Hi, I'm going to build a new computer for a friend. Here are the specs and parts. What do you think? Comments, suggestions, criticisms, all welcome. Possessor AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-MA770-DS3 Memory G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Graphics Card EVGA 01G-P3-N810-AR GeForce 8800 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 WIFI ENCORE ENLWI-N IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE 802.11n Draft PCI 2.3 Wireless Adapter Hard Drive Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Optical Drive Pioneer Black SATA DVD+-RW Power Supply CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V Case COOLER MASTER Centurion 532 RC-532-SKN1 Black Aluminum bezel Fan Antec 77095 120mm Blue LED Case Fan So what do you all think?
If you are aiming a really quiet computer, then Antec fans are not really quiet. See another fan. I have my antec case, and it has a 120mm antec fan, and its not my quietest fan at low speed, lets say. My trick to make it quiet, is to take HDD rubber thingies, cut it in 2, and put it on either end of the case back metal, and pass the fan screw. Now that made is quiet at low speed. As for your video card, get the 512MB model, the 1GB is actually slower in most games. You are better off spending on a OC model. If you have a big monitor, perhaps the GTX might be the best choice. If you are aiming at a quiet computer, then the case is bad. You need ~50-60$ more for a proper case with quiet in mind. Remember that does mean it is quiet that you computer will heat more... Also it's no about the # fans you have that will give you a better cooling. It's all about engineering. Now all you need is Vista 64-bit. That is if you want not only use all your 4Gb of RAM (as it is a 64-bit OS), but also your multi-core CPU, as Vista takes complete advantage of it, and itself is all programed in multi-core CPU in mind.
Is there any reason you went with the 6400 and amd? reason I ask is they are bloody hot processors and you will struggle to get any overclock out of it, a quick look on newegg and you can get an E4700 for less or an 8200 for 30 dollars more that will give you more oc headroom and even at stock will likely outperform the current Amd offerings. If you are dead set on AMD ditch the ram for some 6400 as that is the maximum the on chip memory controller supports, latencies don't make a noticeable difference on my rig to be worth the extra. +1 with what Goodbytes said.
Ok, We have changed the Graphics card to a EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS 512MB GDDR3 We want to stick with that possessor. I am still looking at other Cases/Fans. And we already have a copy of Vista Home Premium 64-bit.
Thanks for the feedback! Here is the new case NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Comments?
It's not my cup of tea, but we all have different tastes, and if you like it, it doesn't really matter what we think about it
I'm wondering why you're going to use AMD when a similarly priced Intel core processor will give much more performance. You could get an Asus board with build in WiFi aswell.
AMD CPU's are known to be more stable than Intel. If I was building a business computer, and performance is not an issue for someone I would defiantly with AMD. However, we are gamers and we want performance over stability as we don't case for an hyper extreme stable system, and so far, for us, Intel Core 2 duo/quad makes a great job.
I'm sorry but this statement is complete bullshoot. Why does Intel sell millions of CPUs and chipsets to OEM manufacturers a year? edit: oops, sorry Mankz
My brother will be the first to disagree, he had no end of problems getting his 6400 stable due to overheating problems. the eventual solution was to underclock it until he took delivery of a TRU120E. Even now his processor idles higher than mine on full load. Personally if you are adamant about staying with AMD I'd save yourself $60 and get the 5000+BE, from what I've read on the net they'll pretty much all hit 3ghz at stock voltage just raising the unlocked multiplier, I have mine at 3.1 with a higher vcore but I've hit limits with my board's power delivery not the processor. The 65nm Brisbanes run a LOT cooler than the 90nm Windsors and will help with temps of your whole system.
If you want silence, go with a different processor, as the K8 architecture puts out a lot of heat at those speeds on a 90nm process as has been said. The Windsor core is quite old tech now and the 65nm X2s produce much less heat and that leads to an overall more quiet system as the fans don't have to run as fast to cool it. To compare Core2Duos to Athlon64 X2s, my E4400 at 2.66GHz(with a voltage bump) ran the same temps as my friends 4200+(90nm) at 2.4GHz(stock voltage I believe), despite the fact that his cooling was better, he had a Zalman 9500, I have a Zalman 7000. I suppose if you don't need quiet or a cool running CPU the 6400+ is ok, but a Core2Duo or a 65nm X2 would be a much better choice if you want low heat or a quiet computer. Tell that to the 486 system I have that still works just fine
