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Hardware Recommendations for June

06.17.06 - 08:44am

It is that time again, another hardware recommendation guide. Since the previous edition a lot has changed in regards to current hardware and the tolerances that this hardware can support. In an attempt to simplify how I write these guides I will be simply targeting two groups, the overclocker and the daily user. If you are a gamer that likes stock speeds than the overclocker parts should work for you but if you are specializing in something particular like 3D rendering or code compiling then you might want to look for a more specific guide.

Some News

Earlier this month AMD released their new socket AM2. Socket AM2 brings DDR2 support to AMD and essentially makes DDR2 the new standard for memory. You will see DDR prices begin to rise as manufacturers start to cut back production so if you are still running DDR and are looking to upgrade just your ram, do it soon. Within the next week Intel will be releasing their new server processor code-named Woodcrest. Woodcrest is the first chip from Intel’s new Core micro-architecture which brings blazing fast computing with acceptable power consumption. I’ll talk more about Woodcrest later. Intel’s Conroe will be officially released within the next month or so however the 975x boards that support Conroe are already out so if you have $270 blazing in your pocket you can go pick up a rev.304 Bad Axe. Just note that only the rev.304 supports Conroe, all previous boards do not support Conroe so don’t try it. Merom which will is the new mobile chip from Intel will come out approximately a month after Conroe so expect to see laptop performance to jump significantly once that comes out.

Woodcrest vs Conroe

While Conroe and Woodcrest are both derivatives of the new Core micro-architecture, they differ in a few things. Conroe works in the LGA775 socket and will work with the 975x and 965 chipsets. Woodcrest works in the LGA771 socket and work with the Bensley server platform. However the most important difference between these two chips are the memory they use. Conroe utilizes the relatively inexpensive DDR2 while Woodcrest will only work with FB-DIMM DDR2. FB-DIMM stands for Fully Buffered Dual Inline Memory Module. FB-DIMMs cost more than double what regular DDR2 DIMMs cost and consuming a few more watts per module. While the excess power consumption won’t be too much of an issue, the cost of FB-DIMMs will be. As it stands, unless you need 4 cores to crunch on stuff, Conroe will be the route to take until FB-DIMM prices fall. Now, if any of you want to donate me 4 gigs of FB-DIMMs and a Bensley motherboard, feel free to contact me.

Processor

Since AMD currently has one foot in the DDR2 door and one in the DDR door, my stance on AMD is rather mixed. If you already own an AMD s939 processor or you already own 2 gigs of nice DDR memory then I would suggest sticking with your current system and perhaps upgrading the particular part that troubles you. However if you are running on an older machine and need a fresh build your options are much clearer. Since s939 has now become an end-of-life product, there shouldn’t be any faster processors or new cores for s939 so there is no point in purchasing an already defunct platform That leaves your options to AM2 or LGA775. To be honest I don’t see AMD going anywhere for the next 4 months or so until K8L releases so I would try and stick to an Intel processor.

• Overclocker: Pentium D 805 @ $113
• Daily User: Pentium D 930 @ $222

You may be surprised that I am recommending what is considered a budget processor for the overclocker and a nearly mid-range processor for the Daily User. My reasoning behind this is that an overclocker can pull the 805 to 4GHz while the daily user will most likely stick to stock speeds. I chose a 9xx chip for the daily user because of the additional cache for each core, 2×2MB instead of 2×1MB with the 8xx series. You also gain the 65nm cores which might reduce power consumption by a few watts but not enough to get excited about.

Motherboards

Since the ultimate goal of choosing an LGA775 chip was to have support for Conroe, we should pick up a motherboard with Conroe Support. As of right now you are limited to a single but great board, the Intel D975XBX or “Bad Axe”. This board features Intel’s top of the line 975x chipset with so much support for overclocking that I would not be surprised if this is for Intel what the DFI Lan Party boards were for AMD. There currently isn’t a large number of these boards that support Conroe though, you MUST get a revision 304 975XBX. All the previous revisions lack 10 resistors and 2 capacitors that are essential for support of Conroe. If you are adventurous there is a guide at XS.org that requires a lot of soldering to convert a revision 302 board to support Conroe. So if you want Conroe support now, search for a rev.304 XBX or modify a rev 302. Within the next month or so there should be a slew of boards sporting the P965 and 975X chipsets from the following manufacturers.

• Gigabyte P965
• MSI P965 and 975X
• Asus P965 P5B Deluxe and 975X P5W DH Deluxe
• ASRock 975X
• Intel 975XBX and P965

Memory

Memory is a testy issue for everyone. Some people believe buying the best memory possible is always necessary. Other people live and die by taking budget memory and pushing it to its breaking point. I myself prefer going somewhere down the middle and I recommend that most people do the same. In regards to how much you should buy, 2×1GB is the new 2×512MB. With the advent of Vista, any system running under 1 gig will be a bit sluggish when multitasking and most modern video games benefit from 2 gigs of memory. Even with office suites and other desktop activities you will see a performance increase for 2 gigs over 1 gig.

• Overclocker: G.Skill 2×1GB DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 @ $199
• Daily User: Corsair Value Select 2×1GB DDR2 667 4-4-4-12 @ $143

I searched around a bit and I have read reports of this G.Skill ram hitting some pretty decent speeds when given enough juice. Since they default at 2.1 volts you have a bit of room to scale with so do not be afraid to hold back, just proceed with caution. The Corsair memory holds down the fort very well and comes in at a decent price which is ideal for the average desktop.

Video Cards

Video cards can either be a big issue or a non-issue for an overclocker. I myself tend to be a processor and memory overclocker while not worrying so much about video cards however I do admit I like to game a few times a month. Because of this issue I will be including three video cards. Just remember that even the card I choose will still require support for overclocking and have plenty of headroom.

• Overclocker: eVGA 7900GT CO @ $255

• Chris: Sapphire X1600 XT @ $150
• Daily User: Gigabyte X1300 Passive @$50

First off I chose an X1300 for the H.264 decompression support that these cards can provide. This is also a passively cooled card which helps keep the computer from being a distraction with added sound production.. For the Overclocker I chose the eVGA 7900GT. I specifically chose eVGA for their warranty, as long as there is no physical damage to the card they will replace it while the card is under warranty. Remember to read the warranty before you take a hammer to your card though, things may change. Now with my own desires, I definitely want to fiddle with a multiple GPU system and since there is no SLI support on the 975x chipset, I’ve decided to go with midrange ATi cards. I figure these cards are a winning combination of speed and price and the next ATi card is over $150 more, meaning 2 of these are cheaper for the performance and “wow” factor.

Accessories

This is a section that hasn’t changed in a while so there isn’t much point in me writing an expansive section about it. Just grab a 7200 RPM SATA drive, preferably with 16MB of cache. If you want to really go extreme with overclocking then I would recommend picking up two identical drives and using them in RAID, you’ll see an increase in benchmarks and load times. In regards to power just look over customer reviews and look out for people saying the power supply failed and took out their board too. For optical drives and cases, find something that is both functional but try to maintain a professional appearance, nothing is a larger detraction from a computer than flashing LEDs and neons.

Conclusion

If you didn’t notice from the part selection, this time is more of a transition period for the industry than anything else. With AM2 just releasing, DDR becoming a thing of the past, and Conroe around the corner, this particular month is not the best month to build a PC. However if you are dead set on buying a PC, the route I illustrated above with a cheap LGA775 processor and a Conroe enabled board should last you for a few years once you pop a Conroe into the socket. Let me know if you have any questions or need some personal help in building a computer, I should be able to find something for anyone.

Category: Articles, Hardware