newb: will my PC parts list work?

peter wenker wrote:
 > Greetings,
 >
 > I'm putting a system together; this is my first try. I'd appreciate
 > feedback on the configuration I've put together.
 >
 > I'm already much indebted to the overclocking community for all the
 > great hardware reviews that helped me with this.
 >
 > Mostly I want to know if I've included any component that's
 > incompatible with another component. Here goes:
 >
 > CASE:
 > Antec SX1040BII Performance II 400-watt ATX Tower Case
 >
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=297029&pfp=BROWSE" target="_blank">http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=297029&pfp=BROWSE</a>
 >
 > MOTHERBOARD:
 > FIC AU13 nForce2-ST Bus Speed: 333 MHz 8X AGP
 >
 > PROCESSOR:
 > Athlon XP2500+, 1.83GHz, 333MHz Bus, Socket A Processor AMD
 > AXDA2500BOX (retail version, should have a heatsink already installed
 > I think?)
 >
 > MEMORY:
 > Crucial Technology 512MB PC2700 184pin DDR DIMM Memory Module
 > CT6464Z335
 >
 > MONITOR:
 > Samsung SyncMaster 955df 19-inch (18.0 vis) Monitor, Black/Silver
 >
 > VIDEO CARD:
 > GIGABYTE ATI RADEON 9200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out,
 > 8X AGP, Model GV-R92128DH
 >
 > HARD DRIVE:
 > Seagate 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model ST3120026A, 8MB cache
 >
 > OPERATING SYSTEM:
 > Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a
 >
 > ...I'm not worried about the rest of the list: floppy drive, CDROM,
 > keyboard, mouse etc.
 >
 > Mostly I just want to know if these parts will work together. After
 > that system stability is my main concern. I've tried to put together
 > a modestly-priced package that will last and is
 > upgradeable/expandable. A friend helped me put a system together 3+
 > years ago and it's been very solid; I'm trying to duplicate the feat
 >
 >
 > Any help is much appreciated.


Should be fine. But I would change the video card to something else if you
intend to play a game or 2. The 9200 is fine for internet, word processing,
basice stuff (I have one in this machine). I would go with a 9600 Pro at
least for good all around performance.

Where are you planning to purchase these items? Newegg has the same case
for less money
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-120&depa=0" target="_blank">http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-120&depa=0</a>

I am sure they have a good deal on the rest and shipping is usually
reasonable if not free.

S<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: newb: will my PC parts list work? 

On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 09:31:03 -0700, Fishface wrote:

 > peter wenker wrote:
  >> I'm putting a system together; this is my first try. I'd appreciate
  >> feedback on the configuration I've put together.
 >
 > Hey, you posted to an overclocking group, and you don't plan to
 > overclock?! You won't go too far wrong if you listen to these
 > guys...
 >
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2021</font" target="_blank">http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2021</font</a>>
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2037</font" target="_blank">http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2037</font</a>>

LOL, that guy's gone way over to the AMD schmoozing camp. I loved that
first link, with CPU recommendations that are AMD-only, and CPU
alternatives in the next link that come from Intel...

Looks more like an AMD budget reference guide to me. I've been picking up
socket 462 boards with athlons from 800 to 1.67 fairly cheap, and I must
say that so far I am not impressed. They seem to suffer from the same
sort of driver compatibility issues that plagued the super socket 7 scene.

Ah, and the video card choices that are ATI-only also figures.

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 >> Stay informed about: newb: will my PC parts list work? 

Ixnei wrote:
 > LOL, that guy's gone way over to the AMD schmoozing camp.
 > I loved that first link, with CPU recommendations that are AMD-
 > only, and CPU alternatives in the next link that come from Intel...

Yeah, well he was going to buy an XP2500+, so I thought I'd point
him there so he could get some extra performance for free. Did you
read the part where the author said, "Remember, though, that price
is still important enough that this is not meant to be a high end system,
even though it'll perform better than one." I think I read that Evan
(the author) drives the P4 on an Asus P4S800D-E in his personal
system...<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: newb: will my PC parts list work? 

Ixnei wrote:
 > On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 09:31:03 -0700, Fishface wrote:
 >
  >> peter wenker wrote:
   >>> I'm putting a system together; this is my first try. I'd appreciate
   >>> feedback on the configuration I've put together.
  >>
  >> Hey, you posted to an overclocking group, and you don't plan to
  >> overclock?! You won't go too far wrong if you listen to these
  >> guys...
  >>
<font color=green>  >> <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2021</font" target="_blank">http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2021</font</a>>
<font color=green>  >> <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2037</font" target="_blank">http://anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2037</font</a>>
 >
 > LOL, that guy's gone way over to the AMD schmoozing camp. I loved
 > that first link, with CPU recommendations that are AMD-only, and CPU
 > alternatives in the next link that come from Intel...

Price was a fairly important consideration for this guide: "Remember,
though, that price is still important enough that this is not meant to be a
high end system, even though it'll perform better than one." The
"recommended" AMD combo cost $190, whereas the P4 combo cost $363, nearly
twice as much. You're not going to get anywhere near twice the performance
from the P4 bundle except possibly in some very P4-tweaked applications.

 > Looks more like an AMD budget reference guide to me. I've been
 > picking up socket 462 boards with athlons from 800 to 1.67 fairly
 > cheap, and I must say that so far I am not impressed. They seem to
 > suffer from the same sort of driver compatibility issues that plagued
 > the super socket 7 scene.

You need to stop buying KT266 mobo's or update your drivers Via's drivers
have improved dramatically over the past 18 months (particularily with
respect to AGP cards) and out of the 30-odd systems I know which have AMD
CPUs in them, none of them have any driver/hardware issues (though all are
KT333 or newer, or non-via chipsets). Given that 10 of these are doing 24/7
psuedo-server duties (combination of Linux and NT4), I'd say that most of
the bugs have been fixed. Of course, the KT266 and earlier were terrible
chipsets from a bug-ridden point of view, though the KT333 and later (and
the nForce 2) are all pretty good in the stability department.

 > Ah, and the video card choices that are ATI-only also figures.

I'd have to agree with this ... I would have thought the toss-up would have
been between a 9600 Pro and a 5700 (ultra or non-ultra depending on local
pricing) which seem to be very evenly matched price and performance wise.

--
Michael Brown
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.emboss.co.nz" target="_blank">www.emboss.co.nz</a> : OOS/RSI software and more
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