For once, this thread is NOT about gaming rig!

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babuamus

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Apr 7, 2009
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Hi everybody I am going to build my gf a computer for her phD program. This rig will have to be fairly powerful in terms of computing power as she will do her work with data analysis (she is not a gaming at all). I have decided to use the following parts:

Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P (what is the difference between UD3P,UD3R,UD3L anyways?)

OCZ Titanium 4GB DDR2-800 4-4-4-15 (I don't really know the diff btw RAM)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4Ghz 1066FSB 8MB

Hitachi Deskstar 7200RPM 1TB (as long as 1TB for less than $100 i am happy)

Sapphire 4650 600Mhz 1GB (she might be using dual monitor.. no games)

Any mid-range PSU will do


What do you all think? will this config work (in terms of raw computing power wise?) Thanks for any input, and have a great day!

 
Your rig would work but this might be a better option

AMD 940 be + Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

as a combo on newegg thats $334

The onboard graphics are more than any non gamer will need



Id switch to a Samsung or WD hard drive

You will need a 450 - 500 watt psu
 
For the PSU i recommend a Corsair, they're really great PSU's. ^ +1 for Outlander, go with WD or Seagate (my personal pereference) i have a Hitachi HDD in my Dell and its loud as heck.
 
Yup, in general I go with Corsair, Antec, or FSP. For Outlander's build you can really go with an Antec Earthwatts 380W or 430W unit, or any good PSU as little as 400W, so long as it comes from the likes of Corsair, Antec, or FSP. If not the Antec Earthwatts I'd go with the Corsair 400CX for this one.
 


Thanks for your suggestions, may I ask why AMD would be a better option? (I always thought Intel is better than AMD) And onboard graphics card will it support DVI @ 1080p?
 


The Phenom II 940 is generally faster than a Q6600, all while being cheaper and consuming less power / running cooler due to being built on a 45nm process, as opposed to the Q6600's 65nm process. If you had chosen a 45nm Core2Quad such a a Q9400 or Q9550, it'd be a bit more of a tossup / personal preference kind of thing, although the PII 940 would still be cheaper, if slightly slower.
 


The Q6600 is an older chip . Its circuits are etched at 65 nm and it needs more power to run .
More recent intel cpu and the AMD cpu I have listed are etched at 45 nm and these run cooler and quieter .


The 940 be is quite a lot more powerful than the Q6600 , and when it goes to idle speed it drops to 800 MHz or less than half of the speed of the Q6600 but still plenty for those times when you are just sending an email or doing basic tasks . Over the life of the computer it will save you power .

The onboard graphics wont have any problem with 1080p . The board even has an HDMI

I dont believe either intel or amd are intrinsically better than each other . But at certain price points one or other shines .
If you have more money to spend you should build a system based on an intel corei7 cpu since they are the desk top champions right now . My suggest of the 940 be was about getting better value than the intel system you were suggesting
 


I have personally never used a AMD chip before so I am going to new territories here... If you don't mind me asking a couple questions will it overclock just as well (if needed)? I know the Gigabyte P45 board is a very quality board, is their AMD boards just as good?
 


First of all thanks for all your help, secondly as I research more into the 940s it seems like it is well matched with Q9550 from intel (which is 12MB). Is there much difference when it comes to raw computing power and computing time (the 4mb cache difference)?? My gf's data analysis program often require her to have the program running for hours.
 
A Phenom II 940 will overclock fairly well. It's a "Black Edition" processor, which means the CPU multiplier is unlocked for very easy overclocking. I run mine at 3.7GHz, though if you want to bump the voltage a bit more you can get to 3.8GHz or so. A Q9550 will likely get a bit higher... not sure exactly how far, I'm not quite as learned on Core2Quad overclocking. I'm thinking maybe 4GHz or so? But then again the Q9550 is more expensive, and it's not that big a performance difference. You wouldn't really go wrong picking the PII 940 or the Q9550. Although at the Q9550's range, you might be getting into "may as well build an i7 rig" price territory.
 
The caches on AMD and Intel Q66oo or Q9550 work differently

The AMD cpu talks directly to RAM , but the intel speaks to the northbridge chip and asks if it wouldnt mind having a word with the RAM please .
The AMD is so superior at this that intels Ci7 chips copy the design AMD has been using for 5 or 6 years now .

There isnt much in it between the 940 and the Q9550 as processors either for speed or quality ... but the intel onboard graphics suck

The 790G series on the amd motherboard is a REAL quality onboard solution and saves you on the gfx card
 


I did some more research and i found that AMD chip and the mobo are forward/backwards compatible? I've used intel for the past 10 years and this is a somewhat "foreign concept" lol. By the way thanks for all the suggestions... and the education too.
 


Since she doesn't game this is definitely a plus! I was gonna get her something cheap like a 4650...
now I just have to find an 790G board with DVI output! Thanks for all your kind suggestions by the way
 


^+1 Another reason to go with AMD
 


probably cost more though... the peripherals I am not too worried about since I want the core stuff finalized first.
But I will definitely look into this Samsung F1 (heard a lot of stuff about it)... feel free to make more suggestions I am always open for more!
 
Hmm...actually they both cost somewhat the same...

And as for your concern about the core stuff, the AMD P II are the way to go...along with other advantage that others have pointed out, they would provide better upgrade path as well s the future Phenoms, will be compatible with the current AM2+ boards...

Or better of buying a AM3 board, which is around thesame price as well...
 


If I buy an AM3 board... does it mean I HAVE to use DDR3 Ram?
 


Yes.

Also, you cannot use the Phenom II 940 in an AM3 board.

As far as we know, future AM3 CPUs will be backwards compatible with AM2+ boards, for how long? Who knows.

In any case, very soon the new Phenom II 955 will be coming out, which will be the first full-featured Quad-Core AM3 CPU. It might be worth waiting for that. It will run at 3.2GHz stock. Whether it will bring more overclocking headroom is unknown, though.

On the other hand, you could just go with a Yorkfield Core2Quad and a DDR2 LGA775 board. I think Dell has a really good deal right now on Q9550s?

OR you could pony up a little extra cash and go for an i7 920... it's not really THAT much more expensive.
 


is there a timeline of when the 955 will come out? Because I will have to get this build done in about 1 month.
I am just weighing out my options right now, and all of you have been extremely helpful
 



You wont need DVI out put . The HDMI converts to DVI . The motherboard may even have one included
 


So now this is the rig i'll be building (i may wait until the 20th when 955 comes out hopefully the price will drop a little)

Phenom II 940
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H
G.Skill PI Black 4GB DDR2-800
Samsung 22X DVD Burner
Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB
Corsair 400CX

Sounds good so far?
 
What may not be obvious to you, if you're not already very familiar
with the changes that Intel has been introducing over the past
several years, is the difference in cache logic. The Q6600 is really
2 dual-cores "lashed" together: each pair has its own L2 cache.

The 45nm quad-cores, on the other hand, use a "pooled" L2 cache
which is dynamically allocated to the most demanding task.

This important detail may not always be noticeable; however,
when a large program starts to use up lots of core time,
the most recently used code migrates to the larger cache
where it literally flies.

So, don't get the Q6600; get a quad-core with 45nm technology,
e.g. Q9550:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115041
(notice the customer reviews at Newegg: superlative!)

There are several to choose from, including the latest with the
lower wattage ratings, which cost more clock-for-clock, but that extra cost
may be more difficult to justify for the system you are contemplating:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115208&Tpk=Q8200S


NB: only a $5.00 cost difference, but a very large speed difference: 2.83 v. 2.33 GHz stock.


MRFS
 



The mb/cpu combos change on Newegg every few days , but there has usually been a Phenom paired with a Gigabyte or Asus board. Those two brands are ,IMO ,the quality mb makers and you will be fine with either ... remembering that you need a 790G series northbridge , and the hdmi output .

Phenoms and Ci7's can use the bandwidth of faster RAM more effectively than C2D/C2Q processors thanks to the memory controller on the cpu. The ram you have is good ram and should overclock to 1066 Mhz if you relax the timings a little , or spend a bit more and buy the GSkill 1066 MHz . Its a tiny boost in performance , maybe 1-2 % at most so it need to be weighed against the cost.

Things could change regarding prices too . Intels C2Q's are over priced , and I'd say theyre taking a beating from Phenom right now .
 
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