AM2 or X2? AMD in any case.

[Twrecks]

I'm finally gonna spring for a new rig, Only now I hear AMD is planning on releasing a new chipset in April, and of course there's no motherboards out there that support it ATM.
The new AM2 will be a new variation on 940 pin with dual core, like the current X2 939 pin flavas with slightly higher Hz. The caveat is that the new chips will be DDR2, which promises some big gains in the long run, just not right now. However, AMD has always handled memory better than Intel (AMD using DDR1 beats Intels using DDR2). So when the new AM2s come out I expect that DDR2 will really take off. Not to mention lower price and less power/heat than DDR1.
As always, something new is on the horizon, and by the end of the year the new nVidia graphics chip will be out to trounce the ATI X1900.
Anyways, I've been getting really pissed off at eBay. Used to be you could actually catch a deal there, now ending bids are usually equal or over retail?! I want a new rig now, not pay a lot, and have it upradable for UT2007.
Not too much to ask for. Currently I have around a grand to spend, but am willing to piece it together over the next few months (that's "now" in dino-time)

 

[OO7MIKE]

Sorry, but you cant buy stuff that isnt out yet. An april launch means you can buy it in May or June.

 

[Rukee]

You could pick out a case.

 

[Twrecks]

You two are sooooo right!
I'll buy now the items that WILL transfer over:
1. CASE, mid tower w/500W PS
2. DDR2 RAM, 2GB should be good
3. SATA HDDs, prolly 2 Raptor 74GBers
4. DVD R/W, dunno what brand
5. 7XXX series VC

I was thinking about going small form factor this time, however it's hard to predict what will be offered initially.
I'm only going to use 2 SATAII ports (nF4 please) can't think of anything else that I even need PCI slots for anymore. So a big case isn't something I need, new stuff runs cooler and pretty much USB any extras I might want later.

This plan should keep me in budget and forward looking.
Thanks

 

[Twrecks]

Got 2 Raptor 740s for $242.42 inc shipping...

next

 

[Rukee]

I just scored 4 SATA II drives for RAID 0, 265+MB/s burst speed look out!!!

 

[Twrecks]

I'm taking you down Rukee! Got my eye on a 7800GTX

 

[Rukee]

Better get two if you wanna keep up. I have two Extreme cards clocked at 490 core.
But, you could always score two 512MB 7800 cards, at a slightly increased cost of course.

 

[OO7MIKE]

LOL, if your looking to grab the latest and greatest in a few months, I would stay clear of the main goodies like graphics cards, cpu, mobo , and ram. yeah even ram gets better in just a few months.

Rukee seems to have you on the right track

Neon lights, hello kitty case, and OCZ Vapor Phase Change Cooling. Oh baby!

 

[Twrecks]

I plan on running them raptors in raid0 under SATA2 (@300MB/s), as close to SCSI as you can get.
I almost picked up an ATI X1800XT w/512MB "extreme" today. It equals two 7800GT 256's in SLI :tup:
I'd like atleast 512 vid RAM for UT2007. I'm hoping the new 7300's come out in a 512 flavor like the 6600's did, SLI two for the magic 1GB! Pity the 6600-512's weren't SLI'able

 

[Rukee]

The new ATI X1900XT 512MB is said to beat 2 7800 512s in SLI, they just came out and newegg has them on sale for $519.00.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102003
...great price, but OEM, no warranty to speak of. I think I may have just sold one of my Extreme cards and I may peddel the other one when the G71s come out.

 

[Nachimir]

Anyways, I've been getting really pissed off at eBay. Used to be you could actually catch a deal there, now ending bids are usually equal or over retail?!

Yeah, I've noticed that when looking at a lot of things there too, and it's not just scammers, it's people who've been sucked in by the whole competitive bidding and "Congratulations! You have won" patter. I guess it's a good time to sell off all your old sh*t there.

I generally "win" computer parts from "online stores" now

 

[Twrecks]

I always check pricewatch and newegg before bidding, even then if the price dif ain't significant (-20 to -25% list) I let the item go.

 

[QUALTHWAR]

I’m buying a big refrigerator box. That’s going to be my new case. I'll put a big box fan in the bottom of it and blow air up through the top. I’ve already bought the popsicle sticks, and I’m going to use them as the framing to hold my hardware in place. The box will be easy to customize, and I'll have plenty of room for expansion.

 

[Twrecks]

That reminds me, I need to research cases some more... looking for something small, yet with enough space for a full size graphics card (dual slot perhaps).
I really like the ASPIRE X-QPACK, no ice dispenser yet comes stock with a 420W power supply. Only 1 SATA connector...? Still, a cool little package.

 

[Rukee]

Gainward`s going to make a 512mb 7800GT card for cheaper then the GTX cards.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=29252
The 7900 should be here in a month or two too, if it`s going to be awhile before you build anyway, I`d wait to either see what the prices are going to be, or see how much the currant cards drop in price when the 7900s come out.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=29314

 

[Twrecks]

sweeeeeeet :tup:

Yea, I was gonna hold off on the VC in light of the G71/x1900 battle. As Mike pointed out, need to wait on MB/CPU/RAM also.

About the only thing I'm piecing together ATM is an array of Raptors and case+psu. Also entertaining internal cooling solutions

 

[Rukee]

OCZ is coming out with a phase-change machine at about the cost of a good water cooling kit. Said to possably be under $250.00 after production is in full swing and around $300.00 when it first hits the shelves. I had sold off all my phase-changers, but for that little...I might have to pick one up. The guys behind it are from the Xtremesystems forums and started out custom building units, OCZ signed up one of the best to do their rigs for um.
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=4272

 

[Twrecks]

8 gallons of Crisco is cheaper:
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/01/09/strip_out_the_fans

I'd like to keep the overall package as small as possible, even to the extent a mid ATX case is looking big. I've seen some liquid coolers that take up little space, only requiring mounting the heat exchanger on the outside of the case while the pump is inside. Afterall, it will only be cooling the CPU as most other products have heat sink/fan combos packeaged together.

 

[Rukee]

Cooking oil bath?? I don`t think so!!
I have an XP-120 heat pipe unit, will handle a X2 4600 with a mild OC with no fan on it at all. I use it with a 120mm fan, but....works great for silent or near silent running.

*edit* here is some awesome memory, under $200.00 for a 2gig kit of PC4000, in the data bank at Xtremesystems some guys are over 275fsb with this stuff. I couldn`t resist, I had to order a kit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231021