SOYO/AMD/WD/98SE Will it all be compatible?

doughboy34135

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Hello everyone, I am having my dream(almost) computer built for me this week . I went over all the components with the guy that is building it for me and he forsees noproblems. I trust him but after reading through the different posts I am becoming increasingly concerned about a few things. First, the components I am getting are:
Soyo Dragon ULtra Platinum
512 mb DDR pc2700 memory
AMD XP2200+
(2) Western Digital 120gb 8 mb cache hard drives
these will be using the RAID 0 setup on the board.
A Linksys ethernet card(i know the board has it but I have heard that a card will take some load off the processor...and it was only like 25 bucks or so.
A Gainward Ti4200 dual display video card.
dvd drive, 48X cd-r, thermaltake xaser case blah blah blah
Windows 98 SE
Now, my concerns are :
1. Will 98 handle the fast processor?
2. Any problems with that large of a hard drive?
3. Will the RAID array create any problems?
I know you are all going to say I should have gone with XP but this guy swears that 98SE will work and I just like it to much to give it up yet.
Any input on this matter would be appreciated. Anyone that sees something that I missed please feel free to elaborate.
Thanks a lot.
 

flowmaster

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With a fast processor like that it will be better to go with the new stable OS. Windows Xp
IT supports newer hardware and more stable.
Your setup looks good.
The only reason im worried about my new set up not working is because im grabbing ahold of a Amd Athlon xp 2600+ and i dont know if anyone has test the processor for stablility.
And im worried about the ati radeon 9700 pro not fiting in because of transistors being placed to next to the agp slot.
But dont worry your set up looks good and since its win98 se it should work good enough but the new software might stop supporting win98
And oh yea! Sorry for saying to change to winxp but i somehow skipped that sentance.
:)
 

tilepusher

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Hey D,

Should be OK.

My take: Get the XP 2100+ or the XP 2400+ . Either one will run much cooler than the XP 2200+(in case down the road you decide to OC). Don't worry about the on board ethernet using a lot of cpu power, c'mon this is a modern system we are talking about............either on board or pci ethernet cards will not change your overall benchmarks one bit. I think lately, reviewers are just looking for anything to say this sound card or ethernet card is better than another one..............by saying it uses less processor power than the other product, but in real life you will never see the difference. Still if it makes you happy & you have the card already, why not use it.........either way no big deal. Lastly make sure you have a Good PSU. I like the Enermax 430 watt PSU's & the Antec 400(or higher) watt PSU's. Thermaltake & Vantec have just gotten into the PSU market & they also might be worth looking into. Your system is going to draw a lot of power, don't go cheap.

Now, for your questions:

1) Win 98 SE will be fine, not as stable as XP, but better hardware driver support.

2) The WD 120gb 8mb cache HDD is one of the best/fastest in the industry. You will not have any more problems other than any other HDD(mis-set Master/Slave jumpers or Under-Powered PSU).

3) The Raid will be fine.

Peace Out..............tile



god knows your entire system setup & he would answer your questions if he could just stop laughing
 

snotling

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With that much memory, win2k or (sigh) XP is a must.

But, you don't want to quit 98 and I respect that.
but be carefull with that CD-rw. above 40X they can make your CDs Explode!!!!!! (can't remember where I read taht LOL)

does the balh blah include a 19inch monitor?

because your family and friends, will judge you on the size of your monitor... get two, they'll got nuts!

You've got my blessing kid. Any Radeon would have made me happier but you have my blessing. It'll be a GREAT toy
 

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
98SE handles any speed processor. 98SE will run on the worlds fastest PC's as long as stable hardware is used. 98SE cannot recover from data errors that are caused by flaky hardware as easily as NT based operating systems, which is why a stable system is a must. And 98SE has a 512MB limit.

So the only thing that would prevent you from running 98SE on your system would be the lack of driver support if it exist for your parts, or poorly made parts.

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>
 

doughboy34135

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Thanks everyone for all the input. I'm glad to report that I got my system this morning and it is sweet. I only had one problem with the powerDVD software but fixed that with an update. My RAID works great, and i did use a 500 watt power supply by the way. This case has 5 fans in it and its not any louder than my old case with 2. The temp guage on the front has yet to go above 25 degrees C* even after being on for about 8 hours straight now. As far as the stability concerns with 98, I can handle a few lock-ups now and then. It's a damn PC right? It took me a few hours to get it the way I wanted it and only locked up when I was transferring files from my old hard drive to the RAID one. I don't think it liked having 2 versions of windows in the computer at the same time. All Good since I reformatted the 20 gig from my old comp. Oh, and my comp. recognizes 524000 kilobytes of memoery when it boots. Off of a 512 stick? Hmmmm...? Sorry for blabbing, thanks again to everyone.
Oh, I ran 3d mark 2001 as soon as i could at 1024x768 at 32 bit color with AA off and V-sync on and scored a 9576. The video card is running at default levels right now and I could overclock but I don't see the need.
P.S. Yeah, I have two flat screen 17 monitors, not flat panels but damn good samsungs.
Peace
 

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
Your memory reading is right, because 1MB=1024KB, so divide by 1024 instead of 1000 and see for yourself!

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>
 

baldurga

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It's curios, your are right, and I also read it in other threads. But you know what?

I "haven't realised", but now I'm thinking last week I install 256Mb more to my PC ... for a total 768Mb, and I'm running W98SE on a XP 1700+. I should notice some problems, blue screens or something, right?

Note: just to general knowledge, in Spain the XP1600+ is very difficult to find, minimum is XP1700+, but the cheaper price is over $80. I hate it!


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