Double Check (am i missing any thing?)big pic

N

Niku

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 17, 2002
Messages
1,843
i'm buliding a computer for a friend on a budget...this is what i've come up with...am i missing any thing and not seeing it (i have a floppy drive already):
HollyPuter.jpg


she wants it for college, i figure this way she isnt voiding any warranties if it becomes absoultly necessary to upgrade it....the budget is $500 but the less the better and she wants to game some (black and white, age of mythology type games)...i think its more than enough for that

Edit:
Updated pic to newest price/config
 
Is this system going to be OCed? Your choices are really strange - fast ram - but a really crappy hard drive? I would assume that it won't be overclocked - so I'd get slower ram, a better hard drive (a WD SE would be good) get rid of the heatsink, get a retail 2500+ instead. That's also a mighty small PSU - and probably a bad one too. And why does she need round cables? Seems like a complete waste - since normal cables will be included with the motherboard.

Edit: forgot to say no - you didn't forget anything.
 
I would think a [H]ard Gawd could build a better system than that.
 
i have the exact same case, no its not going to be OCed, i need a small but good heatsink because between the optical drive and the the the top of the processor theres only 55mm, rounded cables are just easier to manage arround corners in this thing than ribbon, the power supplys a strong one for being only 250W, it needs to be as quiet as possible so the less fans the better and you can eliminate fans by having a better heat sink and the CPU needs to be below 50C under full load and i think this one should do it

the onboard video is shared so i figured the faster the memory the better the video is going to be and it has slots for when it becomes absoultly necessary to upgrade it....

the hard drive is the best deal for the price at new egg...i'm ordering from new egg because it gets here faster than any other place and most of the shipping is free...i had a IBM 75gig drive in the list but they sold out with no ETA

the board has had amny good reviews and i've herd from alot of people on here that its a pretty good board and really stable

Edit:

if it had SATA on the board i would get a drive
 
unfortunately i cant get anything to copy any paste but there's what i think would be best:

i changed a few:

Case: ANTEC Glossy Piano Black ATX Desktop w/ TruePower380 - $99
CD/DVD: Liteon Combo Drive OEM - $50
Hard Drive: Hitachi 80GB 7200 RPM or Segate 80GB 7200 RPM - $70
Memory: Crucial 512mb PC2100 - $63
Motherboard: ASUS A7N266-VM AMD Assured - $58
CPU: AMD Athlon XP Barton 2500+ Retail - $90

For the hard drives based on the reviews I read, the hitachi performs better than the segate and western digital, and its the quietest of all. however, the seagate is still nice.. i just cant stand the noise of my 80gb western digital, dont buy it..

Also she'll probably need the extra 256mb for the shared video memory and other applications, it helps games a lot too. its better in the long run. The PC2700, and 3200.. you wont notice much difference unless youre OC'ing

The case I was listing was very nice.. and the PSU is just unbelievable for that price

and the revised total + shipping is $469.84

IMO - the best deal you could get for the money
 
asus=anono...have had one to many bad boards with them so i dont even want to fuck arround with them any more

every cent countsyours is $40 more and $99 is way to much for a case even with a power supply

i was being specific to get a Nforce2 IGP board because of the onboard video and other features it had (the USB the audio the 8X AGP slot is KEY) she doesent want the crappiest thats why i went for the ram, i'm thinking of switching to a maxtor or seagate hard drive of the same space but i'll leave that up to her...i wouldnt buy western digital either but it ok for the price...you'd have to have experence with this case to know some of the other things...its a good case...has a really nice stock paint job

Edit:

your failing to see why i made these sleections so forget it...bulid one with the future in mind so your not always stuck with the same stuff
 
okay i updated and found the best possible compnents from what i researched

Total + shipping is now $415.85

Here is what I changed and my reasons why:

Lite On Black 48x24x48x16 Combo Drive - $54

It is the best combo drive out there from all the reviews i've read. Update the firmware and it will burn any cd you throw at it.. It burns under its rated speed witihin seconds, and the DVD viewing is nice, it has an unlocked 16x reading capability too.

Seagate 80GB 7200 Hard Drive - $70

This drive has never failed me, I've bought 2 of em and they're still chugging along fine and they're faster than you think. Reviews are good too, best of all, this drive is almost silent. I bought a Western Digital 80mb Special Edition and its so loud you wont believe it Seagate also has a good warranty they're a reliable company

Mushkin DDR 256 PC2100 Special OEM x2

These dimms are the best bang for the buck at this price. They're heatsinked and they have lifetime warranty. Made from the best material available.

Now Mushkin has the best customer service on the planet, talk to them on the forums and you get instant support, fast answers and the staff is actually easy to talk to.

Yeah, and thats all I gotta say.. I cannot find anything better for this price.. so please consider those items up there

I agree with you on Asus.. an over populated company giving out less quality boards. The biostar is nice, i have the same exact board for my bro's pc and its chuggin along just fine. but dont try the OC utility that comes with it unless you like clearing the cmos every now and then

I really hope you get something good :)
 
Originally posted by Darkstar559
POOP!!!
just wanted to see if i can make the same poop
Click to expand...

heh...

i just realized something, with the DDR400 ram and a Nforce2 mother board i could get a 2400+ and have a higher clock speed and have the chipset run the DDR at 400Mhz instead of having the cpu run the 333FSB for the memory...

thats is if it'll do that....i always get confused on which chipsets will do that or not...

i know the KT400 will if you get the crappy ram that the things only ompatable with...

so switch the 2500+ with a 2400+ for now...i'm gonna see if theres any thing else i can get for $85 with a 266bus
 
I agree that you should drop the western digital, it's wicked noisy. Get either seagate, hitachi, or samsung. They all have really good user reviews.

I don't understand what your dual floppy purpose serves, but to each his own :rolleyes:

I think you should stick with that mobo and I think PC3200 is a good choice, but if you use the onboard video, I think your FSB is going to be limited to 333?

Even if that's the case, the pc3200 cas 3 should run tight(er) timings at 333mhz and therefore still a good choice in my opinion. That way, if you get a better video card later on, you can open it up to 400mhz :)
 
Originally posted by Benny Blanco
I agree that you should drop the western digital, it's wicked noisy. Get either seagate, hitachi, or samsung. They all have really good user reviews.

I don't understand what your dual floppy purpose serves, but to each his own :rolleyes:

I think you should stick with that mobo and I think PC3200 is a good choice, but if you use the onboard video, I think your FSB is going to be limited to 333?

Even if that's the case, the pc3200 cas 3 should run tight(er) timings at 333mhz and therefore still a good choice in my opinion. That way, if you get a better video card later on, you can open it up to 400mhz :)
Click to expand...

FINALLY some one understands

the 2 floppy cables i didnt understand and i fixed it,mabe i accidentally double clicked it....who knows they sold out of the thermal take heatsink...which doesent break my heart any so i switched it with an all copper dynatron for much less and it has more fins, the raters said it was quiet, there was a model with a bigger fan but i had a fan the same size and probally better (its a panaflow fan) so i can attach it if it doesent work out as well...dont know if it'll clear the caseing with the bigger fan though

the total price is $399.52 including shipping now
 
Originally posted by Darkstar559
unfortunately i cant get anything to copy any paste but there's what i think would be best:

i changed a few:

Case: ANTEC Glossy Piano Black ATX Desktop w/ TruePower380 - $99
CD/DVD: Liteon Combo Drive OEM - $50
Hard Drive: Hitachi 80GB 7200 RPM or Segate 80GB 7200 RPM - $70
Memory: Crucial 512mb PC2100 - $63
Motherboard: ASUS A7N266-VM AMD Assured - $58
CPU: AMD Athlon XP Barton 2500+ Retail - $90

For the hard drives based on the reviews I read, the hitachi performs better than the segate and western digital, and its the quietest of all. however, the seagate is still nice.. i just cant stand the noise of my 80gb western digital, dont buy it..

Also she'll probably need the extra 256mb for the shared video memory and other applications, it helps games a lot too. its better in the long run. The PC2700, and 3200.. you wont notice much difference unless youre OC'ing

The case I was listing was very nice.. and the PSU is just unbelievable for that price

and the revised total + shipping is $469.84

IMO - the best deal you could get for the money
Click to expand...

Now that would be a much, much, much better system than the one you designed. Rounded cables are a complete waste - you'll put the system together and the case probably won't be opened for a couple years. and get the lite on combo drive - as it's pretty much the same price.
 
Originally posted by NleahciM
Now that would be a much, much, much better system than the one you designed. Rounded cables are a complete waste - you'll put the system together and the case probably won't be opened for a couple years. and get the lite on combo drive - as it's pretty much the same price.
Click to expand...

might want to read the whole post before replying....alot of you i have noticed just plain dont understand the fast ram w/ onboard video concept....the faster the system ram the faster the onboard video is going to run...BENNY GOT IT!

the hard drive has be swapped to a seagate for quite some time now...rounded cables are going to make it much easier to bulid and the easier it is to bulid the quicker i'm going to get it to her...

mabe you should buy this case and run ribbon cables all over it...i have and its not fun
 
Maybe you shouldn't come down on people who are offering advice that you asked for.

I am newbie cheeze, so if the memory thing is Einsteinian glory, huzzah.


Originally posted by Niku
she doesent want the crappiest thats why i went for the ram
Click to expand...

What I need to say is that if she doesn't want the crappiest, maybe she should save a couple hundred more dollars.

Looking to the future, I'd put money on the Sonata. When you upgrade to a video card, is that 230 going to be enough?

DOES she have the OS?
 
Originally posted by Dagis
...What I need to say is that if she doesn't want the crappiest, maybe she should save a couple hundred more dollars.

Looking to the future, I'd put money on the Sonata. When you upgrade to a video card, is that 230 going to be enough?

DOES she have the OS?
Click to expand...

230 what?

and windows is taken care of...she says she has it, i said ok after she said she had a key

PS i changed the config pic
 
The power supply. If you're thinking of upgrading later, will you also end up needing a larger power supply, at which point the Sonata with the 380W PSU is obviously superior.
 
eh...powersupply later would still be cheaper than getting a $100 case...who the hell would pay that for a case....i question paying $60~65
 
Niku, First of all I would recommend almost spending just like $30 and just get a Vid card. That way RAM wont be a factor you will save that much on the RAM. A good powersupply costs, and the Antec case does come with a good one. Ill submit what I would recommend I guess...

Case: ANTEC Glossy Piano Black ATX Desktop w/ TruePower380 - $99 (MUCH BETTER PS and a sturdy case)
CD/DVD: Liteon Combo Drive OEM - $50 (Great value!)
Hard Drive: Hitachi 80GB 7200 RPM or Segate 80GB 7200 RPM - $70 (Smaller if needed)
Memory: Crucial 512mb PC2100 - $63 (No need for higher)
Motherboard: ASUS A7N266-VM AMD Assured - $58 (Good Mobo for cheap)
CPU: AMD Athlon XP Barton 2500+ Retail - $90 (Best Value AMD proc)
Video Card: GeXCube RADEON 9200SE Video Card, 64MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "GC-R92SEG-B3" -RETAIL - $49(Allows for actually playing the games she wanted)
----------------------------
$479 (Below 500 with some money to spare)

I would rather have that over what you were planning any day. The above PC could play LOTS of games that she wants and has plenty of headroom to upgrade. If you want to go what you had be my guest, I am just here to put in my two cents.
 
Originally posted by Niku
the faster the system ram the faster the onboard video is going to run...BENNY GOT IT!
Click to expand...
Um, I guess I didn't got it because that's not what I said... lol

I said I don't know if you'll be able to run any higher than 333mhz fsb with onboard video enabled.

I looked into it with that specific motherboard but I couldnt' find an answer, but with the first generation nforce/onboard video, you couldn't even run 333mhz fsb I think. I really cannot remember correctly to be honest, so I was hoping someone could shed light on this.

I do know that user reviews showed people hitting 400mhz fsb though... maybe I should post a question on the user review for that board to see whats the highest fsb with onboard video? Hmmmm.... ;)

edit:
Originally posted on newegg
~shox~,12/27/2003 10:15:26 PM
The best mATX AMD motherboard period. It's also ultra rated, and overclocks as well as the Biostar M7NCDP - it's just smaller. I just set one up with a locked barton and have it @ 200x11 and P95'ed and memtest 86'ed it for 24 hours no errors with Level II mushkin at cas 2.5 11-2-2 an all was fine. Absolutely no problems at all. Im taking advantege of the onboard video until I throw a 9800 Non-Pro and mod it to a pro, then It'll be set.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by Niku
might want to read the whole post before replying....alot of you i have noticed just plain dont understand the fast ram w/ onboard video concept....the faster the system ram the faster the onboard video is going to run...BENNY GOT IT!

the hard drive has be swapped to a seagate for quite some time now...rounded cables are going to make it much easier to bulid and the easier it is to bulid the quicker i'm going to get it to her...

mabe you should buy this case and run ribbon cables all over it...i have and its not fun
Click to expand...

You said you're not going to OC it. If you don't OC the system - that ram will run at 333mhz. So why pay the extra for 400mhz ram? Do you not believe me or something?
 
yea i saw that...if i rember correctly there wasnt any bad reviews except one dumbass who cant seem to figure out that things do occasionally come DOA...that may have been something else too....

its a good board, if she insists on paying me to bulid and configure and ship it to her and be there if/when something goes wrong (hell i will any way shes my best friend) i'm just gonna have her get me one and i got all the rest of the parts i need to bulid another puter...just not as fancy

Edit:
NleahciM...

from my experences with other nforce chipsets i can bump the memory to DDR400 and not have it affect and thing on the processor...the same thing applys with KT400 chipsets to although the KT400 is a peice of absoulte crap still...

if there was something more like the AMD761 but more modern...that was the best chipset i ever had...too bad its gettin old and slow
 
Originally posted by Niku
no its not going to be OCed,
Click to expand...

Originally posted by Niku

from my experences with other nforce chipsets i can bump the memory to DDR400 and not have it affect and thing on the processor...the same thing applys with KT400 chipsets to although the KT400 is a peice of absoulte crap still...

if there was something more like the AMD761 but more modern...that was the best chipset i ever had...too bad its gettin old and slow
Click to expand...

Kinda contradicting yourself. Overclocking doesn't just refer to the processor you know.
 
i dont see how i am contridicting my self....

not OCing it...letting the chipset see that its 400 and then having the chipset run the 400 instead of the processor

so its not going:

CPU--->Ram Speed--->Northbridge

its going:

Northbridge
|
/ \
cpu Ram

i've goten it to work before...only thing is this gigabyte board isnt stable enough with the ram (ram and mobo not compatable at 400)

my 2400+ is running at 2016Mhz with a 333 ram speed right now

Edit:

i know the way i do things is odd but it freakin works and still makes things faster heres an example:
untitled.jpg


if you'll notice it says its a 2400+ with a buss of ~ 266 (133) running stock, and if you'll notice in the memory section it says FSB+33...thats because the chip set is kinda doing the work to get the ram to 333 (166)...it works, its not really over clocking when its designed to do this, its still faster than 266 and its not causing me to figure out voltage / multiplier settings and trying to cool the thing with what i have which isnt doing the job at the moment (needs to be cleaned BAD)

i'm going to do the same thing to this little board at 400 if the video can take it (and i think it can ) if not it'll run at 33 untill she has enough money to upgrade the videocard...figure a 5600 or better would be good enough...she can go ati if she wants but i like nvidia better
 
Originally posted by Niku
its still faster than 266 and its not causing me to figure out voltage / multiplier settings and trying to cool the thing with what i have which isnt doing the job at the moment (needs to be cleaned BAD)
Click to expand...
Come on!!! Windows comes with a calculator dude.

If your motherboard can change the multiplier, all you gotta do is lower it to about 12.5 and bump the FSB to 166 to run in sync with the RAM (for starters). I know your way works too but this way works BETTER.. It's soo eaaazzzzy, and it IS designed to do that also :rolleyes:
 
what part of i dont want to tweak with my processor dont you under fucking stand...

i'm tired of listening to these tards i wasnt asking what you thought of the damn thing just if i forgot any thing...some one close this damn thing
 
Originally posted by Darkstar559
POOP!!!
just wanted to see if i can make the same poop
Click to expand...
Congratulations...yes you can.

I (and an admin or two) noticed.....:rolleyes:

On topic, please.....??

Thanks - B.B.S.
 
I just bought that same mobo, same ram, and same cpu the cpu and proc were bundled together at 126$ :) I need somce XMS Pc3200 :)
 
Alright, If you think thats best for your money.. then go for it. I don't want to argue anymore. I don't think any of everyone else's opinions are going to matter to you anyways. It looks like you have everything well planned out now. If I were you, I would go ahead and order it :)

Good luck, let us know how it performs.
 
Originally posted by Niku
what part of i dont want to tweak with my processor dont you under fucking stand...

i'm tired of listening to these tards i wasnt asking what you thought of the damn thing just if i forgot any thing...some one close this damn thing
Click to expand...
Dude, you need to get a dell. You're the tard that can't figure out if you forgot anything.
 
Originally posted by Niku
might want to read the whole post before replying....alot of you i have noticed just plain dont understand the fast ram w/ onboard video concept....the faster the system ram the faster the onboard video is going to run...BENNY GOT IT!

the hard drive has be swapped to a seagate for quite some time now...rounded cables are going to make it much easier to bulid and the easier it is to bulid the quicker i'm going to get it to her...

mabe you should buy this case and run ribbon cables all over it...i have and its not fun
Click to expand...

I think your the one that doesn't understand that running your memory with an AthlonXP asynchronis will kill the performance. RAM should run the same as the FSB for decent performance. Plus the improvement of DDR400 over DDR333 with that Nforce2 graphics is gonna be minimal.

You're right to go with 2 sticks for dual channel. This is the way to get the real benefit of dual channel RAM on an AXP platform.

Check the timings of that DD400 ram and see what it can run at DDR333 and compare that to actual DDR333 timings. Best timings are 2-2-11.

Lose the round cables and learn to fold and route the ribbon cables. Round cables have bulky connector covers that take up more room than they make up for.

And if you don't want to hear people's opinions, don't ask for them.
 
Originally posted by Benny Blanco
Dude, you need to get a dell. You're the tard that can't figure out if you forgot anything.
Click to expand...

That is actually good advice considering that what your building here is gonna be less of a PC than you could get from Dell complete with a warranty, non-pirated software, and a good LCD monitor for the same price.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top