Whadaya Think?

[DaveC]

My latest proposed rig, based on your comments. What do you think now?

Case: Antec Sonata with 380W PSU ($99)
Additional Case Fan: AcoustiFan Noiseless Computer Case Fan - 120mm ($28)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3400+ with 512k L2 cache (Newcastle core) ($289)
Replacement CPU Heatsink and Fan: Zalman Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler CNPS7000-AlCu ($40)
Motherboard: EPoX EP-8KDA3+ ($155)
RAM: Corsair CMX512-3200C2 (2x512k) ($236)
Video Card: AOpen nVidia GeForce FX5900XT ($174)
Sound Card: on motherboard
Ethernet Card: on motherboard
Hard Drives: Maxtor 300 Gb SATA II ($243) and Western Digital 250Gb PATA (already owned)
Optical Drives: Sony DRU-510 DVD burner and NEC DVD drive (already owned)
Floppy Drive: 1.44 drive (already owned)
OS: Windows XP Professional ($197)

 

[dd_viper]

i dunno about u, but i would spend a lil more money and get a bigger psu. you could prolly get a 500-550 watt antec psu at newegg for bout $110.

 

[blackphoenix77]

I know a way you can save $200. Linux/...:|(pirate)hmmm

<font color=blue>AthlonXP-M 2500+(12x200)</font color=blue><font color=green>Abit NF7-S</font color=green><font color=red>Kingston DDR400 2x256Mb</font color=red><font color=orange>NEC Accucync 19" CRT</font color=orange><font color=black>Sapphire 9600XT</font color=black>

 

[endyen]

Case: Antec Sonata with 380W PSU ($99)

I hate the plastic door, the hinges break too easily.

Motherboard: EPoX EP-8KDA3+ ($155)

personal preference would be Asus K8N-E Deluxe.

RAM: Corsair CMX512-3200C2 (2x512k) ($236)

The LL ram costs too much for the gains, Samsung is cas 2.5 at a lot lower price.

Video Card: AOpen nVidia GeForce FX5900XT ($174)

A R9800pro is about $20 more for 50% better perf, or use all the money you saved on ram, and get a 6800. Then buy an A64-3200+, and use the money you saved there to upgrade to 6800GT

 

[Mitch007]

If your gonna overclock, you may have to back off memory timing any-way, so buy with this in mind. The PSU does indeed need more wattage, and if your gonna play doom, get a better graphics card.

What's your budget?

MIS645Ultra/P42.4@2.8Gig/2*Corsair 256MBit CL2-2-2-7XMSLLPT PC3200 DDR RAM/450W Enermax PSU/1*40Gig 7200rpm Wes-Dig/1*20Gig 7200 Hitachi Disk/GeF4 Ti4200 XFX Turbo 670/250 Ram/Core MHz.

 

[DaveC]

I don't really have a budget, I’m just trying to figure out the price vs. performance equation and get the most bang for the buck. (It must be the engineer in me. <grin>) It will also be the first computer I've assembled from scratch and I'd rather have trouble with cheap parts than expensive parts.

Based on the excellent advice I'm getting here and on other forums, I've gone back to the drawing board. I'm not a gamer (although I did buy Leisure Suit Larry about 15 years ago) and my original design was getting out of control in terms of price and performance. Right now I'm thinking cheaper, quieter and cooler, and I'll probably base my new design on AnandTech's mid-range buyer's guide. Besides, anything I build will be faster than my current 1 GHz P-III and still make me feel like an evil genius.


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by DaveC on 09/03/04 03:26 PM.</EM></FONT></P>