I need some advice on building my first system. Here are my plans as of now.
Athlon 1600
Epox 8KHA+
Memory- Crucial pc2100 DDR (2 -256MB sticks)
Power- 350 - 400 watts Antec?
Thermalright sk-6 or Alpha Pal8045 with 80mm's
HD Maxtor 13 GB (temporary)
Plextor 8/4/32A
Links 10/100 NIC
Sound card? 8KHA+ on board for now.
GeForce 2? Or 3 if the prices drop some more or I find a really good deal.
Win XP Pro
I have read that the heatsink that comes with the 1600 XP is ok but not the best. Should I by an after market heatsink? If so which do I use? I read on the forums that Thermalright sk-6 & Alpha Pal8045 are really good? But I have also heard that the 8045 won't fit the 8KHA+ without modification. If I use one of them what type of fan should I get? I do prefer a system that’s quite as possible but I'm willing to sway either direction for a product that's known to be very good.
I read in the forums that AMD recommends a 340W psu. If that’s the case then I need 350-400 watts right? If this is true what brand should I choose? (I here Antec mentioned a lot). If that’s not correct, what watts, brand ECT… should I look for.
Any advise on a case. I'm not looking for anything fancy. I just want something that’s got plenty of room for upgrades, 3-4 front slots for drives, and a power supply that will work with the mobo above. I found a good size case with a 400-watt power supply Here (http://www.linkpca.com/stanatxcas.html), for about $50.00 but I'm not sure how good it is. I'm open for suggestions. I prefer the case to stay close to $50.00 or less but that all depends on your comments. The power and case don't necessarily have to come together either.
What about extra fans in the case for cooling? Brands, size, number, & location on the case?
I also have a few concerns about placing the heatsink ECT. I have read many times to use Artic Silver II so that’s ingrained in my brain, but is their a site with good instructions for putting all this together. I have changed out my wife's HD, graphics card, & NIC but I just never built everything from scratch.
Graphics card? I Like what I read about the GeForce. But there are several different versions of 2 & 3. I work with AutoCAD & PhotoShop quite a bit but I also love to play the latest games. Although I don't currently I would also like to do a little video editing this year if I find the time. I am leaning toward the GeForce 2 instead of 3 because of the price difference. Then maybe in the next 6-8 months GeForce 3 prices will drop, but give me your suggestions on cards and brands.
Any suggestions on sound cards? I was going to get a sound blaster live but I'm not sure. For the next 2-3 months I'm planning on using the on board sound.
I looked at Crucial for memory but I didn't see Epox as a mfg. Listed. Most people here have pc2100 DDR listed for 8KHA+ & 1600XP. A few have pc2400. Which one should I use? Does anyone know the exact part number @ crucial for 8KHA+ memory?
Sorry so long I'm just itchy to place an order, and I had several questions… Plus I'm ready to move from this Pent II 400 MHz Voodoo Banchee thingy.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by r1013 on 12/06/01 05:25 AM.</EM></FONT></P>
Athlon 1600
Epox 8KHA+
Memory- Crucial pc2100 DDR (2 -256MB sticks)
Power- 350 - 400 watts Antec?
Thermalright sk-6 or Alpha Pal8045 with 80mm's
HD Maxtor 13 GB (temporary)
Plextor 8/4/32A
Links 10/100 NIC
Sound card? 8KHA+ on board for now.
GeForce 2? Or 3 if the prices drop some more or I find a really good deal.
Win XP Pro
I have read that the heatsink that comes with the 1600 XP is ok but not the best. Should I by an after market heatsink? If so which do I use? I read on the forums that Thermalright sk-6 & Alpha Pal8045 are really good? But I have also heard that the 8045 won't fit the 8KHA+ without modification. If I use one of them what type of fan should I get? I do prefer a system that’s quite as possible but I'm willing to sway either direction for a product that's known to be very good.
I read in the forums that AMD recommends a 340W psu. If that’s the case then I need 350-400 watts right? If this is true what brand should I choose? (I here Antec mentioned a lot). If that’s not correct, what watts, brand ECT… should I look for.
Any advise on a case. I'm not looking for anything fancy. I just want something that’s got plenty of room for upgrades, 3-4 front slots for drives, and a power supply that will work with the mobo above. I found a good size case with a 400-watt power supply Here (http://www.linkpca.com/stanatxcas.html), for about $50.00 but I'm not sure how good it is. I'm open for suggestions. I prefer the case to stay close to $50.00 or less but that all depends on your comments. The power and case don't necessarily have to come together either.
What about extra fans in the case for cooling? Brands, size, number, & location on the case?
I also have a few concerns about placing the heatsink ECT. I have read many times to use Artic Silver II so that’s ingrained in my brain, but is their a site with good instructions for putting all this together. I have changed out my wife's HD, graphics card, & NIC but I just never built everything from scratch.
Graphics card? I Like what I read about the GeForce. But there are several different versions of 2 & 3. I work with AutoCAD & PhotoShop quite a bit but I also love to play the latest games. Although I don't currently I would also like to do a little video editing this year if I find the time. I am leaning toward the GeForce 2 instead of 3 because of the price difference. Then maybe in the next 6-8 months GeForce 3 prices will drop, but give me your suggestions on cards and brands.
Any suggestions on sound cards? I was going to get a sound blaster live but I'm not sure. For the next 2-3 months I'm planning on using the on board sound.
I looked at Crucial for memory but I didn't see Epox as a mfg. Listed. Most people here have pc2100 DDR listed for 8KHA+ & 1600XP. A few have pc2400. Which one should I use? Does anyone know the exact part number @ crucial for 8KHA+ memory?
Sorry so long I'm just itchy to place an order, and I had several questions… Plus I'm ready to move from this Pent II 400 MHz Voodoo Banchee thingy.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by r1013 on 12/06/01 05:25 AM.</EM></FONT></P>