A few questions

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
Hi,

It's been a while, thinking of upgrading soon so I'm doing a bit of research.

A few questions, if I may:

* Just read modoheo's sticky, so questions #1 and #2 are less important. *

1. About 2.5 years ago, the Intels (which processors exactly I can't remember [?]), were running a bit hot, and I think also a bit slower than AMD processors, which were favoured at the time ? I assume this issue has been resolved? I notice Intel processors are favoured at the moment.

2. Which chipset manufacturer is better for Intel CPUs? Intel, nVidia, SiS, etc.

3. I'm thinking of going with an Asus P5Q (along with an E8400 CPU and 2GiBs of RAM) ? are there any motherboards with known issues at the moment? Things like poor layout, insufficient spacing, etc.

4. I used this calculator to calculate power supply wattage, and it gave me a figure of only 199 watts ... with the above mobo, cpu, and RAM, plus an ATI Radeon X300 (PCIe 1.x), 1 SATA II HDD, maybe 1 PATA, 1 CD/DVD drive, maybe 2. It seems as if the 450W PSU in my Antec Sonata II will be plenty?

I think I had more questions, but I can't remember them now. :p

Really not sure on the whole Nehalem thing ... don't think they will be releasing processors at the same price level as the current E8400s any time soon ... ?

Any other advice would be most welcome.

Thanks,

D.

P.S. I don't overclock. My current system is an Asus A8N-E and a 3500+ socket 939 CPU.
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Hard to give advice without knowing what the computer's going to be used for. How old is your PSU? The older Antecs had capacitor problems later in life that left them prone to premature failure or even blowout.
 
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
Sorry, I use it for programming and some 2d graphics work.

I'm not sure what the exact age of my PSU is, but I bought the case about two and a half years ago.
 
mpilchfamily

mpilchfamily

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2007
3,559
1
0
The PSu that came in your case is a POS and should not be used in a new system build. Most PSUs that have about 3 years on them shouldn't be used in a new build. But yes a good quality 450W unit should be all you need.

Since your not needing anything too high performance you may be better of buying an OEM system w/ Vista 64 and about 4 gb of RAM. Not to mention it will be cheaper and you have some warenties to go with it.
 
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
What's wrong with the Antec PSU?

I'm not too fond of OEM systems, and I don't need the monitor, case, etc. I also don't require 4 GiBs of memory ? what do you guys do with all this memory!? :)

Thanks.
 
B

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
Originally posted by: DodgerLD
I also don't require 4 GiBs of memory ? what do you guys do with all this memory!? :)
Click to expand...
Most of the time... "Absolutely nothing"
People running some new games might use more, or someone doing heavy video or image editing.
But I can't imagine a machine being pushed on memory 24/7.
Most of the real purpose of mega-memory builds is purely "mental" and "emotional".

 
B

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
The biggest push towards 4GB as a base number is the cheapness of DDR2.
If DDR2 was suddenly more expensive, I think you'd be hearing people advocate 2GB as a base. :laugh:
 
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
The PSU has power overload protection ? could any damage be done to my new components, or would the system just fail to boot?
 
B

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
A PS can only stop do so much.
You need at least a Quality surge arrestor, if not a Line conditioner or better yet a Line-Interactive UPS.
 
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
Now you're scaring me. Damn, now I have to consider buying a PSU in addition to the CPU, mobo, and RAM ... all I wanted was a faster CPU :(
 
B

Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
Most people consider "clean power" a luxury when building a system.
But "clean power" can save hours of frustration and troubleshooting.

 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Originally posted by: DodgerLD
What's wrong with the Antec PSU?
Click to expand...

Like I said earlier, some Antec models were prone to serious capacitor problems due to a bad batch of capacitors from overseas. You don't want to be using one of those. What model is the PSU? Crack open the case if you're not sure.
 
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
Originally posted by: DSF
Originally posted by: DodgerLD
What's wrong with the Antec PSU?
Click to expand...

Like I said earlier, some Antec models were prone to serious capacitor problems due to a bad batch of capacitors from overseas. You don't want to be using one of those. What model is the PSU? Crack open the case if you're not sure.
Click to expand...
It's a SmartPower 2.0 (came with my Antec Sonata II) ... I haven't had any problems for the ± 2.5 years I've had it.

Thoughts?
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Honestly, I'd get a new one. A good PSU doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. The Corsair 400CX, 450VX, or Antec Earthwatts 430 should be within your price range if you shop around. www.buy.com often has better PSU prices than Newegg.
 
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
They're really quite expensive, at least where I live. The Antec Earthwatts is like double the price (equivalent to about $80). But, if it means potentially damaging my other hardware, then I guess I have little choice.

What does this guy on New Egg mean?

"THIS IS NOT A CON: If you are concidering this MOBO make SURE u buy a PSU that has an 8-PIN CPU power connector. This is indicated by EPS12V. Its hard to see..but this board has an 8 pin cpu power connector. (4 are covered up in the picture)"

Thanks,

D.
 
D

DodgerLD

Member
May 14, 2005
163
1
81
I'm thinking 4 of the pins are optional ... the other 4 for '8-Phase power' ... just a guess.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom