Close to the end of the planning stage

douga · Post by **douga** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 6:36 pm

Hi, all:

I've been living with a 400Mhz Pentium II for the past six years, and I kinda think it's time for an upgrade. (And to get rid of the noisy Maxtors).

So I've done a couple of months worth of research, here and at other sites, and I think I've almost reached the end of the planning stage. Here's the system I've put together on paper:

Motherboard: MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum (or could be Neo2-F)
Case: Antec SLK3000B
PSU: Nexus NX-4090
HD: Seagate Barracuda (x2)
CD: NEC DVD-RW or Plextor DVD-RW
Floppy: Something sitting around in my office
Memory: 2x1G DIMMS
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 (Venice 3200)
Video: MSI FX5200-TD128LF
Audio: SoundBlaster Live (already have one)

Any comments on the system are welcome.

As you can see, I have no idea what memory to get; that's something I still have to research. I'd sure like to hear peoples experiences with reliable and not-so-reliable memory.

I have a few more questions. I don't know whether to go with the stock AMD CPU heatsink/fan or to invest in a better one. If I go with another one, I think I'd like something the same approximate size as the AMD.

Also, I'm thinking I could replace the case fan(s) with Nexus fans (or whatever...just something better).

And...for all you Antec SLK3000B owners...would you recommend installing the optional fan on the front of the case?

Thanks to everyone in advance. Many of you have given me great advice already...you just aren't aware of it.

Doug

vertigo · Post by **vertigo** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 11:39 pm

Unless you have a specific need for 2GB ram (perhaps you develop software or run specific programs which use a lot of ram), it is probably overkill. 1GB wil be sufficient for most people.

However if you want this PC to last another 4 years, it is probably a good idea to get more.

oakdad · Post by **oakdad** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:21 am

I am not sure what you intend to use your computer for but the 5200 video card is about as bad as they come. To get an idea of how much video card you should be looking for I suggest you read this artical from Toms.
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphi ... index.html
Here is an older video card performance chart that has the 5200 listed.
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphi ... aquamark_3
Here is a newer video card chart that is much more up to date.
I personally think the 6600GT video cards are the way to go right now.

Shadowknight · Post by **Shadowknight** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:31 am

H/D: Replacee them with Samsung drives; current Barracudas don't match up to the much praised, and long out of production, IV/V series.
CPU heatsink: Stock heatsinks suck. It is known. Get a Ninja. You'll be happier. It'll decrease your chance for hair loss, make women lust after you, help you make money faster, and guarantee a quick promotion fasttrack at work. In other words, get the Ninja,
Fans: Yeah, Nexus, or the Yate Loons from jab-tech/tekjems. Get a fan controller to control their speed. You don't need a lot of rpm for good cooling (which, of course, leads to a quieter computer).
Case: Only put a front fan if you feel the need for active cooling of the hard drives. Not much benefit otherwise. Also, more fans, and fans cloer to you via the front, equals more noise.

Try to stick with passive VGA card, motherboard, or replace them with passive aftermarket coolers and you should be fine

douga · Post by **douga** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:41 am

oakdad wrote:I am not sure what you intend to use your computer for but the 5200 video card is about as bad as they come. To get an idea of how much video card you should be looking for I suggest you read this artical from Toms.

<< stuff deleted >>

Thanks for the pointers.

The machine will largely be used for development. I'll watch the occasional DVD on it, but won't be doing much 3-D graphics stuff. That's why I figured the 5200 would be good enough.

hofffam · Post by **hofffam** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:15 am

Do you have and use a digital camera? If so - the Mitsumi floppy/card reader combo is a great piece. No extra slot used, etc. About $25.

Shadowknight · Post by **Shadowknight** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 7:36 am

AVOID THE MITSUMI! I got one and it had definite compatibility issues with AT LEAST all Asus boards, from what I can tell. On Asus boards it will NOT allow you to read SmartCards.

hyperq · Post by **hyperq** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 7:48 am

1. Turn the hard drive cage sideways and suspend it. Do a search in Gallery for details. You will be surprised by the amount of case resonance it removes.

2. I recommend a front fan to cool the hard drives. Hot drives have a short lifespan.

3. Cut the fan grills out front and back to reduce wind noise. Read the sticky in Fans & Control section on using tin snips.

douga · Post by **douga** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:54 pm

Thanks to everyone who answered.

Shadowknight: I don't think I'm quite ready for how much the Ninja will change my life

I _was_ looking at Nexus CPU coolers, but the reviews I've read on those (the SkiveTek in particular) have been kind of lukewarm.

Still don't know what kind of memory to get -- it'll be 2 sticks of 1G, but the question is: OCZ or Kingston.

And, hey, thanks again. At this point, I can use all the input I can get on this system.

Doug

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:52 pm

Kingston isnt bad.

It was mildly shoddy though at one point. I worked at Circuit city. some of the ram was lack-luster at best. The gaming stuff seems to be decent, and, for some reason, Abit chooses it as recommendation.

MSI chose corsair as theirs, and corsair now goes into my "definitely will be placed in a box after using" category. It has a name, yet often doesnt work with many boards in a multiple dim situation. shrugs.

OCZ never let's you down. I cant think of anytime that it was ever given a thumbs down or ever caused a system problem.

~El~Jefe~ · Post by **~El~Jefe~** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 12:00 am

oh, another thing:

avoid that mitsumi!! how that sucker ticked me off to no end! I could never get it working. The drivers were like for a win95-98, I didnt even see full xp support, yet, who would use one of those without windowsxp on their system???

plus: it seems like 2 of them were fried out of the box.

I wish they did work. It is the ultimate in deluxing for the Floppy slot.

Your first vid card choice is terrible

I just thought it point that out to you.

you want something that is modern and does 2d exceptionally well. I suggest a matrox550 or higher.

douga · Post by **douga** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 4:23 am

~El~Jefe~ wrote:
Your first vid card choice is terrible I just thought it point that out to you.

Very few people seem to like this card.

The only criteria I had was that the card had to be passively cooled, and that it should be based on the GeForce GPU (which I've liked in the recent past).

Back to the drawing board, I guess. Suggestions welcome.

Thanks for the suggestion on the RAM; OCZ certainly seems like the best choice. It's even a little cheaper than the Corsair stuff.

Funny, but...when I decided to build a system, I had no idea what things cost. If someone had told me I'd be spending more on memory than on a CPU, I would've laughed. Not laughing now...

douga · Post by **douga** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 11:41 am

Oh, and just one more thing.

Thanks, everybody!

As I've said before, everyone here has been really helpful.

I almost have the final list (though I waver between the MSI motherboard and an ASUS). The reaction to the video card I picked out has caused me to rethink my choice in that area.

I'll be taking pictures of the build (which will start in the next few months) and I'll post them all (or at least a link to them) in the gallery when I'm done.

Thanks again.

Planned system:

Case: Antec SLK3000B
Motherboard: MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
PSU: Nexus 4090
HD: Samsung Spinpoint (x2)
CD: NEC DVD
Floppy: Already have
Memory: OCZ 2x1G Performance
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 (Venice 3200)
Video: TBD
Audio: Sound Blaster Live
Case Fans: Nexus 120mm (2)
CPU Cooler: TBD