Yes, this isn't camera related per-se ... but I trust you guys :)
I have to get a new motherboard/cpu because my computer shuts itself off 7 times a day. I've replaced the cpu fan twice in my several years of ownership of this computer (athlon 800, asus k7v). I need new hardware. My computer shut itself off after 5 minutes of running this morning, and I just can't take it anymore! :) I'm sick of sinking money into an outdated machine, and it's time for an upgrade anyway.
SO.... I've been researching all morning. I pretty happy with my hardware selection. I just wanted to make sure nobody had any big objections to things I might have overlooked.
<br><br>Drew</td></tr></table></td></tr>
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07/25/2002 01:58:25 PM · #2 |
Drew,
Also check out TCWO, and I have a contact at Insight if you like.
-Terry
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07/25/2002 02:03:41 PM · #3 |
Well, I will give you my opinion. Do with it as you want. I run, and have always run, on Intel chips. It is a personal preference for me. I have NEVER had any issues with any of the Intel products I have used. I just (2 weeks ago) went through what you are starting. I moved from a PII 400 to a P4 1.5 GHz Northwood (Socket 478) chip. I upgraded the motherboard and chip for $205 (after shipping cost.) I already had memory (DIMMS) and other parts. The board I bought accepts both DDR and DIMM memory.
I got the 1.5 GHx chip instead of the 2.2 GHx chip because of money. Spend the money on the board, make sure it will accept the faster chips as well as a slower chip. It gives room for upgrade without spending too much money. My mainboard will accept up to the 2.2 GHz Northwood (Socket 478) chips.
Go with the larger power supply. and buy extra case fans, including the HDD fans. They can produce almost as much heat as the CPU. There is also a nice turbo fan setup that fits in a PCI slot on the case. Great for pulling air in the bottom of the case. I have 8 fans total in my case. 4 pulling air in and 4 pushing it out. My airflow comes in from the bottom and out the top of the case. (heat rises, remember)
For looking for good prices, try //www.pricewatch.com LOTS of good prices and excellent selection... |
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07/25/2002 02:49:34 PM · #4 |
I have an 1800+ mildly overclocked, with 2 hard drives, cdrw, 4 fans (one of which a very high rpm 60mm, another a 120mm), a gf3, nic, and the other usual hardware. All is running without a hitch on a 300W power supply, and according to motherboard monitor my voltages are quite consistant, within acceptable parameters, and without spikes/sags.
That said, I think a 300W would suffice, but if a 350w or 400w is a reasonable option for you, it wont do any harm by any means.
Personally with heatsinks, I tend to stick with alpha, or more recently thermalright. The SLK-800 looks pretty sweet. The dynatron's seem to perform pretty good too, though.
You might consider saving a few bucks on the ram as well. Unless you plan on overclocking, you wont see a speed difference between pc2100 and pc2700.
And if it were me, id scrap the tv/dvi features and upgrade to a 4400. But if you need those features, that seems to be a good price on the card.
Also, FWIW, those identical components configured on newegg.com total 683. If the site you configured them at is at all shady, Id spend the extra 15 bucks and go with newegg. They have decent shipping rates, and probably the best no hassle rma system online.
just my $.02 |
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07/25/2002 03:11:33 PM · #5 |
Well you can get a nice tower case with PS at newegg for $70 (plus pretty high shipping costs) or possibly locally (you'd know better than I what level of supplier you have in your area) - a Chieftec tower case (what Antec rebrands or vice versa) with a nice 420W PS (Turbolink, a rebranded Channel Well), just got mine a bit ago, very nice case only thing that slightly detracts is that the motherboard plate is fixed in the case and isnt removable (which isnt a big deal since the case is very roomy).
The rest of the prices are reasonable, the memory is a bit pricey but if its a bottleneck in your system it may be worth the premium to you. |
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07/25/2002 04:33:39 PM · #6 |
why don't we get together and buy these two guys a couple of new conputers?
Anybody out there know how to send them a check? I don't use any of the pay services myself. |
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07/25/2002 05:56:50 PM · #7 |
Since you are going to have to buy a new power supply anyway, I would go ahead and get a 300w unit that will fit in your existing case and give it a try. If your computer is just randomly shutting itself off, chances are that the power supply or the switch is the culprit.
You may also want to try to determine if you are experiencing brownouts in the outlet where you are plugged in... |
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07/25/2002 06:14:56 PM · #8 |
Drew,
I have an $80 300 watt case I bought at CompUsa for my AMD XP 1600 set up. I have used this setup for 6 months without any problems.
A side note, I have heard through the grapevine that ASUS motherboards are not very reliable for supporting AMD processors.
Don''t know about GIGABYTE boards but can tell you from experience I prefer ABIT motherboards. I have used them with AMDs, Celerons, and PIII''s without any problems. Very happy with my ABIT board today.
Have you looked at MWAVE to see what they have?
Bob
* This message has been edited by the author on 7/25/2002 6:15:01 PM.
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07/25/2002 06:32:21 PM · #9 |
This thread is in serious need of some rational female input. Why do men make things so difficult? Just put your credit card in your wallet, drive to your nearest Fry's, find the most expensive, biggest and best computer there, cram it in your cart, go to the checkout (make sure on the way you grab at least one of those software packages/gadgets you've been wanted for months) and CHARGE IT! You can figure out how to pay for it later. Rationalize it in terms of increased productivity. You work on your computer...so, you'll be able to get a lot more done with a faster computer that doesn't crash...ie more money. The extra money will pay for the new computer in a few months. (yes, I know this is living dangerously)
I'd be willing to make a contribution...just set up the means to receive payment for your services on this site. :) |
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07/25/2002 07:00:41 PM · #10 |
| If you go to Tigerdirect.com and either buy a computer or a barebones kit you should save some money and definately save some time. |
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07/25/2002 07:44:17 PM · #11 |
Drew,
I think you have made a reasonable choice. The gigabyte boards are rock solid, but not know for overclocking. If you want to overclock, you may want to do a bit more research. I have had 3 generations of gigabyte motherboards without a problem. I am in the process of upgrading mine now, and I bought the SOYO Dragon+ as a result of the test reports on the KT-266 chip set. On the 333 chipset, the gigabyte board was rated better. As far as power supplies go, i would opt for at least a 400w supply. If you are going to use the RAID on the motherboard that would mean more hard drives to power, and a 500w supply would not be out of the question. Bottom line is, you made a decent choice, but don't skimp on the power supply.
Pete
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07/25/2002 08:22:50 PM · #12 |
Drew -
I went through this a couple months ago and decided it would be the first time I''d ever go right to the top. I ended up with a 2.5ghz P4 with 1gb DDR333 (PC2700) on an Asus board. I also got the Gainward GeForce 4, but I got the 4400. I also splurged on a black aluminum case that came with 4 fans, so it keeps cool. I finished it off with a new 120gb drive and an SGI multilink adapter to drive my SGI 1600SW flatpanel monitor with the new video card.
Now that I''m done bragging, I''ll give you some advice. Stick with the PC2700/DDR333. It''s a good bet for today''s market. Somebody else mentioned that if you don''t need the TV in/out crap, you can save some money on the video. This is definitely true and probably something to consider. I''ve never used Gigabtye boards, but they have a good reputation. I''m strictly an ASUS man myself, because I''ve had nothing but great success with them.
As for the chip, this is completely personal preference, as far as I''m concerned. I bought an AMD K6-2 when they came out and it completely sucked and I''ve cowardly shy''d away from them every since. But their newer chips have such a better reputation, that they''re definitely worth trying out. And if they''re much cheaper than Intel chips in the current market, I say go for it. The 2100+ was the fastest AMD chip when I was researching (you know how things can change in a couple months), so I''m sure it''ll be a nice setup.
As for the power supply, I went with a 400w. Seems a good choice to power todays machines and still have some power for the future.
Oh, I also have 2 of those same Corsair 512 chips, and they''re running fine so far. This machine runs nice a cool and is completely stable. I''m happy with my choices.
Good luck!
- Mike
* This message has been edited by the author on 7/25/2002 8:23:45 PM. |
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07/25/2002 08:49:15 PM · #13 |
Thank you all for your wonderful input.
I went with the PC2700 because AMD has already promised that their next line of chips would work with DDR333. The price step is mild enough that I figure it will probably be worth the investment.
I've used VIVO twice or so with my design company, so I really like to have it as an option. I'll check out the 4400, though. The 4200s are so damn cheap anyway :)
Athlons up to 2100 beat P4 in most benchmarks up to about 2.2-2.4 GHz, at which point P4's are already creeping well above the cost of the Athlon. I'm convinced that so long as I can keep heat under control, an AMD processor will be worth its weight.
David, thank you very much for the offer. I truly appreciate that, but I couldn't take anyone up on the offer. Just don't forget about us when we offer special member features (hint, hint).
Lisa, my heart says 'yes', but my bank account says 'NO!' :)
Not sure if I'm going to go with newegg... I picked Monarch Computers because they were located in GA, and ground shipping would get to me in 2ish days instead of 7. I'll check it out, though.
Drew |
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07/25/2002 10:26:16 PM · #14 |
| You got it ! Thanks for the site. |
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<br><br>Drew</td></tr></table></td></tr>
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