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Question on system im building

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Im about to build this system:

AthlonXP 1500+
Asus A7V266-E (maybe EX)
256MB DDR SDRAM PC2100
Seagate/IBM 40GB 7200rpm HDD
GeForce3 Ti200 64MB
Ricoh MP7080A CD-R/RW (8xW 4xRW 32xR)
1 generic Lan card
1 generic sound card

I might get a slightly more powerful 3D card later on, perhaps as high as the GeForce4 Ti4400. I also might add an additional 256MB or RAM. Its extremely unlikely, but its possible i might also get a more powerful CPU (maybe as high as the 2000+).

My question is, what PSU should i get? 250W? 300? Any idea how much they cost?

Thanks.

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you should get a GOOD 300W at least. better with 350W or 400W and they cost between £30 and £100 depending on brand, supplier, etc

I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message.

Reply to rcj187

300W is the bare minimum. You would be better off if you could afford a little larger one.

If you can find it on the internet, it HAS to be true! :smile:

Reply to buddry

Better buy a 350 PSU at least, and from a well-known company. I haven't test any, but I've heard Antec is a good one (other people or your local reseller can tell you more). It is something that you will benefit for this and probably future PCs, so it is worth.

DIY: read, buy, test, learn, reward yourself!

Reply to baldurga

If you are going to use the system for a lot of gaming (which I would guess you are if you want a GF3) then I would suggest that you avoid a completely generic sound card. Cheap, sure, but go with a brand name that you can trust for good solid operation with quality drivers. I've seen plenty of systems with generic (many times on-board) sound and many of them become unstable in certain games because their drivers (or maybe even the hardware) are bad and the ever-famous BSOD kicks in whenever the driver (or hardware) farts. (Or the sound hangs and the system locks up, or, well, you get the idea. frequent crashing = no fun)

Just remember, in gaming the sound cards are constantly under pressure just like the video card is. Do you really want to trust your gaming experience to something generic (video or sound) just to save a buck or two? If you want to take that kind of a risk, that's fine. It's your call. If it were me though, I'd make sure that my system leaves no weak links to chance whatsoever.

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Reply to slvr_phoenix

Thank you everyone for your replies, they helped a lot

Reply to Woodman

Generic sound??
Why when for 25 bucks you can get a SoundBlaster 5.1.
i picked up one of these recently and am loving the eax sound and all around compatibility.

un less you have hit some price cap u haven't stated it's less than $10 bucks more for a 1700+

lite-on LTR-32123 32X + 10X + 40X around $60 + shipping.

a quality 350watt is best bet for now and in the future.
i have XP cpu, GF2 GTS, raid, nic, modem, sound, 4HD's, CD and floppy running on an enlight 300watt.

Reply to Anonymous

Yes the prices of 1700+ seemed to have dropped where i live to around US$100 exactly. So i might get that (the 1600+ is just US$5 cheaper, blah! ).

I will upgrade the sound later on, its just not a priority at the moment (dont use it much).

A few more questions, since im probably going to buy the CPU without the stock fan & sink, i was wondering whether i should buy this "ArticSilver3" thermal greese? If so how much does it cost?

What about the fan, i heard copper sinks are great, but is there a particular brand i should be looking for? How fast (in RPM) should they be? How much for those? I prefer one thats not too noisy.

Additional info, i wont be OCing my CPU at all.

Thanks again

Reply to Woodman

Yea i said sound wasn't a big deal too. i had a CL 128 and i can't beleve i waited to get my 5.1 ...

hs/f get one with atleast a copper heat spredder and one that has a 5k+ rpm fan. Not a big deal finding one rated for a XP CPU if your not going to be OCing. I have a cooler master and i run 110 idle => 124 under load.

good luck.

Intel: "Thoroughbred just a die shrink - will only help with frequency, not performance."

Reply to Anonymous

I've heard good things about the Thermaltake 6cu heatsink (not the 6cu+, as that plus sign adds alot of decibels). They're selling for as low as $10 on pricewatch. If you're not overclocking then I would recommend looking for a quiet HSF over a very powerfull one.

Artic silver is good thing. It'll run you about $10, give or take. It should drop your temps by a degree or two Celcius. Once again since your not overclocking you should be able to make due with a cheep generic thermal grease instead.

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Reply to knowan

Thanks both of you

Reply to Woodman

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