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Another System Builder...


Seb

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Well, it's my turn to ask for advice on a new computer. The system is going to be used mostly for the Klipsch bulletin board, but I plan on getting in some university work as well as some 3D gaming action. I migh do some sound editing/mixing but that's not for sure. Of course I'll watch some DVDs to hear the effect on the pros and expecially to see what they look like on a computer screen.

Here goes:

-MOBO-Asus A7V

-CPU-AMD Athlon, 1GHz or more.

-RAM-256 megs of generic 133MHz RAM

-HD-IBM Deskstar 60GXP 7200 RPM, I'm having some trouble finding those around here... It will be either the 20 or 40 Gb model.

-DVD-Rom-Any suggestions? I'm considering either Pioneer or Aopen, Pioneer is more accessible but I don'T know the performance difference with Aopen.

-Video Card-Hercules GeForce, maybe the Ultra but I don't know, they are pretty expensive...

-Monitor-Viewsonic GS790 19"

-Sound Card-I'm still trying to decide between the SB Live! and the Philips card.

-Networking-Dlink 5-port 10/100 kit

-Case-Is that really important? A good, sturdy, well-cooled case I guess... don't wanna spend too much.

-Mouse-Still unsure, I'd like the Razer Boomslang, but I don't know, that' be triple the cost of the Microsoft Intelleye wheel mouse...

-Keyboard-Generic bilingual.

/edit/

I could see some overclocking in the future, so please consider that, esp. for the CPU/MOBO and the video card, as well as the case. I don't wanna drill holes for fans in the case, i want the oc process to be as easy as possible.

------------------

'cuz nobody ever said

"Pump up the treble!"

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Sounds like a good set up. I think that when it comes to the case just make sure of 2 things.

1. Go for the 300W ATX

2. Make sure that it is big enough for the AMD mobo/CPU set up.

I noticed that these 2 are a little bigger than most and if you look on pricewatch you will see some cases as AMD compatable.

Also if you have the room you should get a bigger screen. Why was the sound and graphics on a small monitor?

------------------

Come on honey why can't I spend some more money?

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w-s-n, thanks for the case suggestions.

I would love to get a bigger screen.

however, bigger=more expensive, and i don'T wanna spend too much.

my present screen is dying, so i might replace this screen with the viewsonic and then get a bigger monitor for the better puter.

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Seb, good choices. But, you might wait for the DDR mobos.

Sharkey did a Socket A roundup just last month. He crowned the Microstar mobo the winner, mostly for stability. The ASUS or ABIT are my choice, I went with the Abit KT7-RAID for the Raid option, otherwise it's a difficult choice.

A 1Ghz Tbird is a great choice. Get a good heatsink/fan combo, close the bridges and you could get as high as 1.2 with no special effort.

Cases, Enlight makes good cases. So do Superpower (that's what the Klipschmonster is in). The powersupply should be 300W. You might try the Tornado 2000, which already has blow holes and fans mounted, but it's a bit more expensive. Plan to spend $100 or so on the case and fans. You also want a positive airflow, more CFMs in than out, helps keep the dust out of your system.

Are there Fry's in Quebec? They usually carry nice cases.

Just order the IBM harddrives online. I woulod have went with them, but I already had a pair of Maxtor 30GB drives.

www.storagereview.com for harddrive stuff www.hardocp,com for hardware/overclocking www.arstechnica.com more hardware and extreme tech www.anandtech.com great site www.sharkyextreme.com What can I say? www.tomshardware.com One of the pioneers

As for the DVD, get the Pioneer. It's the best, unless you already have SCSI then go for a Plextor SCSI DVD.

I like the GoldenOrb heatsinks, or the Chrome Orb. Alpha makes good heatsinks as well, just not as stylish as the Orbs. Unless you are putting a window in the side of your case, get the best.

You might consider getting CAS2 ram. It's not that much more expensive, and well worth it.

c>

------------------

Who knows what evil lurks in the darkness of The Kave ?

www.thekave.net Home of The Klipschmonster!

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You really are into this BB aren't you. When I noticed that you were building your computer for this BB I got to thinking. You are at like 1210 posts now, that is like 5/day since you joined. I guess it is like your category says "no life," just kidding. I wish I had the time to play on this page.

Best of luck with the computer rebuild. When are you planning on doing it. Mine will probably be at the beginning of Jan.

------------------

Come on honey why can't I spend some more money?

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w-s-n, actually it was a joke.

I'm building this computer for gaming because gaming is the most demanding consumer application of PCs, and so if you have a good gaming PC, it'll do anything else really well.

KBlair, thanks for all the nice info. As for the DDR motherboards, that means they're compatible with DDR RAM right? If that is so, then fogget it. The performance increase is not worth the dollar, at least from what I read in various places. 10% increase? A little bit too low. Remember, I'm not going all out here, i want the most bang for the buck.

Ordering online is a problem since I live in Canada. By the time you change into US and facftor in the taxes, customs fee and shipping fee, it comes out more expensive. I wish there was a good hardware estore in Canada itself. Buy.com has a canadian site, but the choice is VERY limited.

I'll go for a Pioneer DVD drive, but I still don't know which one to get. Is speed crucial? I'm guessing that if I use the DVD drive primarily for movies, then I don't need that much speed.

CAS2 RAM. Is that a particular brand? If so, then if it's available here, I might consider it, so I can oc the memory speed abit (you can do that right?).

Apart from that if you guys know a good Canadian estore, then that would really make my day. Any Canuck out there??

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quote:

Originally posted by Seb:

-MOBO-Asus A7V
Good choice. So is the Abit and the MicroStar. I dont think you can do much in the way of OverClocking with the MicroStar. Also see the Tyan Socket A Mobo. Rock solid, but again not OC
c>

-CPU-AMD Athlon, 1GHz or more.
Oh yeah!!
biggrin.gif
Just make sure you get a GOOD HeatSinkFan for it. Even better but not as pretty as the Orbs is the GlobalWin FOP32-1, only $20US and cools better than an Orb or Alpha.
c>

-RAM-256 megs of generic 133MHz RAM
Try to get some good name brand memory like Kingston ValueRAM. It will save you lots of headaches. CAS2 is better than CAS3 as it has less latency. (Uses less clock cycles)
c>

-HD-IBM Deskstar 60GXP 7200 RPM, I'm having some trouble finding those around here... It will be either the 20 or 40 Gb model.
Can you get any 75GXP drives? Ask KBlair about this.
c>

-DVD-Rom-Any suggestions? I'm considering either Pioneer or Aopen, Pioneer is more accessible but I don'T know the performance difference with Aopen.
In a word, PIONEER.
c>

-Video Card-Hercules GeForce, maybe the Ultra but I don't know, they are pretty expensive...
Stick with the GTS and save some money, you probibly wont be able to tell the diff.
c>

-Monitor-Viewsonic GS790 19"
Come on, KBlair has a nice new Sony 24", dont let him upstage you!
biggrin.gif
c>

-Sound Card-I'm still trying to decide between the SB Live! and the Philips card.

-Networking-Dlink 5-port 10/100 kit
Good stable inexpensive kit! 10X better than anything Linksucks makes.
c>

-Case-Is that really important? A good, sturdy, well-cooled case I guess... don't wanna spend too much.
Since you dont want to cut holes go for an Addtronics. If you ge tthe mod bug and want to save some cash, go with an InWin Q500.
c>

-Mouse-Still unsure, I'd like the Razer Boomslang, but I don't know, that' be triple the cost of the Microsoft Intelleye wheel mouse...

-Keyboard-Generic bilingual.

/edit/

I could see some overclocking in the future, so please consider that, esp. for the CPU/MOBO and the video card, as well as the case. I don't wanna drill holes for fans in the case, i want the oc process to be as easy as possible.


------------------

SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME.c>

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thanks Hofy

-after looking at the IBM website, i thought it was obvious to go with the 60GXP because the performance (transfer rate) was better than the 75GXP, although the 60GXP line offered smaller sizes, which does not matter for me since I'm only going for 40gigs. or is there something hidden i did not consider?

-I'd love to get a huge monitor, but you need money for that, at least last time i checked... i'm on a pretty tight budget here. then again, 24"... how glorious would the Klipsch bb look on this baby, i could see Hofy's red face up close and personal... :-D

-I'm gonna try and get some good RAM, although I've never had problems with the generic brand I'm using... I always though RAM was RAM...

All in all, I think this is a pretty good midbudget rig, ain't it?

/edit/

forgot to ask: do you guys have any suggestion as to which card (i.e. brand and model) i should buy? I hear they'Re pretty much all equal, but I'm looking for a card that doesn't have too many features (TV out would be good though) and good performance at a good price.

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i'd have to pay the taxes if i declared the value of the parts...

and if i don't declare them, then i have no insurance, and if they get damaged i'm done for.

also, I'd have to pay customs fee too.

plus, there'd be extra shipping costs anyways, and it'd be close to what I'd have to pay.

unless somehow there's a trick...

i don't know the system that well, so i can't figure out a way to make it work.

i found a website with a lot of canadian estores, but they all have crappy selections and high prices. besides, i have a good computer store here with very good prices, but they don't carry everything, like IBM hard drives for example...

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okay, i'll bring this thread back for one last question that i think you guys will like.

i can get, instead of the Asus A7V, the ABIT KT7 RAID for 40 bucks more. Is the added expense worth the cash?

I'm not going to use RAID right now, but maybe in the future it could be a possibility, i still don't know enough about the performance gains and the little technicalities to weigh whether or not it will be an option for me.

So my question is the following: what kind of performance boost would RAID bring me? would it be worth it to invest the extra dollars (I'm on a fairly tight budget) for an eventual RAID configuration?

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You wont see much of a gain going with

RAID. I have the Abit KT7/RAID but only got it because of the 4 IDE channels (Which the Asus also has)

It is nice to know that the RAID is there if I ever need it. smile.gif

Either mobo will be a fine base for your system.c>

------------------

Hofy's Duct Tape Mounting System Support

hofmonstr@rocketmail.com

c>

I am NOT

ProMedia Tech Support

promediatech@klipsch.com

888-554-5665c>

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I am going with the Abit K7T. It's less expensive than the Asus, doesn't have RAID but has 6PCI and an ISA slot, which is a lot better than 5PCI slots for the Asus. Since both cards seem to be pretty much equally good, why not go with the Abit?

Thanks for your help guys!

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Seb, since you are not going with RAID, another board to consider (if you will not be overclocking)is the Tyan S2390. 1 AGP/6 PCI/1 ISA. Rock solid too. It should also be $20-$40 cheaper.c>

------------------

Hofy's Duct Tape Mounting System Support

hofmonstr@rocketmail.com

c>

I am NOT

ProMedia Tech Support

promediatech@klipsch.com

888-554-5665c>

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Seb:

If you're gonna play a lot of first-person-shooters, stay away from the optical mouse. The laser has a hard time registering quick, jerky movements (the pointer/crosshair ends up in random locations), and when you need to bring the mouse back into the working area of the mouse pad, you have to lift it above three inches to prevent the laser from reading your return. I just got the Boomslang 2000 for the holidays, and I am totally impressed: incredible tracking and precision!

Have fun building the system!

------------------

May the bridges we burn light our way....

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prana:

i know optical mice aren't that good for fps, but i'm using one right now without major problems.

you get used to the lifting thing, and i don't have any major problem with movements not registering.

i'd love to check out the boomslang or another good mouse, except it's not available in my area.

i wonder how much performance increase i'd get with it. i'll try my old ball mouse to see wether it works better than the optical, now that i got used to this one.

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I've heard a lot of good things about the Boomslang but when I tried one in the store, I thought it was the worst design as far as ergonomics go. The thing felt terrible in my hand. Then again, I like the "normal" regular sized mice and I even the MS Explorer feels weird to me.

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