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PC Build Recommendations
I know these posts are all too common and probably annoy regulars, but I'm
going to go ahead anyway I'd like to build a new PC before I go to university in October and would like your recommendations. I'll leave out all the fancies in the spec (I fear I have fallen foul of the modding craze). AMD Athlon XP 2800+ Barton Thermaltake Volcano 9 Cooler Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro nForce2 Socket A Motherboard 2 x Kingmax PC3200 400Mhz 512Mb DDR Antec True-Blue 480W ATX PSU To add to this I will have my current setup of an 80GB Seagate HD, 52x24x52 Lite-on CDR, LG 52x CD-ROM, 4x Toshiba DVD-ROM (very old) and a Floppy Drive. I will also have 4 or 5 80mm case fans. As I'm a student, I'd like to save money, so my main questions are, what are the onboard video and sound like for this motherboard? I'd like to be able to watch DVDs with it. Would buying a new 16x DVD drive significantly improve performance? I'll likely buy better graphics and sound cards later, if required. Also, I read recently that in September the price of the Athlon XP 3200+ is likely to drop (due to the introduction of AMD 64???). Will this mean a similar drop for the 2800+? Finally, at present I have an Intel Celeron overclocked to 978Mhz through a bios change in FSB. What are the overclocking possibilities for the Motherboard/Processor combination given above? Thanks for your help, Richard. |
#2
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"Christopher" wrote in message ... On Thu, 7 Aug 2003 14:49:51 +0100, "Richard Hammond" wrote: Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro nForce2 Socket A Motherboard 2 x Kingmax PC3200 400Mhz 512Mb DDR PC2700 is faster. Thankyou for your reply, but can you point me in the direction of why PC2700 is faster (or explain)? Also, would I not be wise to leave my options open for a 400Mhz fsb processor in the future? Antec True-Blue 480W ATX PSU Emermax or Zalman to me are better, the power supply is good, but how many usb things are you going to have, a few and 480w is over kill. Again, I'd like to be future proof. I'll be running a printer, Bluetooth dongle and occasionally a camera from the USB sockets. I've only got a 300W power supply at the moment but was wondering if the new processor would require a significantly better one? It as other posters say what do you intend to use the sys for. A 2800 is more then OK for e-mail and word processing, and database/excel work. Thanks for your help. I'll be using the PC primarily for that which you state, with some DVD watching, photo management and listening to music. Ideally, I'd like it to be adequate after the 4 years of my degree, or at least provide an easy way to upgrade. Thanks again, Richard. |
#3
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Richard Hammond wrote: I know these posts are all too common and probably annoy regulars, but I'm going to go ahead anyway I'd like to build a new PC before I go to university in October and would like your recommendations. I'll leave out all the fancies in the spec (I fear I have fallen foul of the modding craze). AMD Athlon XP 2800+ Barton Thermaltake Volcano 9 Cooler Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro nForce2 Socket A Motherboard 2 x Kingmax PC3200 400Mhz 512Mb DDR Antec True-Blue 480W ATX PSU To add to this I will have my current setup of an 80GB Seagate HD, 52x24x52 Lite-on CDR, LG 52x CD-ROM, 4x Toshiba DVD-ROM (very old) and a Floppy Drive. I will also have 4 or 5 80mm case fans. As I'm a student, I'd like to save money, so my main questions are, what are the onboard video and sound like for this motherboard? They are nothing special, but very functional. The video is comparable to a gf4 mx440, and the sound is perfectly fine unless youre an audiophile with sensitive ears. I'd like to be able to watch DVDs with it. Would buying a new 16x DVD drive significantly improve performance? Well, faster spin up, and subsequently quicker load times would be the result. Depends on how old that toshiba is, but you could also get some fancier features on a 16x drive. Maybe you ought to save the 50$ on the DVD drive if the 4x one is still functional. I'll likely buy better graphics and sound cards later, if required. Also, I read recently that in September the price of the Athlon XP 3200+ is likely to drop (due to the introduction of AMD 64???). Will this mean a similar drop for the 2800+? More than likely, I'd say. Finally, at present I have an Intel Celeron overclocked to 978Mhz through a bios change in FSB. What are the overclocking possibilities for the Motherboard/Processor combination given above? Thanks for your help, Richard. |
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On Fri, 8 Aug 2003 02:14:55 +0100, "Richard Hammond"
wrote: "Christopher" wrote in message ... On Thu, 7 Aug 2003 14:49:51 +0100, "Richard Hammond" wrote: Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro nForce2 Socket A Motherboard 2 x Kingmax PC3200 400Mhz 512Mb DDR PC2700 is faster. Thankyou for your reply, but can you point me in the direction of why PC2700 is faster (or explain)? http://www.crucial.com/store/listmod...kage&ca t=RAM My nephew tried PC3200 after he'd had 2700 and found that his sys ran faster with 2700. Also, would I not be wise to leave my options open for a 400Mhz fsb processor in the future? Antec True-Blue 480W ATX PSU Emermax or Zalman to me are better, the power supply is good, but how many usb things are you going to have, a few and 480w is over kill. Again, I'd like to be future proof. For your 3 years at uni it'll be future proof enough. I use an Emermax for 4 years and Ive had no probs at all, and its quite. I'll be running a printer, Bluetooth dongle and occasionally a camera from the USB sockets. I've only got a 300W power supply at the moment but was wondering if the new processor would require a significantly better one? No, the cpu uses only a small amount of wattage, its the add on usb bits that suck up the power. It as other posters say what do you intend to use the sys for. A 2800 is more then OK for e-mail and word processing, and database/excel work. Thanks for your help. I'll be using the PC primarily for that which you state, with some DVD watching, photo management and listening to music. Ideally, I'd like it to be adequate after the 4 years of my degree, or at least provide an easy way to upgrade. Thanks again, Richard. Christopher +++++++++++++++++++++++++ "There's a light at the end of the tunnel" says the optimist. "It's probably a train coming stright at us" responds the pessimist. |
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On Fri, 8 Aug 2003 02:14:55 +0100, "Richard Hammond"
wrote: Also, would I not be wise to leave my options open for a 400Mhz fsb processor in the future? Depends on what you want that kind of power for, to much is over kill and wasted money. If your sys is doing its job, no need to up grade. Christopher +++++++++++++++++++++++++ "There's a light at the end of the tunnel" says the optimist. "It's probably a train coming stright at us" responds the pessimist. |
#6
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Richard Hammond wrote:
reply inline AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Barton Thermalright SK-7 or SLK-800 w/80mm fan Gigabyte GA-7N400 Pro nForce2 Socket A Motherboard or Abit NF7-S or Asus A7N8X Deluxe Rev2 2 x Crucial PC3200 400Mhz 512Mb DDR Antec True-Blue 480W ATX PSU To add to this I will have my current setup of an 80GB Seagate HD, 52x24x52 Lite-on CDR, LG 52x CD-ROM, 4x Toshiba DVD-ROM (very old) and a Floppy Drive. I will also have 4 or 5 80mm case fans. As I'm a student, I'd like to save money, so my main questions are, what are the onboard video and sound like for this motherboard? I'd like to be able to watch DVDs with it. Would buying a new 16x DVD drive significantly improve performance? I'll likely buy better graphics and sound cards later, if required. Please note changes above. The Barton 2500+ is the least expensive Barton core, $165USD cheaper than the 2800+. Using any of the above motherboards, a FSB of 200MHz and a multiplier of 11 or 11.5 are realistic. The Thermaltake Volacno 9 is ok, but any Thermalright is superior matched with a mid-CFM 80mm fan. If you think you need a GB of RAM, and won't be running memory faster than 200MHz, Crucial is a good choice. If you're using Windows 2000/XP or Linux, 512MB of RAM might very well be enough. The Gigabyte has average sound and no on-board video. None of the above boards do. You can add in inexpensive Asus Geforce2 for about $25US and upgrade it later.The sound on the Asus and Abit boards is much better. Contrary to another post in this thread, PC2700 rated for 166MHz is not faster than PC3200 rated for 200MHz. -- Winerr 00B - Push Error; Removing Files to Make Room for Advertisement |
#7
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On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 12:37:35 GMT, "S.Heenan"
wrote: Contrary to another post in this thread, PC2700 rated for 166MHz is not faster than PC3200 rated for 200MHz. The speed of sdram depends on more then the mhz clock speed, and instead relies more on the speed of the sys as a whole. My nephew had a gigf of 3200, and found that the speed of his system wasn't as fast as it was when he replaced it with his old 2700 gig of sdram. Christopher +++++++++++++++++++++++++ "There's a light at the end of the tunnel" says the optimist. "It's probably a train coming stright at us" responds the pessimist. |
#8
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Future proof? Depends on your future.
In 2000, I upgraded to a KT7 MB and 800 Duron and PC133 memory. Now, I can't upgrade just one part, but have to replace all three, or to an obsolete MB, then the other two parts. From my reading of the tea leaves, the system you are building are just about at the top of the game, much as the system I built three years ago is now hopelessly outdated. In three years, no doubt you'll be in the same boat. That said, I'd only be upgrading because I gotta play Half LIfe 2. Otherwise, what I have now is sufficient for what I do. The suggestion of a graphics card which will do two monitors is a good one. Wayne |
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