wat do you think of this

[halem111]

i am a first time builder what do you think of this setup:-
X series x3 400 watt case
Abit NF7-S
Athlon barton 2500
corsair 3200xms

im using stuff from my old computer like the cd rewriter and dvd player also the hard drive.
I want to overclock abit but not to extreme.
Ne thoughts would be welcome thanx

 

[ChipDeath]

Never heard of 'x series' cases, and if it's got a cheap PSU you may need to purchase another - if it can cope with a genuine 400W without the volts dropping off you'll be fine, but cheap PSUs can rarely do this....

Also make sure you get 2 matched mem sticks to take advantage of dual channel.

On the overclocking side, you'll be able to get 300Mhz (that's <i>real</i> Mhz, not AMD marketing babble) without any real problems or effort.

Good selections for mobo/CPU/RAM there. kinda the 'sweet spot' for an AMD system at the moment.

---
$hit Happens. I just wish it would happen to someone else for a change.

 

[halem111]

i have a link to the case
http://www.eclipse-computers.com/
if u go on that and then go on products at the top it is under computer cases.
what do you mean by dropping the voltage

 

[ChipDeath]

a PSU gives out 3 Voltage lines - 12V, 5V, and 3.3V.
when the total W of power demanded from the PSU reaches a certain level (this applies to ALL PSUs) it will start being unable to supply enough voltage on one or many of these lines. If any of them drop too low, your PC will crash or turn off. some cheaper PSUs will claim '350W' but will actually stop delivering at, say, 270W instead.

Check out <A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/index.html" target="_new">This Review by toms</A> to see just how bad some cheap PSUs can be.

I'm not saying the one you've picked there will be dodgy, just that it might. If you want to, you can pick up a separate PSU and an empty case, to be sure.

Antec and Enermax come highly recommended by Everyone (I have an Enermax 430W myself), but they aren't cheap. I believe 'Fortron' are a great deal cheaper, and also very good (recommended by <font color=blue>Crashman</font color=blue> frequently, I think, but I've never looked into them myself.)

[EDIT]
Hey - Just had a look at their website. They have some pretty cool cases there. I love the clear acrylic one halfway down! I'll have to get one...

I didn't realise you were based in the U.K. (I assume you are as all their prices are UKP) If so, Q-tec PSUs (available here at <A HREF="http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?action=info&p=35465&t=186&l=1&AvdID=1&CatID=13&GrpID=999&s=pl" target="_new">komplett.co.uk</A>) are quite reasonable - I recently used one to build a PC for a friend, and It's running fine so far.
[/EDIT]
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$hit Happens. I just wish it would happen to someone else for a change.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by ChipDeath on 07/18/03 05:33 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[pIII_Man]

2 things...first of all 300mhz fsb out of an amd...show it to me, i just don't think that is possible...second you don't need matched stickes to run dual channel 2 regular sticks of memory made by the same manufacturer will run dual channel.

There is no smell better than fried silicon

 

[ChipDeath]

oops. I meant 300Mhz <b>extra CPU speed</b> (e.g. 1833Mhz -> 2.1Ghz + ) <i><b>not</i></b> FSB - you're right, that is impossible.
and I didn't mean matched sticks as in a 'twin pack' I just mean that they should be same size, manufacturer, etc.

sorry for any confusion...

---
$hit Happens. I just wish it would happen to someone else for a change.

 

[pIII_Man]

OK

There is no smell better than fried silicon

 

[halem111]

yeah to be honest i think it is hard to find cases that have original designs that wont cost you and arm and a leg and when i saw the cases on this site i thought wiked, well thats in the uk neway.
Thanks for the info ill be wary but i was just wondering is there any way i can actually check the power output it gives and whether the psu is stuggling or not or do i have to wait to see if it crashes alot.

 

[ad_rach]

I am in the UK too and have spent a long time working out which online stores are best for components.I have come to the conclusion that <A HREF="http://www.ebuyer.com" target="_new">Ebuyer</A> and <A HREF="http://www.komplett.co.uk" target="_new">Komplett</A> are the cheapest and i have used both many times so i know that their service is good.I have had a less than satisfactory experience with eclipse when i was still learning who was best.Komplett tend to be the cheaper of the two for cpus and memory but Ebuyer have a much larger range and are cheaper for most other things, including the Qtec PSUs which ChipDeath mentions.I got a <A HREF="http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=34825" target="_new">550w Qtec from Ebuyer</A> and it is great, especially for £22.56!!!

EDIT
Komplett seems to be down at the moment by the way, it's not a dodgy link!

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by ad_rach on 07/18/03 05:32 PM.</EM></FONT></P>