Hardware ?'s

Hey guys, I have a few questions about a few products I plan on buying and other items that may be worth purchasing. Right now, I have a

CPU Type - AMD Athlon XP, 2083 MHz (12.5 x 167) 2800+
Motherboard - Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe
System Memory 1024 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)

Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 (64 MB)
3D Accelerator nVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440
Monitor Compaq V710 [17" CRT]

Storage
IDE Controller NVIDIA nForce2 IDE Controller
Disk Drive WDC WD1600JB-00REA0 (149 GB, IDE)
Disk Drive ST340016A (40 GB, 7200 RPM, Ultra-ATA/100)
Optical Drive TOSHIBA DVD-ROM SD-M1202 (4.8x/32x DVD-ROM)

Partitions
C: (NTFS) 38154 MB (23400 MB free)
E: (NTFS) 152625 MB (144822 MB free)
Total Size 186.3 GB (164.3 GB free)

I have a X800XL coming in the mail (I know it's not anything special but it's an upgrade from the 64MB card I have currently, I just plan on keeping this until prices for the 7800GT and GTX come down a bit) and I plan on getting a ASUS A8N Premium motherboard with an AMD Opteron 165 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor. Now the questions I have concerns my cooling options and the AMD Opteron.

Does newegg carry any OEM Opteron chips or no? I haven't had any luck finding them if they do for some reason (If they're on there I'm stupid because I've looked). If not, are there any sites with a decent price which carry the OEM model? If so, what sites carry it and what heatsink/fan would be a good candidate for possible overclocking in the future? My other question is have any of you guys had experience with the ASUS A8N premium board, if so, what is your overall impression of it and would you guys suggest another board comparable to it?

Concerning my cooling options, would RAM coolers be worth the money or is it a complete waste? Would it make more sense to save up the money and water cool instead or no? Lastly, do any companies make an aftermarket cooling device for the ATI X800XL? Sorry for all the questions, I figured I'd just cover all the angles in terms of what I'm thinking about. Thanks for your time.

God Bless,
Mike

 

There are a few mixed in here, although most are REALLY expensive or sockeet 940.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...E&Subcategory=343&ATTR3=2010340343+1050706979
there is an opteron 175 here but it is expensive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103583
And nvidia just released the 7900s which are faster than th 7800GTX and I think a bit faster, just somethign to consider.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150139
ASUS mobos are good and stable, DFI is the best overclocker I hear but OCing is really ACEs area, i don't have much experience with overclocking. RAM coolers are pointless, RAM really doesn't get that hot, and performance RAM usually comes with a heatsink. I wouldn't reccomend water cooling, it is pretty expensive and high maintnence in some cases, BUT if you have the $$$ and want the ebst cooling then go for it.
arctic silencers are great gpu coolers and this one SHOULD be compatible with your gpu although it does vary dependiong on the manufacturer so you might want to read some comments and reviews.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835186129

 

There's no way I'm spending more than $350 on a processor, in my mind, I'm spending a bit much already on the Opteron as it is. However, I may get a more efficient case in terms of cooling, depending on temperatures I get when I install of this new stuff. Do you know of any places that have the Opteron OEM processor I presented in my first post?

 

tigerdirect has an opterson 165 OEM for $330
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1649770&CatId=2040

 

Monarch computer has been having very good deals on OEM opterons, including the dual core 165. When they get new shipments periodically, they have usually a $60 coupon code, bringing it down to $270 (or less sometimes)

A Monarch sales rep lists the code on a specific site, and as to not copy their deal, Please enable PM's so I can send you the link if you'd like. It might not be available right now, but it will be soon if not.

here is the Opty 165 at Monarch without the coupon code http://www.monarchcomputer.com/Merc...ore_Code=M&Product_Code=120339&AFFIL=hhd&NR=1

when you mean RAM coolers, are you talking about aftermarket Heatspreaders for system RAM, or RAMsinks for the video card? for system RAM, Heatspreders are more just for looks, but most good RAM comes with them anyway. For the video card, RAMsinks are great if you intend to overclock and the card doesnt have any RAM cooling solution. for a stock board, waste of money.

The A8N SLI-Premium is a great board that overclocks well, I'm sure you'll like it.

 

As for cooling, the newer OEM AMD heatsinks have heatpipes, which work excellently. alternatively, the Scythe-Ninja seems to be one of the most popular cooling options for high end air cooling right now. I would stick with Air cooling unless you have a strong desire (and lots of money) to go watercooled, especially since many people are getting their 165's to run at 2.7+GHz on air at stock voltages!

 

Well the Opteron on tigerdirect.com that you guys showed me is the retail version, I want to see how much the OEM version is so I could put something like a Thermaltake Big TT on it. The monarchcomputer.com opteron is $337 for an OEM supposedly, I can get the retail version of this chip for $328 on newegg.com! Additionally, would I have to reformat my HDD's for the new processor and motherboard, if so, I need to figure out a way to find my administrator's password because I can't figure it out (Tried everything that I thought it possibly could be as far as password goes). Additionally, I'm also subscribed to xtremesystems.com, there's a thread specifically based on the ASUS A8N-Premium and some say that there are some bugs and that board can be problematic. I don't really want to go through the hassle of presetting anything, it would be nice to just install everything and be ready to use when booted up, like my last build was. Now I'm just thinking about either the OEM or Retail model (If I can find the OEM chip to be less than $328) and what board to choose from. What do you guys think?

 

did you ignore my mention of a $60 off coupon code? i'm goin to sleep now, but if you allow Private Messages, i can sned you the info you need.

 

Alright, well whenever you get a chance private message me with the information you have.