Renzatic on 8/7/2009 at 03:28
I'm thinking it's about time I take the plunge and get a new comp. The Opteron, while still performing like a champ, is getting a little long in the tooth after 3 years of solid use. After reading up on a bit of this, that, and the other, I'm leaning towards an AMD Phenom II 955 and 6 gig of Corsair DDR3 triple channel blah blah blah BS. One of the more expensive setups in the AMD line, but still a helluva lot less than a comparable Core i7.
But then I get to Motherboards. I've always hated shopping around for mobos. You can have a spread of em that sport the same chipset and features, but have huge performance disparities between them. Right now, the MSI GD70 is looking pretty tempting, but I'd like to get some opinions before I plunk down some cash.
So what do you think TTLG? Got any recommendations?
Matthew on 8/7/2009 at 10:12
I don't have that particular mobo, but my last two have been MSI and I've never had any real difficulty with either of them. I feel they're a solid brand.
Renzatic on 8/7/2009 at 15:14
Nice. Thanks :D
Since I've already got the case, a stout 600w PSU, harddrive, and all that good stuff, I can focus on going a little more high end and still come out below $600. I want a new computer to last me at least 3 years. From what I've read, this setup looks to up to the task:
Inline Image:
http://users.chartertn.net/greymatt/current_comp.jpgI might go with a different set of ram. Maybe 8 gig of something less expensive, since it doesn't look like the mobo support triple channel memory (and I can't find much info on triple channel memory, so I dunno if it's even worth digging for one). I'll also compare the specs and features of the mobo I'm looking at vs. the one on your list. Truthfully, I doubt I'll ever use more than 3 of those SATA ports the GD70 is sporting, and I know I ain't ever gonna go SLI/Crossfire, so it might be overkill. If yours is about the same performancewise, I'll go with it and save me a good 70 bucks.
bikerdude on 8/7/2009 at 15:43
Quote Posted by Renzatic
* Since I've already got the case, a stout 600w PSU, harddrive, I can focus on going a little more high end and still come out below $600. I want a new computer to last me at least 3 years.
* I might go with a different set of ram. Maybe 8 gig of something less expensive, since it doesn't look like the mobo support triple channel memory
* What case, psu and hdd have you already got..?
* Yes that's correct, only Intel core i7 comptable motherboards support triple channel memory configurations.
Renzatic on 8/7/2009 at 15:56
Quote Posted by Bikerdude
* What case, psu and hdd have you already got..?
(
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1760) The Case: Asus Vento 3600.
The thing weighs about 500 pounds, and somehow manages to be ugly as sin and awesome sleek at the same time. I like it though, since it's easy to work in, got a goodly amount of fans, and is whisper quiet. I don't feel a driving need to upgrade it anytime soon.
(
http://www.extremeoverclocking.com/reviews/cases/Cooler_Master_iGreen_600W_1.html) The PSU: Cooler Master iGreen 600w
Supplies more than enough power for my needs, and does it well. I may do a RAID 0 config in the near future, but since I'll never go SLI, it should last me a good long while.
(
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106) The Harddrive: Western Digital 80GB SATA 3.0
The weakest link in my machine. A decent harddrive, though most definitely not a huge capacity powerhouse. I've also got an old 30GB WD Raptor I use as a backup clone drive. I only attach it to the comp when I need to restore my Windows install.
I'd say I'm fairly well covered.
