Buying a Computer Today, need feedback ASAP!

[Krypt]

Well Im going to buy a system is about 3-4 hours, and I need your guys/girls opinion on my setup, and if there is anything that I should switch. I also have a few questions. Is the Nforce2 onboard sound going to ok to run my creative 6.1 speakers on? Do I really need Win XP? I have 98SE and I want to know if its really worth the 89$ extra since im on a budget. I mainly will use the system for gaming and playing music, and I plan to do a little OC-ing. My last question is will the 350w PS that comes with it do, or should I upgrade to a 420w. Thanks, and dont be afraid the say the obvious because this is my first buy and I dont know a whole lot about hardware. Here is the system.

Mobo: MSI K7N2-L
CPU: AMD Barton 2500
RAM: 512 PC 3200
HD: WD 80gb 7200 with 8m cache
Vid Card: Ati Radeon 9500 Pro

and then the usual DVD drives, extra fans ect. I already have monitor keyboard ect

 

[icy_oblivion]

Looks like a pretty good set up. But I would go with the larger power supply because the 9500 Pro does draw a lot of power with that molex connector and for overclocking you will need the extra power.

I don't think you need to upgrade to XP if you only game and listen to music.

Have fun with the new system.

<b>Just because I like AMD or Intel more at a time because of one product compared to another, does not make me a fan boy, it makes me a person who is able to make a decision for myself.</b>

 

[Prof133]

* The said motherboard doesn't feature the nVidia Audio.

* Use at least two memory modules in order to benefit from Dual DDR.

* XP is not required.

 

[Krypt]

I have heard that finding the right drivers for 98SE can be a PITA, is this true? My second question is what are WinXP's benifits?

 

[FO_SHO]

I would recommend XP or at least WIN2K. You can *get it* from Kazaa. Mainly cause for me, 98 was very unstable and Win2K had much more stability. I'm not even gonna talk about ME (the worst operating system ever!)

 

[okietex]

I would go with XP. 98SE was not too bad but I sure do remember a lot of BSODs ... XP really is nice (and so is W2K) - I think XP would probably be better down the road in case you plan on doing anything else other than gaming/music too.

I just ordered the MSI K7N2G-L ... so, I'm hoping I'll be happy with it too. I only went with 2700 DDR so you'll probably be happier with me but my sys is just going to sit there and hopefully be good for me.

Also, from what I read here (and I am new at this) -- so, only take this with a grain of salt, getting your power supply up is important so I'd go up to at least a 420 or higher. Not sure on all the reasons why -- but there's not a whole lot of money between some of these lower end and the higher watts.

HTH some... -ot

 

[Twitch]

I'd like to join the others on this thread who are recommending an upgrade to Windows XP. It's just much better and far more stable than any previous Windows version, in my experience. I have never seen an unanticipated BSOD in Windows XP. A couple times, I've had issues when installing new hardware, but definitely not nearly as bad as 98SE.


<font color=green>The Netherlands is where you go when you're too good for heaven.</font color=green> :tongue:

 

[Prof133]

* If you can get windows 98SE to play well with the planned system, then don't feel compelled to upgrade.

* I would assume that in the minds of driver developers, Windows XP is the first priority.

 

[Krypt]

I have done some changes with my budget, and I ditched the DVD drive and a couple of other things to make room for XP. Thanks for all the help!

 

[davegt40]

i also believe that the nforce2 onboard sound is only 5.1 surround sound capable not 6.1