Buying a new pc

Buying a new pc

Re: Buying a new pc Posted by KoRnFlakes on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 4:37pm
KoRnFlakes
1125 posts
Posted 2005-02-23 4:37pm
1125 posts 511 snarkmarks Registered: Jul 3rd 2002 Occupation: Yus! Location: Norfolk
Heres something witht he help of r00t/gwil/scary_jiff I jotted down a little bit ago:

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=601769 MOTHERBOARD

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=602540 CPU

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=603559 HSF

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=603313 MEMORY

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=601834 HDD

http://www.aria.co.uk/ProductInfoComm.asp?ID=16521&Opener=DFT MONITOR

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=603879 =DVD

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=601316 =Mouse

NO_IDEA =PSU

[MOTH][CPU][HSF][MEM][HDD][MON][DVD][Mouse]

?40.56 including VAT

?95.18 including VAT

?20.60 including VAT

?118.23 including VAT

?58.89 including VAT

?146.82 inc

?43.06 including VAT

?8.48 including VAT
?513.64

+?15.00(PSU)

[[?527.64]]

(CASE)(GFX) = already got

Ive never built a pc before so this does worry me a bit - quite a few
people have said it was easy. Is this all that true? anybody had bad
experiences?

+ could anyone comment on anything im missing out? - or perhaps suggest
some other pieces? baring in mind I really dont want to spend more than
600 in total and its now at 527.

Cheers.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Gwil on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 4:44pm
Gwil
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Posted 2005-02-23 4:44pm
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The building part should be easy enough.. I think Wild Card has written some articles on it, or can at least point you in the right direction for some advice/guides on how to build a new box.

Personally my first build I found easy - the principles are very much like Lego, and as long as you make sure you're adequately earthed, I think it's quite fun.

But then, i'm sad :sad:
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by ReNo on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 4:55pm
ReNo
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Posted 2005-02-23 4:55pm
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Funnily enough I've also really enjoyed building the last few PC's I've
done. Hardware never interested me in the past, but the past year or so
I've been getting a lot more into it.

Korn, the only part of building a PC that I've ever had any trouble
with is fitting the heatsink to the cpu, which can occasionally be a
little tricky. If you are buying something like that one with a small
copper base and heatpipes, it will probably be a cinch.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by willow on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 5:00pm
willow
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Posted 2005-02-23 5:00pm
willow
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Your computer looks good, however keep in mind this stuff will be
"slow" by the end of this year, beginning of next. In fact, this
is pretty much the same computer I built over a year ago. Now
then, as I said it's a solid computer what ya have there, in fact very
nice, I'm gonna suggest some stuff to ya to save some money.

Ditch the 3200+. The Barton 2500+ (1.83ghz) easilty overclocks to
3200+ speeds (2.2ghz) just by bumping up the FSB from 333 to 400 (166
and 200 in bios). It just needs to be running on a decent HSF
combo. I know as of now here in the states, a 2500+ runs about
$80, while a 3200+ will run ya $150-170. So as ya see there it's
a $70-90 difference. The 2500+ will OC to 3200+ and run stable
for days on end as long as you have some decent cooling.

Now for the Ram, I have never used Patriot nor have I heard any
comments on it so I can't critique that, HOWEVER, I can tell you that
using CL2 ram in a Non 64bit computer, will make very little
difference, and will cost ya more. The difference may be 2-3 FPS
in games and a bit more in apps. Sooo, that's up to you.

Great choice on the HDD, however, myself I'd run 2 smaller, let's say
120gb's in RAID 0 for max speed from the SATA. Now you'll get
people who say "IF ONE FAILS IT ALL FAILS", which is true, but I have
never had a HDD Failure from seagate in 5 years of using them, now
Maxtor and WD are a different story with me. The odds of a
massive HDD Failure happening in 2-3 years is, ohhh, 1% up to 3 years
then increasing after that I'd guess.

You also have a very nice DVD Drive, as for the mouse and monitor, that's all personal preference and up to you.

Now for the PSU, I'd recommend getting something that's 400+ watts, and
don't by generic for PSU's. PSU is your most important piece for
your computer to run fast, stable and a long time. I'd recommend
an Antec, but that's just me, it's gonna cost you some cash, but well
worth it.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Leperous on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 5:02pm
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I got an nForce3 motherboard for ?30 from Dabs, because it had been returned for some reason (their engineers certified that it was ok). Yes there is a small risk involved, but at worst I imagine that one mobo would fail and the other would be fine (still possibly being cheaper than buying a new one for full price)
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by ReNo on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 5:34pm
ReNo
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Posted 2005-02-23 5:34pm
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For the PSU, I can recommend thermaltake. I got their 480W Butterfly
model and its been great. Its temperature controlled so its fans will
vary their speeds to keep quiet, and it also comes with a fan speed
controller you can fix to a CD drive bay to have more control over the
cooling / noise. It does have lights in it that might piss some people
off, but it depends on how you feel about them. It has loads of power
connectors and all are wrapped up in colour coded sheaths to keep
things as neat as possible. Both my computer and my parents computer,
as well as one of my flatmates, all have them. One of my other
flatmates got a Thermaltake 560W Purepower model as he didn't want any
lights, and he has had no issues with it at all. You can pick any of
these up on dabs, and no doubt plenty of other places.

I think that you might wanna go for a more known brand of memory than
patriot, who I've never heard of either. Crucial or Corsair are safe
bets - you can pick up a double pack of 512mb sticks from either's
value range for around ?100 probably. The price difference between CAS3
and CAS2.5 is normally negligable, so its best to go with the 2.5 if
the price difference is ~?5. Going to CAS2 probably isn't worth the
extra cash, as Willow said.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 5:35pm
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Posted 2005-02-23 5:35pm
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This thread couldn't have started at a better time, since I am just
starting to do some research on putting together my next PC. I
may just take everyone's advice and pretty much buy the same hardware,
since KoRnFlakes and I have a similar budget.

I did put together a PC before, but that was a 386 in the 80's.
Lots have changed since. I do, however, make frequent hardware
upgrades on my own, but they're usually extremely simple stuff (like
putting in a second hard drive or slapping in a graphics card).
The most challenging thing I did recently is upgrading my computer to
wireless network. That took me some time to get everything
running.

Thanks guys.

P.S. In case you're curious, here is the specs of my current piece of s**t:

Celeron 1.1 GHz

512 MB PC330

ATI 9200 Radeon

20 GB HDD

But the most amazing thing is that Half-Life 2 still runs well on it, and I even map using this machine.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 5:45pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-02-23 5:45pm
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One question: What's a reputable online hardware vendor in the U.S.? I live on the West Coast.

I don't want to buy something from Britain and have them shipped all the way across the Ocean. Thanks for any input.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by willow on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 5:51pm
willow
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Posted 2005-02-23 5:51pm
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One question: What's a reputable online hardware vendor in the U.S.? I live on the West Coast.

I don't want to buy something from Britain and have them shipped all the way across the Ocean. Thanks for any input.
Without a doubt, go with http://www.newegg.com
. Best shipping in
the US, and better prices then most sites you will find on
Priceline. ALSO!! Has a great RMA policy in case anything
goes wrong. For instance, when I used to live in Illinois, with their
Free SuperSavers shipping, I would get products I ordered within 2-3
days with FREE SHIPPING. Can't go wrong with that, and if you
order by 12:00 PST, they have same day shipping. Newegg is THE
ONLY PLACE I buy hardware from now, I can't say enough good things
about them.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 5:55pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-02-23 5:55pm
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Thanks for the tip, willow. I'm going to check it out right now.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Wild Card on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 6:47pm
Wild Card
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Posted 2005-02-23 6:47pm
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Without having read the replies, here are my comments.

Processor is a good choice, however I recommend a smaller HSF. I like the Thermaltake Silent Boost myself. Im scared that big one might crush the CPU core.

I would get that same hard drive, but in SATA, so that it will last you longer.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Rof on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 7:22pm
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Posted 2005-02-23 7:22pm
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Newegg ship really amazingly quickly. I've ordered stuff from them
that's been shipped within an hour of placing the order. Great service.

I also like Mwave (mwave.com), particularly their motherboard and CPU bundles.

It's nice to know that the core components are compatible with each
other (i.e. you didn't buy the wrong type of memory, though this is
less of a problem nowadays).

They'll install the CPU, heatsink and memory onto the board and ship it to you ready-assembled and tested for $9 extra.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by mazemaster on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 8:07pm
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Ive gotten stuff the next day after ordering from Newegg with standard shipping.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Crono on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 8:19pm
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Posted 2005-02-23 8:19pm
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This is a general comment, but how did I know the board would be Asus before I clicked the motherboard link?

Anyway, nice to see you're keeping the price down. Everything looks fine. If you goto Asus' site check to see if that board supports Sata, if it does: see if you can get a Sata drive. Not because they'll "last longer", but they are faster (however, I believe they can give trouble sometimes)

No matter, your motherboard book will actually tell you how to do everything. The basic thing you need to remember is DON'T turn it on if any metal is touching. The only place you need to worry about this is putting the board in. But, your current case should still have the "pegs" or whatever they're called, in. You might need to move a few to fit the new board (or take some out). The only other thing I'd suggest is putting the CPU and heat sync on before putting the board in the case. Its much easier and it will put less pressure on the connections.

Have fun.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 9:34pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-02-23 9:34pm
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What kinds of accessories do I need to put everything together? For example, I believe I need to get my own SATA cables and also power cables for the HDD. In addition, do I need to buy the power cord for the power supply separately? If I get a new case, does it come with all that already?
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by ReNo on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 9:46pm
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Posted 2005-02-23 9:46pm
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As far as I can tell, most PSU's come with a cable. I guess try and
find that out before hand, but if you can't then it might be worth
getting one for all it will cost you - if the PSU does have one then at
worst you'll have a spare :smile: SATA cables, I couldn't tell you, but
power cables for the HDD's are attached to the PSU. Make sure you are
getting a PSU that has SATA power cables, and if it doesnt then make
sure you get adaptors I guess.

One thing to be sure you have is some thermal compound, which you put
between the CPU and HSF. Some HSF's come with thermal compound, but as
you won't be going anywhere without it either make sure it does or
order some seperately (Arctic Silver is highly recommended).
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by $loth on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 10:40pm
$loth
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Posted 2005-02-23 10:40pm
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Haven't looked at the rest of your system but I would say to get an
enermax PSU or something along the lines of that. They are a good make.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Orpheus on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 10:46pm
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Posted 2005-02-23 10:46pm
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I have to ask, so don't take this wrong. I am new to PC building too.

isn't that motherboard and processor old? or older would be a better question.

i am not saying its crappy, but it looks like you could get a bit newer for about the same cost.

no, i cannot change your currency into mine so i dunno how much yours is costing you.

this is a serious inquiry, i am genuinely curious to learn. especially since i so recently acquired my own new system.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by rs6 on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 11:04pm
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id go for an AMD64 if i was you AthlonXPs are starting to be phased out.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Crono on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 11:09pm
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Posted 2005-02-23 11:09pm
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Orph it wouldn't stay cheap if he got 64 stuff.

Right now, that computer is a pretty good price (although, considering you're not buying a video card, it should be a little lower, but whatever)

The processor isn't "old". It will probably perform about the same as the processor you're getting. Not a big deal really. It'll last a good 2 years or so (until it's actually outdated).

Phasing out means the perfect time to buy :lol:
Do you honestly think anything that may come out in the next couple years would require at the absolute minumum amount more then what this system will have (past maybe video)? Because it wont.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by willow on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 11:19pm
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Orph it wouldn't stay cheap if he got 64 stuff.

Right
now, that computer is a pretty good price (although, considering you're
not buying a video card, it should be a little lower, but whatever)

The
processor isn't "old". It will probably perform about the same as the
processor you're getting. Not a big deal really. It'll last a good 2
years or so (until it's actually outdated).

Phasing out means the perfect time to buy :lol:
Do
you honestly think anything that may come out in the next couple years
would require at the absolute minumum amount more then what this system
will have (past maybe video)? Because it wont.
Actually, the 3200+ XP and 3200+ 64, as of now, are the same price on
newegg. So 64 would be the way to go... However, if you're trying
to save money, the 2500+ oced is going to be best buy for buck, also
keep in mind to use that 64 Bit processor you're going to have to have
a mobo that supports Socket 939, preferably Nforce 3 or 4, and that
mobo is going to end up costing you $25-40 more then other, so you'd eb
spending more money. As said, it's up to you as it is your cash,
we're just recommending stuff for ya to get the best bang for buck.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Orpheus on Wed Feb 23rd 2005 at 11:26pm
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<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Crono</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>
The processor isn't "old". It will probably perform about the same as the processor you're getting. </DIV></DIV>

see, thats all i truly needed to know. as i said, i wasn't being mean, just curious.

IMO, its the results that count, and if it gives him his fondest wish, tis all good.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 5:59am
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Posted 2005-02-24 5:59am
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From www.newegg.com:

AeroCool Silver ATX Mid Tower Case With Side window & jet, Model "AEROENGINE-C SS" - Retail

$55.00

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)

NEC 16X Double Layer DVD?RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3520A BK, OEM

$59.99

CPU Thermal Paste / Grease

Arctic Silver Premium Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound, Model "Arctic Silver 5", 3.5-gram( 1 cc. ) tube

$7.59

Hard Drives

Seagate 200GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model ST3200822AS, OEM Drive Only

$121.00

Memory (System Memory)

Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail

$128.00

Motherboards - AMD

ASUS "A7N8X-E Deluxe" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL

$90.00

Power Supplies

Antec 430W Power Supply, Model "TRUE430" - Retail

$79.00

Processors

AMD Athlon XP 3200+ "Barton", 400MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail

$165.00

Video Cards

ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -RETAIL

$259.00
Missing anything? What heat sink should I get? What about a sound card? How can I tell if the
PSU has SATA cable? Do I need data cable for the HDD (with OEM
packaging)?

I am going to use my current monitor. Any recommendation on a wireless network card?
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Crono on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 6:29am
Crono
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Posted 2005-02-24 6:29am
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Missing anything? What about a sound card?
If it's built in on the board it's probably substantial (it would be at least 5.1 sound).
How can I tell if the
PSU has SATA cable? Do I need data cable for the HDD (with OEM
packaging)?
It isn't that big of a deal. If it doesn't have the proper connections you can buy a converter (cheap)

User posted image
I am going to use my current monitor. Any recommendation on a wireless network card?
Yeah, don't use one with a desktop. They're slow. Just use a physical connection.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by omegaslayer on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 6:37am
omegaslayer
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I'd give it the thumbs up if it were a 64 bit processor (good for
gaming and anything else). My only suggestion when building your own PC
is to make sure your mother board supports the RAM you buy (and
anything else for that matter), I made the mistake of buying some
expensive RAM with ECC and it turns out the mother board doesn't
support ECC (Its still up for sale :biggrin: )
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Orpheus on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 7:07am
Orpheus
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<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting satchmo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>
Missing anything? </DIV></DIV>

you virtually copied korns system. you sure ? you didn't even research any others.

you are giving $965.00 for your system. i gave $953.00 for mine. i am not comparing systems so much as prices. you can do a powerful lot with 1,000 bucks. why settle for the first system you saw tonight?

even if you stuck with the same hardware config, consider that there are other boards and other processors. at the very least visit some sites on benching those 2.

in some cases, bigger numbered processors run at a slower speed than some smaller ones. i dunno why, but i have seen it.

also, my 939 pin vs. your 754 pin.. did you compare them at all online in benches vs. pricing?

what i am saying is, it may be easier to gain a certain type of machine here in the US than it would be for korn where he lives. research your options.

visit www.pricewatch.com it will show you what you need to know.
for the record. if i didn't have my machine, i would not complain about yours at all i promise :smile:
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Gorbachev on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 7:08am
Gorbachev
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Without having read the replies, here are my comments.
Processor is a good choice, however I recommend a smaller HSF. I
like the Thermaltake Silent Boost myself. Im scared that big one might
crush the CPU core.

I would get that same hard drive, but in SATA, so that it will last you longer.
Getting Standard ATA or SATA won't make much difference in how long it
will last you, the only real advantage right now is the fact that the
cable is smaller. You may also need drivers from a floppy for SATA, so
be sure you look it up before you go and get a system...especially if
you forego a floppy. Unless you frequently hotswap there isn't any real
advantage in this case, if anything you won't be able to diagnose
it on older systems which puts you at more of a loss in my opinion.

And a bigger heatsink will almost always put more pressure on the
outside edges, not the core (especially in the case of the Barton...the
exposed core is tiny and recessed) and it would have a lot of risk of
pulling the whole shebang off (the socket along with the chip.) The
more the computer is moved (i.e. LAN parties) the more likelihood of
this happening. Or just bending/warping the chip in such a way that the
transistors inside get buggered...rare, but possible.

I'm in school for being a computer and network hardware technician...so
if you have questions feel free to ask. I'm not as in the know for the
absolute cutting edge, but I can chalk that up to being stuck in my
books so much. :razz:

Satchmo, go with the 2500+...it OCs to 3200+ pretty much stock. Just up
the bus from 333MHz to 400MHz and voila. And for an A64, isn't the
939-pin where the A64s were transistioning to anyway? Go for that,
you'll get more options if anything ever comes up.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by $loth on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 8:20am
$loth
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Couldn't you get an SKT754 mobo but get a sempron, it would leave you able to upgrade in the future.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by willow on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 4:42pm
willow
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Posted 2005-02-24 4:42pm
willow
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Not a bad build Satchmo, however, it's not cost efficent, below I have
a computer I'm speccing out for a friend, and I can promise you if you
OC the 2500 to 3200 it will out run your PC you specced for $200 less
almost, check it out:

Abit NF7-S: $ 81.00

AMD Barton XP 2500+: $ 76.00

Crucial PC2700 512MB DDR: $ 70.00 (2x)

EVGA Nvidia 6600GT: $199.00

Seagate 120GB SATA: $ 93.00

Sony Black 52x32x52x16: $ 35.00

Sony Black Floppy 3.5": $ 11.00

Vantec CCK-6040 Heatsink: $ 14.00

Ceramique HSF Paste: $ 4.00

Misc Cables: $ 10.00
Total: $663.00
all of the prices are updated off of Newegg as of today, all you have
to do is add a case and a good 400+ Watt Powersupply, so another $100
or so, and that's a strong computer. Just ender those words into
NewEgg for the product.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 4:52pm
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Re: Buying a new pc Posted by willow on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 6:06pm
willow
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Posted 2005-02-24 6:06pm
willow
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Thanks, willow.
Misc Cables: $ 10.00
What kinds of cables do I need to get?

This case is reasonable?
you'll need an SATA cable and possibley an SATA power cable and maybe a
floppy cable. I'm not sure on this, I'd get em all just in case,
will only be a few dollars. Case looks fine, you just need to be
sure to buy a high quality Power Supply, I'd recommend Antec, but
that's my preference.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by $loth on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 6:10pm
$loth
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Posted 2005-02-24 6:10pm
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Well seeming as this is a hardware related topic I would just like to say that I have just finised silencing my PC.

I've used these product's to do it:

2x Panaflo case fans (80mm) and 1x YS-Tech silent fan (80mm) both with the rubber vibration damperners.

ThermalTake TR2-M3 SE CPU cooler

Nexus fan controller

Enermax 350watt PSU (dual fans with the exhaust replaced with a YS-Tech silent 80mm fan)

and

ZM80C-HP graphics cooler.

I did try some acoustic absorption mats but they sucked.

Out of all my components the graphics card fan was the noisiest.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Crono on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 8:56pm
Crono
6628 posts
Posted 2005-02-24 8:56pm
Crono
super admin
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Satchmo, what are you planning on building? A mobile hydrogen bomb?
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Feb 24th 2005 at 9:38pm
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-02-24 9:38pm
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
Unfortunately, I don't have enough hydrogen fuel. I do, however, have high-grade plutonium. I just need a bit more to be enough for fusion.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Wed Mar 2nd 2005 at 10:00am
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-02 10:00am
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
I am in the process of assembling my new computer. I have a hardware related question.

The SATA HDD I bought is an OEM edition, so it doesn't come with any
instruction manual. I've never installed a SATA drive before, and
I noticed that it's quite different from installing a traditional IDE
drive. The data cable is different, so is the power cable.

So far, I've connected the SATA cable to the SATA_RAID1 connector on
the motherboard. I also hooked up the PSU SATA power cord to the
HDD. Is this correct?

I have the DVD drive connected to IDE2. Do I have to connect it
to IDE1? I don't have a second HDD besides the SATA drive, so the
IDE1 connector on the motherboard is vacant.

Do I need a special connector cable to hook up DVD sound to CD1 input on the motherboard?

Sorry for all these questions. Lots have changed since the last
time I built my PC. In a way, things have gotten easier, but
there are also tons of new connectors.

Thanks in advance. It's 2 a.m. already, and I think I'll take a break and go to bed now.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by $loth on Wed Mar 2nd 2005 at 10:28am
$loth
2256 posts
Posted 2005-03-02 10:28am
$loth
member
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Yea the SATA looks fine, but when you install say XP then you'll need some drivers on a floppy disk.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by KoRnFlakes on Wed Mar 2nd 2005 at 12:17pm
KoRnFlakes
1125 posts
Posted 2005-03-02 12:17pm
1125 posts 511 snarkmarks Registered: Jul 3rd 2002 Occupation: Yus! Location: Norfolk
good luck with it satchmo, I should be buying some stuff within the next month :smile:
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Wed Mar 2nd 2005 at 6:16pm
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-02 6:16pm
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
you'll need some drivers on a floppy disk
Thanks. I just found that out. The only problem is that I
didn't even buy a floppy drive. I am trying to use the DVD drive
to install everything, and Win XP ran from it just fine, but the SATA
HDD is not recognized by the motherboard or the OS.

The POST report from BIOS after booting up reports no primary HDD, only
the DVD drive. When I went in the BIOS setup, auto-detection
fails to find the installed SATA HDD.

However, right after the POST messages, I do see a brief message
reporting the existence of the SATA drive, including its correct
size. But after the message flashes for a few seconds, the
motherboard still cannot recognize the HDD (reporting "None" for
primary IDE).

Consequently, I cannot proceed to install Win XP because the system does not recognize a valid HDD.

Any ideas?
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Wed Mar 2nd 2005 at 6:46pm
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-02 6:46pm
satchmo
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2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 2:25am
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 2:25am
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
...except that I don't have a floppy drive.

I might yank out an old IDE hard drive from another computer and use that to set up the SATA drive for now. I don't want to buy a floppy drive so I can just use it once to boot up the computer and load the driver. I have no other use for a floppy.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Orpheus on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 3:22am
Orpheus
13860 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 3:22am
Orpheus
member
13860 posts 2024 snarkmarks Registered: Aug 26th 2001 Occupation: Long Haul Trucking Location: Long Oklahoma - USA
floppies are so cheap, take up no room and use no resources. if you use it once you got your money back. anyone who doesn't include one in a new PC is a fool IMO.

to me it would be like getting a new set of tires and telling the store to hold the air. :lol:
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Tracer Bullet on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 3:23am
Tracer Bullet
2271 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 3:23am
2271 posts 445 snarkmarks Registered: May 22nd 2003 Occupation: Graduate Student (Ph.D) Location: Seattle WA, USA
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting satchmo</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Unfortunately, I don't have enough hydrogen fuel. I do, however, have high-grade plutonium. I just need a bit more to be enough for fusion. </DIV></DIV>
Plutonium is a fissile material that is only used as a trigger in an H-Bomb. You also need tritium, not simple hydrogen... :razz:
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 5:52am
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 5:52am
satchmo
member
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Yeah, Orph. I am obsessive about not having redundancy, in
everything I do. So to have a floppy drive in my computer that I
use only once makes as much sense as putting empty soda bottles in the
chasis for me. Yeah, the bottles use no resources, but they're
useless and concenptually annoying.

I am just wondering whether it's possible at all to set up a SATA drive
without a floppy drive. It might be a challenge, but I am up for
it.

I am even considering of buying a small (around 40 GB) EIDE HDD.
It'll cost just a little bit more than the floppy drive, but it can at
least store stuff and be somewhat useful. I can use it to store
the entire Win XP OS and use the SATA drive as a slave.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Crono on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 6:42am
Crono
6628 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 6:42am
Crono
super admin
6628 posts 700 snarkmarks Registered: Dec 19th 2003 Location: Oregon, USA
Yeah, Orph. I am obsessive about not having redundancy, in
everything I do. So to have a floppy drive in my computer that I
use only once makes as much sense as putting empty soda bottles in the
chasis for me. Yeah, the bottles use no resources, but they're
useless and concenptually annoying.

I am just wondering whether it's possible at all to set up a SATA drive
without a floppy drive. It might be a challenge, but I am up for
it.

I am even considering of buying a small (around 40 GB) EIDE HDD.
It'll cost just a little bit more than the floppy drive, but it can at
least store stuff and be somewhat useful. I can use it to store
the entire Win XP OS and use the SATA drive as a slave.
Then there wouldn't be a purpose of using the floppy drive at all since you could get drivers for the SATA drive online after installing the OS

That is, unless SATA acts like RAID (which doesn't make sense and isn't likely)
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 6:52am
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 6:52am
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
Another alternative is to use the existing USB ports and put the driver
on a flash memory drive. I don't know whether Win XP is going to
recognize flash disks during the installation process though.

I have the driver for the SATA controller already. It came on a
CD with the motherboard. My problem is to get it into the
computer before I have an OS fully installed. It's a chicken/egg
dilemma--can't recognize the drive without a driver, but can't install
the driver without an OS being loaded first.

Whatever it takes, I'll try to avoid installing the floppy drive. I know I'm stubborn, but that's my middle name.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Crono on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 8:04am
Crono
6628 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 8:04am
Crono
super admin
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Whatever. I can't imagine that you don't have another computer in your entire house that doesn't have a floppy you could borrow for 20 minutes, unless the computer you're using now doesn't belong to you or anyone in your family or household.
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 12:56pm
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 12:56pm
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
After pondering about different possibilities all day, I may have to
resort to yanking out the floppy drive of my current computer and
transplant it into the new one (if only temporarily). The IDE
idea isn't great, because I have to go back and forth with master/slave
settings, and the setting labels are just so small and hard to read on
the drive. /me goes blind trying to read them.

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions. :smile:
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Orpheus on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 1:16pm
Orpheus
13860 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 1:16pm
Orpheus
member
13860 posts 2024 snarkmarks Registered: Aug 26th 2001 Occupation: Long Haul Trucking Location: Long Oklahoma - USA
I wasn't trying to be an ass satch, but i also cannot help but think of all this trouble you may have avoided by installing your useless A drive in advance. :lol:

as i said, its cheap, and if you use it even once you got your money back.. in this case IN SPADES! :biggrin:

/runs
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by Crono on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 5:10pm
Crono
6628 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 5:10pm
Crono
super admin
6628 posts 700 snarkmarks Registered: Dec 19th 2003 Location: Oregon, USA
After pondering about different possibilities all day, I may have to
resort to yanking out the floppy drive of my current computer and
transplant it into the new one (if only temporarily). The IDE
idea isn't great, because I have to go back and forth with master/slave
settings, and the setting labels are just so small and hard to read on
the drive. /me goes blind trying to read them.

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions. :smile:
You could have been done by now. Quit bitching and go do it. :razz:
Re: Buying a new pc Posted by satchmo on Thu Mar 3rd 2005 at 11:49pm
satchmo
2077 posts
Posted 2005-03-03 11:49pm
satchmo
member
2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
It's done! Finally, after a long late night and lots of manual
reading and helpful tips from the SnarkPit forum, the new computer is
born. It weights more than 10 lb, so it's definitely on the
larger side for a newborn. Can you tell what a proud father I am?

After spending half-an-hour trying to dismount the floppy drive from my
old computer, I gave up and brought it next to my new computer.
Instead of transplanting it to my new chassis, I just hooked up the
data cable and the power cord from the new computer into the old
one. Surgeons often do this type of in-situ transplant, and I
guess I stole the idea from them.

However, there is something erotic about the "coupling" of my two
computers. I was mildly aroused looking at them, with one
standing and the other one lying on her side. I couldn't resist
but to take a photo of them together. Below is a picture
documentin the conception of my baby.

User posted image