Bunch of hardware choices to make + questions.

[Wrincle]

Hey all,

I'm building a new Athlon 64-based system soon, and i'm trying to choose hardware for it right now. I need your help on narrowing out the best parts I have picked out that were in my price range (FYI, i'm buying from NCIX.com). I also have a few specific questions, listing those first.

1. It's gonna be built off of a AMD64 3500+ Processor. BUT...I have no clue as to what core it should have...I have 4 options, the "Newcastle", the "Venice", and the "Winchester" cores. What's the best, and also, what makes the difference?

2. The 512k cache size scares me on the 3500+'s...does it make a difference? Intel's comparable processors have much larger cache sizes. I'm thinking that the AMD Athlon processors use the cache more efficiently...

3. Do OEM hard drives come with cables? The drive i'm getting in the computer is going to be SATA...and many of my choices are OEM.

Now onto hardware. NOTE: I may have missed some things, so feel free to give me suggestions if it's not here.

Mobo: DFI Lanparty UT NF4 Ultra-D
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe or A8N-SLI
Chaintech VNF4 Ultra
Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLI
Soltek SL-NF4PRO-939

Power Supply: OCZ Powerstream 520w
Antec Trueblue 480w
Antec Truepower 550w ATX12V
Thermaltake Silent Purepower 560w
Turbo Gamer AS500 ATX 500W
Aerocool 550W
Antec 550W True Control w/ Front Panel

CPU Heatsink: Thermalright XP-120 S478/754/939 120MM
Thermalright XP-90 S478/754/939 92MM
Thermaltake Fanless103 Heatpipe Cooler
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64
Thermaltake Silenttower
Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU
Zalman CNPS7000B-CU
Zalman CNPS7700-ALCU
Zalman CNPS7700-CU

RAM: - Kingston HyperX 1024MB Dual Channel KIT PC3200 2X512MB DDR 400MHZ 184PIN CL2-2-2-5 (in PC3200-4000)
- OCZ Dual Channel Platinum 2X512MB DDR PC3200 REV.2 CL 2-2-2-5 w/ Heat Spreader
- Corsair TwinX1024-3200XLPRO PC3200 2X512MB 2-2-2-5 w/ Activity LED's
- Crucial Ballistix PC4000 512MB DDR500 184-PIN UNBUFFERED DIMM 2.5-4-4-8 64MX64
- Mushkin 1GB Dual Channel 2X512 PC3200 2-2-2 LEVEL 2 V2 w/ Heat Spreader
- OCZ Dual Channel EL Gold Edition REV3 1024MB 2X512MB PC3700 CAS2.5 w/ Gold Heat Spreader (*bling* LOL)
- OCZ Dual Channel Optimized 2X512MB DDR PC3200 CAS2 w/ Copper Heat Spreader

Video Card: - ATI Radeon X800 XL PCI-E 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 DVI TV-OUT OEM
- CONNECT3D Radeon X800 PCI-E 256MB DDR VGA DVI TV-OUT (below is roughly same price)
- CONNECT3D Radeon X800 XL PCI-E 256MB DDR VGA DVI TV-OUT
- GIGABYTE GV-RX80L256V ATI Radeon X800 XL PCI-E 256MB 256BIT DDR3 VGA DVI TV-OUT
- HIS Radeon X800 XL ICEQ II TURBO PCI-E 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 VGA DVI TV-OUT
- MSI NX6800-TD256E GEFORCE 6800 256MB DDR PCI-E VGA DVI TV-OUT
- SAPPHIRE RADEON X600 XT 256MB DDR PCI-E VGA DVI VIDEO CARD Retail Box
- SAPPHIRE RADEON X800 XL PCI-E 256MB GDDR3 VGA DVI TV OUT Retail
- XFX GEFORCE 6800 GT AGP8X 256MB DDR3 DVI & TV OUT RETAIL BOX

Hard Drive: - SEAGATE BARRACUDA 7200.7 200GB SATA 8MB 7200RPM 8.5MS OEM
- MAXTOR MAXLINE II 250GB SATA HARD DRIVE 7200RPM 8MB OEM *3YR MFR. WARRANTY*
- WD CAVIAR SE 250GB HARD DRIVE SATA 7200RPM 8MB CACHE 3YR WARRANTY
- WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR SE 200GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB CACHE OEM 3YR MFR WARRANTY
- MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX 10 250GB SATA 16MB 7200RPM OEM
- MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX PLUS 10 200GB SATA150 16MB 7200RPM OEM HARD DRIVE

 

[mgoldb2]

1. It's gonna be built off of a AMD64 3500+ Processor. BUT...I have no clue as to what core it should have...I have 4 options, the "Newcastle", the "Venice", the "Clawhammer", and the "Winchester" cores. What's the best, and also, what makes the difference?

I believe winchester the newist of those.

2. The 512k cache size scares me on the 3500+'s...does it make a difference? Intel's comparable processors have much larger cache sizes. I'm thinking that the AMD Athlon processors use the cache more efficiently..

.

cache dont mean much on amd cpu's

3. Do OEM hard drives come with cables? The drive i'm getting in the computer is going to be SATA...and many of my choices are OEM

no cables but usually the money you save is more then the cost of the cable. Plus lots of time motherboards comes with extra cables.

Mobo: DFI Lanparty UT NF4 Ultra-D
Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe or A8N-SLI
Chaintech VNF4 Ultra
Gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLI
Soltek SL-NF4PRO-939

performance wise I think it handdown go to the DFI.

Power Supply: OCZ Powerstream 520w
Antec Trueblue 480w
Antec Truepower 550w ATX12V
Thermaltake Silent Purepower 560w
Turbo Gamer AS500 ATX 500W
Aerocool 550W
Antec 550W True Control w/ Front Panel

have a read
http://www.computerforum.com/showthread.php?t=10764

RAM: - Kingston HyperX 1024MB Dual Channel KIT PC3200 2X512MB DDR 400MHZ 184PIN CL2-2-2-5 (in PC3200-4000)
- OCZ Dual Channel Platinum 2X512MB DDR PC3200 REV.2 CL 2-2-2-5 w/ Heat Spreader
- Corsair TwinX1024-3200XLPRO PC3200 2X512MB 2-2-2-5 w/ Activity LED's
- Crucial Ballistix PC4000 512MB DDR500 184-PIN UNBUFFERED DIMM 2.5-4-4-8 64MX64
- Mushkin 1GB Dual Channel 2X512 PC3200 2-2-2 LEVEL 2 V2 w/ Heat Spreader
- OCZ Dual Channel EL Gold Edition REV3 1024MB 2X512MB PC3700 CAS2.5 w/ Gold Heat Spreader (*bling* LOL)
- OCZ Dual Channel Optimized 2X512MB DDR PC3200 CAS2 w/ Copper Heat Spreader

have a read
http://www.computerforum.com/showthread.php?t=11096

Video Card: - ATI Radeon X800 XL PCI-E 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 DVI TV-OUT OEM
- CONNECT3D Radeon X800 PCI-E 256MB DDR VGA DVI TV-OUT (below is roughly same price)
- CONNECT3D Radeon X800 XL PCI-E 256MB DDR VGA DVI TV-OUT
- GIGABYTE GV-RX80L256V ATI Radeon X800 XL PCI-E 256MB 256BIT DDR3 VGA DVI TV-OUT
- HIS Radeon X800 XL ICEQ II TURBO PCI-E 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 VGA DVI TV-OUT
- MSI NX6800-TD256E GEFORCE 6800 256MB DDR PCI-E VGA DVI TV-OUT
- SAPPHIRE RADEON X600 XT 256MB DDR PCI-E VGA DVI VIDEO CARD Retail Box
- SAPPHIRE RADEON X800 XL PCI-E 256MB GDDR3 VGA DVI TV OUT Retail
- XFX GEFORCE 6800 GT AGP8X 256MB DDR3 DVI & TV OUT RETAIL BOX

I personally perfer the geforce 6800GT. The x800XL is right behind it. dont worry about brand does not make much of a difference.

Hard Drive: - SEAGATE BARRACUDA 7200.7 200GB SATA 8MB 7200RPM 8.5MS OEM
- MAXTOR MAXLINE II 250GB SATA HARD DRIVE 7200RPM 8MB OEM *3YR MFR. WARRANTY*
- WD CAVIAR SE 250GB HARD DRIVE SATA 7200RPM 8MB CACHE 3YR WARRANTY
- WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR SE 200GB SATA 7200RPM 8MB CACHE OEM 3YR MFR WARRANTY
- MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX 10 250GB SATA 16MB 7200RPM OEM
- MAXTOR DIAMONDMAX PLUS 10 200GB SATA150 16MB 7200RPM OEM HARD DRIVE

have a read
http://www.computerforum.com/showthread.php?t=10947

 

[mastershake]

that's three options

 

[xDarkWizardx]

Yeah the 6800GT would be good, you don't want to use an ATI card on a nVidia chipset motherboard. (You can but you know its not going to run as well as an nVidia card)

I like the Corsair XMS RAM

It seems you want maximum performance from this machine so I would reccomend a Western Digital Raptor HDD, then use the WD 200 gig for storage.

I still don't really understand Power Supplies even after reading Praetors PSU 101

 

[mgoldb2]

It seems you want maximum performance from this machine so I would reccomend a Western Digital Raptor HDD, then use the WD 200 gig for storage

read hd101
http://www.computerforum.com/showthread.php?t=10947

I will point out one paragraph in particular

From a value perspective, there is almost no reason to recommend the WD 10k drives: one can get a 300GB Maxtor 16MB cache drive for the same price as a 74gb Raptor II. Now if the Raptor swept the floor it would probably be justifiable to purchase it however that was not the case. Perhaps if/when a 10k 16MB cache drive is released, the high-end drive market can be a bit more clear-cut.

also take a look at the benchmarks yourself in hd101

 

[xDarkWizardx]

Let me point out one thing in that paragraph, it says "from a value perspective". We are obviously not looking for value but maximum performance, and according to those bench marks you pointed out the Raptor is faster (even though just a little bit) than the other 16 MB cache HDDs (for what he would be using it for anyways).

I guess the best thing to do would be to buy a Raptor and a larger 16 MB cache HDD, for optimal performance in all areas.

And for a HS/F I would say get the XP-90 or XP-90c with a Vantec Tornado fan. And Artic Silver 5 naturally

 

[mgoldb2]

Let me point out one thing in that paragraph, it says "from a value perspective". We are obviously not looking for value but maximum performance, and according to those bench marks you pointed out the Raptor is faster (even though just a little bit) than the other 16 MB cache HDDs (for what he would be using it for anyways).

let look at the benchmarks first one praetor summerized

anandtech offers similar results with the Maxtor and wd trading spots back and forth with the 16MB Maxtor generally keeping up with or beating the 8MB Raptors (albeit by non-massive margins). Here is the 8MB Raptor pulling ahead by a non-insignificant margin

not so clear cut of winner

secound one

Summarizing the SYSmark scores, the Raptor comes out on top but with a very small lead

5 points means pretty much nothing that anyone will notice

third one

we talking less then 3 secound lead

finally fourth one

however the Raptor comes in last when multitasked heavy-disk access is thrown at it:

oh look at that the raptor comes in last for multitasking

 

[Praetor]

1. It's gonna be built off of a AMD64 3500+ Processor. BUT...I have no clue as to what core it should have...I have 4 options, the "Newcastle", the "Venice", and the "Winchester" cores. What's the best, and also, what makes the difference

For the 3500+ the Winchester is the newest.

2. The 512k cache size scares me on the 3500+'s...does it make a difference? Intel's comparable processors have much larger cache sizes. I'm thinking that the AMD Athlon processors use the cache more efficiently...

Do realize the cahce on the intel systems runs with higher latencies

CPU Heatsink: Thermalright XP-120 S478/754/939 120MM

Check that you'll have enough clearence. Also consider the XP-90c

Let me point out one thing in that paragraph, it says "from a value perspective". We are obviously not looking for value but maximum performance, and according to those bench marks you pointed out the Raptor is faster (even though just a little bit) than the other 16 MB cache HDDs (for what he would be using it for anyways).

1. If you're so concerned about performance, why get raptors? You should be running solidtstate
2. Raptor doesnt win everywhere. In fact it'll get pwnd when doing extended ttransfers

 

[xDarkWizardx]

let look at the benchmarks first one praetor summerized


not so clear cut of winner

secound one


5 points means pretty much nothing that anyone will notice

third one

we talking less then 3 secound lead

finally fourth one



oh look at that the raptor comes in last for multitasking

You just proved what I said before

1. If you're so concerned about performance, why get raptors? You should be running solidtstate
2. Raptor doesnt win everywhere. In fact it'll get pwnd when doing extended ttransfers

1. I'm not.
2. I never said it did.

 

[Praetor]

We are obviously not looking for value but maximum performance

1. I'm not.

Consistency it important.

 

[mgoldb2]

You just proved what I said before

are we reading the same thing I just showed how he would most likly notice no increase in performance. it lost in multasking and it less then 3 secound loading faster in anouther which the average person wont notice. In the other benchmark there was no difference that would be noticed at all. so score 1 win 1 lost and ties. instead of buying a 74GB harddrive he can get a 200 or more GB harddrive that he wont notice any difference.

I dont think he want to throw away money for no reason.

 

[Praetor]

instead of buying a 74GB harddrive he can get a 200 or more GB harddrive that he wont notice any difference.

<highschoolMode>But the benchmarks wont be as good!</highshoolMode>

 

[xDarkWizardx]

Consistency it important.

I am not "concerned" (as you put it) with performance all the time, I just feel that he would want more performnce then value in this scenario.

are we reading the same thing I just showed how he would most likly notice no increase in performance. it lost in multasking and it less then 3 secound loading faster in anouther which the average person wont notice. In the other benchmark there was no difference that would be noticed at all. so score 1 win 1 lost and ties. instead of buying a 74GB harddrive he can get a 200 or more GB harddrive that he wont notice any difference.

I dont think he want to throw away money for no reason.

I don't think you are reading what I'm saying, I said he should get 1 of each for optimal performance in all areas.

<highschoolMode>But the benchmarks wont be as good!</highshoolMode>

That was very mature, I guess you proved I'm the one in high school.

 

[Praetor]

I just feel that he would want more performnce then value in this scenario

Perhaps but the performance is not percieveable

That was very mature, I guess you proved I'm the one in high school.

Who said anything about you?

 

[mgoldb2]

I don't think you are reading what I'm saying, I said he should get 1 of each for optimal performance in all areas.

lets review

he would most likly notice no increase in performance.

I dont think he want to throw away money for no reason.

 

[xDarkWizardx]

Who said anything about you?

You did.

 

[Praetor]

Do a search of post12 and find me where it says xDarkWizardx -- until then, let's all get BACK on topic.

 

[xDarkWizardx]

Do a search of post12 and find me where it says xDarkWizardx -- until then, let's all get BACK on topic.

Who are you telling to do a search? Who am I talking too? Hmm...

Anyways this guy doesn't seem too interested in his thread since he hasen't posted again.