New computer

[Guest]

Instead of posting in several forums i put it all here. Im currently looking out for a new computer, and i need some help
Motherboard with 333 mhz fsb(for use with athlon xp 2100+)
DDR Ram PC 2700
Geforce4 Ti4600
The other components i have decided what to be, or i have them already, but if you have other good hardware to buy then say so.

 

[Scout]

I've always been a hard core Asus fan and their A7V333 seems like a good choice...but I think if I were to set up a rig like yours, I might go with the MSI KT3 Ultra ARU board. It's probably a bit cheaper than the Asus board and I've used a couple of MSI boards now and I've been really impressed with their stability and features.

Scout
700 Mflops in SETI!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply, i noticed that the MSI motherboard was with Audio and Raid, i know what raid im also buying 2x 80 GB Seagate's. But whats up with the Audio thing? Is it onboard sound?
Also would a 350 watt enermax psu be sufficient?
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by FISKER_Q on 04/14/02 11:29 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[camieabz]

I should be, but it's worth spending a little money on your PSU. If you can get 400W+ for little extra coat, go for it.

The Enermax PSUs are decent quality though, so it's kinda down to the requirments of the system. If you plan to add to the system, you may need more.

<b><font color=blue>~ Oh flower of Scotland...da da de de dum dum doo doo.~ </font color=blue></b>

 

[Guest]

Well since its freaking expensive here in Denmark i dont know if im upgrading the psu. But what about a Geforce 4 Ti 4600, which good brands are there?

 

[upec]

If you already have the PSU then just use it. You will be fine with it but if you getting a new one then it is better to get a 400 Watt one for future upgrade.

 

[Guest]

What about a Soltek?

 

[Strife]

1) In a powersupply its quality not wattage that matters. A 300 watt enermax is AMD approved up to XP2100+ while a 400 watt PRT is only approved up to an Athlon 950. Check AMD's list of approved powersupplies and check for the exact model number. I hear the enermax's are rather quiet which is always nice.

2) Get a good heatsink. I suggest also going by AMD's list of approved heatsinks for you processor. If you are an overclocker you may have no ignore the list as some of the larger heatsinks did not make the list because they weighted to much. If you are more concerned with noise than overclocking get a heatsink with a slower quieter fan. Some heatsink fans sound like a vacume cleaner! Also if you are worried about damaging your cpu while mounting the heatsink get a cpu spacer or shim, they are cheap and they could save you a lot of money.

3) Get quality memory! With memory you definately get what you pay for. A lot of the older PC2700 was tested on KT266a and is buggy under KT333. Just to be safe I would get Corsair PC3000, but run it at PC2700 with timming of 2,2,2 1T. PC 2700 CL2 is defined as 2,3,3 1T for some reason, there is handly any performance difference between 222 and 233 but then again there is not much difference between DDR 333 and DDR 370. Getting memory that is rated higher than you will using gives you an extra margin of error. With new motherboard revisions and JDECs revised PC2700 standard the problems people are having between KT333 and PC2700 will soon disapear.

4) I alway buy the cheapest video card that uses the chipset I want. Currently I have a EVGA Geforce 2 MX PCI and a PNY Geforce 4 Ti4400 and have had no promblems with either.

5) I have always used Asus motherboards, but might purchase an MSI next time. MSI is cheaper and many people claim that they are more stable.

6) Integrated Audio is much better than it used to be. I recently put together a Soyo Dragon Plus system and the onboard Cmedia 5.1 channel sound card really impressed me. It was just as good as my Soundblaster live 5.1 and had an optical out! I did not get a chance to test its EAX capabilities.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your good answer, but there are only pc2700 sold here, but i can maybe find a import store. So this is my specs right now:

MSI KT3 Ultra ARU
Gainward Geforce 4 Ti 4600
1024 (maybe only 512 mb)mb PC2700 DDR SDRAM (kingston)
2x80 Gb Seagate Barracuda IV
Athlon XP 2100+
Enermax 350 watt Dual fan system
Chieftec full tower
Volcano 7+ heatsink

I wouldnt normally overclock, but as the computer gets old ill maybe do so. Also what is raid good for? And what would be a optimal setting for 2x80 gb Seagate?

 

[Strife]

Raid (0) is striping and Raid (1) is mirroring. With both you need to identical hard drives.

With mirroring both hard drives both drives act as a single 80 gb drive and if one fails you don't lose any data. This is essential if you are running a mission critical server. A buisness would not want to lose all its orders just because a hard drive died.

Striping is what most home users want. With striping both drives will act as one 160 GB hard drive. An Ultra ATA 133 bus has a theoretical limit of 133MB/s but the fastest hard drive cannot even achive 50MB/s. When you use raid 0 you read half the data from each hard drive increasing performance to 71.3 MB/s. Raiding 4 drives yeilds up to 75.8 MB/s. SCSI Raid controllers perform even better. There is a drawback because if one of the two drives fail all 160 GB of data is lost.

More expensive raid conrollers offer more options that combine mirroring and striping giving you performance and reliablility with only a small lose in capacity.

Setting up raid 0 is definately worth the effort.

As for early PC2700 modules being buggy, the worst case senario is that you have to run them at 266 in stead of 333 with only a small loss in performance.

 

[Scout]

I don't know much about what audio chip MSI is using... It's called a Realtek ALC650 six channel audio chip. I know Asus used a CMedia 6 channel on-board solution that I've heard is as good as a Sound Blaster Live... Donno how good the MSI chip is. You can always turn it off and put in a real sound card if you want to.

The 350 Enermax should be just fine. I use two of these PSU's in a couple of my rigs and they are excellent and quiet. Get the version with the second fan that helps pull heat off the CPU.

Scout
700 Mflops in SETI!

 

[FatBurger]

Gainward makes a great video card, BTW. They'd be on my short list if I was buying an nVidia card right now.

Kingston RAM is ok, Corsair and Kingmax are the best overclockers though. I'd go for Corsair, they have about the most reliable quality.

<font color=blue>If you don't buy Windows, then the terrorists have already won!</font color=blue> - Microsoft

 

[l3um]

Good choice on the Gainward. I agree with FatBurger, corsair is a pretty good brand. You can also find ones with heatsinks on them.

What's this?...ERROR ERROR ERROR...*CRASH & BURN*

 

[Guest]

My computer will cost about 2100$ (yeah i hate taxes ) But were starting a new week, so the price is prolly falling later.