My Super PC - AM2 [Archive] - My Super PC Forums - Build Your Own Computer - Message Board

Rob

02-05-2007, 10:59 PM

Here's a progress update on My (next) Super PC. I've assembled most of the components, namely:

Antec NSK 6500 computer case
MSI K9N Platinum motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 4200+ processor
Thermaltake Big Typhoon cpu cooler
Crucial Ballistix PC2-8000 DDR2 memory (2GB)
Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA 300 GB/s hard drive
ATI Radeon X1950 Pro video card
Sony DRU-830A DVD RW drive

I'll add more components before I'm done, including the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card.

Here are the notes I've taken so far:

The performance is crazy fast. It scores 8355 on the 3D Mark 05 benchmark. Compare that to the 3317 score I'm getting with My current Super PC, which is plenty fast for anything.

It is really quiet, the quietest PC I've built yet.

Assembly has been quite easy.

The Thermaltake cpu cooler installation was the easiest cpu cooler I've ever installed. The package contents and assembly instructions are pretty intimidating, until I realized that it was parts and instructions for many different processor types. Only a few parts are needed for an AM2 processor type, which are in their own little bag labeled "AM2". And the instructions are just the last set of diagrams on one line at the bottom of the last page.

The cpu cooler is very big, which helps make it very quiet. But I'm sure it's so big that it's blocking the last RAM slot. That's not great, but not a deal killer since having 2 x 1GB RAM is plenty. If it ever needs more RAM, I'll probably be ready for a new CPU cooler, anyway.

The system is unreliable about giving that single beep on boot that indicates all is well. It's never given the single beep when I've had Quick Boot enabled in the BIOS. When it did give the single beep for the "Second Boot" configuration and with Quick Boot disabled, it was much later than I've seen with other builds. The beep should signal the time when you can press the keyboard key to enter the BIOS. But in this case, that time was well passed. And now with everything installed and the front panel ports connected, it doesn't give a single beep at all.

I haven't found the HDD LED on the outside of the computer case. The inside of the case has a front panel connector for the HDD LED, so it must have one? I'll keep looking.

Front panel USB and Firewire ports work. USB works at Hi-Speed. No problems there like with the Antec Sonata case. Haven't tried the front panel audio ports yet.

Overall I'm very pleased with the results. Blazing fast and super quiet. Which should also please the moderator for these message boards because it's going to end up in his house.

Since I'm going to have to start again, I'm thinking of giving the ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard a try. The compelling reason is that it has passive cooling for the processor, so no cpu cooler. [edit: I found out I was wrong about this. It does still need a CPU cooler. But the passive cooling does help with cooling. This means the fan on the CPU cooler can be that much slower, and therefore that much quieter.] And since it comes with SLI, I'll have that as something I can add to the assembly pages. I'll also probably go with the AMD Athlon 64 5200+ processor, even though it's not in the sweet spot, since it will put off upgrading that much longer.

I'll also probably go with the Antec Sonata II case. But I'll remove the duct work inside. Duct work for modern computers is not needed. It's an idea that's come about two years too late. Today's computers tend to run cooler than ones built two years ago. The components run cooler, and everyone has figured out to use bigger fans because they are quieter and more effective.

Rob

02-09-2007, 07:59 PM

Here's an update. I have the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card installed. With the sound card installed, the 3D Mark 05 benchmark score is 8770.

The front panel LED for the hard drive LED is working. The LED is just below the power button. The problem was I had the front panel connector installed the wrong way around on the motherboard pins.

Still no beep out of the speaker. There's no reason for the computer not to beep. It may be that the speaker is bad. There does not appear to be a loose connection.

Cleo8

02-12-2007, 09:29 AM

Wow! Good configuration, Rob! Interesting how about price of this dream PC? :) btw, I found a small mistake "Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA 300 GB/s hard drive" 300 Gb/sec??? holly sh*t it's faster than all types of memory nowadays!!!! :D

Rob

02-12-2007, 09:28 PM

Good catch, Cleo8. That should read 300 MB/s. As for price, it's best to add it up using the reseller recommendations I have on my home page. I pay the same prices as everyone else, and prices tend to change, usually downward.
http://www.mysuperpc.com

One final update since this super PC is all set to be shipped to the moderator. I have an update on the "no beep" problem. First, it's giving the single beep with the BIOS configured to disable the quick boot which skips some power-on self-tests. Also, the MSI K9N Platinum uses a D-bracket to signal the boot progress. This is a block of four LED's mounted on a case slot bracket and therefore visible only from the back of the computer.

Timj

02-15-2007, 03:39 PM

Hey Rob- Great site! I'm consider building my own PC and have found all your information very Helpful! (This message board is a great addition too!!)

Can you comment any more on your case selection??

Antec NSK 6500 vs Antec Sonata II case

Which did you like better? Dislikes? Differences? Why should I pick one over the other??

I noticed you used the NSK 6500 this last time, but said you would switch to the Sonata II next time....??

Thanks,
Timj

Here's a progress update on My (next) Super PC. I've assembled most of the components, namely:

Antec NSK 6500 computer case
MSI K9N Platinum motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 4200+ processor
Thermaltake Big Typhoon cpu cooler
Crucial Ballistix PC2-8000 DDR2 memory (2GB)
Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA 300 GB/s hard drive
ATI Radeon X1950 Pro video card
Sony DRU-830A DVD RW drive

.... .......

I'll also probably go with the Antec Sonata II case. But I'll remove the duct work inside. Duct work for modern computers is not needed. It's an idea that's come about two years too late. Today's computers tend to run cooler than ones built two years ago. The components run cooler, and everyone has figured out to use bigger fans because they are quieter and more effective.

Feel free to post questions or comments.

Rob

02-15-2007, 07:25 PM

I've built using the Antec Sonata, but not the Antec Sonata II. But I do have the Antec Sonata II as of yesterday. I'm looking at it right now. As you might expect, it is very similar to the Antec Sonata, except it has the duct work inside. I can hardly wait to remove the duct work. Since the Antec Sonata II is very nearly identical to the Antec Sonata, I think I can compare it with the Antec NSk 6500 knowledgably.

First, let me say both are excellent computer cases. I'm pretty picky about a computer case, like all components, really, so there are a lot of things about both cases that are great. They are both roomy without being too big. They both come with high-quality power supplies for practically free, given the cost of each case. They both look nice. They are both easy to work in. And so on. Both satisfy me very well on the deal-breaker points.

The comments I have I consider nitpicks.

1) I actually like the front panel color scheme on the NSK 6500 better because it is a silver front with black bezels for the open bays. I'm using one beige bezel DVD drive and a beige bezel floppy drive. Altogether they look nice. I think the silver panel allows the other colors to blend nicely. I did say I was nitpicking, right?

2) The Antec Sonata II has a door. A locking door. The NSK 6500 has no door. Having used the Antec Sonata which has the same door, I'd have to say the door is not an issue with me either way. Some people might not like having to open and close a door to use a DVD, but I've found it's not really a nuisance. On the other hand, some people might prefer a door, especially a locking door, if you want to keep the kids from accidentally opening a drive bay.

3) The back case slot covers on the Antec NSK 6500 attach by a small metal tip. To get the slot cover off, you have to pry or push the metal tip out of its hole. It's pretty small and stiff, and a little awkard to get at. The Antec Sonata II case holds the slot covers on with screws. I prefer the Antec Sonata II method. It's a little easier to get the slot cover off. And a slot cover for the NSK 6500 might not go back as well as it was on originally.

4) The internal drive bays in the NSK 6500 fit inside a single cage which can easily be removed, even with drives installed. I liked that. It made it easier to work inside the computer case, giving a lot more room if I needed it and making things easier to access. For example, I could remove the drive cage and follow the front panel wires all the way to the internal speaker, and I could easily get at and remove the speaker. I've never had a case where it was so simple to get at the internal speaker.

5) The NSK 6500 has two small open grill areas on one side of the case. It could do without either one. One is an opening for a CPU cooler to use, including a funnel shaped piece of ductwork inside the case to direct the air. This is unnecessary and impractical. I removed the funnel because it was in the way of the CPU cooler. The second is something like 2-inches by 4-inches and is just below the first grill area. I see no reason for it. Open areas like this can increase noise. But even with these grilled openings, the computer was exceptionally quiet. The quietest I've ever built.

I'd be very happy using the Antec NSK 6500 again. The reason I built with the Antec NSK 6500 this time is that I had not built with it before and I wanted to try it out myself. Now that I'm building again, this same reason is one reason I chose the Antec Sonata II, to see it for myself and notice any differences with the Antec Sonata.

Dan

02-19-2007, 11:46 AM

Rob, I know its only been a couple of days....but how are you liking your latest build so far over the last one?

Rob

02-19-2007, 09:46 PM

If you mean the MSI K9N Platinum build then it was pretty fantastic, but I've already shipped it to the mod so I didn't have long to enjoy it. I hope it gets to him it one piece.

If you mean the ASUS M2N32 then I haven't put it together yet. I have the computer case, the Antec Sonata II (which I bought before the rebate - d'oh!). I want to take some pictures of the case, including the removal of the ductwork, so that will take a little time. I ordered the case while putting the final touches on the MSI K9N Platinum build and getting it boxed for shipping. But now that it's out the door, the photos are next. Which means I can go ahead and order the motherboard so that it will arrive about the time I'm done giving the Antec Sonata II it's "photo op".

The case photos are the only ones I think I need to do ahead of the complete assembly. Once its assembled, I can post performance details so that will be available as a comparison to the super PC I have posted, plus the MSI K9N Platinum. Then I can disassemble and reassemble as needed to shoot photos to update the assembly pages.

That's the plan, anyway.

machz990

03-01-2007, 10:44 PM

The Thermaltake cpu cooler installation was the easiest cpu cooler I've ever installed. The package contents and assembly instructions are pretty intimidating, until I realized that it was parts and instructions for many different processor types. Only a few parts are needed for an AM2 processor type, which are in their own little bag labeled "AM2". And the instructions are just the last set of diagrams on one line at the bottom of the last page.

The cpu cooler is very big, which helps make it very quiet. But I'm sure it's so big that it's blocking the last RAM slot. That's not great, but not a deal killer since having 2 x 1GB RAM is plenty. If it ever needs more RAM, I'll probably be ready for a new CPU cooler, anyway.

Hi Rob, I built a 754 socket AMD computer very similar to your current PC. I am now building one like the one you just built for the administrator. I'm using the MSI K8N SLI Platinum MB, Thermaltake Typhoon CPU cooler and the Crucial Ballistix 2 X 1GB memory modules. I have the same problem you mentioned. The CPU cooler is so big the cooling tubes block DIMM3. I assume you put your 2 1GB memory modules in Dimm2 and Dimm4. According to the manual on page 2-6 under memory population rules you can do that. However I noticed at the bottom of the next page under "Important" the third bullet statement says "To enable successful system bootup always insert the memory modules into DIMM1 first." What is that saying? If you put one module in DIMM1 then the next has to go in DIMM3 which is blocked by the Thermaltake cooler. So my only choice appears to be DIMM 2 and 4. I hope it will boot up that way. What DIMMS did you put your memory into?

Also, I wasn't too terribly impressed with how the cooler mounted. The metal H bracket and screws aren't a precise fit and the cooler can move around unless you tighten the screws to the point of bowing the motherboard. Also you have to make sure you get the cooler centered up to the left and right as the cooler can move under the H bracket. It can't move up and down due to the tabs on the back of the brass cooler pad but can move left and right.

Just my observations as I'm just getting started. Thanks again for you web site!

machz990

03-03-2007, 09:59 PM

Well I'm done building the computer and I answered my own question. The memory modules work just fine in slots 2 & 4. They are operating in dual channel mode also.

Has anyone tried the new Everest with Vista and dual core processors?

DemonicDerek

03-04-2007, 09:53 PM

I honestly think that Antec has some pretty sweat cases and mainly becuase they use the 120mm's. However the only thing I dislike that they come with a power supply.

JJS

03-06-2007, 11:31 AM

Well, I finally got the guts to try and build a Suoer-Pc using basically your list of "what I would do today" see below:

MySuperPC - The Book
Antec Sonata II
MSI K9N Platinum motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 4200+ processor
Thermaltake Big Typhoon cpu cooler
Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 7200rpm SATA 300 MB/s
Crucial Ballistix PC2-8000 DDR2 memory (1GB)
ATI Radeon X1300 256MB
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Sound Card
Sony DRU-830A DVD RW drive
Lite-On SOHC5236V DVD-ROM Combo Drive.
Zoom Telephonics V.92 V.44 PCI (Model 3025)
Logitech Cordless MX 3000 Laser (Keyboard and Mouse)
DELL Ultrasharp 1907FP 19-inch

The build went remarkably well, I took my time and followed the book as close as possible. For the most part I didn't get to heavily involved in the Bios settings, it seems fast enough and everything seems to work well. I had an issue when trying to load the modem (I'm not on-line yet, we are going to be switching over to DSL from dial-up soon) I disabled the ethernet connections (through device manager) because it seems it was "looking" for that and posting errors because I wasn't connected as a result. (Windows Xp Pro w/SP2)

All my PCI errors went away as I loaded the software for everything except for one which is bothering me. It's stated as "PCI other device" and no disc I have will load the drivers for it. I removed it and rebooted, windows found it again. The code is 1, Any ideas, I'm not on line yet to search Microsofts sites, so I'm hoping it was just some oversight on my part.

Everything seems to work OK and I now finally even get the "start-up" single beep when I boot up. I plan to leave the bios as is, I've read too many stories of bad experiences and I'd rather not mess up a good thing.

By the way Rob, great site and book. A month ago I wouldn't have even thought about building a PC. I'm glad I looked around on-line and found this place.

Thanks in advance,
JJS

Rob

03-06-2007, 06:23 PM

Congratulations! And thanks for the good words!

I think the device conflict you have is because you probably haven't installed the AMD Away driver. I believe it's the second option on the MSI K9N Platinum driver CD. It's also available as a download from here.
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/driver/dvr/spt_dvr_detail.php?UID=730&kind=1

Your next question will probably be - what is AMD Away? I'm not sure anyone really knows that much about it. Here's a link.
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,3715_14083,00.html

How about posting your build and kudos on the graduates message board? It could use some love.
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

machz990

03-06-2007, 07:05 PM

How about posting your build and kudos on the graduates message board? It could use some love.
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

That thread appears locked. I don't see a way to post as a graduate.

machz990

03-06-2007, 07:19 PM

I finished my new Super PC last weekend and it's running like a champ. Thanks again Rob for the great web site and all the good information. I only changed a couple of components based on either personal preference, good reivews or price.

Mine is as follows:

Antec Sonata II
MSI K9N SLI Platinum motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor
Thermaltake Big Typhoon cpu cooler
Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200JS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)
BFG Tech GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Sound Card
Sony DRU-830A DVD RW drive
Atech Flash Xm-4U 11-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Internal card reader
Microsoft keyboard and optical mouse
ViewSonic VX2035WM Black-Silver 20.1" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor

Rob

03-06-2007, 08:29 PM

The thread is locked, because I would rather see individual postings. You should still be able to post a message to the My Super PC Graduates message board.
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

machz990

03-08-2007, 10:35 AM

Rob, I noticed in my CMOS settings that CPU Fan RPM was listed as 0 but system fan was reading actual rpms and was varying as I viewed it. This was on the page with CPU Temps I believe which were running around 36C average under a light load. Do you know if I should be seeing CPU fan rpms in my CMOS and where does it get that reading from the motherboard? Fans by the way are all running fine.

Also with the Antec Sonata II case there is a 3-prong plug coming out of the PS with a blue and black wire. This is for some motherboards to pick up and monitor PS fan rpms I believe. Did you connect that to your motherboard? I have it on the one fan plug near the SATA and IDE drive sockets. Seemed like the only logical choice. Not sure if it's doing anything there but it also doesn't appear to harm anything either.

I currently have my CPU cooler connected to the motherboard at the 3 prong plug near the adjacent 4 prong plug that are both for CPU fans. That also seemed like the logical choice since the Big Typhoon has a 3 wre plug.

Any comments or suggestions on the CPU rpm reading in CMOS? Thanks.

Adding my config since it doesn't seem to show up in signature:

Antec Sonata II
MSI K9N SLI Platinum motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor
Thermaltake Big Typhoon cpu cooler
Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200JS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000)
BFG Tech GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Sound Card
Sony DRU-830A DVD RW drive
Atech Flash Xm-4U 11-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Internal card reader
Microsoft keyboard and optical mouse
ViewSonic VX2035WM Black-Silver 20.1" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
Windows Vista Home Premium

Rob

03-08-2007, 07:36 PM

My guess is that you're fine with how you've connected the fans. I don't have the hardware any longer so I can't provide any better details.

I think you're right about the purpose of the blue and black wires coming from the power supply.

Very impressive rig. Congratulations!

roeky

03-14-2007, 07:39 AM

came across this site tonight and bought this stuff from newegg.com $1080. i play poker and need a fast cpu for a large postgres database.

will the ram i bought work with the motherboard? i got ddr2 1000 not ddr 800 is this a problem?

1 Open Box: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200KS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136003R
Return Policy: Open Box Item Return Policy $74.99

1 Open Box: MSI K9N SLI Platinum Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - OEM
Item #: N82E16813130048R
Return Policy: Open Box Item Return Policy $89.99
Item(s) shipped from NJ Tracking Number:

1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5200CSBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103759
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy $225.00

1 Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129155
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $99.99
Item(s) shipped from TN Tracking Number:

1 Microsoft Windows XP Home Sp2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116169
Return Policy: Software Return Policy $89.99

1 Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA1005 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820146563
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $289.99

1 Thermaltake CL-P0114 120mm CPU Cooler with Heatsink - Retail
Item #: N82E16835106061
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $44.99

1 BFG Tech BFGR76256GTOCE GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814143049
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $142.99

Please be aware that Newegg does not deliver packages on Saturdays or Sundays. Delivery attempts will be made on weekdays only.
Subtotal: $1,057.93
What's this? Tax: $0.00
Shipping: $28.43
Total: $1,086.36

machz990

03-14-2007, 05:41 PM

roeky

03-14-2007, 05:55 PM

great news on the ddr2 1k working but bad news i cant' upgrade to more ram. I will want to expand in the future so i will need to keep my eyes open for a new fan, that's disappointing considering this thing was $45. i will update when i get the rig up and running on the 30 inch dell monitor and the samsung 204b synmaster.

roeky

03-18-2007, 03:06 AM

ok got it put together and it went as smooth as possilbe about 2-3 hours. only way this was possible was with this site thanks. 2 questions

1. how do i over clock, i cant play the free rainbow 6 game it requires 3.0ghz i have 2.6 i think

2. what site do i test my computer speed

Rob

03-18-2007, 09:12 AM

I doubt you need to overclock to play Rainbow 6. It's probably not the processor that is the bottleneck, but the video card. It it's not playing smoothly then try it at lower graphics settings, such as a smaller screen resolution.

I prefer overall system performance tests, like the ones made by Futuremark. You could try 3DMark05.
http://www.mysuperpc.com/build/pc_performance_test_overall.shtml

The only problem with tests like these is knowing how to interpret the results. A more meaningful test is to do a fps test on games. I have examples of this on this page:
http://www.mysuperpc.com/fast_computer.shtml

I don't know that there is a Rainbow 6 benchmark, but I did find this link:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2895

roeky

03-18-2007, 01:48 PM

thanks for the lincks, the msi site say i can get 50% more out of my cpu so i think i need to figuare this out.

http://www.msi.com.tw/html/service/techexpress/mainboard/7250/page1.htm

http://www.msi.com.tw/html/service/techexpress/mainboard/7250/page1.htm

please look over from the msi site

justplainken

05-12-2007, 09:51 PM

Rob -
how did your Antec Sonata II case work out?
I just posted a question about this:
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=226

Thanks!

Rob

05-14-2007, 02:00 PM

It's still sitting there all nice and shiny. My assembly has been on hold for a while because things are busy at work - some may have noticed my diminished presence on the board for the past six weeks - but they will be getting back to normal very soon. The Antec Sonata II received the full photo-op treatment from me before things got busy, so there's not much I need to do in terms of photos - which always slow me down - before I can get back to assembly. Due to the delay I went ahead and purchased the AMD Athlon X2 6000+ processor since it made a hefty price drop.

DemonicDerek

05-20-2007, 10:59 PM

So are you going to build a system using a dual video card configuration or not?

Rob

05-21-2007, 08:48 PM

Not at first, but it's something I plan to do with this motherboard.

Joelmuz

05-24-2007, 06:38 PM

Hi Rob, Several months ago I completed my PC (see my “Graduate” post). The system is basically an MSI K9N SLI Platinum board in an Antec Sonata II case. I have the latest MSI drivers including those for the Realtek audio chip. The 10 pin connector on the cable from the front panel audio ports is connected to the JAUD1 header on the MSI board (the 7 individual connectors in the cable are not used). There is no audio I/O hardware connected other than an old pair of Koss headphones. When they are plugged into the rear panel green socket I can hear output from CD or DVD’s. All the Realtek adjustments for mixing, shaping and 3D Audio Demos work. When the headphones are moved to the front panel green socket there is no output! I have tried to set and unset the “Disable front panel jack detection” and “Enable playback multi-streaming” so the “Realtek HD Audio 2nd output” option is active. All to no avail!!:confused: It seems like I should be able to use this front panel socket whether the headphone jack is AC97 compatible or not (I don’t know if it is). Has anyone run into this problem or know a solution other than swapping the 10 pin connector for the 7 individual connectors on the cable from the audio front panel. I think this would disable the functionality built into Realtek.

DemonicDerek

06-09-2007, 09:50 AM

I've heard many customer reviews that contradict what Rob thinks about MSI motherboards. I bunch of them state that the northbridge is way to hot and causes random crashes of the computer. A lot of people are saying they must RMA it and get the same exact thing then they just buy a different one.

After hearing that I looked for a better mother board and found DFI's Lanparty series and they are looking sweet and I am thinking of getting that.

Rob

06-13-2007, 09:29 PM

I've nearly completed building My Super PC using the ASUS M2N32 motherboard.