jlands

First, I would like to say hi to everyone on this site. This is my first post, but I have been ghosting this sight for about six months. This is the most informative sight i have yet to find. Now it is time for me to come out of the shadows and ask for some help. At the end of this post is my current list of parts. I think most here would say I did a good job, but I am open to criticism. Now I ask of the great minds of this board. Help me pick the rest.

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128378

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103680

NZXT TEMPEST Crafted Series CS-NT-TEM-B Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146047

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136074

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341018

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835100007

Vigor Monsoon III LT Dual 120mm Fan CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835702007

I am not sure of the speed or size of ram I should pick or even if I should use 2 or 4 slots. I also have no idea of my video card(s) except that I want ATI. Eventually, I want to be able to play and burn blu-rays and output HDCP compliant video and sound to my surround system via a HDMI cable. I also have plans on unlocking my 550 and overclocking.

Thanks everyone.

soadrocksever

I use Gskill Pi series RAM, and i love it. I have a similar motherboard(the GA-MA790gp UD4H)

As for video I bought ati's 3850(the sapphire, with 512mb ddr3 256bit) and I can play HD content without a hiccup. It is hdcp compliant as well. But the newer 4850's are great as well, only thing is my video card was only around the 60 dollar mark so... depending on what you need it for....

Also, your case, that one is pretty nice, but i suggest you take a look at the Coolermaster HAF 922 or the HAF 932. The haf 922 has great feature and is only like 109 dollars, which is 10 more than teh one you picked.

and the processor is a good choice, but its kinda risky IMO. Id rather spend a little extra and get say a 945 or 955 and for sure get the full 4 cores(i remember reading that the reason teh cores are locked because after testing the processors, those which had some cores that werent up to spec were locked and the processors were 'downshifted' to a dual or tri core, again makes me a little queasy about buuying such a processor with the intent to use those "faulty" cores.

p.s. windows 7 4 oem? details?

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Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor @ 3.30

GaMEChld

I'd get at least a 4850 with 1GB memory [future proofing for higher res], I've got a pair of 4870's currently and that can demolish anything I throw at it. If you can hold off a little while, do it. Because the ATI HD5800 series is coming. If you can scrape together some money while you're waiting, GET THAT. The HD5870 is going to be over twice as powerful as the HD4870, so powerful you'll cry. If that's too much money, STILL wait till it comes out, because the HD 4800 prices will drop a lot when it does. I think its about a month away, but I may be wrong on that.

As for memory, I bought G.Skill for the first time on my current computer. Couldn't be happier, great company! Even the box the ram came in amazed me XD

Maestrotogo

Nice build, I share the apprehension that you won't be able to unlock those extra cores but good luck anyways. Also for your cooler...do you have a budget? If not consider a TRUE or Megahalem/Megashadow for a high end cooler for your cooling needs.

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**The Megahalems Club**

jlands

Not sure i am able to say where i got it, but it is ready available.


as for the parts, i already have the above listed parts. my remaining budget is about 300-400.

GaMEChld

I'd blow the budget on the HD5850 or HD5870 personally! Btw, I unlocked my 4th core and clocked all of them from 2.8GHz to 3.6GHz, just need the right board and a little luck with the chip.

As for the cooler, don't bother with the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64. That's what I had, and I wish I had gotten the Tuniq cooler instead. Mine's not BAD, its just mediocre. The stock cooler will be fine if you want to hold off on the OC and stuff for a while. The stock cooler can probly handle the 4th core as long as its stock speed, I think its the same oem cooler from the 4 core chips.

jlands

should i get 4 gigs or 8?
should i get 1600 mhz or 1333 mhz?

i am very tempted in waiting for the 5000 series cards, but i don't want to get stuck in the always waiting and never building mode.

GaMEChld

4 GB should be fine, I haven't seen my ram utilization hit 100% yet.

1333 vs 1600 is an interesting question. It is my opinion that latency is being sacraficed too much for speed. I've seen this calculation used [Latency/Speed] = some nanoseconds, which should be as low as possible. I don't know if thats a good way to find the sweet spot or not, there seems to be disagreement everywhere. I have 1600 ram that i clocked lower and tightened the timings such that the calculated time from [latency/speed] was lower.

Hopefully some expert can comment on what I've said and enlighten both of us.


Also, in reference to the 5000 series:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/23/m...adeon-hd-5870/

Looks like its coming real soon!

EDIT: Oh, its for sale already! But good luck finding stock!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...05000%20series

PsikyoJebus

I would definitely opt for a Xiggy DK for your cooling needs. It performs great and is 10 dollars cheaper.

You can also cut your temps a few more degrees with some better thermal compound like MX-2.

Also, your power supply is a little overkill there. 700W is way more than enough. I would go for something like a 450 or 500W PSU of good quality. Look to something like corsair, silverstone, or seasonic. There's a lot to choose from.

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We Are Gr33n Machine

jlands

thanks everyone. i will order the 4 gig memory but hold off a bit on the card.