1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

The Official PC building thread!

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by souldoubt, May 11, 2004.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 7 of 113
  1. Hamboner

    Hamboner Guest

    Thanx Praetor, I appreciate your quick responce. I will look at all these parts and am sure will have a few questions. Thanx again.
     
    Hamboner, Jul 27, 2004
    #121
  2. Hamboner

    Hamboner Guest

    Ok, for the past 6 hours I have probably read over 100 review sites. I used Praetor's recommendations as my reference point and made my own list of components for my computer. Please give me your input if these are not compatible or not cost affective or just not a good idea. Your advice will be very much appreciated.

    Lian Li Silver, Model "PC-6077" $110.00
    Antec 430W Power TRUE430 $68.00
    Asus P4C800-E Deluxe $170.00
    Pentium 4 3.0GHz Prescott 800FSB $219.00
    GeIL 1GB 4200DC PC4200 533MHZ DDR $288.00
    Thermaltake Polo735 $40.00
    ATI All-in-Wonder 9800 Pro $272.00
    Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS $70.00
    Western Digital 74 Gb 10000rpm $161.00
    Seagate 200GB 7200RPM Barracuda $140.00
    ASUS CD-RW CRW-5232AS $39.00
    Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-107 $84.00

    Total $1661.00

    I liked the Lian Li cases a lot, some can get very expensive. I am not sure which power supply is suppose to be good for my system. The other motherboard I was looking at was the Abit IC7 Max 3, basically it was a tossup between that and the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe. Difference between the 1GB Corsair TwinX1024 -4400 and GeIL 1GB4200DC PC4200 533MHZ is about $90, is it worth getting the Corsair still? Heatsinks are difficult to pick as well, is water cooling worth it? Is it a good idea to use a fast 10000rpm drive as your C drive so the OS and other softwares can load faster? (just my logic, which means nothing really)
     
    Hamboner, Jul 27, 2004
    #122
  3. Praetor

    Praetor Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2003
    Messages:
    6,830
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    118
    - I'd stay away from the Prescotts. Not worth the price/trouble
    - If you want the Abit board, get the IC7 Max 2... the OTES feature from the Max3 can be a pain for some cases. The Max2 is the same board just without the OTES
    - As for Corsair/Geil.... do you intend to run them at those speeds? They wont run at those speeds without OC :)
    - Watercooling isnt all THAT effective. If you want to do exotic cooling you might as well and grab a vapor-phase unit
     
    Praetor, Jul 27, 2004
    #123
  4. Veeznutz

    Veeznutz Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2004
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Praetor, thanks for the advice. This is my first time building and it helped alot. I just wasnt really sure on the Mobo. Everything else I have figured out.
     
    Veeznutz, Jul 27, 2004
    #124
  5. Praetor

    Praetor Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2003
    Messages:
    6,830
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    118
    Glad I could help
     
    Praetor, Jul 27, 2004
    #125
  6. Hamboner

    Hamboner Guest

    Praetor once again thanx for the advice. Yes I do plan on overclocking, after I learn how to. :) I am new at this still. I agree I'd rather not go with the Prescott and save some money. So for over clocking I need to make sure I have good heatsinks and fans. An overclocking friendly motherboard, ram and cpu correct?
     
    Hamboner, Jul 28, 2004
    #126
  7. Praetor

    Praetor Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2003
    Messages:
    6,830
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    118
    Yep that about sums it up :) ... oh and one more thing: patience :)
    _X_X_X_X_X_[small]ASUS A7N8X-X, XP2500+ OC'd to XP3200+
    Samsung 1024MB, PC2700 OC'd to PC3200
    480GB [3x160GB, 7200, 8MB]
    EVGA, GeForce4 Ti4600 128MB

    Rules and Policies: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487[/small]
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2004
    Praetor, Jul 28, 2004
    #127
  8. Hamboner

    Hamboner Guest

    Hamboner, Jul 28, 2004
    #128
  9. 4W4K3

    4W4K3 Guest

    weird...i didnt think soyo made cases. i had a soyo kt-333 dragon ultra platinum (dumb name) BEST looking mobo i ever had, all black and silver shiny colors all matched. too bad it was a piece of crap lol.
     
    4W4K3, Jul 28, 2004
    #129
  10. superflex

    superflex Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2004
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Hey, I'm looking to build my own system (first time) and was wondering what the difference was between OEM and retail processors, besides the price. Is it warranty, lack of heat sink and fan, or what?

    Also look over this list and tell me if I have some potential conflicts with this configuration, or I am just a fool.

    I'd like to use an Athlon 3000 or 3200 Barton with an Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe mobo (I could use the dual LAN/wireless for my home network) along with 1 gig of PC3200 RAM (probably Kingston Value Ram) and a 80-120 gig Sata HD. Probably will use a Lian Li PV-1000 case (sweet!), Enermax 420 PSU, Swiftech HSF and some video card (not sure what I need - No gaming, just video ripping, some light CAD). Any suggestions on the video card?

    Also, what is the difference between ECC vs. non ECC, registered vs unbuffered, and what is the CAS latency timing in memory. I'm not a OCer but might dabble in it later - once I feel more comfortable.

    And for Praetor, my budget is abouut $800. Most of the items have been priced on NewEgg, ZipZoomFly, Mwave and eBay.

    Could I do better with a P4 or AMD64 system system?

    Am I wasting money on the Lian Li since it's an ATX case and BTX is coming soon?

    Thanks in advance for the input.
     
    Last edited: Jul 30, 2004
    superflex, Jul 29, 2004
    #130
  11. superflex

    superflex Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2004
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Just FYI, I don't need a sound card. I already have a Xitel USB digital output (very nice for $100).
     
    superflex, Jul 29, 2004
    #131
  12. EYEShurt

    EYEShurt Regular member

    Joined:
    May 7, 2004
    Messages:
    216
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    26
    OEM just means it doesnt come with a fancy box and no it doesnt come with a heatsink and fan if u get it OEM.
     
    EYEShurt, Jul 29, 2004
    #132
  13. Hamboner

    Hamboner Guest

    OK, I revamped my specs even further, primarily for cost-effectiveness. Please share your input.

    -ENERMAX Case w/400W "CS-EN5171LBFS-B" $60 (very tough to pick the right power supply and a good case, open for advice still)
    -ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe i865PE $110 (still up for advice, it should have a sound card to save money)
    -Pentium 4 2.8 GHz 800MHz FSB HT $175 (3.0GHz is $40+ worth it?, Northwood or Prescott?)
    -Geil 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-4200 $292 (cant figure out which one will be a good buy, from PC3200-4400, help!)
    -ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON 9600 XT $190 (think its a good combination of features and performance, is the price still too much?)
    -Western Digital 74 Gb 10000rpm $161 (SATA best format?)
    -Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM SATA $126
    -ASUS CD-RW CRW-5232AS $39 (any brand you like more?)
    -Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-107 $84 (any brand you like more?)
    -Am I missing something important?

    Total $1237

    What would you change ? I eventually plan on OCing. Praetor I know you have given your input before, I would appreciate a bit more on these specs, thanx.
     
    Hamboner, Jul 30, 2004
    #133
  14. superflex

    superflex Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2004
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Nice system hamboner.

    Since I'm cheap I think you could save a little bit-o-cash by dropping the 10k drive and downgrading on the RAM.

    Something you can easily add later, if you find you need it.
     
    superflex, Jul 30, 2004
    #134
  15. Praetor

    Praetor Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2003
    Messages:
    6,830
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    118
    On the budget you're on you're probably best off with a lower clocked XP and a good cooler :)

    Probably but not with that budget.

    I wouldnt worry about BTX yet.

    - ECC/Buffered is slower and more reliable and thus found on server-type systems,
    - CAS (Column Access Speed) is the number of cycles it takes to access the specific column of a given memory bank, the lower the better: stick to 2 ot 2.5 :)

    P4C-2.8 (Northwood)

    The 4200 is good enough :)

    Unless you speicifcally need video-in/tv functionality (which is why its so expensive), get the 9600Pro

    A pretty penny for those drives. You sure you need that kinda performance?

    Awesome :)

     
    Praetor, Jul 30, 2004
    #135
  16. JSRife

    JSRife Guest

    To the Guy asking about the 9600XT for $190 , asking if it's a good deal? I saw in last weeks paper, Best Buy was selling a 9800 Pro for $189.99 , that is with rebates of course. Would take a 9800 Pro over a 9600XT all day though. You should check out Best Buy first :)
     
    JSRife, Jul 31, 2004
    #136
  17. 4W4K3

    4W4K3 Guest

    newegg.com has them ALOT cheaper. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=1 <hope that link works.

    EDIT: dangit it dont work. trry this...just search for them. heres an average price... http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-124&depa=1
    _X_X_X_X_X_[small]AMD Athlon XP-M 2600+ (2559MHz)
    ABIT NF7-S Rev 2.0 (232*11)
    512MB OCZ-EL PC-3200 Dual Channel Platinum (465MHz)
    FIC RADEON 9200 64MB 8X AGP
    http://www.bandbuilder.com/projektrevolution2004/index.php?ref_code=F53066[/small]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 31, 2004
    4W4K3, Jul 31, 2004
    #137
  18. Hamboner

    Hamboner Guest

    Thanx Superflex, Preator, JSRife and 4W4K3 for the advice, I will do that.
    Another question: I was looking at ATI ALL-IN-WONDER RADEON 9600 XT on newegg.com and I found some with 128MB and others with 256MB by different Manufacturers. I thought only ATI made these. But companies like GIGABYTE, ASUS and Sapphire make them as well. How is that? Do they just tweak these video cards? Can they be missing features?

    _X_X_X_X_X_[small]Jack of all traits, master of none.[/small]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 31, 2004
    Hamboner, Jul 31, 2004
    #138
  19. Praetor

    Praetor Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2003
    Messages:
    6,830
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    118
    Odds are they'll have some additional features. There's no really significant difference between an ATi ATi card and say an MSI ATi card
     
    Praetor, Jul 31, 2004
    #139
  20. superflex

    superflex Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2004
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    11
    Thanks for the advice everyone

    sf <;)

     
    superflex, Jul 31, 2004
    #140
Page 7 of 113
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page