PC Build Opinions/Compatibility

GhettoChild · 21 Mar 2006 at 09:37

All,

Following Spec I am considering for my latest build, let me know if there is anything incompatible or that would be better upgraded.

CoolerMaster Wavemaster
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4400+ (Socket 939) - Retail (ADA4400CDBOX) (CP-127-AM)
Asus A8N-SLi Premium nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-111-AS)
Corsair 2GB DDR XMS3200C2PT TwinX (2x1GB) CAS2
BFG GeForce 7600 GT OC 256MB GDDR3 VIVO TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-019-BG)
SpeedLink Ultra SL-6466 Flat Illuminated Metal Keyboard
Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 4.0A
Enermax Noisetaker 600W EG701AX-VE(W) SFMA ATX2.0 SLI Compliant PSU (CA-021-EN)
OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Silver (CD-001-AP)
Pioneer DVR-111DSV 16 x 16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Silver) OEM (CD-039-PO)
Western Digital Caviar Special Edition 200GB 2000JS SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD-048-WD)

Cheers

Andy

helpimcrap · 21 Mar 2006 at 09:46

what will you be doing with the PC?

oweneades · 21 Mar 2006 at 09:49

If the answer to the above includes gaming then OCUK have the 7800GT currently on offer for around £176 which would be better than the 7600GT.

Also if you like overclocking I would save some money and look at a Opteron 165 instead of the 4400+.

GhettoChild · 21 Mar 2006 at 10:01

PC will be used for CAD, general apps, music, dvd, downloading, etc etc.

Never overclocked before, but might wanna try it but not into it majorly.

Andy

helpimcrap · 21 Mar 2006 at 10:05

assuming you wont be overclocking or gaming and id say that looks pretty good to me...

one thing i would consider though is a modular PSU. these are becoming the norm now and look so much easier to sort out. enermax do a 600w modular im sure.

if youre gonna be hammering the hard drives a lot maybe try a spinpoint or a maxtor hard drive and get 2.

GhettoChild · 21 Mar 2006 at 10:09

Is everything in the list compatible? I was mainly concerned about the PSU compatibility.

Also, are there any areas that I can reduce cost without causing massive performance changes.

Andy

GhettoChild · 21 Mar 2006 at 10:11

Also what about the case choice? Couple of places have said the Wavemaster is bad for airflow or cooling.

Andy

helpimcrap · 21 Mar 2006 at 10:15

if youre not planning on overclocking you wont have a heat issue. as long as you use a case with 120mm fans front and rear and a decent CPU cooler (something like arctic freezer pro) you will be fine.

i have a jeantech phong which comes with 120mm fans front and rear on a fan controller... not bad for £35! not the biggest case but does the job.

GhettoChild · 30 Mar 2006 at 19:25

Sorry about this, just wanna dig up this post.

Thinking of getting the components within the next few days and wondering if anyone can see anything that I can change to reduce the cost slightly without having a major performance change etc.

Should I stick with SLi or maybe go crossfire with an ATI graphics card instead? What's better regarding performance and cost?

Bear in mind I will be doing lots of CAD and occasional gaming etc.

Andy

Defcon5 · 30 Mar 2006 at 19:27

you dont need sli or crossfire, just get an nf4 ultra board

GhettoChild · 30 Mar 2006 at 19:29

Really? Its not worth going SLi or Crossfire then?

What NF4 Ultra board is recommended then?

Andy

Amps · 30 Mar 2006 at 19:32

DFI UltraD is a good "cheap board"
best i have used anyway.

GhettoChild · 30 Mar 2006 at 19:55

Any other thoughts on the DFI Ultra D?

Seems from few reviews that the Ultra D can be used for SLi after modding? and OC supply the board with an SLi bridge...

Would this board for instance outperform an Asus Premium?

Andy