This look like a good plan?

[TCL71]

I'm planning to order the stuff to build a new system in the next couple days (first time building a system...).

I was going to up date,but decided to build a completely new one,but there are several things that I'm not sure about though.

It's principal use will be Games,and graphics editing.
I also plan to OC,though I have no idea how to do it....so easy overclockibilty(if thats a word),is also a concern.

The first thing I'm not sure about is,what I should get for a CD rom,I don't really need DVD,but it's not that much more....and I might wish I had it later on in time....is there anything I should know about getting one,or are there any down falls to DVD?
(I also have a writer in my old system,so don't need that either)

The next thing is a hard drive,I've chosen a 120gb,but wonder if that's a wast of money for what I'm doing?,as a 80gb is conciderably less money.

Then,I was planning to go with 256mb of rambus,but have been thinking 512mb might be better,cause if I don't get it now.....I prolly won't get around to getting it later,and I'd rather have too much than not enough.
So the question is,can I just order another stick of 256....or will I need to do something different....or is there a better solution?
Sorry if these questions are kinda stupid,or the answer is obvious....but I don't understand what all the spec's mean.

Also,I'm running windoze 98SE right now,and should prolly think about updating that too....any thoughts on what to get?

And lastly,is there anything that I don't have listed,that I'll need to put all this together?....ie,heatsink past...ect.
Also,is there something else I should get,that I haven't planned on....more fans,something I forgot....ect?

BTW,I got the mouse,keyboard,monitor and sound system covered....so should be set there....I think.

Heres what I plan to order.
Anything that would be better...for around the same price?

CHIEFTEC Server Chasis (Aluminum Workstation Tower with Plastic Front Cover) Blue w/acrylic window **Now with 2 x Front USB2.0 and 1 x Firewire IEEE1394 ports**450W AMD approved Power Supply, Powered by Foxconn (Austin) Front Accessible: 4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5", Internal: 4 x 3.5". Compare to Antec PLUS1080 and Save Weights Only 18LBs! more info-> N82E16811125200 $110.00 $110.00


Gigabyte GA-8IHXP2 Tehama-E 850E/ICH4 chipset Socket 478 LAN ATA133 RAID AC97 Sound ATX motherboard
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Pentium 4 socket 478
Chipset: 850E / ICH4
FSB: 533/400 MHz
RAM: 4x RAMBUS 800/1066 (must be used in pairs)
IDE:Ultra ATA RAID 133/100/66 4 Channels
Slots: 1 AGP 4x, 6 PCI and 1 CNR
Ports: 1xLPT,2xCOM,2xPS2,2x USB onboard 4x USB 2.0 via backplane
Onboard Audio: CT5880 controller chip
Onboard LAN Realtek 10/100 more info-> N82E16813128158 $158.00 $158.00


LEADTEK Geforce4 TI4400 128M TV/DVI AGP Video Card Retail
Specifications:
Chipset: Nvidia Geforce4 Ti-4400
Memory: 128MB DDR
8.8 GB/sec Memory Bandwidth
125 million vertices/sec Peak Vertex Processing Rate
1.12 trillion operations/sec
Default clock speed 275/550 Mhz core/memory Max Res: up to 2048x1536
Ports: DB-15 VGA+ Svideo Out + DVI
Retail box (comes with 2 Full Version Retail Games, Winfast DVD, Cult3D, Colorific,3Deep True Internet Color and cables
Winfast A250 TD 3 Years manufacture Warranty. more info-> N82E16814122134 $185.99 $185.99


►Thanksgiving Blow-Out! Intel Pentium 4 2.4BGHz 512K 533MHz CPU Northwood P478 Processor Retail Box
Specifications:
CPU: Pentium 4 P4 2.4BGHz Northwood
Type: Northwood
Cache: 512K
BUS: 533MHz
Socket: P4 478
Retail Box (with Heatsink and fan) more info-> N82E16819116139 $193.00 $193.00


Samsung Original RIMM 4200 32-Bit 256MB RAMBUS RAM
Samsung Original 232-Pin 32-Bit RIMM4200 PC1066 1066MHz RAMBUS Memory **Only one is needed to boot up the System** This RAM would only work for ASUS P4T533 Motherboard and it WILL NOT work for other boards Board must support RIMM4200 Spec
part #
MD16R1628AF0-CN9DF
MD16R1628AF0-CN90
MD16R1628DF0-CN9
more info-> N82E16820147201 $121.00 $121.00


SONY 1.44MB 3.5 INCH INTERNAL FDD DRIVE - OEM
Specifications:
Size: 3.5 Inch 1.44MB High Density
Model: MPF920-Z
Model Highlights:
Compatible with 720 KB and 1.44 MB 3.5-inch Floppy Disks
Ideal for replacing older floppy drive, or adding a second drive
Standard 34-pin floppy drive interface for easy installation
Legendary quality from Sony - the inventory of the 3.5-inch floppy more info-> N82E16821103109 $8.00 $8.00


WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 120GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD1200JB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Size: 120 Gigabytes
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Seek time: 8.9ms
RPM:7200
Cache 8MB
OEM(Drive alone) 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty --* Works With PC & Mac *-- more info-> N82E16822144118 $167.00 $167.00


VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH SANTA CRUZ - OEM
PCI Sound Card with Digital Signal Processor for the Ultimate Listening Experience.
Home theater surround sound.
Create your own Music.
Accelerates MP3, DVD, and Internet Audio.
Mfg Part# TBS-3400-01
Driver Download:
*Audio Cable Not Included!* more info-> N82E16829118101 $62.00 $62.00




Subtotal » $1,004.99

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Read carefully. Research first. They put cautionary statements into the product descriptions for a reason.

Gigabyte GA-8IHXP2 Tehama-E 850E/ICH4 chipset Socket 478 LAN ATA133 RAID AC97 Sound ATX motherboard
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Pentium 4 socket 478
Chipset: 850E / ICH4
FSB: 533/400 MHz
RAM: 4x <b>RAMBUS 800/1066 (must be used in pairs)</b>
IDE:Ultra ATA RAID 133/100/66 4 Channels
Slots: 1 AGP 4x, 6 PCI and 1 CNR
Ports: 1xLPT,2xCOM,2xPS2,2x USB onboard 4x USB 2.0 via backplane
Onboard Audio: CT5880 controller chip
Onboard LAN Realtek 10/100 more info-> N82E16813128158 $158.00 $158.00

Samsung Original <b>RIMM 4200 32-Bit</b> 256MB RAMBUS RAM
Samsung Original 232-Pin <b>32-Bit RIMM4200</b> PC1066 1066MHz RAMBUS Memory **Only one is needed to boot up the System** <b>This RAM would <i>only</i> work for ASUS P4T533 Motherboard and it WILL NOT work for other boards</b> Board must support RIMM4200 Spec
part #
MD16R1628AF0-CN9DF
MD16R1628AF0-CN90
MD16R1628DF0-CN9
more info-> N82E16820147201 $121.00 $121.00

In other words, you've chosen incompatible mobo/RAM. Either get the ASUS P4T533 motherboard which uses 32-bit RDRAM and stick with the RAM that you've chosen, or stick with the Gigabyte GA-8IHXP2 motherboard that you've chosen and get <i>two</i> sticks of 16-bit PC1066 RDRAM instead of the one stick of 32-bit RIMM4200.

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[TCL71]

What would be better....or does it end up the same either way,it's just a matter of what mobo ya want?

 

[Lamoni]

I also plan to OC,though I have no idea how to do it....so easy overclockibilty(if thats a word),is also a concern

I have heard that P4's overclock well. That is great if you feel the need to overclock. I don't really care for it myself. Sure, it is like a free upgrade, but that free upgrade voids any warranty (not a big deal), and then whenever your system crashes or reboots you have to wonder if it might be the overclocked CPU that caused it. I just run my CPU at stock speeds and enjoy the comfort of a stable system. It is fast enough to run everything I have and I don't feel like I need the fastest computer in my neighborhood. It is a fun hobby for a lot of people though. My hobby is building worry free stable systems. Many over clocked systems are also very stable, but I don't need the extra speed so I don't bother with it.

Also,I'm running windoze 98SE right now,and should prolly think about updating that too....any thoughts on what to get?

I would recommend getting Windows XP. It is more stable than 98SE and Win98 is no longer being supported my Microsoft so there won't be any more updates for it and companies are generally not concerned with optimizing drivers for it. If it works, they leave it. If you don't plan on leaving your computer on for days at a time, Win98 might be stable enough for you though and not going to WinXP would save you money. It is your choice, but after using WinXP Pro myself, I never want to go back to 98.

 

[Lamoni]

What would be better....or does it end up the same either way,it's just a matter of what mobo ya want?

It mostly depends on what Mobo you want, but I would personally get the ASUS board. It is much easier to upgrade when you just use one stick instead of two. And ASUS makes good boards.

 

[slvr_phoenix]

It's pretty much just a matter of what mobo you want. The 32-bit RDRAM was kind of just a fad that didn't really catch on, so choices are pretty limited there.

I think personally I'd rather have the 16-bit PC1066 RDRAM over the 32-bit RIMM4200 RDRAM, so I'd just suggest picking different RAM and keeping with the mobo that you've selected.

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[slvr_phoenix]

I would recommend getting Windows XP. It is more stable than 98SE and Win98 is no longer being supported my Microsoft so there won't be any more updates for it and companies are generally not concerned with optimizing drivers for it.

I have to say that I agree with you here. Win98SE, while a good OS, is being dropped by MS, and I'm sure it won't take too long before hardware vendors stop caring about providing Win9x drivers. WinXP is a nice enough OS I guess (once you disable most of the annoying Windows-For-8-Year-Olds eye candy), but you definately have to go with the Pro version. I personally still stick to Win 2000 at work. It's like Win XP Pro without the annoyances.

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[TCL71]

Ok so,if I stick with the same mobo,and get.....Samsung Original RAMBUS 1066Mhz PC1066 128MB 4.2GB/second (Dual channel) - OEM Version
Model#: MR16R1624DF0-CT9

Should be good to go there,as long as I get two or four sticks...right?

 

[halkebul]

Don't invest in RDRAM - a technology on life support. I would wait 1-2 weeks for a Gigabyte 8INXP motherboard, featuring DualDDR, go for this combo:

- Gigabyte 8INXP Limited Edition motherboard: Dual DDR support; Crazy overclocking options; Dual Power System (DPS); Serial ATA RAID; IDE RAID; External Serial ATA device connectivity; Gigabit LAN; color-coded front panel connectors

- <A HREF="http://www.atacom.com/program/atacom_new.cgi?cart_id=418701_24_125_112_206&USER_ID=www&PAGE=IP47_CPUX&ADV=CPU" target="_new">Intel Pentium4 2.4B processor *with C1 stepping* (make sure ya get the one that says C1 stepping next to the processor description) RETAIL $211</A>

- Western Digital 80GB Special Edition Hard Drive $114

- Two 256MB DDR400 Memory modules to take advantage of the dual memory controller of the Gigabyte 8INXP.

Simply increase the FSB to 170MHz (lock the PCI/AGP buses at their default frequencies 33MHz/66MHz respectively) in the BIOS and you'll be cruisin at 3.06GHz!!!

<i>It's your world kid!!!</i>