$1000 System

[ces]

I am glad to finally be a member. I am off to college in September, but I decided it would be good to purchase a computer now. I've set a $1000 budget for myself. I work with Premiere a lot and want to use the system for video editing and encoding. Games are good, but they aren't a priority for this system. For these reasons, I've decided to with a Pentium 4, but I'm not set on anything and will happily change if the Athlon performance is higher for the same price. I plan to overclock.

A lot of this is based on the June Anandtech mid-range guide, so I was wondering what better combinations exist for RAM & CPU in terms of overclocking.

From my old system I will be taking an identical 120GB Hard Drive. My first thought is to RAID the two drives, but I wanted to check with you guys to see whether a performance boost would exist. The recent AnandTech article only dealt with 10k drives so I was out of luck there.

I'm also guessing that I'll need a heat sink fan along with case fans, so I was looking for suggestions. Noise isn't important to me.

Finally, I was wondering if it would be ok to go ahead with the OEM video card. Any opinions on that matter would help out greatly.

Thanks a lot in advance for the suggestions and comments. Your help is appreciated greatly.

Here's a list so far. It's at $1008 shipped without fans. I'm willing to go up to $1100 if enough reason exists.

Processor: Intel Pentium 4/ 2.8C GHz 800MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail

Motherboard: ASUS "P4P800-E Deluxe" i865PE Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU -RETAIL

RAM: 2x Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM

Video Card: None, using old Ti-4200 until X800/6800 prices come down

HD: Hitachi 160GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model HDS722516VLAT80 Part# 14R9248, OEM Drive Only

Case & PSU: ANTEC Solution Series Super Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK3700AMB" -RETAIL

Heatsink Fan: ZALMAN CNPS7000A-AlCu Aluminum + Copper CPU Cooler for AMD XP Socket 462/ 754 and Intel Socket 478 -RETAIL

Optical: NEC 8X Beige Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A, OEM BULK

And here's the Newegg wish list link :
List

 

[n0cmonkey]

Retail processors usually come with heatsink and fan.

An OEM video card should be fine. Make sure you didn't choose the 128bit sapphire card though. Do a search in the Hot Deals forum, there was a BIG thread about that a little while ago. Newegg might show the difference now though, I haven't checked.

Personally, the only thing I think RAID is good for is redundancy. But there are plenty of users here that will disagree with me. As long as you have a good backup plan, you should be alright.

Welcome to the forums.

 

[jpeyton]

Your entire rig looks well thought out. No issues with the parts for me. The 9800 Pro is a refurb, which isn't necessarily an issue. My rig has a $50 refurb Ti4200 in it, working great.

AMD or Intel? That's entirely up to you. That 3.0 will overclock pretty well on air, but so would an Athlon 64 3000+.

Heatsink and case fans, get them from SVC.com. They are highly recommended by EVERYONE. Thermalright SLK-947U for $19.99 (half of Newegg's price), and they have great prices/selection on fans too. I would not overclock the 3.0 on the stock Intel heatsink.

Don't bother RAID'ing the drives. PATA RAID (especially RAID0) is NOT worth it; you will not notice the speed except for very large file copies.

 

[ces]

Thanks for the video card warning. I've changed it to a model that is specified as 256-bit, though it's still Sapphire. How much does the video card affect performance in video editing? I was considering skipping out on the video card for now and running with my ti-4200 for a few (i hope) months until the 6800 & X800 availability rises and prices drop.

Thanks for suggesting svc.com. I had no previous knowledge of the site. I'll check it out right now.

 

[Mo0o]

3.0C = waste of money , 2.8C is all you need, you can OC it to 3.0 w/o any problems.

 

[jpeyton]

Whoops, spoke too soon. SVC is charging $36.99 for the 947U; I swear it was $19.99 a few days ago.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: ces
Thanks for the video card warning. I've changed it to a model that is specified as 256-bit, though it's still Sapphire. How much does the video card affect performance in video editing? I was considering skipping out on the video card for now and running with my ti-4200 for a few (i hope) months until the 6800 & X800 availability rises and prices drop.

Thanks for suggesting svc.com. I had no previous knowledge of the site. I'll check it out right now.

Forgot you were doing video editting. Not sure how much the video card matters. If you're thinking about upgrading to a 6800 or X800 in the relatively near future, I'd personally think the ti4200 would be enough for now. Hopefully someone else can give you a better answer though.

 

[ces]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
3.0C = waste of money , 2.8C is all you need, you can OC it to 3.0 w/o any problems.

Will I be able to achieve the same (or relatively close) OC results with either cpu? I'd be glad to save $40.

Also, would it be worth buying a pair of Mushkin Level One PC-3500 instead of the XMS sticks?

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: ces

Originally posted by: Mo0o
3.0C = waste of money , 2.8C is all you need, you can OC it to 3.0 w/o any problems.

Will I be able to achieve the same (or relatively close) OC results with either cpu? I'd be glad to save $40.

Also, would it be worth buying a pair of Mushkin Level One PC-3500 instead of the XMS sticks?

Yeah, the 2.8 is more than enough. With a good mobo people have gotten 3.5 solid.

And i would stay w/ the PC-3200. I suggest OCZ EL Plat Ed. They have dual channel kits that are cheaper than most and have tighter timings.

 

[mAsTAd]

Compusa has a 6800 for $209 (not sure if it's still in stock) and it will smoke 9800.

 

[nick1985]

a vote for the A64 here

 

[ces]

Thanks again to everyone. I've changed the CPU to a 2.8C, removed the video card, and added Arctic Silver, a case fan, and a Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu heatsink/fan. The list in the first post and the newegg link are edited. Is there reason to consider an Athlon 64 at this point considering the price of the CPU & Mobo?

Also, will two 120mm fans be good enough for the case, and are there any other suggestions for the heatsink?

 

[bluewall21]

If you are planning to overclock, buy an OEM processor, you are already getting another heatsink, and overclocking voids your warranty, so why not save a bit? Also, what OS are you going to use? (You'll need to buy Windows) You may want to think about the Athlon 64, its a little cheaper, and it comes with rebates or Far Cry.

 

[Runner20]

Originally posted by: mAsTAd
Compusa has a 6800 for $209 (not sure if it's still in stock) and it will smoke 9800.

6800 for 209? not possible

 

[mAsTAd]

Originally posted by: Runner20

Originally posted by: mAsTAd
Compusa has a 6800 for $209 (not sure if it's still in stock) and it will smoke 9800.

6800 for 209? not possible

Compusa had it for $209. (Regular $299 then 30% off)

 

[gpgofast]

I just bought a Dell(you made me say it) 400SC. 2.8GHz,512MB cache P4,800MHz FSB,128Mb RAM,40GB HD,POS Video Card, FD, NIC,CD-ROM(NOT writer) DELIVERED for $348. Excellent case design, super quiet, manufacturer warranty, AGP slot, 4 PCI slots, on-board audio, 6 USB ports. Throw in a decent 8X AGP Video Card(or mediocre in my case), some "ok" PC3200 RAM, DVD burner and you have a GREAT machine for pretty damn cheap.

Here is what I did. I threw in an ATI 9200 8X AGP Card, 80 GB Maxtor drive that I had laying around, 1 GB of RAM that I traded for free, and bought a used Dell 1800FP LCD off the FS/T forum here on Anandtech and I'm into this COMPLETE machine for cheap. I wouldn't have been able to builld a comparable "box" for $300 more than what the Dell cost.YMMV. GP

 

[Tostada]

Everything you listed is a good choice... but there are better choices.

Originally posted by: ces
RAM: CORSAIR XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack)184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Corsair is a great brand, but $257 for CL3 is a really bad deal.

2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 CL 2-3-2-6 is $245 at newegg.
2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 CL 2-3-2-5 is $260 at newegg.
2 x 512MB Mushkin PC3200 CL 2-3-3 is $255 at mushkin.com.

Or, if you really like Corsair, their 512MB XMS PC3200 2-3-3-6 sticks are $118 each, so that's $21 cheaper than you were spending for faster memory.

Originally posted by: ces
HD: Western Digital Special Edition 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1200JB, OEM Drive Only

WD drives seem to get a lot more RMA's than Samsung/Hitachi/Seagate these days. That aside, the drive simply isn't a very good deal. 160GB drives are the best bang for the buck. Specifically, for $5 more you can get a Hitachi 160GB drive that is bigger, faster, quieter, draws less power and also has a 3-year warranty.

This comparison at StorageReview may not be completely valid, but the Hitachi drive is definitely going to be measurably better.

Originally posted by: ces
Heatsink Fan: ZALMAN CNPS7000A-Cu Pure Copper CPU Cooler for AMD XP Socket 462/ 754 and Intel Socket 478

According to Silent PC Review's comparison, the all-copper version of that heatsink isn't any better than the Al-Cu version. The copper one costs more and weighs twice as much, though. So, save yourself $6.

Also, Intel lists 450g as the max weight for a heatsink. The Al-Cu Zalman is 445g. The pure-copper Zalman is 773g (1.7 lbs).

 

[ces]

Thanks a lot. My decision to go with the WD 120 had to do with my original plan of setting up an ATA Raid configuration. Since I haven't found much solid backup of performance gains, I changed the drive to the recommended Hitachi. I also switched to two of the 2-3-3-6 sticks. As far as the heatsink goes, I could have sworn I added the Aluminum-Copper one to my wish list, but I guess I didn't so thanks for catching that.

Original post updated. I'm probably going to order Monday morning. Does anyone know if FedEx will be affected by Independence Day on Monday? Thanks again to everyone for all the help.

 

[jpeyton]

No deliveries Monday.

 

[Pollock]

Don't get a dual stick kit of the OCZ stuff when you can get two single sticks for $230 instead of $260. Might want to hurry though, because I think the sale is supposed to end today. Besides, that way you can get two Newegg pens!

 

[videobruce]

Why haven't you considered AMD??

Stop supporting the Wintel machine!

 

[ces]

I have considered AMD, but based on reviews, benchmarks, and forum posts involving video encoding and editing, a Pentium 4 seems to be the better choice for my budget. I'm still all for AMD as long as there's a reason to choose an Athlon over a P4.

Thanks for the RAM suggestion. Now, which would be a better choice between the following two? The Corsair is $5 more.

OCZ Enhanced Latency Series 184 Pin 512MB PC-3200 Platinum Edition
2-3-2-5

Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
2-3-3-6