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Building a new computer... what you guys think of this? :)

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  • #16
    You would think that people would learn to stop asking for opinions around here, it usually gets someone into trouble.
    Anyway

    Floppy Drive: get a Sony, they're MUCH quieter than anything else.
    HD: IBM and Quantam are both good, DO NOT get a Western Digital or Maxtor.
    Monitor: www.mwave.com, they have really good deals on 2 very nice 19" Princetons.
    Keyboard: Go to your local Best Buy and find one you like.
    CDROM: Anything, if you want an especially good one fork of the cash for SCSI and get a plextor.
    Case: Full Tower, SuperMicro SC-750A, AOpen HX08, MidTower, PC Power and Cooling Personal MidTower, MiniTower, don't even think about it.
    Modem: 3com USR 56k hardware modem
    Fan: CPU, slot type, Globalwin VOS32, socket, um, dunno, something from Alpha or Globalwin
    HD Controller: unless you want to go SCSI, no need

    You might want to consider getting a networking card. 3com, Intel(admitted grudgingly), and Netgear all make good cards. Dlink's are so-so, and avoid Linksys.

    I second Brian's notion of USB stuff. I have an Intellimouse optical and it is WAY smoother than my old PS/2 mouse(course, thats partially cause it doesn't use a ball). I don't have much(any) other experience with USB though, but USB nonetheless still holds enormous potential.

    Ian
    Primary System:
    MSI 745 Ultra, AMD 2400+ XP, 1024 MB Crucial PC2100 DDR SDRAM, Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro, 3Com 3c905C NIC,
    120GB Seagate UDMA 100 HD, 60 GB Seagate UDMA 100 HD, Pioneer DVD 105S, BenQ 12x24x40 CDRW, SB Audigy OEM,
    Win XP, MS Intellimouse Optical, 17" Mag 720v2
    Seccondary System:
    Epox 7KXA BIOS 5/22, Athlon 650, 512 MB Crucial 7E PC133 SDRAM, Hercules Prophet 4500 Kyro II, SBLive Value,
    3Com 3c905B-TX NIC, 40 GB IBM UDMA 100 HD, 45X Acer CD-ROM,
    Win XP, MS Wheel Mouse Optical, 15" POS Monitor
    Tertiary system
    Offbrand PII Mobo, PII 350, 256MB PC100 SDRAM, 15GB UDMA66 7200RPM Maxtor HD, USRobotics 10/100 NIC, RedHat Linux 8.0
    Camera: Canon 10D DSLR, Canon 100-400L f4.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon 100 Macro USM Canon 28-135 f3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon Speedlite 200E, tripod, bag, etc.

    "Any sufficiently advanced technology will be indistinguishable from magic." --Arthur C. Clarke

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    • #17
      USB is awsom, I have:
      A. Logitech Wingman Force
      B. Intel Camera
      C. Visioneer scanner
      all USB and happy
      PIII-500mhz @ 620 ! with an Abit BE6 mobo
      128mb pc-100 cas 2
      Mill G400 (vanilla!!!) 32mb @ 167/208 with MGATweak-417mhz, (2.5, 2, 2.5), PD 5.5010 & bios 1.5-22
      Maxtor 14.3 gb Uata66 hdd
      SB Live!
      Winblows 98se & DX7
      and 384k DSL!

      Comment


      • #18
        So would a BE6-II mobo be all right?
        Are all the problems with the VIA chipset only with people who have G400's? What would happen if I upgraded to something else in the future? Does the VIA have problems with other video cards? Let's be reasonable guys... the G400 is not going to stay at the top forever.

        And for the sound, what about Diamond Monster MX300 or MX400?

        About CD's and DVD's. Since I'm building this comp to last me at Least 3 years... I'd say going with a DVD would be a better investmnet. Right? But I have a couple questions. DVD's aren't that widely used yet. And I'm afraid that after I buy a DVD, 8 months down the line, that particular DVD will be out dated because of some new technology.
        Like, right now, the speed for a DVD is not an issue. But 6-8 months down the line, everything might require a DVD with a higher speed then what I have got. Is that a real issue?

        Umm... one more thing. I looked at the BE6-II mobo, and it says it supports SDram. Now, I'm almost positive that the board supports PC-133MHz ram, but I just want to make sure. Does it?

        I haven't done price checks one all the parts yet, but this is what I've come up with:

        Mobo: Asus P3V4X OR BE6-II mobo
        CPU: P3 CU700E
        Ram: 128 PC133MHz Ram from Mushkin
        HD: Quantum Fireball or IBM
        Monitor: Viewsonic or Sony (maybe Nokia)
        Rom: Pioneer DVD slot-in (but might just go with a regular CD)
        Floppy: Sony
        Modem: USR
        Fan: whatever
        Keyboard: something that pleases me
        Mouse: IntelliMouse Explorer
        Case: Addtronics i guess
        Sound: Not decided... Monster MX400 or SB Live!
        Video card: G400 (probably upgrade to someting else)

        I don't think I left anything out...

        so what you guys think of that? Remove something? Put something in? Let me know.
        McRhea

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        • #19
          Webcam? Philips and Kodak have good cams
          Jordâ„¢

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          • #20
            Oh yeah! For got about that. I'm using DialPad with Tanya. She can use cameras right now, but I have to buy one first.
            McRhea

            Comment


            • #21
              Get the BE6 II, the IBM HD, try to get hold of a SQ2500 if you can still find one (I prefer A3D over EAX) and for the monitor, anything with a Sony tube in it will do (one with a max res of 1600x1200@85 or 1280x1024@85).
              I don't know if I'm going too far in suggesting a CD-Writer over a DVD-ROM ?

              Comment


              • #22
                Teac or Sony have the best floppy drives, not much more than run of the mill.

                I like Plextor drives, either SCSI or the IDE burner they have now. Or Teac IDE is real good.

                Modem wise, Courier V Everything external. I got a new 25MHz model in shrinkwrap through Ebay for $170, but Ebay can be risky. Can't be too careful there. Had an internal before, but external keeps a lone ISA slot open (if your MB has one) for a SCSI scanner card if you have that need like I did.

                I still favor BX chipsets yet, less you find someone that has a P3V4X with no problems and build it exactly the same.

                [This message has been edited by SCompRacer (edited 07 June 2000).]
                MSI K7D Master L, Water Cooled, All SCSI
                Modded XP2000's @ 1800 (12.5 x 144 FSB)
                512MB regular Crucial PC2100
                Matrox P
                X15 36-LP Cheetahs In RAID 0
                LianLiPC70

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                • #23
                  McRhea, do you intend to overclock? It's an important question. By committee, we have built you a great *1999* overclockers system.

                  I don't a Slot 1 motherboard solution is a good idea right now. The writing has been on the wall for a long time now, and Slot 1 CPU's should disappear from the channel by the end of the year.

                  You could get a Slot 1 CPU, but it's going to be more expensive than a Socket 370 FC-PGA Coppermine. You buy a slocket, but you're adding an additional component. That means additional cost and one more thing that could go wrong.

                  Also, if you intend to overclock that PIII 700, there are some stepping issues you should be aware of. Furthermore, if you intend to run the CPU at spec, I think there are better motherboard solutions than the Abit BE6-II or the Asus P3V4X. The motherboard market is a real mess right now, thanks to a LONG series of missteps by Intel and compatibility and performance issues associated with VIA's newer chipsets.

                  Give us an idea of what you want to do with that new system.

                  Paul
                  paulcs@flashcom.net

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Ah, paulcs has arrived.... and suddenly reasonableness blows through the MURC forums like a cooling wind on a hot and muggy day...

                    Ahhhhhh....
                    Holly

                    "All we need is a voluntary, free-spirited, open ended program of procreative racial deconstruction."
                    -Jay Bulworth

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Cool!

                      All right. This is going to be a high end system. One that can run most of the FPS games smoothly, but keep in mind that I'm not a hardcore gamer. I don't need 100 FPS in UT or anything.

                      I'm going to use it for surfing the net, and just your average gaming... Since I'm going to college, I'm probably sure I'm not going to be on the comp all day, although that could be arranged...

                      I was planning on O/C... but just a little. I probably won't even have to. I think I want a FC-PGA mobo. Like you said, Slot 1's are going to be discontinued in a while, so it makes sense to go with the newest thing.

                      You know what guys? Just don't figure in the O/C issue. I'm probably not going to do it. 700MHz is going to be just fine for my needs. I'm not a speed deamon(why is "daemon" spelled that way?? it should be "demon" Just my rant)

                      A DVD could be nice, and so could a CD-writer... but not in the same system. I'll probably go for one or the other.

                      So in the end I guess it comes down to building a comp that I could O/C, but probably won't. That's why I'm going with the 700MHz. Most things don't like to be O/C anyway. Any more specific info you need?
                      McRhea

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                      • #26
                        I'd like to suggest the following:

                        In terms of cost vs. performance, compatability, and the all important "stress factor," the BX chipset is probably your best bet. It is the proverbial path of least resistance, although it won't have some of the nifty features of the newer chipsets

                        Part of the appeal of the Abit BE6-II are it's overclocking-friendly features, including the remarkable ability to up the clock in increments of 1 MHz. It's a nice board, no question about it, but uses the Slot 1 interface and you might want to consider a socketed board.

                        The P3V4X is a great solution if you want to install a CPU designed to run on a 100 MHz FSB and up the FSB clock to 133 MHz. There's a lot of tweaking involved, and you have to be careful about the hardware you're using, drivers, and your BIOS settings. Also, there are issues with Matrox's latest drivers and VIA's. People have had to downgrade to PD 5.41 and even 5.30 to insure stability. It is a Slot 1 board as well.

                        Asus is about to release a Socket 370 version of the P3V4X: the CUV4X. If you're in an adventurous mood, this might be the way to go. Keep in mind, the Matrox situation will probably be the same. It uses a Northbridge that is very similar to the P3V4X's, so I suspect it will inherit many of the Slot 1 board's idiocyncracies. You'll probably have to wait a bit for it, as it was just released, and stuff tends to get to California last.

                        These boards will involve some work and maybe some experimentation.

                        The path of least resistance is probably the Asus CUBX, a BX board with a socket CPU interface. It is very fast and very stable. It might be the best motherboard I've ever worked with. But there is a downside:

                        It won't have quite as many overclocking options as the Abit board.

                        It uses Intel's i440BX chipset, and that means no 1/4 AGP multiplier, no AGP 4X, no fast writes, and an onboard ATA-66 controller (no "native" UDMA-66 support).

                        It's an old technology, kept alive because it is such a good performer and because Intel has screwed-up so badly with its successors.

                        I've tested the CUBX's gaming performance extensively against the P3V4X and it is faster--even with a marginally slower CPU.

                        If you really want to overclock that PIII 700 (Intel does not use the "E" designation on this CPU), you probably want to get the newest stepping. The first stepping was really designed to get to 800-850 MHz, and your overclocking chances will most likely be better with the new stepping.

                        If this all sounds like a complicated mess, that's because it is.

                        So you should think about what you want. It sounds like a good BX board will serve you well for the rest of the year at the very least.

                        Paul
                        paulcs@flashcom.net

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Wow Paul. Thanks for all the great info on all the mobo's. I didn't think it was THAT complicated. Don't worry, I understand 98% of it. Anyway, Somehow I think I'll need a FC-PGA card... it's just a feeling, but once I get a feeling it doesn't go away.

                          So lets go with either the Asus P3V4X or wait for the CUV4X. But then, if I'm not going to O/C that much, then why get it...
                          I might be perfectly happy with just a BE6-II. I'll just have to look around the net some more to find all the information I can get.

                          So that's stuff with the mobo, what about the other components? Anything to say about that?
                          McRhea

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                          • #28
                            Woah!!! I almost forgot an important thing!
                            Speakers!! For the old comp I used Boston Acoustics speakers, and they where "ok", but I want something better. What do you guys suggest?
                            McRhea

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                            • #29
                              Oh Oh OH!!! I got another good idea.

                              Everyone!! Post your system specs, OR, a system that YOU would want to last for 1-2 years. Both specs would be stellar. And be realistic... don't go P5, 4500MHz, with 2024 Megs of PC-500 ram or something like that.

                              Post your "dream set-up for this year" system only if you can get all the parts now, or in the VERY near future.

                              Yes, I had some caffeine. Hehehe
                              McRhea

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Sounds like your in it for the adventure.

                                Just make sure you get a second generation slocket. It should say "Coppermine" somewhere on the box.

                                I'm the wrong person to ask about speakers. I've been searching for a good set with a headphone jack for two years.

                                Good luck.

                                Paul
                                paulcs@flashcom.net

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