Catoling

Update 8 (April 3):Bose speakers came back to live

Update 7 (April 3):The rig now has a name -- Prometheus!!

Update 6 (April 2):Moving 28" monitor to phase 1 (sigh...), adding sound card to phase 3

Update 5 (April 1):Adding 1 more HDD for raid0 (1.28 Tb now, woohoo~~)

Update 4 (March 31):Adding 4 Gb of RAM (8 Gb now)

Update 3 (March 31):CPU changed again (6400 to 5000).

Update 2 (March 31):CPU (Phenom to 6400BE), Heat Sink and RAM (G-Skill to OCZ)changed.

Update 1 (March 30):Motherboard changed. Graphic card added. Bose speakers deleted.


Having a tight budget, I am building my new toy in 3 phases using existing parts of the old P4 3Ghz. I am looking forward to any suggestion of this configuration and OC mod.Hopefully I can have the system built up for heavy gaming and HD rendering with 1k budget.

Phase One
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From Newegg
• AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103244
$229.99 (-$50 combo discount with the RAM = $179.99)
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103191
$199.99
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103194
$84.00

• G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231122
$79.99
• OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail x 2
Item #: N82E16820227284
$84.99 x2 =$169.98 ($54.99 per after MIR)

• Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM x2
Item #: N82E16822136218
$119.99x2 = $239.98
• ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835887002
$40.99
• XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835233003
$36.99

• PC Power & Cooling S610EPS EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817703005
$109.99

• HIS Hightech H387QS512NP Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ3 Video Card
Item #: N82E16835887002
$169.99

From eWiz
• GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H Socket AM2+/ AMD 780G/ DDR2-1066/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard
Item #:MB-MA78GM2
$88.00
• GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-DS4 AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX Ultra Durable II AMD Motherboard
Item #:MB-MA79DS4
$126.60

From Bose (Gift from a friend)
• Bose Computer MusicMonitor™ ( Silver )
$434.52Free

From Costco
• Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen HDMI LCD Monitor
$499.99+$49.05(Tax)+$19.99=$569.03(Shipping)
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I have done some research about this mobo and there seems to be a couple of existing issues:

1. RAM Recognition

   The original BIOS might not boot with generic brands of dual channel RAMs and the voltage settings may be hard to configure. Some of the postings stated that it can be fixed by flashing the newly released BIOS.

2. IGP/CPU OC Limitation

   Some discussions mentioned that you can't OC both IGP and CPU and some other said that you can but there is heating issue and will make graphic losing stability. I am still digging into this subject and would really appreciate suggestions.

Overall rating for this mobo is still quite positive. It meets my budget and with the onboard graphic support, I am allowed to put off the v-card purchase. Is there anyone out there who has more insight of this mobo?

As for the RAM choice, it is apparent that I was chasing the price. Even though G.SKILL is hardly ever heard of, the review doesn't seem bad and it's made in Taiwan (not China, woohoo!!) I am crossing my fingers hoping the mobo will pick it up with BIOS update and the right OC mod.

The WD hard drive is a new discovery. I was reading an article about Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) and found this one in Newegg with good price/Gb ratio. The reviews are mostly positive about its data transmission speed and cooler/quieter performance. If this toy actually works that well, I might get a couple of these HDs to build the media server (which is yet another project for later this year).

I am quite concerned with the CPU fan though. I don't know much about this brand and was simply following the rating/pricing in Neweggs. (crossing another finger)


Phase Two
---------------------------------------------------------------

• HIS Hightech H387QS512NP Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ3 Video Card
Item #: N82E16835887002
$169.99

• LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-4O1S-08 - Retail
Item#:N82E16827106225
$139.99
---------------------------------------------------------------

Phase Three
---------------------------------------------------------------
From Newegg
• ASUS Xonar D2 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Ultra Fidelity Sound Card with Complete Dolby/DTS Sound Technologies - Retail
$179.99+$7.96=$187.95(Shipping)

• HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen HDMI LCD Monitor
$499.99+$49.05(Tax)+$19.99=$569.03(Shipping)

This is a must-buy. I was very tempted to move this purchase to phase one and wait for next month to upgrade the machine. Then I saw my CPU temp went up to 63C this morning at 3AM. Some may say that I should just upgrade the CPU fan and resolve the heating problem with this old P4 3G/Intel D865PERL... well... the new parts and Vista won the war at 4 AM and I finally spent my entire new paycheck.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Suggestions?

Chozart

$250 for video cards and a 28" monitor? mmmm that's a bit unbalanced. If you're into heavy gaming, a $250 card won't keep up with the high resolutions of the monitor.

And the speakers.... Bose???

http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/03...onitor-review/

That review says enough. They're good, but WAY overpriced.

The Klipsch they mentioned are very nice indeed (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...h+ProMedia+2.0), while a decent 2.1 system will probably be a better choice in general (the sub does make a difference). This Kilsch set will do just fine. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836119008

So, in short, I actually recommend saving on the speakers (you know that for Bose, 75% of what you pay is for the name only), and put that money toward a second video card, or a single high-end ($500) video card. If you do that, the 28" monitor is still feasible.

Another major bone I'd like to pick is the fact that you choose a motherboard with onboard graphics. It's a nice board, but in general a board with onboard hold back overclocking potential. I'd HIGHLY recommend to purchase a good board without onboard, and a dedicated video card. This you can afford if you indeed decide against Bose and go with the Klipsch or another decently priced 2.1 set.

Otherwise, good choices. (I won't go into the AMD v. Intel discussion)

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Penicilyn

I'm just...so happy Chozart is back *cries*

But the man has a point, I would be looking at 21" monitors and spending a bit more on your video card, look into the 3870X2

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0rion

I see you're on somewhat of a budget, but I hav to ask, why go with that motherboard and a Phenom when you could get a Q6600 and a gigabyte DS3L for about the same price?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128059 DS3L, $90

The Q6600 is $189.99 at Frys.. If there is a store nearby you could pick one up. That'd be about the most powerful setup you could find for cheap. Talk about some serious rendering power.

edit: The Q6600s canbe found around $220 online, or $209 at newegg for an OEM chip.

Chozart

Some edits in my previous post.

But, my first phase would be something like this (all from Newegg, and around the same cost as your first phase):

GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-DS4 AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX Ultra Durable II AMD Motherboard $139.99 (nice mobo, with the option to go SLI, which I think is recommended with the 28" screen you plan to buy. In phase 1, you can buy a nice 8800GT, and add a second one in phase 2. A pair of 8800GT's should be enough to handle the 28" monitor)

EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $204.99 (here is the first 8800GT)

PC Power & Cooling S610EPS EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply $109.99 (I can't agree more with this choice)

AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX - Retail $229.99 (nice CPU, esp. after the savings with the RAM deal).

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ $79.99 (since when is G.Skill unknown? It's one of the best known brands around here!)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $119.99 (nice drive!)

ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler $40.99 (I don't know too much about it either, but if you don't overclock to the extreme, it should do fine)

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Max Burst Power: 200 watts @ < 1% THD 2.1 Speaker System $149.99 (the Bose really won't add a lot to it)

0rion: Although I do agree, I was staying away from the Intel/AMD discussion. Also, that board doesn't have onboard graphics, which was his idea in the first place (an idea I try to shoot down). And $189.99 for the Q6600 is still more than $179.99 for the Phenom

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Catoling

Thanks for the input!!!

The mobo+8800GT does make a lot of sense but it'll totally crash my phase one financing (as i mentioned in the original post, the Bose purchase wasn't counted as PC budgeting).

However, I am quite convinced that Bose should go. The original idea was that this model delivers the best short-listening 2.0 quality without the chunky cube for sub. My computer sits in a 200 sq. ft. room right next to a thin wall and a "sensitive" neighbor. High volume PC audio or roaring bass aren't what I can afford. I would really like to have a more compact setting but for $300 in saving, 2.1 seems to be a much better choice.

What do you think about Logitech Z-2300 200 watts RMS 2.1 Speaker System - Retail? It seems to have better review than the Klipsch and cheaper too.

Back to my mobo selection, I am still researching based on Chozart's suggestions. GA-MA790X-DS4 does appear to be the best budget choice with plenty of room for future upgrades. However, the price for this combo will shoot up $200+ for my phase one budgeting and I really need some serious thinking. Is there any other selection available that won't change my plan much?

The major reason I went for AMD was because of the newegg promotion (pricing) and a thought of moving all parts to a shuttle box in the future for a compact and yet powerful HD/gaming PC.It was said that AMD is now running cooler than Pentium and I thought that might works better with small boxes. The whole idea was in fact built on the 28" monitor that I've always wanted (I am currently using an Acer 21"). By moving the angle of the monitor, I can watch video from my day-bed (I might upload a picture later to show you the setup). It's been my dream to see the detailed graphic of Appleseed Ex Machina on Blu-Ray in my own quarter.

O well... I still have Sunday to make all the changes for this machine (they won't be packing and shipping until Monday). Help....

BTW, Chozart, here's a small correction:

Chozart

Hehe... sorry about the gender confusion

That Logitech looks very nice also. But you know... if it's only for yourself, why not consider a nice pair of headphones for around $100? Just a suggestion.

Ok, to follow up, although the Bose isn't 'computer budget', isn't it defensible to re-allocate some of the budget (i.e., heck, I just saved $300 on the speakers, so I should be allowed to spend more on the computer... not?).

EDIT1: I forgot: welcome to the forum!

EDIT2: Wait... Bellevue, WA? you just made the list of the member closest to me... since, guess what, I am in... Bellevue, WA

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loony

if you want to overclock dont get the phenom 9600 due to the B2 revision, wait a couple of weeks for the B3 revsion price to drop. Just a suggestion :P

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Chozart

This thread warrants more thinking... something I am currently not able to

I will figure something out. This can be done, avoiding the dreaded onboard graphics

EDIT: which does lead indeed to a correction: I was advising a mobo with an AMD chipset and a possible SLI set up... am I silly or what? Darn, I need to sleep.

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this n00b again

well chozart pretty much covered most of it, -> without going into the amd/intel discussion.

i dont know much about that heatsink, but it does look like it would work if you don't OC to the Max.

but here is a good deal on a good heatsink, not widely known.
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/Viewprodu...+CPU%3C%2Fb%3E

better than the zero therm and cost less.

according to frosty tech it does exceptionally well:
http://www.frostytech.com/articlevie...id=2233&page=5

i also agree on the speakers, -> over priced. Personally I have JBl and shure earphones.

for graphics: either go SLI 8800's or the 3870 x2 ( there is a good deal on newegg, check the online deals section here on OCN)

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1) A good cpu cooler not too many people know about -> XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 | AKA OCZ Vendetta 2
2) The 8 PIN power connector on the MOBO is 2x 4pin power connectors combined in parallel to draw more power safely. 1x 4pin power plug will work, but you should think of an upgrade.
3) If you're running x64 OS and have more than 3GB ram installed but windows is only reporting around 3GB, Go into your bios and enable Memory remapping.