Maximum PC

This is just another brilliant piece of work by One4. Excellent guide, One4!

Great info here, especially for someone like me who is finally replacing my Athlon 1100 based system.

What do you think of SLI? Is is worth considering? I'm not exactly an avid gamer but I don't want to be held back by my equipment. Will dual 6600GT cards give me the performance I want?

I'm leaning towards the Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe mobo. What do you think?

Thanks,
R.C.

The A8N32-SLI board is a waste of money. It offers little performance increase for the extremely high price.

Dual 6600GTs are pointless and a waste of money because a 7800GT by eVGA or XFX costs the same and offers over double the performance.

Stick with an SLI board (not the 32 version) and a single 7800GT. Whenever you need more power along the road, throw in another 7800GT.

1) I'm personally not big on SLI. If you have a huge monitor and run extremely high resolutions (greater than 1600x1200), then I can see the benefit. Otherwise, you could apply the investment towards other parts of your system.

As for 2x6600GTs, as mentioned above for the money I'd look at a single card solution with a current gen card - a 7800GT comes to mind.

2) The A8N32-SLI is indeed over priced, in short supply, and not a good bang/buck purchase. Regardless, it's also the top s939 motherboard money can buy (along with the DFI Expert) thanks to several PCB improvements. I personally wouldn't categorize it as a "wase of money," as pretty much any high end component could be classified as such when looking at the real world performance gains in relation to the asking price.

Whether it's an appopriate purchase for you or not depends on if you're looking to maximize your dollar, are interested in top performance regardless of price, and basically what the goals of your system are. When I spec'd out and built my dream rig, the A8N32-SLI was at the heart of the system...

Does the Expert also offer 32 lane SLI.

Nope - SLI drops the two lanes down to x8 on the DFI. What it improves upon are some phase change power enhancements, similar to the Asus.

Thanks for your replies.

One of my main goals for a system is longevity and upgradability. For that. IMO, a motherboard that is close to bleeding edge while still having some proven track record is key. The A8N32-SLI seems to fit that bill even if it is another $50. Still, I am cheap when it comes down to it. I'll have another look at the non 32 board.

Based on advice here I'll go with a single 7800GT card for now and get another one when they are $50 or maybe $100.

Thanks and Happy ChrisKwanzikaHmadan,
R.C.

Thread updated today to v1.3:

v1.3 changes
GPU warranties examined
Recommended component list updated

v1.2 changes
ASRock's AGP/PCI-E motherboard info added
State of AGP updated
Added DFI's nF4-DAGF w/ firewire to budget rig

v1.1 changes
ResellerRating and Ultimate Links Thread added
Hard drives added to specs

v1.0
Original Buyer's Guide and Mini-FAQ

Madshrimps was able to unobtrusively stuff into a Thermaltake Kandalf, which is the succcessor to the Armor (LINK). Regardless, I'm replacing that Armor recommendation in favor of the Temjin TJ07.

The Temjin TJ07 is one outstanding case.
Now if I could just win the lotto...............

I want that case so bad...

I need to find out more about SATA drives. Do they need to run in a RAID config? Can they run as separate drives (OS/Storage)? Can I have and IDE OS drive with two independent SATA storage drives: 1 to capture to, 1 to render to.

Have any links for recommended reading?

Nope, a RAID array is not a requirement to own and operate a SATA drive.



Yes they can, limited only by the number of SATA ports on your motherboard. Currently, I'm running a 400GB SATA drive for my OS with a large partition for programs, and a separate 400GB SATA drive for storage purposes, and I have room for more SATA devices.



Yes you can, so long as your motherboard has the free ports.[/quote]



In all honesty, your best bet would be to hit up Google. I'd start by doing a search for 'SATA FAQ,' and then adjust your query for whatever you need further clarification on ---> CLICK ME

Thank you. I think I have the answers that I need.

Wait, wasn't that the same case that MPC used in their Dream Machine 2005? I recognize the model number, as well as the luscious looks.

I can't believe I read that whole thing... LOL

That was a great short-n-sweet FAQ. Way to go One4yu2c!

ty so much for the clarifications One4yu2c!

just bought a AMD 3200+ with a friends recomendation and 1.5Gb of ram for games and homework. Hoping to buy a video card soon so once again thanks

My dream ( dual core AMD processor, best on the market of course, 4Gb ddr2 ram 2 of the best vid cards in SLI or crossfire and so on) drool

Haha! Doesn't everyone?

Great Post..... Thanks

I read your recommendations and have to say, even translating them to Canadian dollars, I doubt that I could find the parts. (TigerDirect.ca doesn't carry PCP&C PSUs for example). Though I will have to recommend the Thermaltake Shark as a great case to base a build in. It's what I based my CAN$8,000+ Dream Machine on!