AMD970 chipset compatibility problem

[ghostheadx2]

Hi everyone. I'm out of finals and now trying to design and build a computer. And I am making some progress. Here's the problem I am running into during the design. I was going to ask the same question this guy asked in another forum:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id- ... -cpus.html

So, I think I'm using a different chipset than him, but I still have a similar issue. The problem is I have a hard time confirming that it came out after that date because I am having a hard time finding when that date was. Here is my build so far:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zsr7Yr

If anyone can confirm that my parts so far are compatible, I'm still designing but it would be nice to know before ordering the parts.

I'm trying to build a penetration testing computer and/or dark web browsing computer and/or computer used to handle insane unbearable stuff for a decent price. Does that mean an SSD is a bad thing or is it better because I would think the speed is better but the amount of storage they have is puny? I guess I was just thinking of compatible parts when picking because I don't know enough about the parts, although I am learning as I go. Is this a good pen-testing/dark web browsing/insane dangerous experiments kind of computer?

I didn't understand a lot of the terms PC Part Picker used when describing each item, so I'm researching as I go while designing.

Thanks. This is my first build. I really want to be able to know what I'm doing designing it first before I build so if you have any recommendations, an explanation would be nice about what you actually mean. I'm so glad I have summer to build it!

[Jbraithwaite]

I'm usually an Intel based PC builder but one thing you need to be sure of is that the CPU, RAM and Motherboard are all compatible with regards to BUS sizes and speeds. PIN configurations obviously need to match for Mobo and CPU and RAM needs to be of the right DDR type so the physical aspects line up. Speed of the RAM is personal choice but you're only as fast as your slowest component.

As long as every thing fits and you have the right speeds (i.e. 1066Mhz) then everything should be ok. BIOS updates are piss easy these days. It was more of a hassle when you had to load them up in Floppies. ASUS were terrible for that. DELL BIOS updates are an EXE and it is so simple to run.

You're ok with what you got, I'd run two EVO SSD's in RAID as you get twice the speed. Look that up on how to do that. It's worth it. You probably don't need such flashy RAM modules, unless you're going to overclock the crap out of them. I'd cut back on those and maybe get Hyper-X RAM.

If it was me I'd be speccing a Core i7 system but that's just me. You're going to have a better time with it. Everyones different though.

[cyberdrain]

Does that mean an SSD is a bad thing or is it better because I would think the speed is better but the amount of storage they have is puny? I guess I was just thinking of compatible parts when picking because I don't know enough about the parts, although I am learning as I go. Is this a good pen-testing/dark web browsing/insane dangerous experiments kind of computer?

If you're going for cracking hashes or passwords, you need a large amount of space for dictionaries and rainbow tables and you should probably invest in a good GPU. If you're going for a server, again, space is important, but GPU power not so much, take a lot of RAM instead. If you want to run multiple VMs, again RAM is important (and 16GB is probably enough for now). As you're not really sure what you're going with, I'd just go with a general system you can use for everything. Note that the GPU you've selected is a bit outdated, but would be perfectly fine if you're not running GPU intensive calculations.

The good thing about AMD is that the parts used to run cooler, overclocking used to be easier and the parts are usually more compatible. Intel required a new chipset every few years, while AMD keeps on using more or less the same sockets. The bad thing is they were usually behind on development, as Intel set the standards and AMD had to keep up.

I agree with Jbraithwaite on the RAM, lower Mhz isn't necessarily a bad thing, you can get more RAM for the same price while not really noticing much delay. As long as the motherboard operates on the frequency, it's fine. Even if it doesn't it still might, it just means the RAM runs slower than it can. The optical disk drive is something I haven't used in ages, but you still might. If so, take one from another PC and save yourself some money. You could put anything still running on disks on a USB key if so inclined.

So, cut down on that and you could either save money, spend it on an FX-8350/i7 or spend it on another SSD. Lastly, I'm missing fans, how are you going to cool the thing?