Memory, MOBO & case

[Blackspeech]

Just bought some new Crucial Memory which is CT12864Z40B (x2 1Gb sticks)

DDR PC3200 • CL=3 • UNBUFFERED • NON-ECC • DDR400 • 2.6V • 128Meg x 64

However, today I made a decision after talking to Scan to move from Socket 754 to 939 so that I can up my processor and avoid potential bottlenecks. (I was going to upgrade 754 system - but got the go-ahead to build new and sell old from Mrs Black)

I see that a lot of the boards support dual channel, but unsure if this memory fits the bill. What I need to know is if the memory I have will go into a Socket 939 board?

I don't want an SLI board, just PCI-E with 3 or 4 DIMM Slots. Does not have to be SATA - any suggestions? It's for gaming and video editing. £60-70

My other question is cases - how to decide which one to buy - I want quiet, cool and unobtrusive ATX but it is difficult to judge on a 2D image onsite. Budget is £80 for case.

Cheers 4 ya time

[herulach]

Memory should be fine. Id go for an epox board as they cant be beaten value wise. the 9NPA series, whichever fits your budget.

Cases is pretty much gonna have to be on looks and brand loyalty, for 80 quid you can get one of the silverstones, that are beautiful bits of kit with excellent build quality, although you might want to consider something a bit cheaper (coolermaster centurion maybe?) and throw the extra 40 quid at something else (graphics card/big quiet cpu cooler)

[Madafwo]

LN11523 Abit KN8 PCI-E S939 NF4 DDR400 SATA Raid Gbit Lan USB2 7.1Ch Audio £55.31 £64.99

LN8243 SilverStone "TEMJIN" J04B-W (BLACK) Aluminum Front/SECC Body Tower Case (w/o PSU) with Window £59.94 £70.43

Those would be the two I'd suggest, Abit make good solid boards, ticks all the boxes and the case has got some good reviews, there is a version available wihtout a window from someplaces but not sure where. Or

LN8248 SilverStone "TEMJIN" J05B (BLACK) Aluminum front & SECC Body (w/o PSU) £68.89 £80.95

If a windowed case isn't your thing.

[Dark Horse]

The memory used in all AMD desktop systems at the moment is the same so the memory should be fine.

Dual Channel is theoretically a big improvement over single channel however in practice its nowhere near as good. As long as you have two sticks of ram you can run them in dual channel mode as far as I am aware as it is a mode supported by the motherboard and chipset not the ram itself. You therefore enable/disable it by choosing which slots you put the ram into. Some manufacturers have specific Dual Channel ram twin packs but thats just marketing crap. Your ram should be more than fine.

little Dual Channel article here:

http://www.devhardware.com/c/a/Memory/Dual-Channel/

[Thorsson]

Does the £80 include a PSU? Or do you have a decent one already?

Case - just check it has most of these points:

1. Removable Mobo tray
2. Largely toolless installation, especially drive rails
3. 120mm fans - very important if you want cool without clatter
4. Handily placed front or top ports (esp USB) depending on where you'll place the case (on or under desk).
5. Enough room inside to fit everything without obstructing airflow.

[Blackspeech]

On case advice - thanks will take a look at the silvertone - I have an FSP 500w Blue Thingy lined up as new PSU.

On the MOBO advice - cheers will take a look.

Memory advice - cheers, will also view the article and increase my knowledge - every little helps.


You know since I first started using these forums you guys have been excellent. I'd never heard of Scan until recently and after reading what you guys say, and speaking to them for advice - gonna use 'em. BTW - how do I get free delivery from them?

Also particulary useful when the Scan LN numbers are posted as well - cuz product numbers twist me melon!

Will post back with full build details once i have found all I want.