New Computer Specs

[shawnlizzle =]]

i have come up with the specs for my new computers, please tell me if these components will work together well, if not, please tell me how to improve my performance.

AMD athlon64 3500+
Zalman CNPS7000
OCZ OCZ4001024ELDCK DDR SDRAM
MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM
MSI NX6600GT-VTD128 GeForce 6600GT
Western Digital Caviar WD1200BB 120 GB Hard Drive
Antec SX1000II ATX Full Tower Case
Antec Solution Series SL450
Inspire T7700

i'm a little confused on what type of RAM to use for my processor, please give me suggestions! =D

 

[tweebel]

-If you intend to overclock you'll have to use RAM which works at high speeds.
-Right now it looks like you have 1 stick of 1024MB. I would go with a matched pair of 512 each to use the dual channel capability of your CPU.

What kind of system is this gonna be btw? Looks like gaming.

You might want to consider a PCI express board for future reasons.

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

what kind of ram do you think i should use, and this is a gaming PC. one question, can regular a64s have duel channel? i thought it was for fxs only

 

[tweebel]

For normal use, any DDR400 mem will do but low (2) CAS latency is better but of course, more expensive. You could go with Kingstong value ram or something like that. If you are going to overclock the story is completely different.

All socket 939 A64's support dual channel, that's what the extra pins are for because of the on die memory controller. 2 512 sticks usually is a bit cheaper and faster.

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

i believe the ram that i chose is 2x512
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=BA19932&CartID=done&nextloc=

 

[BomberBill]

I have to say: I'm learning a heap from you Tweebel.

<b><font color=green> If You've Never Snorted Coke off a Bombay Hooker's Arse... </b> </font color=green>

 

[tweebel]

Well, that's what is says on the website, should be alright, a matched pair.

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

thanks, um how do you think i can improve my system, my budget is around 1300(dollars)

 

[BomberBill]

If you can stretch it - how about the 6800 gt?

<b><font color=green> If You've Never Snorted Coke off a Bombay Hooker's Arse... </b> </font color=green>

 

[Cybercraig]

You're good to go! Maybe a 6800GT if you think you need it. The 6600GT is very solid.

Abit IS7 - 3.0C @ 3.6ghz - Mushkin PC4000 (2 X 512) - Sapphire 9800Pro - TT 420 watt Pure Power
Samsung 120gb ATA-100 - Maxtor 40gb ATA - 100
Sony DRU-510A - Yellowtail Merlot

 

[BomberBill]

Wusy, how tricky is it to unlock the extra pipes?

<b><font color=green> If You've Never Snorted Coke off a Bombay Hooker's Arse... </b> </font color=green>

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

I was thinking about building a RAID 0+1 with four WD 40 GB 7200 RPM ATA 100 HARD DRIVEs, the mother said it supported RAID 0+1, but i only see two slots, and 0+1 needs 4? please explain this to me =D

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

however, it'll cost me about another 300 bucks for a RAID5 pci card... i might have to think about it, and about the two IDE RAID channels.. what are those? ^^;

 

[TechMan]

To put things in proper perspective:
1. There are 2 common hard drive interfaces, IDE and SATA. Are there still new SCSI drives out there? Each has distinct cable and connectors, and are not interchangeable.
2. Mobos have always two IDE channels, the secondary and primary channel. Each channel can support two IDE devices, only 1 can be declared as master. Meaning you can have at most 4 IDE devices in your PC. IDE device may be hard drive or CD/DVD drives.
3. RAID is a technology that allows you to support multiple hard drives, hence, it's meaning Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. RAID can be implemented using either software or hardware. The latter means that you should plugin a RAID controller (PCI card) or may be built into the motherboards. Check your motherboard manual whether the builtin RAID controller is for IDE or SATA drives. Software RAID is built into WinXP.
4. There are different RAID levels, e.g., RAID 0 - stripping, RAID 1 - Mirroring, JBOD, etc. Looks like your mobo can support both 0 and 1 levels. RAID 0+1 may mean that it needs at least 4 drives, two pairs at RAID 0, each pair at RAID 1 level. Check your manual for specific configuration. RAID 5 is very efficient but so far can only be hardware-based, and needs only a minimum of 3 disks. For detailed info, there are aplenty of articles here, Anandtech and other similar sites concerning the subject.

Hope this helps.



On Cache and Bandwidth:
You do mean cash, and fan width goes to Intel right? - endyen 05

 

[TechMan]

In addition:
If your builtin RAID controller supports SATA drives, there must be at least a pair of SATA connectors somewhere in your motherboard. Please check your user manual.

On Cache and Bandwidth:
You do mean cash, and fan width goes to Intel right? - endyen 05

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

what does this all mean! i'm confused T_T

 

[TechMan]

You can download your mobo's manual on the link provided by wusy if you do not have the hardcopy. Setting up the RAID arrays in the BIOS is detailed in Section 3. Setting up your hard drives is clearly discussed in Section 5. It will help if you read a little background info on RAID 0 and RAID 1 from other sources first such as this link http://anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=1491&p=2

Basically, your mobo has an onboard RAID controller provided by NVIDIA. The RAID controller can be implemented using IDE drives or SATA drives. This is a very good feature since older mobos support only either type and it's quite disheartening in some cases. For example, my office PC has an onboard SATA RAID support but I'm using IDE drives which renders the feature useless at present.

That's the beauty of DIY, you learn by doing, that is, if you thrive on challenges.

On Cache and Bandwidth:
You do mean cash, and fan width goes to Intel right? - endyen 05

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

do you think it'll be practical to have a RAID5 for the budget(1300ish)?

 

[TechMan]

RAID implementation is not about budget, it's about speed and data protection. If you stripe (RAID 0) your data, you're increasing your read/write speed with the hard drive. If you mirror (RAID 1) your data, you're making sure that your data is not lost when one of the drives failed. RAID 5 algorithm increases your read/write processes at the same time mirrors your data in case one of the drives fail plus you'll need only 3 drives.

The economics is really simple, RAID 0 and RAID 1 cost less. If you have already two hard drives, you just have to implement it right away. Between RAID 0+1 (4 HD) and RAID 5 (3 HD), the price consideration is the difference in costs of the extra hard drive and an acceptable RAID Controller card.

On Cache and Bandwidth:
You do mean cash, and fan width goes to Intel right? - endyen 05

 

[shawnlizzle =]]

ic, since my mobo will support 4 SATA ports, and it has software? RAID, i guess i'll just buy 4 hds and make a RAID 0+1