Configuring New System -- Please help!!1

[Jmoses020]

Hey guys i'm in the process of configuring a new p4 system at PCprodirect.com, i wanted to knwo if im getting a good system for the price. Let me know if there are any suggestions or anything you personally would change and why? The system comes with a 3year parts & labor warranty and lifetime technical & labor support Here's the system...

~INTEL, Pentium 4 2.4B GHz, 512K, 533MHz FSB
~COOLER MASTER, socket 478 cooling fan
~GIGABYTE, GA-8SG667, SIS-648,8X AGP, DDR-400, AUDIO, USB 2.0, ATA-133(not sure on the mobo yet)
~DDR-333, 512MB PC2700DDR, 333MHZ, NON-ECC
~WESTERN DIGITAL 40GB 7200RPM,ATA 100
~ATI XPERT 2000 32MB VIDEO CARD (i got the cheapest configurable vid card bc i already have a radeon 9500 pro at home i can put into it)
~32bit aw srs sound
~MITSUMI, 1.44MB 3.5 FLOPPY DRIVE
~ACO, 52X CD-ROM DRIVE
~COOLER MASTER, CASE FAN, 2in x 2 in
~ACO, mid tower, 300 Watt PS, Front USB, ATX
~No operating system (i have an xp cd at home)
~ACO, 2 BUTTON SCROLL MOUSE
~ACO, WINDOWS KEYBOARD
~2 piece speaker set

The total price for this is $533.97

Also i was wondering what you guys thought of that motherboard, i wanted the AGP 8x feature for my radeon 9500 pro im putting in. The guy recommended i get the ASUS P4S8X, but that is $33 more than the currently configured gigabyte. The other 8x agp motherboards available to configure with the system are the ABIT SRS-8X ($8 more than gigabyte), ECS L4S8A2 ($7 less than gigabyte), and the SOYO P4X400($12 more than the gigabyte). All of these mobos support 8X AGP, which one shoudl i get with this system. The ASUS P4S8X is the most expensive one i listed, but is it the one i should buy. Thank you very much in advance.

P.S.- remember to say anything you personally would change and why you woudl change it please tell your opinions thank you, and are there any other websites where i could configure a computer for a cheaper price??

 

[error_911]

hmmm, well i'd definitely go with the asus, its a better mobo all-around... Why not look into getting a mobo with Dual DDR... can't remember the model name, but there's a new Asus which allows Dual DDR with PC2700 RAM and its an Asus - definitely my top choice. Or even look into and AMD processor based system... cheaper and better in my opinion.. I mean you could grab an Athlon XP 2500 (with Barton core) and an Asus A7N8X mobo is a lot better IMHO.

as for the vid card, why don't you save the price of the I 200 and tell 'em not to put one at all?... Also, get a better power supply, like an enermax, top-power, antec, or even a superflower or thermaltake, trust me, the upgrade is worth the system stability and the lower chance of f#cking up you hardware... also, 300Watts wont get you anywhere, opt for at least 350W, though 400W will give you room to upgrade. Oh yeah, UPGRADE THE CDROM, to a DVD (unless you have a DVD player)... nothing like being able to watch DVDs on the computer and TV dude.

Also, what kinda case are you getting? interested in somethin a lil prettier, take a look at some <A HREF="http://www.chieftec.com" target="_new">chieftec</A>, <A HREF="http://www.antec.com" target="_new">antec</A> or even <A HREF="http://www.enermax.com" target="_new">enermax</A> cases.. might like it a lil better than a beige box

<b>people are only idiots when they don't realize - when they do it just gets funnier, like a dog chasing its own tail, or like george bush's public address(es)</b>

 

[Mephistopheles]

Maybe I´m being stupid here, but why would you recommend the A7N8X if there are tons of threads regarding problems with it in the Motherboards section? :tongue:

Also, I would <i>not</i> recommend the 2500+ Barton (<i>maybe</i> if you´re an overclocker or something). If you want a cheap and powerful system, you might go AMD, but not Barton. Maybe a 2400+ or even 2700/2800 with 333Mhz FSB... I don´t really understand everyone´s love for Barton, if not for OC purposes... The <b>Barton´s PR is</b> only <b>wishful thinking</b> coming from AMD!... The 2800 almost outperforms the 3000+, for crying out loud!! (10/18 tests, THG, and in the others, the 3000 doesn´t outperform the 2800 by a lot either! They are about equal, in the end!)

Also, if you want to go with intel, that´s a fine choice too, with quite good performance, but it´ll cost you more. I think the sweet spot right now with intel are the 2.53Ghz processors... I think I´ll only <i>really</i> recommend Intel after Canterwood/i875, out in two or three weeks. AMD is somewhat in trouble after the launch of i875, the way I see it, at least until they get Hammer out the door, which won´t be until the end of the year at the earliest.

 

[FO_SHO]

hey, well the reason why the A7N8X *seems* to have so many problems is cause:
1. Everybody and their mother has the A7N8X
2. Not everyone knows how to set up a comp properly
3. they buy this nice mobo with crappy components
4. hasn't flashed BIOS, using Win 98
etc, etc, I'm sure someone has said this over and over again, but it's just like if everybody started buying Ferraris, then there would be tons of people complaining about Ferrari's performance, when in reality it's the driver who doesn't know how to control the beast.

Anyways, I agree though, I would buy the T-Bred over the Barton equivalent.

 

[khha4113]

why would you recommend the A7N8X if there are tons of threads regarding problems with it in the Motherboards section?

As well as many who praise it. Like other poster said, it depends on who know how to control it.

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Seems very logical to me!! If everyone owns it, then all problems reported will obviously be on those mobos... Hadn´t though of it this way... I guess I didn´t really know that it was the "most bought" mobo around... Thanks for the input...

 

[error_911]

Well, with A7N8X, it very much depends on the user - just like any piece of hardware... some people have issues using CCFLs, so whats your point - <b>good hardware = good hardware</b>. Now, the Barton cores are nice nontheless (though yes, this is an opinion coming from an overlocker and gamer), though the Hammer is something I know I'm waiting for and will be upgrading to... Intel has dissapointed me time and time again in performance and I only recommend AMD CPUs - they're cheaper and more performant (in my tests and experience), while anyone who tells me they want Intel gets it - at the end of the line a customer's decision is not my own. Now yes, the Canterwood platform will be interesting, though I'd love to see what price it starts at. Nonetheless, Intel has a tendency to overexhagerate their numbers - extremely (hint hint their Centrino/Banias CPU which is supposed to be x amount more performant than desktop P4 CPUs is B.S., read any review). Anyways, in the choice of the CPU/mobo, its really up to the decision of the user and whether thier convictions at this point lean 'em towards intel or AMD, beacause either following has a usual concensus upon the most performant motherboard, while the most performant CPU is obviously the most expensive on the market.

<b>people are only idiots when they don't realize - when they do it just gets funnier, like a dog chasing its own tail, or like george bush's public address(es)</b>

 

[Javic]

Is "performant" a word? hmmmm... :tongue:

 

[Mephistopheles]

You know, I read some reviews on P-M (centrino/banias) technology, and from what I´ve seen, it has an incredible IPC which would even overshadow any athlon. And there are Centrino-based notebooks that have a battery life of over 6 hours. So I do not agree with you saying it´s B.S. at all, sorry.

Besides, it seems ridiculous to me to say that Intel exagerates (oh, by the way, <i>over</i>exagerating is not a word!) in their numbers. Maybe an Intel system is more expensive... I´ll take that. But has it ever occured to you that the PR rating gives AMD a lot of freedom, in many senses? It´s disconnected from anything physical on the processor, so they could knowingly rate the rival to the 2.8Ghz P4 a 2800+ and increase its clock to a level were it´ll outperform the 2.8Ghz, and then you´d go about saying that the P4´s numbers are exagerated...

Pretty ridiculous, if you ask me. Intel´s numbers can´t possibly be exagerated, because they´re <i>physical</i> properties of the chips they sell and can´t lie. If anything, the latest PR numbers for the barton are B.S.!

 

[error_911]

well for these purposes, "performant" best describes the difference between AMD and Intel CPUs clocked at the same speeds

<b>people are only idiots when they don't realize - when they do it just gets funnier, like a dog chasing its own tail, or like george bush's public address(es)</b>

 

[Crashman]

Actually it looks like a good system! And the GA-8SG667 is a FAR better board than the other boards you listed. For example, the Asus board is well known for simply not running AGP8x cards without crashing constantly. And the Abit board has that problem to a lesser extent. So, and the Soyo board...well, anything with VIA is garbage.

So the best board is the GA-8SG667. And the reast of the system looks OK too, except for the video card, which you plan to replace.

<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>