New computer soon - need good advice.

[Agrippa]

Hi all,

I've been out of the loop for quite some time and haven't kept up to date with all the new stuff. I'm planning to buy and build a new system in two or three months though and I could use some advice in this regard.

The PC will be for general use (all the normal stuff) and gaming. When it comes to gaming I really only play EVE Online these days, something which probably won't change until that game no longer exists.... Once in a while, when suffering from EVE overload I visit games like Civ 4, the Total War series and similar stuff.

What I'm after is primarily 4 things: rock solid stability, total reliability, great responsiveness and excellent gfx performance. Those are pretty self-explanatory, but in regards to responsiveness I should mention that I always run several things in the background - generally also while gaming. Hence I need a system which is able to cope with EVE, dvd/cd burning, Winamp, multiple browers windows, Outlook, BitComet, etc, etc all at the same time. My current system (3GHz P4) copes reasonably well, most likely due to the 2GB RAM I have installed, but gets sluggish or occasionally freezes if things get busy in several places at once. So my main aim is really to fix this.

The core component list I'm considering is as follows:

AMD X2 2.4GHz, Asus A8N32 Dlx, 4 x 1GB RAM, X1900/1800XT (or 7800GTX, non-SLI), SB X-Fi, Enermax 620W PSU (or equivalent).

Alternatively I wonder if following the dual Opteron route will gain me anything in terms of responsiveness and multitasking capabilities. Will it make much of a difference for my use, or will it be a total waste of the extra outlay? Here's the Opteron config I'm considering:

2 x Opteron 2.4GHz, Tyan NForce4 Pro2200 server board w/16x PCI-E and SCSI, 4 x 512MB RAM (have 4 x 512 already) + same as above.

In both cases I'll run the OS off a fast SCSI drive.

I'd be much obliged if those in the know could give me opinions on which alternative would suit me best in terms of the use described above.

PS - forgot to say the OS will be either XP x64 or Server 2003 x64

 

[potato28]

I would go for the X2 system. About the same performence for much less. You won't need 4 gigs of RAM. Just buy a 2 gig dual channel pack. Go for the x1900xtx as it is the best out right now. Other than that, the X2 system looks good.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Well, do you have a specific budget? Other than the 4x512MB, what components will you be re-using? Do you need an OS? Monitor? Keyboard/mouse/speakers?

I'd say go for an Opteron 165 and get a decent overclocking board (like the Epox EP-NPA3+ Ultra). NEC ND-3550A is the current DVD burner of choice for many folks. For hard disks, anything SATA is usually very nice (just avoid Magnetic Data Technology and generics). You might consider getting twin drives in RAID 0 (speed) or 1 (reliability). If you need a PSU, Fortron makes a great 400W model with dual 18A +12v rails.

 

[Agrippa]

The stuff I'll be re-using is kb/mouse/monitor/speakers/DVD/burner. And those 4 sticks of 512MB if I go for that option. OS is not needed. As for a budget, $3000 is absolute max and the second option comes in just a shade under.

To be honest though, I'm not after suggestions for changes to those set-ups. What I REALLY, REALLY need is to know whether the Opteron set-up will give me anything more in terms of multitasking smoothness and responsiveness over the X2 solution in the situations laid out in my first post.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

A dual Opteron setup would be enormously expensive. I'm not sure I could recommend that for a home setup. However, a dual-core socket-939 Opteron would be preferable to an Athlon 64 X2. The Opteron 165 has 1MB cache, and can reach speeds of 2.7 GHz on air. You can get X2s with 1MB cache, too, but they cost a whole lot more.

A dual Opteron setup (four cores in all) would be overkill, in my opinion.

 

[Agrippa]

Cheers, that's what I needed to know! Does what you mention re. Opterons only apply to the 165s, or to 170s and 180s for example?

I guess I forgot to say that there'll be no overclocking involved whatsoever btw. Just can't be bothered anymore, for the subjectively small gains that can be had. And if greater gains are involved, then inevitably reliability suffers at some point - at least in my 6+ years of experience with hefty overclocking. This machine will be built and set up with 2+ years of problem-free operation in mind, running more or less 24/7 just like my current system.