new computer questions

[Guest]

I'm getting a new computer and not sure what parts I should get. I've never built a computer before, but I have taken mine apart before. I think I know what to get, but I'm not that sure. Does anyone know of any good sites to buy stuff from or have any opinions on what to get. So far this is what I think im going to get

ENLIGHT 7237/340 MIDDLE TOWER W/340W
PLEXTOR 24X/10X/40X EIDE INTERNAL CDRW
creative 16x dvd
athlon 1900 xp
512 ddr pc 2100 ram
ABIT KG7-R
creative audigy gamer
2 MAXTOR 60.0GB 7200 rpm
xp pro
i already have a moniter and my price range is 2k to 3k. If anyone has any suggestions or comments please respond

 

[lhgpoobaa]

advice...
follow instructions when attaching the heatsink.

Why do i feel like the lone sane voice in the mental assylum?

 

[MeTaLrOcKeR]

AMD Athlon XP 1900+
ABIT KG7-Raid
Swiftech MCX462
512MB PC-2100 DDR-RAM
Ati Radeon 8500 64MB AGP Video Card
Sound BLaster Audigy Series Sound Card
Teac 24x16x40 CD-RW
Pioneer 16X Slot Loading DVD-Rom
2 Seagate Barracuda IV(4) 60 GB Drives....
Windows XP Professional

ALSO...get that Enlight Mid-Tower case BUT Buy the Enermax 350Watt Power Supply.....now your all set and your DEFINENTLY under $3000......for 100% sure =) even in Canadian sollars =)

-MeTaL RoCkEr

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=13597" target="_new"> <b> My Rig </b> </A>

 

[AMD_Man]

yeah, those are awesome specs MetalRocker, but I'd go with the Maxtors rather than the Seagates. Also, I personally dislike Creative cards because of their constant cracking and popping and would recommend a Hercules Game Theater XP.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[MeTaLrOcKeR]

Your only 15 and quite experienced eh.....im nto much older, beign 18 and all.....lol

anyways, the Seagate Barracuda 4 is a MUCH better drive than any Maxtor drive otut here right now....

the 2 best drives out are the IBM DeskStar 60GXP and the Seagate Barracuda IV(4)...and the Barracuda IV(4) is different fromt here previous Barracuda ATA-3.....It runs COLD.....EXTREMELY QUIET.....i still cant hear mine working, spin up or spin down after 2 months.......and its DEFINENTLY FAST.......much faster than my next door neighbours Quantum 7200 RPM 30GB........AND mines definently colder.......
my best freind has a Maxotr 7200....man is that thing loud, and is pretty hot.......it still worx and all, but its loud and makes a lot of heat and is definently slower than HIS 40GB Barracuda IV(4) also....yes....em and him both have the same Barracuda 4......and believe me, id NEVER recomend agaisnt it......

-MeTaL RoCkEr

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=13597" target="_new"> <b> My Rig </b> </A>

 

[Guest]

I'd like to get everything from the same site if possible for shipping, any advice on where to get it from?

 

[Guest]

double post<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by megamike on 11/22/01 09:33 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[AMD_Man]

Your only 15 and quite experienced eh.....im nto much older, beign 18 and all.....lol

Insults aside, any point to this?

the 2 best drives out are the IBM DeskStar 60GXP and the Seagate Barracuda IV(4)...and the Barracuda IV(4) is different fromt here previous Barracuda ATA-3.....It runs COLD.....EXTREMELY QUIET.....i still cant hear mine working, spin up or spin down after 2 months.......and its DEFINENTLY FAST.......much faster than my next door neighbours Quantum 7200 RPM 30GB........AND mines definently colder.......
my best freind has a Maxotr 7200....man is that thing loud, and is pretty hot.......it still worx and all, but its loud and makes a lot of heat and is definently slower than HIS 40GB Barracuda IV(4) also....yes....em and him both have the same Barracuda 4......and believe me, id NEVER recomend agaisnt it......

Quite possibly true, I haven't read much about the Barracuda 4 but Seagate has an iffy history. In any respect, the hard drive manufacturer doesn't really matter. It's all about personal preference.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[MeTaLrOcKeR]

Well I can only recomend for my area, as in Canadian dollars, are you from the States or Canada...or neither.....anyways if your from Canada and in the Toronto area even go to www.pccanada.com AND www.infonec.com
both VERY good places........check them out even if your not local......itll give u a general idea.....

-MeTaL RoCkEr

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=13597" target="_new"> <b> My Rig </b> </A>

 

[MeTaLrOcKeR]

It wasnt meant as an insult dude......trust me...

It was more of a compliment to you, beacsue ur very mature to different subject matetrs and ive read a lto of your posts and you seem very well versed in the Hardware seen of computers... =)

no insults intended.........AND also i wanted to compliment you on being Canadian AND beign 15 AND knowing all that you do, it makes me feel liek theres someone else out there in my own country thats just liek me =) cu liek as a little kid, im tlakign lirk 7 or 8 yearts old, ive always been workign on the computer......well, and cars...so yea =)

and Seagates past rep. wa bad based on the ATA-III series drives...trust me i know.........you are right about personal preference....BUT i was tlaking more about running cool, speedy, and quiet.....and thats what the Barracuda IV(4) is.....and the Maxtors ive seen....there all noisy and after a month u can hear them doign there thing (i mena just random disc-access u can hear) as opposed to the IBM and Seagate counterparts.......

-MeTaL RoCkEr

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=13597" target="_new"> <b> My Rig </b> </A>

 

[Guest]

oh ya, limit was 3000 USD, im from US

 

[AMD_Man]

exactly $3000 CDN is $2000 U.S. You can probably get that system for significantly under $2000 USD unless you're also looking for a monitor and peripherals.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[Guest]

ok cool, I already have a moniter, but I need a keyboard and software and stuff. Any place specific I should get it at or just buy the stuff individually from the lowest price at pricewatch. Also, is there a big difference between white box, oem, and retail components?

 

[AMD_Man]

I can't help with a specific place to get all this stuff because I live in Canada but I can tell you this:

Go with OEM for everything, because it's cheaper and you won't need the boxes anyway, except the Radeon 8500. I'd recommend the retail Radeon 8500 because it's faster than the OEM one. Also what software are you looking for? You can save some money by buying Windows XP Home instead of pro if you don't care about dual-processor support and encryption. For the keyboard, I'd go with either Logitech or Microsoft. If you like the split-design, I'd recommend the Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro, otherwise, get the Microsoft Internet Keyboard Pro. For the mouse, optical is a must. I remember the BAD old days when I had a ball mouse! Terrible!! The mouse needed cleaning every 2 days! For the mouse, I'd look at the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical or Explorer.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[Matisaro]

www.storagereview.com


This is the best site I have seen for storage device reviews and articles.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[Matisaro]

If he is using xp, or 2000 I would reccomend he get a gf3 ti 500 instead of the radeon, or wait a month or so for ati to clean up its act, because there are widespread reports of win2k/xp stability issues with the ati drivers.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[Matisaro]

Get the logitech ifeel mouse, a vibrating mouse is really cool! Its optical and like 30 bucks too, its a good deal.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[Guest]

what cables do i need to get? just IDE cables or what else?

 

[Guest]

You will need IDE cables, power cables, printer cables and don't forget the audio cable for the cd rom.

<font color=green><b>AMD</b></font color=green> 'cos my computers worth it!

 

[Guest]

ok i have the printer cables and ide cables, do I need 2 audio cables, one for cdrw and one for dvd? and how many pins should the cable be? 2, 3, or 4?

 

[AMD_Man]

If he is using xp, or 2000 I would reccomend he get a gf3 ti 500 instead of the radeon, or wait a month or so for ati to clean up its act, because there are widespread reports of win2k/xp stability issues with the ati drivers.

They already did. I have yet to hear any problems with ATI's latest drivers for the Radeon 8500. Plus, the Radeon 8500 is cheaper and offers near or equivalent performance to the GeForce3 Ti500.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[digital_trucker]

If you want a keyboard and mouse, may I suggest Logitech's cordless ones? I'm very happy with mine. I have the cordless iTouch keyboard and the cordless Trackman. (unfortunately, you have buy the Trackman separately. The iTouch comes with a cordless conventional ball mouse.) The Trackman rocks! Love cordless, you can get comfy w/out getting tangled up in cables. Works perfect in my truck!

Yippeekiiaayyy yippeekiioohhh Ghost rabbits in the sky.

 

[Guest]

ok thanks everyone for the advice, i just ordered everything, I should have everything by tuesday hopefully.

 

[Matisaro]

AMD, the latest drivers, the ones tom used in his recent article, still have issues in win2k from many users. Check the anandtech forums.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[kusek]

Enlite case is good. You won't be disappointed. The Enermax 430W is $20-25 more than the 350W and worth it if planning on OCing. I would recommend one of those natural keyboards. I'm amazed at how much easier they are on your hands. Mine was cheap CompUSA brand and works great. Also get an optical mouse (i think MS Intellimouse Exp. is best I've seen $30) with the 3 extra buttons and wheel. I set mine for back page, fwd page, and close app and find it really speeds up browsing. I bought this stuff retail locally but you can save alot by buying online. The hardest part is finding one place that has everything and doesn't rape you on shipping charges.