my budget. I was hoping to stay around $1000 or so, but I'm now up to about $1200 lol. They've been the "oh just a few bucks more gets me the better [insert component here]". I've also read that the 4000 needs to be overclocked in order to truly have an advantage over the 3200, and that even still it's not significant enough for the price. But, I'd be willing to pop for the Opteron if it's as good for gaming as the 3700+, and since it's a dual core, it's future proof.

 

Thanks,

SuperOrca

 

there is a nice g.skill 2 gb kit of ddr500 for 160 on newegg

 

there, with that opty 165, you should be able to easily surpass the 2.2 stock of the 3700, more than likely both chips will end up with a similar max OC (if not the opty getting a higher one!), You can also wait and stay with the single core for now.

[superorca]

dab, I see what you're saying about the other boards, but I like the layout on the NF4 SLI-DR Expert, as well as the third PCI slot; thanks for the reccommendations nonetheless. Also, I like you're idea - single core now, dual core later. That's prolly the biggest reason why I'm not waiting for Socket M2 - I can get what I need now, and upgrade big time later on.

 

iamkoza, thanks for the tip on the g.skill RAM - I <3 Newegg and their deals. Now about the overclocking - I'm a n00b at ocing stuff, so how hard would it be to oc the Opteron vs. the 3700+?

[Kandoo]

For a gaming rig, You cant go wrong with a Opty 146 or 148. I just built my son a ultra-d with a opty 146 and it screams, it's deff a match for my 3700. x2 are very nice but cost more and may be better for future games. If I were you I would go for the Ultra-d and opty 146/148 and with the money saved get 2x1GB GSkill HZ ram. I would also scrap the HDD's and get two 80GB sata Deskstars and put them in raid 0. and then in the future if you need more HD space you could get a larger drive and just plug it in ( the deskstars in raid 0 are pertty dam fast ). also take a look at a XFX 7900GT, great price for a great card. Note: you can always wait for the price to drop in the future on the x2 to replace the Opty? I got my Opty 146 for $146.00 at monarch with a sale. ya can't beat that.

[superorca]

Kandoo, thanks for the advice on the Opterons - now I might end up getting one of those instead of an Athlon 64 3700+. But, I've never oc'd anything before, so I'm an uber n00b at it. With that in mind, how easy would it be to oc an Opteron 146/148 to make it greater than or equal to an oc'd 3700+? Or would it be easier to oc the 3700+? What about the Opty 165? Would I need a different cooling system (I was hoping to stick with the stock heatsink/fan)?

 

Also, I looked at some more benchmarks, and I'd be happy with an oc'd Opty that could match the performance of an Athlon 64 X2 4400+, which is $130 more than the Opty 165. The 4400+ has a 2.2GHz core, the 165 is 1.8GHz. How hard would it be to oc the 165 to those speeds? And again, any special cooling system required?

 

BTW, I was looking at the XFX 7900GT, but then I saw for another $10 I could score the eVGA version (read: full warranty), and another $10 on that got me the KO cooler - better for ocing.

 

Thanks,

SuperOrca