New gaming computer(hardware)

[deepthroat]

I ussually upgrade every 2 years to a new pc, but this year, the hardware lineups have got the best of me and I'm starting early.

My new system will be as follows:

Mother board:Asus K8V SE Deluxe Socket 754 (ATX)
Processor:AMD Athlon 64 3700+ (2.4 GHz) (1600 MHz FSB)
Ram:2 Gigs of Geil PC 3200(400 MHz) CL3 memory(1024 MB x 2)
Hard Drive:Western Digital Caviar 80 gig 7200 RPM HDD
Graphics Card:BFG Nvidia GeForce 6800 GT (overclocked edition)
Case:ThermalTake Xaser III V1000A (Black)
Power Supply:500 watt Ultra X-connect modular PS
CPU heatsink:Ultra Fire Socket 754 Copper heatpipe and fan
OS:windows XP professional

I also have a 52x32x52x Cd burner and a DVD-Rom drive(and of course, the good old floppy)

so far, what do you guys think?
I might also add a watercooling system later on.
any suggestions?

 

[TRDCorolla1]

For starters, don't use the Socket 754. It's for budget PCs.

Since technology is so great now, let's work on getting a dual core CPU. The Athlon 64 X2 will start you off nicely. It uses Socket 939 so make sure the motherboard is new enough to support that. I suggest:

MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130484

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester 1GHz FSB 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Dual Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547

eVGA 256-P2-N525-AX Geforce 7800GTX 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130248

But that BFG card you got up there looks good too if budget is a concern for you:
BFG Tech BFGR68256GTOCX Geforce 6800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143025

 

[deepthroat]

I'm not really on a budget, but I can't afford the (platinum n' pearls) These are desirable, I'd love to be able to spend $6,000+ for it, but unfortunately Ill have to settle for second best.

Why would you consider the 754 a budget it's the new AMD 64 bit cpu running at a 1600 MHz FSB.I think thats incredible(double intels P4 FSB
800 MHz)

Couple that with the BFG 6800 GT OC'ed and you've got one helluva rig!
not to mention 2 gigs of geil ram.Lets not get greedy, what more could I need.

 

[the deceived]

Well how much is your original setup costing you? I mean if you get a dual core, it's certainly not going to take you to $6000 It is more future-proof so in two years time your not going to have to do your regular upgrade, and games of the future are going to use dual core technology to the max, and so I'd agree with TRDCorolla.

Also, stick with socket 939, not 754 because it it for budget PCs and you setup certianly doesn't look budget to me

 

[mammikoura]

Yeah get socket 939 mobo and CPU.

Well u don't have to have dual core yet, but if u plan on using that pc after 2 years and want to play games with it, without any upgrades.. I wouldn't count on u getting any good graphics after 2 years with that pc. And as for the future dual core is the way to go.

 

[TRDCorolla1]

I'm not really on a budget, but I can't afford the (platinum n' pearls) These are desirable, I'd love to be able to spend $6,000+ for it, but unfortunately Ill have to settle for second best.

Why would you consider the 754 a budget it's the new AMD 64 bit cpu running at a 1600 MHz FSB.I think thats incredible(double intels P4 FSB
800 MHz)

Couple that with the BFG 6800 GT OC'ed and you've got one helluva rig!
not to mention 2 gigs of geil ram.Lets not get greedy, what more could I need.

Ok, here's a comprehensive breakdown of Socket 754 vs Socket 939. But before I do that, Socket 939 is VERY affordable. Honestly, if you look around at motherboards and CPUs supporting Socket 939, you will see that they are all not that expensive. Since you are not ona budget, this makes it perfect for you.

Socket 754 CPU:

Single Channel Memory only
64bit DDR SDRAM at 100, 133, 166, and 200Mhz
Three DIMM's supported
800Mhz Hyper Transport Bus Speed
Runs hotter than socket 939 cpu's
Consumes more power than socket 939's

Socket 939 CPU:

Dual Channel Memory
128bit DDR SDRAM at 100, 133, 166, and 200Mhz
Four DIMM's supported
1000Mhz Hyper Transport Bus Speed
Runs cooler than socket 754 cpu's
Consumes less power than socket 754's

The socket 939 cpu's support dual channel memory configurations. Socket 754 users are tied down to using single channel memory. The addition of dual channel memory ability effectively doubled the memory bandwidth of the on die memory controller. Remember, the Athlon64 cpu's do not have to reply on a northbridge to transfer memory and graphics data to and from the cpu. This, in theory, results in much lower latency and higher bandwidth. Socket 754 cpu's support 64bit DDR SDRAM at 100, 133, 166, and 200Mhz. Now the socket 939 cpu's support 128bit memory at the same frequencies, so you can see the obvious advantage there. The newer socket 939 cpu's memory controller also supports up to four unbufferred dims, whereas the socket 754 solution only supported three.

The 939's also benefit from a faster Hyper Transport bus speed (or Intel's equivalent front side bus). Socket 754 was limited to 800Mhz or 3.2Gb/sec in each direction but now 939 cpu's get a full 1000Mhz or 4Gb/sec in each direction. Generally speaking, the 939 cpu's are running cooler than their socket 754 counterparts, I would say mostly due to the fact that the socket 939 cpu requires less voltage. So, as you can see there are several reason's why a socket 939 Athlon64 cpu may be the better buy when compared to socket 754, especially considering the price difference is hardly even $50 on average from 754 to 939 in the same class.

 

[jac006]

Plus, with socket 939, you can just upgrade to dual cores when you want to. All you need is a the cpu. With 754 you have to get a new mobo and all.