Curse

Riplox · Aug 01, 2006, 08:15 PM // 20:15

Ok, let me cut to the chase. I'm going to be building a new work/game comp and I need a little help on deciding on the socket and memory type. I'm going with an AMD 64 4200+ X2 with 4 gigs of dual channel, 7900gt g-card (for now, 1), dual SATA 3.0 320gb Segate HDs in RAID0, and a few other goodies.

The thing is that I'm not sure if I should go with 939 or the new AM2 socket. I would LOVE to be able to use DDR2 800 instead of plain ol DDR 400, but as it stands, the motherboards for AM2 seem to have memory compatability issues on anything but the really expensive Kingston ($350+ for 2gigs of dual channel!). If I could find an AM2 mobo that could run the less expensive RAM like the OCZ kits (around $200) at DDR 800 rather than DDR 667 or so, that would be great. Foxconn, BIOSTAR, ABit, Gigabyte, ASUS, or MSI, it doesn't really matter. As long as it can run DDR2 800 of most brands, has SLI capability, has SATA 3.0, and can support an AMD 64 X2.

Thanks for any help.

- Riplox

xerverkillah · Aug 02, 2006, 02:09 AM // 02:09

why not go for conroe? from what ive read they woop amd's socket refresh.

But if you wanna stick with amd id stay go for the am2 socket if u want to "future proof" ur pc.

Tachyon · Aug 02, 2006, 02:20 AM // 02:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by xerverkillah

But if you wanna stick with amd id stay go for the am2 socket if u want to "future proof" ur pc.

^^ What they said.

Although I will add that don't be put off by the 939 boards, there's still some life left in them. I'm running a 939 ASUS A8N-SLi Deluxe board and haven't had a problem with it at all. I've found it to be a pretty damn stable board when clocked too.

Like the person above said though, if you want to seriously think about future-proofing an AMD system then go AM2.

Riplox · Aug 02, 2006, 02:46 AM // 02:46

Right, well I don't know too much about Intel architecture. I know that may sound strange, but I really got into computers when I made my AMD machine and have this sort of bond with the brand. Also I really like the FSB speeds of AMD as that is a major contributor to overall speed. And so far AMD has Intel beat on the price/performance ratio. I don't mind switching if I can find a superior processor and board. But I'm trying to make a machine on a budget too. I'm attempting to stay under $1,700 but still have as much performance as I can get and as of right now, unless Intel has a dual-core chip and compliant mobo with a FSB of more than 1Ghz for less than $350 total, I'm going to go with AMD thank you.

So now that I've had that bit of help, I have one more thing to address. I need to find a 2 gig (2x 1gig) DDR2 800 dual channel kit that will work well on an AM2 board for less than $200. Timings aren't that big of an issue as it doesn't need to be something like a 4-4-4-10 kit.

- Riplox

MaglorD · Aug 02, 2006, 09:51 AM // 09:51

As an aside, why does AMD keep changing the socket on their boards or is this intentional to force ppl to upgrade their mobos?

754, 939 and now AM2.

sleepy samurai · Aug 02, 2006, 11:15 AM // 11:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaglorD

As an aside, why does AMD keep changing the socket on their boards or is this intentional to force ppl to upgrade their mobos?

754, 939 and now AM2.

Intel does the same thing just more subtle.
---
An 939 system is the best bang for your buck right now. Core22 will not be out for another month as stock is limited and big companies have first dibs.

DDR2 is not any better then DDR. The drop in MHz does not justify the speed lose due to timing. The top end ram is the exception but you are talking 5% difference.

You are looking at building a solid system which should not need any changes for a year or so. DDR is not going to drop out of the air to fast and there is tones of high performance stuff hanging around. The CPU will change soon to AMDs new model and Intel will be changing as well.

I like the looks of your system and think it will be the best performance to dollar you can get.

BTW what motherboard are you buying?

Riplox · Aug 02, 2006, 06:26 PM // 18:26

Well that's my problem. The AM2 mobos out right now are kind of fickle with the RAM that you get for it. That is, unless you go for the top-dollar Kingston RAM, but I like OCZ (always have), Corsair, and Patriot. So I need to find a board that supports those brands and is inexpensive (under $150).

Also (sleepy), how can you say that DDR2 isn't as good/only 5% better than DDR. I'm going for DDR800 not 533 or 667. It's clock speed is twice as fast as DDR400. I'm tired of DDR400 and want a system that will age well.

This is my setup so far:
Tuniq IC-TQ2-US-SVBK Silver / Black SECC Chassis w/Aluminum Front ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Rosewill 550W Active PFC Power Supply SLI Ready ATX
ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2000MHz HT 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor
ZALMAN CNPS 9500 AM2 2 Ball Green LED Light CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit System Memory
XFX PV-T71G-UDE7 GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME (520MHz) 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (x2 in RAID-0)
Rosewill R912E Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor 270 cd/m2 500:1 0.294mm Pixel Pitch
Razer Copperhead Tempest Blue 7 Buttons 1x Wheel Gold plated USB 2000 DPI Laser Engine Gaming Mouse
A4Tech 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys 17 Function Keys USB + PS/2 Wired Slim X-Slim Keyboard
Cyber Acoustics CA-3090rb 26 watts 2.1 Speaker

All this comes to $1,585.88. My aim is to get another 2gigs of RAM and another vid card for SLI. Then I'll be happy.

- Riplox