I have my sub-$1000 system spec'd, but I still can't settle on a mobo/RAM combo.

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exilio

n00b
Joined
Jul 15, 2004
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48
Hey guys, I have the following config so far, but I can't seem to settle on a mobo/RAM combo. Minor OCing would be fine (Ive never done it, so Im not hard core). I prefer stability over OCing ability.

1) Stability
2) SATA
3) On-board audio (this will be a gaming rig nothing more; no need for uber audio)
4) OCing is a nice to have, nothing required
5) NCQ? ( Do I care about this? If so, how do I know a mobo supports it? Is SATA 2 or 300 the tipoff?)

MOBO: DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D ATX AMD Motherboard - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152
$135

CASE: THERMALTAKE Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133132
$109

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103536
$149

RAM: CORSAIR 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440
$78

GPU: Rosewill Radeon X800XL 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-Express
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814164041
$272

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA NCQ ST380017AS 80GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148040
$65

PSU: FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX500-A 500W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104934
$89

OPTICAL: NEC BLACK IDE DVD BURNER - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152035
$49

FLOPPY: NEC FD1231H-302 BLACK INTERNAL FLOPPY DRIVE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821152005
$8

TOTAL: $955
 
I would get a board with a nf4 chipset --> better overclocker

such as the DFI (can't remember the model, somebody else should mention it)

ps. I'm jealous of your money
 
i think this is a good mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152R

also you dont need to waste $100+ on a case, just get a simple case and you can get a power supply much cheaper look in the hot deals section and the mopney you save can be put towards a processor or Ram upgrade.

for your HDD also look in the hot deals section, you can get a much bigger one for $65
 
logan,

that is a great tip...but I had a cheaper case, a nice $49 Antec..but I have to be honest, I want something nice to look at. ;)

And secondly, silence is kind of important to me so I wanted to be sure to get a decent PSU, and the Antecs come highly recommended.
 
For your $89.00, you can get a much better power supply by going with the Fortron Blue Storm. Not that Antec is bad, but the Fortron has all its cables sleeved, EZ remove molex connectors, and is more efficient and quieter (1 120mm fan) and top-rated for quality.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104934

I'd also go with an NForce 4 Ultra chipset mainboard. You can easily find one for the same price as the Soltek, actually, Soltek might make one. You'll also get four native SATA ports (most VIA mainboards have two native from the VIA chipset, and two from a secondary controller).
 
You could get a better case for less money IMO. Aside from that, you should go with a motherboard better than a Soltek. Get something from Asus, Abit or even MSI. I personally don't like DFI, but its not a bad suggestion.

I am just not a fan of that brand. I've had issues with them in the past.

Personally I would splurge a bit more for a Western Digital hard drive. Not a fan of Seagate EIDE or SATA drives in general. You can get a SATA WD 120GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache drive for about $119 retail. Online I'm sure theres an even better deal.
 
Did you have a case in mind?

For this price I didn't see too many all aluminum cases with good reviews and nice fans.
 
LoneWolf said:
For your $89.00, you can get a much better power supply by going with the Fortron Blue Storm. Not that Antec is bad, but the Fortron has all its cables sleeved, EZ remove molex connectors, and is more efficient and quieter (1 120mm fan) and top-rated for quality.
Click to expand...

I must agree. I love my BlueStorm, it's absolutely silent and very reliable!
 
Got it..thanks guys, I just read some reviews on the Fortron..and it sounds great..only $1 more too. So I changed that..anything else?

RAM?
 
a general rule i like to use is your mobo and processor should be about the same price. or in the same range...
 
peterhoang2002 said:
also, i head this ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820218062
can overclock better
Click to expand...

Right brand, wrong model...the right kind is TwinMOS Speed Premium "TMSP/400".

Crucial Value RAM is also good stuff. Ditch the Corsair, they're not living up to their reputation lately.

NCQ isn't something you need to worry about either way, it's pretty much meaningless on a desktop.

Thermaltake...well, you can do better. But if that's what you like, that's what you like.

3200+ is easier to overclock than the 3000+ but either should give you roughly the same final speed.

Not sure about the graphics card either...Rosewill = Newegg generic, and ATI's still too buggy for me.
 
exilio said:
Got it..thanks guys, I just read some reviews on the Fortron..and it sounds great..only $1 more too. So I changed that..anything else?

RAM?
Click to expand...

RAM really depends on whether you're going to ever overclock or not. If you aren't, there's lots of good, inexpensive RAM out there. Crucial's basic stuff is good, Mushkin Blue Line, Kingston ValueRAM or HyperX (Outpost.com often has HyperX or Crucial deals), these are all decent. I've had good luck with Corsair's value line and their basic XMS as well.

If you're overclocking, the situation changes. I'd look at Crucial Ballistix, Corsair XMS, high-end Mushkin, or in the case of the DFI mainboard, possibly OCZ VX, which is expensive, but highly rated, and only the DFI mainboards can provide it with the high voltage that really makes it shine.
 
LoneWolf said:
RAM really depends on whether you're going to ever overclock or not. If you aren't, there's lots of good, inexpensive RAM out there. Crucial's basic stuff is good, Mushkin Blue Line, Kingston ValueRAM or HyperX (Outpost.com often has HyperX or Crucial deals), these are all decent. I've had good luck with Corsair's value line and their basic XMS as well.

If you're overclocking, the situation changes. I'd look at Crucial Ballistix, Corsair XMS, high-end Mushkin, or in the case of the DFI mainboard, possibly OCZ VX, which is expensive, but highly rated, and only the DFI mainboards can provide it with the high voltage that really makes it shine.
Click to expand...

You can get a good OC with ValueRAM and a divider. I've seen several threads talking about how the RAM speed doesn't make that big of a difference. I run my RAM 1:1 up to about 267-275. So it doesn't really matter to me, but if you're on a budget, I'd go with the ValueRAM. Either 2x512 for about $90 or 1x1GB for about $180.
 
kirbyrj said:
You can get a good OC with ValueRAM and a divider. I've seen several threads talking about how the RAM speed doesn't make that big of a difference. I run my RAM 1:1 up to about 267-275. So it doesn't really matter to me, but if you're on a budget, I'd go with the ValueRAM. Either 2x512 for about $90 or 1x1GB for about $180.
Click to expand...

You may be able to lower your divider, but in some situations this can lower the overal HT speed. Also, the higher you go, the looser your RAM timings need to be. I've found that Value ram works great at stock speeds even with fairly tight timings, but if you buy higher end RAM, it is more likely to allow for tighter timings at high speeds resulting in lower latency, and possibly higher dividers as well. High memory latency can negate a lot of the speed you might get through an overclock, so this is an important consideration.
 
I agree that you memory latency is an issue, but negate "a lot" of the speed you gain from an overclock? I don't know. Even dropping to 2T timings is only going to drop performance 10-15%. I still think you can get acceptable memory latency with 2.5 Cas timing Value RAM running a divider, especially since the memory controller is on-die. But that might be something I need to play with a little more on my own comp to see how much of a performance hit you would take.
 
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