Upgrading

Just getting back into the building a new system. These things are what I need to get.

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board
Asus K8N-DL Socket 940 Dual Opteron nVidia nForce4 Dual-Ch ECC/REG DDR SATA 8-Ch Audio GB Lan IEEE 1394

Mem (x2)
Corsair Value Select PC3200 DDR400 1GB 184-pin DIMM

cpu
AMD Opteron 270 Dual Core 2 GHz Socket 940 2MB L2 Cache

video
MSI NX7900GT-VT2D256E GeForce 7900GT 256MB GDDR3 2 Dual-Link DVI-I, HDTV-Out SLI Ready PCI-Express x16 Graphics Card

monitor
Acer AL1751B 17" LCD (Black) 6ms 500:1 1280x1024 DVI/D-Sub w/Speaker "Crystal Brite View"

PSU
SilverStone SST-ST65ZF 650W nVidia Certified SLI PSU

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Sound good? any compatability issues? I don't know where to go now that I've been out of it for a while.

Everything looks good except possibly the memory. The Asus website isn't clear, but that board might require ECC memory.

Also, if you are going to upgrade to dual CPUs later get 4 X 512 MB (or 4 X 1 GB ) instead of 2 X 1 GB. You need at least two DIMMs per CPU to enable dual channel memory.

Posted by Washu Everything looks good except possibly the memory. The Asus website isn't clear, but that board might require ECC memory. Also, if you are going to upgrade to dual CPUs later get 4 X 512 MB (or 4 X 1 GB ) instead of 2 X 1 GB. You need at least two DIMMs per CPU to enable dual channel memory.

I'm pretty sure it does require ECC memory. For a desktop PC this would not be my choice for CPU/mobo. What's the machine's purpose to be?

from the website, but yes, good point
"E CC Registered memory can provide excellent data reliability."

The 4 sticks of 512 might be better yes right now for expansion later, but I hope to have enough money next, so's that when I buy another processor I can buy more memory as well, maybe even exact same from the same production line.

Was wondering why though the mobo has only two slots for mem for one processor and 4 for the other? Sure they're not shared?

Posted by blackhawk I'm pretty sure it does require ECC memory. For a desktop PC this would not be my choice for CPU/mobo. What's the machine's purpose to be?

why not? Server mobo's are more stable, and have more throughput than conventional desktop mobos.

what board and cpu combo would you chose for a dual core, with dual processor?

Oh and I was thinking about adding this too:



http://www.scythe-...pu/004/shogun.html

Posted by atomx why not? Server mobo's are more stable, and have more throughput than conventional desktop mobos. what board and cpu combo would you chose for a dual core, with dual processor?

I wait a bit if building a desktop. The new intel CPU based mobos are coming out, but their track record is unproven. It will force AMD to drop prices, and they already are.

A good server mobo will run between $300-600+, many times needs special a PS. Lacks newer features compared to desktop mobos, many times has higher power consumption as well. If you need a server this a one reason to use one these mobos. I didn't have time to look over the one your using, but have consider them in the past.


I like the 4800 X-2 OCed to 1.4 - 2.857 GHz on a Asus A8n-sli Premium. It is stable. Minimum 500 watt PS, I'm using a 600 watt. You have onboard a SATA2 controller with 4 ports with PATA, and a second SATA1 controller with 4 ports. Both work well in RAID 0,1,and 1+0. Better security than most server mobos with DEP. The Force 4 chipset is turning out to be a good product, most the bugs are ironed out. This combo runs cool&quiet too.

I wait at least a month, and start reading. I would aim for a high end gamer mobo with heat pipes on the chipsets, and a good beefy voltage regulator section. The Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe is a very nice, stable mobo that would make a compromise between stability, and features. I still prefer the X-2, but the new Intel CPU is looking good....I'm waiting. Ha!

Posted by atomx Oh and I was thinking about adding this too: http://www.scythe-...pu/004/shogun.html

Is that a true heat pipe? Doesn't look it. If not, no go. Read what I already posted, these can be tricky, and will require special attention.

Here is one review I dug up on that Asus mobo. It is fast, and proforms in some respects, but does not have SATA2 support which will handicap it. It has a limited numbers of PCI slots, and supports only one vid card. As a server it may be a good choice, but I don't like as a desktop. The more expensive Asus gamer mobos are pretty beefy with lots of cutting edge features, and well layed out for good cooling, some even have fanless chipset heat pipes that really work! Special care needs to be given to case/heat pipe condenser airflow layout for best performance. If you can, consider using the XP Pro 64 bit edition with a X-2 CPU. It will support 4 GB of memory.



http://www.xbitlab.../opteron-ws_2.html

It has 4 ram slots.. Your getting 4 sticks of 512MB. Seems a waste, if you upgrade too 4x 1GB since you will have to get rid of all the 512 sticks and wont make your money back.

Posted by Crazydeep74 It has 4 ram slots.. Your getting 4 sticks of 512MB. Seems a waste, if you upgrade too 4x 1GB since you will have to get rid of all the 512 sticks and wont make your money back.

It actualy has 6 ram slots, and yes I wasn't going to go with the 512, but upgrade again when I get a second processor.

oh I didnt see those. Why the hell is there two on the other side of the board...thats cool, I want that.

Posted by Crazydeep74 oh I didnt see those. Why the hell is there two on the other side of the board...thats cool, I want that.

those are slot 3 for a and b processors

Posted by atomx those are slot 3 for a and b processors

Nope, read the manual. They are for processor B. The four on the other side of the board are all for processor A.

Posted by Washu Nope, read the manual. They are for processor B. The four on the other side of the board are all for processor A.

what page? I read through the memory layout and it still doesn't say, just when you have dual processors, they must match.


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never mind, just read again and found it.

Posted by Washu Nope, read the manual. They are for processor B. The four on the other side of the board are all for processor A.

Not sure if I like this board now.

Wouldnt think you have to put more in one bay of slots then the other. Just pop 1GB or 2GB in each bank.