Questions on new PC build and Asus A8V Deluxe

[andy_s]

Hi all,

I'm hoping to get some advice on my new pc build, my current build lasted for 3 years so I've not been paying attention to the lastest pc tech for a while!

I want the PC for gaming mainly, also a bit of light video/audo encoding nothing too strenuous so I don't want to spend too much on it. I'm not bothered about running at the highest possible resolutions in every game!

I've decided on an Athlon 64 S939 for the CPU, prob a 3000+. Motherboard is proving a bit difficult to decide on though! I'm looking at an Asus A8V deluxe. I've googled and found very positive reviews for it and it seems a good price for what you get.. unless anyone know's different? i have some questions though:

1) Does it have pin headers to connect the front firewire socket on a case to the motherboard? The Asus site is a bit vague on this.

2) I know the S939 Athlon's and this motherboard are built with dual channel RAM setups in mind, but to start with I was just going to keep my DDR333 512MB stick til I can afford a decent matched pair. Will this work ok? (apart from it not being as quick as DDR400).

3) Should I shell out for a PCI-Express motherboard instead? It seems like there isn't much advantage at the moment so I might leave PCI-E for another few years, what do you guys think?

For the video card I was thinking of a Radeon 9800 pro or a Geforce 6600 GT, most likely the Geforce althought if a get a PCI-E motherboard then the 9800 will go out then window! What do you think?

The rest of the build will be fairly standard, I'll use the onboard sound on the MB and stick to my IDE hard drives for now, upgrading to SATA in the near future.

[Steve]

1 stick of DDR333 will be fine.

As for AGP/PCIe I guess it depends on how often you upgrade. If it's not very often (which it seems to be in your case) then there's no real point getting PCIe because you'll probably want a new motherboard next upgrade anyway. So, go with AGP and save a little cash if you can.

However, if you'll be upgrading more regularly from now on, then PCIe might be a good idea.

The 6600GT is good, I have two of them sat here - great in single and SLI mode (I'm talking PCIe versions of course, but there is no performance difference between a single AGP or PCIe 6600GT.) I now run a 6800GT, which is a lot better, but the 6600GT is still a great card.

[8bit]

I've got the Asus A8V deluxe and I love it. all the BIOS options you could ever wish for, even for the dedicated tweaker or overclocker.

As for RAM, 1 stick of DDR333 will run fine, but 2 of DDR400 would run best (without overclocking). The RAM controller in the s939 CPUs supports Dual Channel RAM so sticking 1 stick in each of the 2 pairs of slots gives you 2x memory bandwidth over a single stick. I have 2 of Aria's own Arianet performance PC4000 sticks in dual channel, they're not a matched pair but they work fine. I therefore believe this "matched pair" business to be a marketing gimmick

I run a Radeon 9800 Pro on mine, works great but remember to turn "AGP Fast Writes" off and "AGP 3.0 Calibration Cycle" on in the BIOS. Doesn't seem to hit performance, just makes it stable. That said, as Kez says the 6600GT is a better card by a good margin...

And yes, there are pin headers on the motherboard for FireWire. The board comes with a firewire and USB socket set on a PCI blanking slot with cables to run to the mobo header, but theres nothing stopping you routing this header to a front panel FW socket instead (providing the cable's long enough and has the right connections.

[andy_s]

Thanks guys, I think i'll go for the A8V and 6600GT... especially as I found a website selling A8V's used for £60 with warranty!

[mike_w]

I would consider a 6800 over a 6600GT - a vanilla 6800 can be had for just £160 (inc. delivery): http://www.lowestonweb.com/Products/...3-8A8D0253C1B2

[8bit]

andy_s, be VERY careful with used motherboards. Not least because someone could have overclocked the nuts off theirs before selling it on, leaving you with some very nearly frazzled copper and silicon

Also particularly with this board, as if you're thinking about the Winchester-core version of the Athlon 64, if it's an older revision board you will need to update the BIOS to at least rev. 2 (they call them rev. 2 boards as well)

[Scarlet Infidel]

I have 2 of Aria's own Arianet performance PC4000 sticks in dual channel, they're not a matched pair but they work fine. I therefore believe this "matched pair" business to be a marketing gimmick

In my experience mathed pairs is very important when overclocking ram but doesnt really matter at stock speeds and timings.

[StormPC]

Matched pairs are a good idea especially when overclocking but it doesn't necessarily mean they will be any better than 2 random sticks, it just increases your odds a bit.

Definitely get a Rev 2.0 or newer. Stay away from the 1.2 and earlier if running a Winchester. You can get locks with a Newcastle or Clawhammer on a 1.2 but not with a Winchester, as there is no BIOS for the Rev 1.2 that supports a Winney AND locks. It's one or the other.

The world's fastest Asus board is my A8V Rev 1.2 (in 3DMark2001 anyways) but that was with an FX-55 so it had PCI locks. Needless to say I really like the A8V. It's a great board.

BTW: Don't run a single stick of RAM. The whole reason to run a S939 over a S754 is it's ability to run DC mode. S939 offers no other advantage over S754 regardless of the claims of "futureproofing" and like silliness. PCI-E? Silly as well unless you just have to have NF4 or SLI.

[andy_s]

Thanks for the advice guys. Think I'll open my wallet and go dual channel, maybe even a new motherboard after all

[8bit]

i didnt mean like 2 sticks of different speeds from different manufacturers would be fine, what i meant was I use a couple of generic sticks of the same type but not necessarily SOLD as a matched pair... The "matched pair" thing I'm pretty certain is a gimmick. Putting a PC3500 and a PC4000 in and o/cing them is asking for trouble!

like i said my 2x Arianet PC4000 sticks in dual channel are currently running about 940MHz, still below the 1000MHz they're rated as good for, stable as a mountain. they were bought on the same order, my friend has 2 sticks of crucial RAM of the same type bought a few months apart and he has his overclocked fine as well...