BleepingComputer.com: New Build?

It won't hurt will it? This is my first time. Be gentle.


All at the egg

CHIEFTEC BRAVO BA-01B-B-B Black Steel ATX Full Tower
Computer Case - Retail
Model #:BA-01B-B-B
Item #:N82E16811160008

I know its big. The size of a small house. I may live in it.

ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:M4A79XTD EVO
Item #:N82E16813131402

No onboard video

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail
Model #:HDZ550WFGIBOX
Item #:N82E16819103680

Recertified: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS-B 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply
Model #:OCZ500SXS-B
Item #:N82E16817341029

SPARKLE SFPX95GT1024U2H GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
Model #:SFPX95GT1024U2H
Item #:N82E16814187034


A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1600GB2G9-AG - Retail
Model #:AX3U1600GB2G9-AG
Item #:N82E16820211409

What exactly is your purpose and budget for this PC? You will not be able to use Crossfire with that graphics card and, if you later decide to get an ATI GPU and use it in a Crossfire setup, you may want to get the 790FX chipset for your motherboard. However, if you don't care about Crossfire, or cannot afford it, the 790X is still a good choice. You will also need a hard drive, optical drive, operating system.

Thanks, I am not a gamer so crossfire may be a little much. My budget is what you see. HHD is here and formatted. Optical drive - got some. Op sys. upgrade will have to wait. I am headed toward a machine that will process multiple threads, running data through an existing program may help to eliminate the redundancy factor by helping to define which microwave burst patterns are viable for my application, if any. If a model can be constructed that will accommodate the variables in a virtual environment, it should help me narrow my field of focus before attempting the construction of a working model. I hope this machine will meet my immediate needs. Many Thanks

You need an OS. If you use Linux or some other customized OS, you can simply redownload and install it. Windows is another matter entirely. Due to licensing restrictions, you cannot reuse OEM copies of Windows as they are tied to a PC and can only be used on that specific PC. Microsoft defines a PC based on the motherboard, so if you get a new board, you have a new PC. OEM copies are those editions that HP, Dell, or some other big manufacturer pre-installs on the system. Full, boxed, retail copies of Windows do not have this restriction and may be moved from PC to PC, but can only be on one at any given time. If you're wanting to maximize the amount of threads you can use, assuming the programs you run can take advantage of multiple cores, a quad core might be better. Not all programs can use multiple cores, those that do may also be restricted to two cores. The Phenom II series, and most modern CPU's, can do virtualized processing. If you're working with large amounts of data, and, again, your programs can use it all, maximizing the amount of RAM you've got may prove beneficial. Of course, you need a 64-bit operating system to use it all, and the program running must also be coded for 64-bit to use the huge blocks of data.

You might want to consider getting the 9600GT (or something better) in lieu of the weaker 9500GT.
And if you don't intend to crossfire, why not get a "AMD 785G chipset" based motherboard, that features decent on-board graphics?

Having onboard graphics will help when your graphics card decides to die on you.

This post has been edited by ReviverSoft: 04 January 2010 - 03:59 PM

Thanks for all the help. My ex used to call me the absent minded professor and I'm not even a professor. What could she have been talking about? Where was I? oh yea, ok now its back. She also said I never looked before I leaped. I have no idea what she was talking about. It is unfortunate that I ordered all the stuff already. I'll know better next time. For some reason she always left the room after I said that - every time. Women are a mystery. Many Thanks again. Tracer

Oh, well, if you've ordered the items you have listed above, you shouldn't have any problems. Most of our suggestions can be easily implemented with that setup. For instance, that motherboard supports a quad core CPU, so later on, you can simply drop an AM3 quad core CPU in and have what you want.

I did change the power supply to a Muskin XP 650 which appears to be a better choice for upgrading later - as per suggestion. Unix is most likely the way I'll go unless you all have any better suggestions. I also purchased the a new HHD a Seagate 7200 750gig w/32 m catch. This will get me started and I will add to this several more 750's or 1 terabyte HHd's. It would be nice to be able to do front end loading on one and have the consecutive HHd's collect the results and then have that data processed into a usable (read limited) form. I am in a race and am not receiving outside venture capital. A serious handicap of my own choosing because I am not willing to disclose my ideas or goals to anyone. My father was an inventor of the old school (the kind who believed in trusting people) and he saw his ideas taken by those who helped him go on and make money from his designs. He had three masters degrees and a PhD. He should have known better. He also made the mistake of waiting to produce a patent until it had become obsolete. I am hoping to not make those mistakes, although I may be making a similar mistake by not selling my Idea while it is little more than an theory. In the event I am able to produce some kind hard evidence of viability, I may go ahead and sell it. A big if at the moment. Thanks Again, I'll be back - no doubt about that at least.

To say thanks for the help - Directron is paying for articles on the topics we have discussed. http://www.directron.com/articles.html Thanks for the help - now go make some money for what you are giving away!