[Guamek]

should i upgrade my dell dimension 8400 or build a new pc from scratch? im not a hardcore gamer but i do run some audio and video editing applications. P4 3.2 ht , 1gb ram, radeon X300
thanks

[Mosquito555]

Build a new PC from scratch...Upgrading a P4 based machine is not worth the money and effort, especially if it's a Dell as Dells may be restricted to their own case designs and power supply units.

Are you interested in buying a branded PC or building your own?

[Guamek]

Im looking for the best price : performance ratio. If building one from scratch represents a big difference i would definitely want to do it and spend as much time as needed. My budget is <800 , is it enough to get something that lasts? i plan on running cad and audio editing software in it , gaming would be nice too

[Mosquito555]

Well, building your own usually saves you some money...Let alone that you can balance the parts better so you can buy exactly what suits your needs.

I'd suggest something like that:

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674

M/B:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128378

RAM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145251

HDD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152181

DVD-R:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151192

CASE:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119068

GRAPHICS CARD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102859

PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

With less than $800 you get a fast quad core CPU, a fast graphics card that is compatible with DirectX11, a good PSU to support your system, one of the fastest hard drives of the era and an average case which will provide enough space and airflow for cooling your computer.

The motherboard is of good quality and it supports DDR3 RAM, the newest RAM type available. The RAM modules themselves are made by Corsair and are of good quality. The only drawback is the performance/price ratio. If you use a DDR2 motherboard you will save some cash without sacrificing much performance. However, I thought you should go for the most modern hardware if it fits your budget. Let alone that DDR2 RAM prices are close to DDR3 prices nowdays.

Another point is the OS. If you plan on using your old OS then I'd say go for the best hardware you can afford. You should however consider getting Windows 7...That will increase the final price...

Some cheaper CPU alternatives are:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103649

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103656

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103706

You can also reduce the price by getting a cheaper graphics card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161290

or a more basic card (which will play every current game - don't worry):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161287


You can also get an Intel based system but it's going to be a bit more expensive if you go for the best parts.

If you want to further reduce costs you could get a Core 2 Duo based system. However, while cheaper, the Core 2 Duo platform is aged and you may not be able to upgrade it after one or two years.

[Mosquito555]

Well, building your own usually saves you some money...Let alone that you can balance the parts better so you can buy exactly what suits your needs.

I'd suggest something like that:

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674

M/B:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128378

RAM:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145251

HDD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152181

DVD-R:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151192

CASE:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119068

GRAPHICS CARD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102859

PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005

With less than $800 you get a fast quad core CPU, a fast graphics card that is compatible with DirectX11, a good PSU to support your system, one of the fastest hard drives of the era and an average case which will provide enough space and airflow for cooling your computer.

The motherboard is of good quality and it supports DDR3 RAM, the newest RAM type available. The RAM modules themselves are made by Corsair and are of good quality. The only drawback is the performance/price ratio. If you use a DDR2 motherboard you will save some cash without sacrificing much performance. However, I thought you should go for the most modern hardware if it fits your budget. Let alone that DDR2 RAM prices are close to DDR3 prices nowdays.

Another point is the OS. If you plan on using your old OS then I'd say go for the best hardware you can afford. You should however consider getting Windows 7...That will increase the final price...

Some cheaper CPU alternatives are:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103649

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103656

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103706

You can also reduce the price by getting a cheaper graphics card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161290

or a more basic card (which will play every current game - don't worry):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161287


You can also get an Intel based system but it's going to be a bit more expensive if you go for the best parts.

If you want to further reduce costs you could get a Core 2 Duo based system. However, while cheaper, the Core 2 Duo platform is aged and you may not be able to upgrade it after one or two years.

[Guamek]

which one is better amd or intel? is it worth spending more dollars on an intel based system?

[Mosquito555]

In terms of quality both Intel and AMD are good. In terms of performance it's quite complicated...

If you want to buy the cheapest parts possible you can:

1) Buy a low/medium Core 2 Duo or Pentium Dual Core (pretty much the same chips). The main drawback here is that you invest on an obsolete platform. Although you won't lose in performance you will have less upgrade options after one or two years.

2) Buy an Athlon II or a cheap Phenom II. You will get almost the same performance with similar priced Intel chips (somewhat better since with the same money you can get an AMD CPU with more cores) and you will have more upgrade options later.

If you want to get a balanced, medium to high end system you can:

1)Buy a high end Intel Core 2 Duo/Quad. Again, you invest on an aging platform.

2) Buy a high end Phenom II like the ones I suggested on my previous post. If you invest on this platform you have the option to use a DDR2 motherboard and memory so the total cost is somewhat reduced while performance isn't sacrificed.

3) Buy an Intel Core i5 CPU. Core i5 processors are a bit more powerful compared to AMDs equivalents but they are sold for a slightly higher price.

If you want to get an expensive but powerful system you can get an Intel Core i7 CPU (But I advice against doing that, Core i7s are just overkill IMHO).

The reason why I suggest AMD is because of Intel's confusing marketing policy. Let me explain:

AMD uses the socket AM3 with their newer chips. Socket AM3 motherboards use DDR3 memory. However, AM3 CPUs are compatible with AMD's older socket, AM2+. AM2+ motherboards are similar to their AM3 equivalents, they provide the same performance and features but use DDR2 memory instead of DDR3.

To put it simply, AMD did a better job ensuring cross platform compatibility and they will continue doing that in order to compete with Intel. AMD is a company known for their good marketing and pricing tactics.

Intel on the other hand...Well, they messed up on this one. They currently use 3 different platforms (note that they may introduce a 4th platform soon).

They have LGA 775 compatible chips. LGA 775 is as old as the Pentium 4s and Pentium Ds. It was widely used during the Core 2 Duo era so if you want to buy a Core 2 Duo/Quad then you have to stick with LGA 775.

Then, when they released Core i7, they also released a new socket (LGA 1366). This new socket is only compatible with Core i7 chips...You can't fit a Core 2 or Core i5 in there and of course Core i7 chips won't fit in any LGA 775 motherboard either. Another problem with socket 1366 is that it only can be used with DDR3 RAM. Oh, and you have to install a set of three RAM modules in order to get the best out of your Core i7 chip...

That wasn't so confusing in the past...But then Intel decided to use a different socket for the Core i5 platform (socket 1156)...As expected, the first generation of Core i7s don't fit in that socket. Nor do Core 2s. To make this new socket more appealing, Intel released some core i7 chips that can be used with it...And those new Core i7s are better than the lower end socket 1366 chips. They only use DDR3 RAM but you only need to use a pair of RAM sticks to get the best out of your system (Dual Channel DDR, which is normal nowadays).

And now, Intel is about to release a new brand of chips, the Core i3. These are supposed to be compatible with socket 1156 boards but I'm not sure. These chips will replace the Core 2 series as Intel's low budget line of CPUs. Some of them will be brand new chips, some of them will be just repackaged Core 2 chips...

See? Confusing, isn't it?

If you decide to go with Intel I suggest going with a Core i5 CPU and motherboard. Do not buy a Core 2 Duo/Quad unless you are absolutely sure that you won't be upgrading later. Even the high end Core 2 Duos are similar in performance with the better priced Phenom IIs. And of course socket AM3 is a more versatile platform. No reason to go Intel's way if you are building on a restricted budget.

Of course, I still suggest buying a system based on the parts on my previous post.

[Guamek]

i think i will go with the amd option. is there a noticeable difference between phenom II 955 and 965? its price is almost the same. is there a need for more ram or 4gb is more than enough? what monitor do u recommend?guess i should get a better one too... current: 17 inch 1280x1024 9ms (not sure). more money but worth the switch? how much would the overall performance improve by overclocking it? (is it a good idea?) i dont want to run w7 on it, at least not yet, how about linux? would i still be able to get the best of it without windows?

[dant22185]

You also have to think about what will propagate to your needs better. Intel being the more powerful chip base would suit your needs. Core i7 although powerful and "overkill" won't be in a years time and your already outdated and out marketed AMD "equivalents" will wash away even faster. The biggest advice I can give being an experienced PC builder is build big. Not out of control. Cheaper areas you can go are with motherboards being a big one. You build it cheap then it will out date its self faster. You build it to last by picking from a powerful processor and other components you will get your money's worth. Just think if you build a computer that lasts a couple years for 800 bucks that's fine but did you want it to last longer? What are you going to do when that machine is outdated in that time? Rebuild another cheap computer? That is fine if that's what you like to do. But if you are to build a cheap computer I suggest building it SMART CHEAP. There are areas you can be cheap and it not effect you heavily. By this I mean find a mother board that can support the latest sockets for processors and graphics. Most cheap ones can. The difference that makes more of these high end computers more expensive to build are all the extras you can add. Like multiple hard drives. Expensive operating systems, tons of RAM DIMM slots and PCI-e slots. Huge power supplies. Huge cases. Those very things can take your computer from being affordable to insane. My greatest advice I can give to you is find a cheap board that supports the most up to date stuff like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813186177
paired with a cheaper version i7 that you can overclock later on to squeeze out a lot more performance. Although this processor is slightly pricey it more than gets the job done and has tons of room for expansion. You also avoid the insanely priced processors.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115214

Now those are the core things with building the computer.

Here are some areas that can make it cheaper and no greatly impact the performance:
Hard Drive space can get easily cheap because the price typically varries on the speed and volume.
Video Cards can be added down the line, or now. Your choice. There are still some very cheap and yet very powerful cards out there. They also don't require and arm and a leg for power.
RAM can be achieved at a cheaper price buy buying a lower frequency speed. Most high frequency tends to get pricey I.E about anything above 1000Mhz levels. Honestly the speed difference in RAM will hardly be noticeable. Its all about the bragging rights for some people.

[Compiler]

As Mosquito555 says... your computer isn't worth upgrading for gaming / improving performance. Todays $50 AMD or intel CPUs are easily faster than your computer, but you can't use them.

So, after you build you next PC, you can sell your Dell for $125~175.

My main PC is an Intel Core2 Quad. its a good PC. But I wish I had an AMD system as I do build them for others.

You can also lower your budget a bit and still get excellent performance. Since you're not gaming, you don't need the top of everything.

Look at this chart: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?b=49 Play with its settings to see how it scores gaming, work and video.


The performance difference between a $1000 Core i7 and the $100 AMD X3/X2 CPU is 76fps vs 43fps. $250~300 Core i5 CPUs will still be about 70fps.

For Video encoding: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?b=27
As you can see on this video encoding...
76fps for the $175 X4 955 = vs about
64fps for the $120 for the X4 630.
36fps for the $45 AMD X2 245 ($45 combo deal with mobo on Newegg)
(I'd recommend the $100 CPU at least)
Your P4 3.2Ghz (not on the list) would be on par with the Celeron 440 (about 12fps)

List of ALL AMD AM3 CPUs: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e=&srchInDesc=

You can also save money by going with an AMD with DDR2. The performance difference is pretty much nil. Benchmarks will show little to no improvement and the human eye won't tell. Maybe with the upcoming AMD X6 CPUs, DDR3 may help.
But the costs of those DDR3 4GB set is about $100+ vs $35~45 for DDR 800mhz.

Also, if you go with the high end AMD X4... go with the 955. The slightly faster 965 has higher power & system requirements.

You don't need a gaming board... so go with these... cheaper high quality Gigabytes:
$80 DDR2 =http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394 (combo deal with the X2 CPU is optional)
$90 DDR3 = http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128397
(Combo deal takes $10 off with AMD X4 630 CPU)

(I'd go with the DDR2)
** This JUST IN** Checking on pricing. DDR2 has doubled in price in the past few weeks! Its about $85~100 for 4GB of DDR2? Say waaaaht? (I just bought 4GB for $65 last week)

My guess is that DDR2 memory manufacturing maybe phasing down as Core I and many Core2 systems are now using DDR3. Only the Core i7 systems actually make use of DDR3.

So your call. Those $80~90 boards will work just as good for your needs. If you are worried about slots - get the 785G board with more PCI slots. $90~99 by Gigabyte.

PSU: The 550 watt version is $20 less... will handle even an ATI 5800 series card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-004-_-Product

Because you seem more into video than gaming... many gaming cards are NOISY. Go with the ATI 4670 as listed above. The HIS brand cooler is pretty much silent. I have one. Or wait for the ATI 5670 card for under $100... any month. And the onboard video on the motherboard works great under Windows7 (not gaming recent games)

Checkout the Antec 300 case. The Cooler master looks a bit nicer, its about a 5 year old design. The power button falls off a lot.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ec+300&x=0&y=0

Get at least a 24" LCD monitor. Samsung has some for about $250 on newegg.

[win2kpro]

Originally Posted by Mosquito555

To put it simply, AMD did a better job ensuring cross platform compatibility and they will continue doing that in order to compete with Intel. AMD is a company known for their good marketing and pricing tactics.

Intel on the other hand...Well, they messed up on this one. They currently use 3 different platforms (note that they may introduce a 4th platform soon).

Those are ridiculous statements. AMD stayed with socket interchangeability because the former idiot in charge, CEO Hector Ruiz threw AMD in deep debt to the tune of 5.1 billion dollars when AMD purchased ATI. The bottom line was to service the debt AMD had to cut way, way, back on R&D because they were out of money and had to stay with the same platform.

They just recently announced their losses for the last quarter which was 12 straight quarters (3 years) of losses, and you say quote; "AMD is a company known for their good marketing and pricing tactics", tell the stockholders that.

Then you state, quote; "Intel on the other hand...Well, they messed up on this one. They currently use 3 different platforms (note that they may introduce a 4th platform soon)."

Intel's latest earnings were 41 cents per share with 5.52 billions shares outstanding so I wouldn't say they messed anything up.

Don't get me wrong, in the past 2 1/2 years I made more money shorting blocks of AMD than I did being long in Intel, but Intel is still paying dividends.

Mosquito555, stick with solving computer problems rather than trying to analyze companies operations.

[Mosquito555]

@ dant22185:

Originally Posted by dant22185

You also have to think about what will propagate to your needs better. Intel being the more powerful chip base would suit your needs. Core i7 although powerful and "overkill" won't be in a years time and your already outdated and out marketed AMD "equivalents" will wash away even faster.
Now those are the core things with building the computer.

My main argument here is directly related to the OP's given budget. If he wanted to build a 2000 - 3000$ computer I would have suggested a Core i7 based machine. If you read carefully through my posts you will see that I suggest what I believe are the best parts for each price range.

For a budget of 800 $ AMD is the clear winner IMHO. Core 2 Duo/Quads are about to be retired. Core i5s are an excellent option but they are more expensive compared to what AMD has to offer. I guess you understand where my suggestions are based.

By the way, the best Core i7 out there is priced for around $ 1000 while the the i7 950 is about $ 600. You can buy a whole computer with the money required for a good i7...And how long will those chips last? The socket 1156 i7s are already slightly better than the i7 920 acccording to benchmarks.

Intel did he same thing with the Pentium 4 EE and the high end C2D/Q...After a couple of years new chips were released which provided equal or even better performance than these extreme editions...Available in 1/3 of the Extreme Editions' price.

By the time a Phenom II will be obsolete, i5s and lower end i7s will be obsolete as well. The "overkill" extreme editions will probably have a year's more life. Is it worth it?

Originally Posted by dant22185

Huge power supplies. Huge cases. Those very things can take your computer from being affordable to insane.

I'm sorry but this forum is full of people having problems because of component overheating and inadequate PSUs.

The case I suggested isn't "huge", it's just an average, affordable and well made case (I've built a friend's machine using this case) which will provide basic airflow. The tool free design of the case (it works, believe me) is a plus for me. If the OP has the money he could go for something better like the case Compiler suggested - which seems excellent.

Now, regarding the PSU, the OP stated that he would like to play games now and then. I suggested getting the Radeon HD 5750, a medium to high end video card. It's common knowledge, if you want a gaming card then you should invest on a good power supply. A cheaper option is of course the 550 Watts model that Compiler suggested. Even if the OP uses a cheaper card like the HD 4670, why shouldn't he invest on a good PSU in case he decides to upgrade later?

You said it, build big, as big as you can afford. Having a well balanced build is IMHO more important than having a top of the line CPU.

I am just a hobbyist user/builder so my experience is limited...However I know this, don't underestimate these parts.

@win2kpro:

Originally Posted by win2kpro

Those are ridiculous statements. AMD stayed with socket interchangeability because the former idiot in charge, CEO Hector Ruiz threw AMD in deep debt to the tune of 5.1 billion dollars when AMD purchased ATI. The bottom line was to service the debt AMD had to cut way, way, back on R&D because they were out of money and had to stay with the same platform.

Win2kpro, these comments were made by an end user, a user who has to cope with bills, tight budgets etc, not a stockholder. I'm not a market analyst either, what I posted is based on my personal experience alone. I don't care where Intel's or AMD's money goes...I only care where my money goes.

So let me rephrase my previous statement:

AMD may have messed up on various things but we, as end users, are usually benefited by their marketing and pricing tactics. I hope that you see my point now.

There are also some things that made AMD look better in my eyes:

When Intel was selling the infamous Pentium 4s I bought an Athlon XP 2400+ for about half the price of a P4 at 2,4 Ghz. At the same price I could only get a Celeron...

When AMD released the A64, they continued selling Socket A CPUs (Athlon XP based Semprons) thus providing a cheap upgrade option to those who had Socket A mobos.

When Intel released the Pentium Ds, AMD was selling good dual core chips for a similar or even better price.

I thought about commenting on Intel's experiment with Rambus RAM but there are rumors of a plot against Rambus and Intel so I will leave it for now.

AMD did well by releasing triple core chips. Some will argue that these chips are just crippled Quads but hey, Intel did that too (Core 2 Duo E6300 & E6400, Conroes with half their cache disabled)! I like the option of an extra core on an affordable processor. Intel has only dual cores or more expensive Quads.

I'm also aware of what happened with ATI, even wikipedia has information on this one. We don't know however how this is going to turn out.

Originally Posted by win2kpro

Intel's latest earnings were 41 cents per share with 5.52 billions shares outstanding so I wouldn't say they messed anything up.

By "messed up" I -again- refer to end users. Intel is still the no1 CPU maker, no doubt about that...And IMHO they will still be for a long time.

I however had to replace my m/b and CPU in order to upgrade while my brother can just update his motherboard's BIOS and swap his A64 5200+ with a Quad Core Phenom II. I don't care why AMD had to stay with the same platform, it worked for them and many users.

As for the earnings figures, we must consider other things as well. For example, laptops and netbooks are based on Intel CPUs and GPUs since there are no real alternatives from competing companies.

Anyway, if I had the money I would have bought Intel again, don't get me wrong. I'm no AMD fanboy. In fact I owned more Intel based machines (Pentium MMX 166, PIII 733, C2D E6300) than AMD based ones.

Originally Posted by win2kpro

Mosquito555, stick with solving computer problems rather than trying to analyze companies operations.

Will do.

My intention was to help the OP decide what's the best value for his money anyway. This brief description I made on Intel's moves is no market analysis, no way. Since I suggested buying AMD I had to explain why I believe AMD is a better option. Isn't that obvious?

@Guamek:

Originally Posted by Guamek

Is there a need for more ram or 4gb is more than enough?

It depends...For gaming, more RAM will benefit you but it's not necessary yet. For applications like CAD I think having more memory would help.

Originally Posted by Guamek

How much would the overall performance improve by overclocking it? (is it a good idea?)

Again, it depends on many things like how far you can push the CPU without having an unstable system or how much your applications benefit by higher clocks.

Overclocking is not a good or bad idea...Today's chips are made with overclocking in mind but you shouldn't push the chip too far without taking care of other things (like cooling) first.

Originally Posted by Guamek

I dont want to run w7 on it, at least not yet, how about linux? would i still be able to get the best of it without windows?

In order to use more than 4 GBs of memory you must install an 64 bit operating system.

Linux is a good, stable OS and its usability has greatly improved over the past years. However, you must check if your applications can run under Linux or if they are at least supported by emulators. Another option is to find Linux alternatives for your Windows applications. To be honest, Linux isn't the best choice for a gamer.

You may be able to get a DSP or OEM edition of Windows 7 since you are building a new computer. These editions are fully functional and you can get them for about half the price of the retail ones. Only drawback is that OEM editions are "tied" to the computer they were bought with.

You can also set up a dual boot system. Use Windows 7 (which is a very good OS so far) as your primary OS for gaming and Windows only applications and have a Linux variant installed on a different partition of your hard drive. You will run everything you like on Windows while you can have Linux for web surfing (it's safer) or experimenting.

Sorry for the long post...

[Guamek]

so...
- Intel = Best performance
- Amd = Best value
I think i'll go with amd, but... will AM3 allow me to upgrade once amd releases its next processor line?
Ram... 1333 is ok? or could i get something a little faster ?

phenom II 955 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674

and phenom II 965 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103692

are those 20$ worth it?
and i just read that a new version of 965 BE comes out nov 11, will that lower 955 or the old 965 prices?

any ideas for a 24" monitor?

cooling... how do i take care of that? how much could i , or should i overclock the system if im not a hardcore gamer?

[Mosquito555]

Originally Posted by Guamek

so...
- Intel = Best performance
- Amd = Best value

It's not exactly like that but you get the picture...I want to be fair though, so I will suggest these as well:

CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-215-_-Product

M/B:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-401-_-Product

I still believe that you should get an AMD based system and use the extra money to improve another part of your build, you could probably buy the case Compiler suggested or save the cash so you can buy a good sound card later (since you re into audio editing)...

But I don't want to sound like an AMD fanboy...So I had to suggest some Intel parts as well. It's up to you in the end!

Originally Posted by Guamek

I think i'll go with amd, but... will AM3 allow me to upgrade once amd releases its next processor line?

We can't know for sure. My speculation is based on AMD's "tradition" as they usually support their older platforms.

FYI, AMD not only made the AM3 CPUs compatible with the older socket AM2+ but they released some AM2+ only Phenom IIs as well.

Originally Posted by Guamek

Ram... 1333 is ok? or could i get something a little faster ?

You should be fine. DDR3 1333 is the "sweet spot" when it comes to RAM speed. Some motherboards may not support well faster DDR3 modules. Play it safe. And as others said before me, you won't see a significant performance boost by using faster RAM.

Originally Posted by Guamek

phenom II 955 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674

and phenom II 965 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103692

are those 20$ worth it?
and i just read that a new version of 965 BE comes out nov 11, will that lower 955 or the old 965 prices?

Before deciding on which CPU and m/b you will buy, check the following links. There you should find the CPU support list for each motherboard me and Compiler suggested. As you can see, you may have to update the BIOS in order to use high end CPUs like the Phenom II 955 and 965. I think the Phenom II 955 is a safer option but I'm not sure...

Give me some time to research on that. Gigabyte's website is a bit messy.

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/M...3010#anchor_os

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/M...3156#anchor_os

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/M...3141#anchor_os

The Phenom II 965 has a higher TDP. This means that the chip may run a bit hotter and requires more power to operate. I don't think that you will have any problems running this CPU but I don't know if it's worth it. For 20$ more you could get it though...Keep in mind that with $ 20 more you could consider the Core i5 as well. In fact, if you decide to spend those $ 20 I believe that the i5 may be a better solution.

Originally Posted by Guamek

any ideas for a 24" monitor?

I like LG and Samsung monitors (Eizo monitors are excellent but very pricey)...Check this out:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-275-_-Product

Originally Posted by Guamek

cooling... how do i take care of that? how much could i , or should i overclock the system if im not a hardcore gamer?

Both the Phenom II 955 and 965 are labeled as "Black Editions". Those BE chips are supposed to be overclocking friendly. You could slightly overclock BE chips by only changing the multiplier through BIOS and by only using the stock cooler (which comes with boxed versions of the chips).

If you want to push a chip further above its stock speed you should invest on a good aftermarket cooler. I'm not that good with overclocking so I can't suggest of any atm.

Another thing that you should consider is the temperature inside the case. Having the best CPU cooler on an averagely cooled box doesn't make sense. Buying a better case (like the one Compiler suggested) will definitely improve airflow inside your case...Another alternative is my box:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...enturion%20590

It's not very expensive and it has plenty of room and fan sockets. It however tends to be a bit noisy when all those fans work together. Nothing annoying but it's still noisier than the good old Centurion on my second post.

Since you are not a hardcore gamer I suggest leaving the system as it is. You could try overclocking it later if you feel that you need more power. I don't know what exactly you do with audio but my Phenom II 720 has more than enough power to run Cubase 3 with a lot of VSTi (and soundbanks) loaded while recording (and playing back the mix ofc) in real time.

And ofc, a quad core at 3.0Ghz won't have any problems when rendering videos either.

[Guamek]

motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128378
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128399

phenom II 955 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103674
or
and phenom II 965 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103727
(pII 965 BE 125w , only 20$ more ! a good deal or not? i want to overclock in the near future)


Ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145251
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145260
(made for use with intel cpus?)
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145236
(6gb but $10+ less per unit?)

Harddrive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152181
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185


Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...enturion%20590
or
??? (I still have my doubts, any options besides the centurion and antec 300? )
what about a cheap gaming case?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156062


GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102859
(any suggestions?)

Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005
(im lost here)

Wireless Adapter(BASIC):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833130057
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833124347

Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-275-_-Product
(mmmm... a little expensive...)

CD/DVD burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151192
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118032


Any comments? suggestions? etc?