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1st time builder...need a lot of help

yerane

Junior Member
hey guys!
i need a new computer because current one is so old 🙁 (amd k6-2/475mhz wow!)
so i've done sort of research for couple of days.. and my decision is...

Intel Pentium 4 2.4b Retail Box
Gigabyte GA-8SQ800, SIS655 chipset Socket 478 for Intel P4 533/400 MHz FSB ATX motherboard RETAIL
WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB
CRUCIAL MICRON 512MB 64x64 PC 2700 DDR RAM
ATI RADEON 9000 PRO 128MB DDR DVI/TV-out AGP 275/550MHz RETAIL

ye, i've got cpu, mobo, hdd, ram and video card
but i can't decide case and odds

Any suggestion will be helped!
thanx!


 
Sis655 is a DUAL-CHANNEL DDR mobo....So get 2 sticks (matching pair) or you will be running in slower single channel ddr and you could save money and run that fast elsewhere!!!!

I have ran sis mobos for years and they usually seem slower in agp and ide things...noticeable not really but if you don'
t take advantage of IMO the only real advantage of sis655...DUAL-CHANNEL DDR for under 150 dollars...
 
* The WD is the fastest drive but also the loudest. If noise bothers you check out reviews at storagereview.com or just switch to a Seagate (quietest) or Maxtor (in between).

* Antec cases are good, newegg has a bunch of them. The 600-series is quiet and a good size for a non-server system with only 1-2 hard drives. For a bunch of drives the SLK3700 is nice (once I get the 120mm case fan slowed down).

* If you're not overclocking, an intel brand mobo will be very stable, decently priced, and have a 3-year warranty.
 
Antec 660-II AMG w/330w truepower. Black drives: Sony or samsung floppy. Toshiba or lite on DVD ROM. Lite=on CDRW. Memorex grey/black MX2750 keyboard. Logitech grey/black mouse MX300-500-700 your choice.

I'd probably get a Intel chipset based mobo but the SIS is fine.

 
It looks good, but if you're getting a SiS655 mobo, get 2 sticks of 256 as opposed to 512mb of RAM or you're basically getting an SiS648 board. It's not slow...but it kinda takes away the whole point of having a dual DDR motherboard. Also, if you haven't bought the RAM yet, you could also pick up some PC3200 as opposed to the PC2700. The 655 boards unofficially support DDR400, but to tell ya the truth, the majority of them hit 400mhz and above.

As for case and all.. I recommend the Antec SX600 series since they're not all clunky and huge like the 1000's, and Antec is just plain ol' awesome quality when it comes to cases. The SX600's are awful cheap, too. Use the stock Intel HS unless you wanna do some overclocking, and pop a couple Panaflos in the case. You'll have a nice, reasonably quiet system.
 
I recommend Lian Li cases. Superb quality.

I own a 4 fan aluminum PC-6085A which I purchased for $135.

If you hadn't already bought the WD hdd, i'd say avoid them and go for Maxtor or Seagate. Any other advice I could give would be similarly belated 🙂
 
Get the Gigabyte GA-8SQ800 Ultra, it cost a bit more but has more features such as the patented DualBios feature, on board LAN and RAID. Logictech Access Duo Keyboard and Mouse dont cost much and work fine. You might want to look into aluminum cases also. Plextor combo cdr/dvd rom is also a good idea. I believe your current board supports ATA133, your choice in hdd is an ATA100, try the Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM Hard Drive Model # 6Y080L0, its a good brand and ATA133. Get 2 sticks of RAM to enable Dual Channel.
 
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