Advice please!

Zorander · Post by **Zorander** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:10 am

Hi all,

I am looking to build a low-cost, relatively small and quiet system for HTPC and general-use purposes. I intend to build the system around these core components (which I already have on hand):
- AMD Athlon64 X2 3800+
- 2x512MB Corsair CMX512-3500LL
(will throw in a soundcard, wi-fi card, an optical drive and hard drive, all of which I already have as well)

The other core components I need to buy are:
- Motherboard
- Case (including PSU)

For the motherboard, I intend to go mATX and am looking at the ASUS A8N-LA for various reasons including availability, price and the fact its on-board video provides acceleration for video playback. If you know where else I can get a different mATX s939 motherboard in Australia, please let me know. It need not have on-board video since I will eventually add a video card (passive cooling likely) that provides more outputs such as HDMI, S-video and DVI.

For the case, I have been debating between the Antec NSK1380 and NSK2480. I personally like the looks of the latter but am leaning more towards the former for its size (I originally wanted an SFF case but s939 barebones availability sucks and I suspect they will not be quiet). However, it seems that temperature is a concern for these cases and it could be a valid one for me as I do not intend to replace the PSU (save for the distant prospect of swapping the fan, an exercise I did once a long time ago). Would the components I have chosen work out well with this case? Or is there a better option for me?

Your advice is very much appreciated (as always). Thanks in advance!

angelkiller · Post by **angelkiller** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:26 pm

Hi,

Zorander wrote:It need not have on-board video since I will eventually add a video card (passive cooling likely) that provides more outputs such as HDMI, S-video and DVI.

I'd like to talk about this. Newer motherboards and chipsets already support these features. What kind of output do you need? Many modern motherboard with integrated graphics already support HDMI and DVI with full video acceleration. That eliminates the need for a dedicated graphics card. This however, comes with two pitfalls. First, the "new" chipset I was referring to is the AMD 780G, which requires an AM2 CPU. Second, you might need another output such as S-Video. I'm sure a motherboard with other analog connectors could be found, but DVI, HDMI and VGA are the most common.

So my proposal is to get a new processor, 780G motherboard, and use HDMI. That would be the simplest approach. I understand that you were trying to reuse your old parts, but I think buying a new CPU is good idea. Socket 939 is no longer manufactured you'll be investing in something that has already been replaced. As for the connections, hopefully you can use HDMI. If not, I'm sure another solution can be worked out. But I still don't support investing into socket 939.

I've never worked with either case, but from what other people have reported, I've concluded that working with the NSK1380 is a bit more difficult than with an average case. (due to size constraints.) If, it were me, I'd pick the NSK2480 just because it appears easier to work with.

Hope this was helpful.

Edit: Fixed the italic tags.

Zorander · Post by **Zorander** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:19 am

Thanks for the reply.

You piqued my interest in going with an AM2-based setup. I'm thinking the CPU and RAM that I already have are worth around the $100 mark and a HDMI-/DVI-/VGA-enabled motherboard will allow me a further saving of around $50 (I planned on a 3450 card with HDMI output). That's about $150 of saving that I can put for a new CPU and memory. How much more should I expect to pay for a CPU and memory that at least equals the computing power of my pre-existing parts?

I am behind on my readings as well. How are the thermal characteristics of the AM2 CPUs compared to their s939 brethren?

Cheers!

angelkiller · Post by **angelkiller** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:47 am

Zorander wrote:How much more should I expect to pay for a CPU and memory that at least equals the computing power of my pre-existing parts?

Ah,

I forgot about DDR2 RAM. Thanks for mentioning that. Assuming you have a $150 budget for a CPU and RAM, I'd recommend a Athlon X2 4x50e CPU and 2GB of DDR2-800. You can pick the CPU by how much you want to spend. In SPCR's 780G Chipset review, they concluded that the 780G chipset needs only a 1.5GHz dual core CPU to decode HD video. So even the cheapest X2, the X2 4050e will suffice.

Zorander wrote:I am behind on my readings as well. How are the thermal characteristics of the AM2 CPUs compared to their s939 brethren

Thermals have greatly improved since the Socket 939 days. The socket 939 X2 3800 had a Thermal Design Power (TDP, ie the maximum power under the worst condition) of 89W. The X2 4x50e all have a TDP of 45W, which is nearly half that of your X2 3800. These are cool running CPUs.

Hope this has helped.

Zorander · Post by **Zorander** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:53 am

Hi again,

I have decided to stick to a s939 build as per my original post. It will cost me an additional $50-100 to build an AM2-based system (plus sell my old components, not to mention the additional hassle and time this would entail). This system will be replacing a well-aged (and superbly silenced) PIII system that has been acting as a secondary system. My priorities for it are not as high compared to that for a primary system. It's only meant for surfing the internet and playing the occasional movies.

So I have gone ahead and purchased the ASUS A8N-LA. There is not much choice when it comes to s939 uATX motherboards. Between the 6150LE-powered A8N-LA and the few Radeon Express 200 boards out there, the former's on-board has the advantage of video playback acceleration. Since that couldn't hurt, I went with it. I still plan to add a video card in the future (for TV connectivity outputs) but anyway...

Now the remaining problem is the case choice. I really like the NSK2480 but my current computer table, which is designed with a tower case in mind, presents a difficult challenge to siting this desktop case. Can the NSK2480 be sited vertically like a tower case? I could not find any information on this nor whether any feet are provided with this case. Second on my acceptance list is the NSK1380. It requires some mods, does not look as good and still presents a challenging, but easier, siting issue than the NSK2480. A far third on my list would be any tower case (likely the NSK3480). No siting issues for sure but I don't get the cool appearance of HTPC cases. Any ideas here?

Thanks!