PC build

[Zer]

Originally Posted by Pedro

You forget that part of overclocking is the chance of getting the PC to self reboot, freeze and other nasties...which could happen in the middle of an intense battle or raid in WAR

Umm, one must test for stability before starting to play games, use applications or do any data sensitive work, once that is done, everything is fine.

Just to let you know I have a 58% overclock and everything is 100% rock solid stable, if you get crashes, well... Im sorry to say, but you havent done your job right and need to do some more system tweaking:P

Also, dont forget that what you just described can also happen to any stock system that isnt stable, may it be RAM compatibility or a BIOS settings.

[puNDuKE]

This is a good thread cause its some pretty powerful and inexpensive hardware you guys have listed.. being on a low budget myself I want to make sure I get the right parts accordingly. So far I've tossed...

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory - Retail

...to my wish list but that power supply seems awfully expensive... is that for a good reason as in necessary for all of this to run and get properly cooled or is there another inexpensive powersupply that does about the same job without the extra cooling (if that's the case) cause I'm not planning to overclock or anything assuming thats why you'd need $149.99 powersupply. I'll probably drop the money into it still just to make sure everything gets cooled and powered correctly for this setup it just stings a little to pay that price but I guess each piece regardless of their role will cost some amount

[Pwnzilla]

Punduke, the PSU is just as (if not more so) important than other major components in a system. After all, the PSU is what supplies the necessary power to ALL the system components. If it is supplying crap to your components, guess how they will respond...? You might want to review this old thread I posted a while back regarding PSUs.

Power Supply F.A.Q. - September 2007

Unless you are building a very demanding system (quad core processor, multiple drives, SLI/Crossfire) you will find any of the PSUs listed below as acceptable, adequate, and sufficient for your build. You don't need a $200+ PSU to run 95% of the systems in use today. However you also don't want to use a $50 pos PSU either. That is just asking to get your expensive components damaged due to bad voltage/amperage feeds. As a rule of thumb, a good PSU for a new high power system (dual/quad core CPU/single GPU), will run ~$100US. Also, I always recommend a PSU have active PFC (power factor correction) to ensure that the feeds are clean and regulated.

Newegg.com - PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV - Power Supplies
$89.99 after rebate

Newegg.com - OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V - Power Supplies
$94.99 after rebate

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Power Supplies
$99.99 after rebate

As an aside, I prefer to install floppy drives in all my systems. They are still useful for flashing the BIOS if nothing else.

[puNDuKE]

Awesome thanks very much for clarifying that. I went ahead and added that first suggestion you had for the power supply (cheapest) onto the wish list and as far as the pci express graphics card since I dont have one for the new motherboard I thought this looked reasonable:

EVGA 512-P3-N861-AR GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

Not too sure if Newegg has the best deals and selection as far as graphic cards go unless you guys know of a better decently priced and more powerful/better quality one. As far as that goes it should complete my upgrade list and comes around $530 and I guess I'll slowly buy these parts one by one as I can afford them - first part at the end of next month hopefully.

Also, would I need to buy a fan for the processor or is there one included in the packaging? I'm guessing thats a seperate purchase and if so what would best (cheapest) fit onto a AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor?

guys have been a big help I'm starting to taste actually having a decent computer of todays gaming standards lol

[Pwnzilla]

If you buy a "boxed" or retail processor, it comes with a HSF (heatsink/fan) and the TIM (thermal interface material) will be already applied to it (be careful when handling/installing not to rub it off). If you buy an "OEM" processor, all you get is the processor. You will have to purchase the HSF and TIM separately.

One exception to this rule is AMD's Black Edition processors. They are retail and are covered under a 3 year warranty, but they are not supplied with a HSF/TIM. Most boxed CPUs come with a 3 year manufacturers warranty (so long as you use the supplied HSF/TIM). An OEM processor is usually only warranted for about 90 days.

[Zer]

Why go AMD when Intel is currently cheaper, faster, more power efficient and offer better choice of platforms atm?!?

[MCCOOLWHIP]

Originally Posted by Zer

Why go AMD when Intel is currently cheaper, faster, more power efficient and offer better choice of platforms atm?!?

I would have to agree with Zer here.

[Belcho]

dont over clock not worth it risk burning your stuff bro. go AMD also intel is lame in my eyes but if u want it take it. also computeredge.com my friend search around 1st i can give u a damn good comp for nothing( well damn cheap)reuse some of your stuff also. case disc drive etc. beside AMD front side bus is way better and quad it only if u reall think u need it but right now wait a while if u can and let the prices drop

[Zer]

Originally Posted by Belcho

dont over clock not worth it risk burning your stuff bro. go AMD also intel is lame in my eyes but if u want it take it. also computeredge.com my friend search around 1st i can give u a damn good comp for nothing( well damn cheap)reuse some of your stuff also. case disc drive etc. beside AMD front side bus is way better and quad it only if u reall think u need it but right now wait a while if u can and let the prices drop

Not only are you being unimformative but also quite ignorant on every part of your post.

Also; just to put it out there, AMDs current HT link may be more elegant and more "efficient" than Intels current NB/MCH. However, with the use of high speed DDR2/3 RAM and proper RAM/FSB "tweaking" you can get/hit much higher Memory Bandwidth values and obtain much higher read, copy and write scores, not to mention have lower latency then with a AMD system.

Also, if done diligently there is virtually no risk in doing ANY damage to your components when overclocking. Just make sure you gain the proper information before hand and take it step by step; really its a learning experience and while I wont force anyone to do it, I will surely recommend and even swear by it:P Nowadays Motheboards, CPU and various other systems have fail safe in case you push things a little to hard, but in the end if your smart about it nothing will "fry"... Thats just being grossely misleading:P

Right now, Intels current and near future offerings are far better than AMDs in every respect. The main one being PERFORMACE!!! Dual/Quad or Single Cores...

[Dissonance]

Zer don't be silly, whats a single-core??