Need opinions on a new rig(updated)

Syn · Post by **Syn** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:45 pm

Okay so it's time to retire my XP 1800+,AK31 3.1,512mb DDR,FX5600 rig and give it to my kids.I have not spent a large amount of money on a PC since I bought a new P233 Gateway and slammed 2x Diamond Monster VooDoo2's in it.Ever since I found AGN I have always patched together systems with used hardware I bought on the forums.I just want to put together a system with all new parts that I wont have to touch for a while.LMK what you think and if you have any opinions on changes or what not I would appreciate it.

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe (retail)
2x EVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT's (retail)
Athlon 64 3000+ Socket 939 (retail) (I see people are getting these up to 2.4Ghz with stock cooling)
Geil Ultra Series Value Dual Channel 1GB(512MBx2) (retail)
Seagate 160GB SATA HD Model ST3160023AS-RK, (retail)

And of course I will use stuff I already have like my keyboard/ MX510,LITE-ON 1633S DVDRW and so on.Only thing I havent decided on is a case and LCD.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 6:36 pm

all good stuff but you might want to hold back on the dual vids until the prices comes down - the boost is there but not sure if it is worth it - there was a decent review at anandtech on the dual sli rigs recently - also it is not clear how many games will actually be able to use sli - apparently there is a requirement for specific code for EACH game for it to work - there was an article on one of the major baords about that recently as well - maybe on H...

if you're going to be doing heavy gaming or memory intensive stuff you might want to think about more ram - games keep creeping up - while running WOW and a few background apps I was up over 800k recently....a gig still works fine but you might want to think about more

the a64 is a very nice cpu - i have a socket 754 version

BillyGoat · Post by **BillyGoat** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 7:27 pm

is that geil ram listed on that motherboards compatability list?
Mushkin black is decent stuff for the price

Syn · Post by **Syn** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 7:27 pm

Yeah wvjohn now that I have calmed down a bit over my wife telling me I could build a new system I could really save some money buy going with a single card solution and upping the ram.The MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum really looks like a nice board.

nitro237 · Post by **nitro237** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 7:34 pm

I like that MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum too .

Also just something to think about is the Raptor hard drives . I built a system for a guy about a month ago using a raptor and it totally blew me away . I'm not a gamer , but for access speed , I have never seen anything like it . I know they are expensive , but you are building a nice machine that is going to last you a while .

RexHavoc · Post by **RexHavoc** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 10:58 pm

I'm with WVJohn on this one. 1 6800gt will be more than enough to satisfy you and will cost less
than 2 video cards. Use the extra money to get as fast a processor as possible. I got the 3500+
Athlon64 939 and slapped into a MSI Neo, just like your planning...with a X800 Pro...my ram isn't as high end,
but the athlon seems to like it. (1gig kit from crucial..512x2)
Its fast...real,real fast. And the serial ATA is a trip. I had to check the case a couple times the first few days I built it to make sure it was running, its soo quiet.

Syn · Post by **Syn** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 11:31 pm

Hey Rex are you happy with your MSI Neo?I am really considering going with the K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI over the Asus board.I cant really see any features that make the Asus so much more than the MSI board.Unless I'm just missing something.

I'm also going to go with a single 6800GT as suggested until those prices come down and more games support SLI.This will allow me to ditch the Geil ram and go with 2GB of Mushkin DDR400.I was gonna go with 2GB of Corsair XMS XL but I think thats overkill for me(and expensive).I've never had any problems with any Mushkin sticks myself.

nitro237 those Raptors sure do look sweet but I'm trying to stay within a reasonable budget because the wife wants a lappy.Hopefully I will be able to pick up a pair of those later when prices go down.

All in all I think with the SLI mobo's and the support for A64FX chips make this a decent upgrade path for me.When games start to chugging I can add another 6800GT or a A64FX CPU.

Suggestions are still very welcome here guys the original specs I posted where meant to be a starting point so you are not gonna hurt my feelings if you think I'm making any bad decisions.I value the opinions on this board above all other BBS's I visit because I have never gotten bad advice.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 7:45 am

syn - take a look at that new dfi nf4 board just reviewed at AT

Syn · Post by **Syn** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 6:11 pm

Yes I saw that,very interesting.What caught my eye and hadnt seen before was that the Ultra-D can be modded to do SLI and is only $140.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 7:46 pm

yeppers, the return of the pencil trick

RexHavoc · Post by **RexHavoc** » Fri Feb 04, 2005 12:00 am

While I have no experience with SLI, I can say the higher end MSI boards are a nice package.
Mine had excellent documentation and all the cables (even rounded ones) for my drives and SATA.
It was my first highend board and I loved how easy it was to set up.

Syn · Post by **Syn** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 7:50 pm

Thought I'd post a update and let you guys know what I ended up with.Got it put together last week and this rig friggin rocks!!

MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI (retail)
1x Leadtek PX6600GT TDH (retail)
Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939 (retail)
Mushkin Dual Channel 1GB(512MBx2) (retail)
Seagate 160GB SATA HD (OEM)
Thermaltake Dream Tower VA3000BWA (retail)
Tagan TG-480 480W Power supply (retail)

Everything went together like a dream and it's been rock solid since the fist power up.I'll pick up another 6600GT later when prices fall a bit.Even with one vid card and the CPU at the default clock this thing screams compared to my old system.I can finally play Doom3 with everything turned up and it looks great.I'll be busy for a while because I'm going to play through HL2 again with the detail turned up and also Far Cry.

wvjohn · Post by **wvjohn** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:22 pm

hooray for a clean build....enjoy!

Syn · Post by **Syn** » Sat May 07, 2005 3:10 am

Just want to say this build is still rock solid and I have put it to task trust me.Still havent added a second 6600GT cause its fast enough for now.I have been enjoying it so much I have hardly been visiting PCA becasue I have been playing alot of games I'd been saving for when I got a better PC.

Anyway hats off to MSI for a great "stable" board.