Build Candidate 1: Need some advice

[zdude255]

Processor:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Manchester
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103547

Motherboard:
ABIT KN8 SLI NVIDIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1621492&CatId=1569

RAM:
Corsair Value Select Dual Channel 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory (2 x 512MB)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=669365&CatId=1354

Power Supply:
Ultra / X2 Connect / 550-Watt / ATX
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1273353&CatId=0

Video Card:
Either:
PNY Verto GeForce 7600 GT
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1930000&CatId=0
OR
eVGA Geforce 7600GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130283
Need some help on this one

Hard Drive:
Seagate / 160GB / 7200 / 8MB / SATA-300 / OEM / Hard Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1639147&CatId=139


Need tips on the brand of video card, the one from PNY at TigerDirect will probably ship cheaper, but I hear eVGA is a really good brand so I'm not sure which to go for.

I need tips on the graphics card choice, but also the system and brands as a whole. I realize the PSU is a bit expensive, but the modular flex cables make it worth it for my case. (clear fiberglass, fully visible cables and PSU)

I already have a DVD burner that's gonna go in, so don't worry about that. Anything else I'm missing or bad brand names or anything. Everything here is tenetive so nothing is ordered or permanent yet. I'm open to all criticism, much thanks for the tips. Looking to play Oblivion pretty nicely on this.

 

[harry18]

are you going to OC?, why not wait, conroes are comin real soon

 

[zdude255]

No, I'm not planning to OC.

Really want to upgrade now, won't have much time after summer, general distrust of intel.

 

[john3]

bad choice of CPU, it has really low cache for the price, and hardly ne good. bad choice of PSU also, ultra is not that reliable.

DUDE! wait 1 or 2 months to buy, Intel's Conroe are coming out and AMD's AM2s are coming out, just chillz for a bit. and new video cards are 2.

 

[zdude255]

Well can anyone offer some specs for the new stuff? It won't matter if they release new stuff but it's all $600. I may get a new graphics card later on after Direct3D 10 is stable, but all the cutting edge stuff is likely way out of my price range. I can't wait for prices to drop because I need this computer sometime before August. I'm on a GeForce FX5200 with an Athlon XP 2200+ right now, and I want to play some nice stuff sometime soon.

Hmm, can you suggest a better PSU then, the modular flex cables were my main selling point on that one.

EDIT: What would be a better choice for a CPU then as well? I don't want to spend an extra $100 for a slight performance increase.

 

[john3]

not exactly the Conroes will cost exactly around what the dual core AMDs cost, the lowest ones like the 3800+ and the 4200+. and the G80s will also cost around $300. so........

 

[zdude255]

Again, how much and when? Sorry to be a hassle, but I've yet to see anything tangible about it.

preorder date? shipping date? clock speed? ops per cycle? benchmarks? 64-bit? 64-bit compatibillity?

All I've heard so far is that it's faster and better, but I have no means of verifying this. How much faster than the current AMDs? Is there a noticable performance increase in certain apps?

 

[Brtnboarder495]

Socket AM2 is due out tomorow ... and Conroe is around the corner ....

 

[zdude255]

When and where is this corner I keep hearing about?

 

[harry18]

the corner?, well leave your house and turn left, past the hedge, and there it is, a nice big shiney conroe waiting for you