about to buy my new barebones Athlon sys

[fjorner]

going with mwave.com, whom I have trusted for 8+ years now

case APEX SQ-311 w/350W PSU
mobo MSI K8N NEO4 PLATINUM
cpu AMD ATHLON 64 3000+ - VENICE
1GB DDR400(512MBX2)
MITSUMI 1.44 FDD; LITE ON 16X DVD+/-RW

Assembled and tested for $430.

I'm getting an 80gb SATA150 HD seperately and I have an old 128pci vid card to make it a complete sys.

Getting serious case of pre-purchase jitters, as this is a load of cash for a guy in my position. I want to get something that I won't have to upgrade for along time, but something that I could upgrade if need be... thus the choice to get the mobo that will go up to A64 4800+ or so. Going to be doing standard office stuff and some video editing and dvd burning with it. Some factors that went into my research are that I wanted in the mobo were a solid reliable name with good tech support and docs, cutting edge storage capabilities (SATAII), onboard firewire, a very tall upgrade chain. I have little interest in overclocking at all. The case I chose because it and its PSU were AMD rated and up to the latest air cooling specs. The LITE ON was whatever was bundled in mwave's build-your-own 939 system, not sure the specifics.

I also considered the DFI n4f DAGF mobo, which was $30-$40 cheaper but the MSI seemed more robust and reliable.

I noticed there were PSU's upwards of 430W available... 350W should be ok? What are the determining factors there?

Willing to take suggestions to make this package just as viable and cheaper, but not much more expensive. I've read a lot here at anandtech, so I should be well off. Please talk to me. thanks folks

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Looks good except for the PS. Using a generic PS that comes with that type of case isn't a good idea. 350w is enough if its a quality PS (Antec,Enermax,Fortron,Seasonic,etc...) and you don't plan on overclocking. If you plan on overclocking I would get 430w or more.

 

[Skeeedunt]

350W is fine in a high quality PSU, but it's worth being a little weary of anything that comes with a not-so-expensive case. It looks like a pretty low power system, though (no gaming card?), so you'll probably be ok. A good, though not necessarily super-high wattage, PSU is always a good investment though.

I assume you've read the somewhat recent Summer 2005 16x DVDR Roundup . A good CD/DVD burner can save on a lot of frustration, and if it's only an extra $10 or so, it may be worth considering.

The rest looks fine. Anyone else?

 

[Brother Manfredy]

Are all mwave.com's barebones assembled and tested? I'm asking because i don't see an option to have it done, so either i am blind or looking for something that is not there.

 

[fjorner]

Originally posted by: Brother Manfredy
Are all mwave.com's barebones assembled and tested? I'm asking because i don't see an option to have it done, so either i am blind or looking for something that is not there.

Yep! Mwave rocks in this sense.
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/Skusearch.hmx?scriteria=YB04

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
350W is fine in a high quality PSU, but it's worth being a little weary of anything that comes with a not-so-expensive case. It looks like a pretty low power system, though (no gaming card?), so you'll probably be ok. A good, though not necessarily super-high wattage, PSU is always a good investment though.

http://www.apextechusa.com/proddetail.asp?itemtype=&id=145
http://www.apextechusa.com/proddetail_power.asp?id=16
Well, here's the links. Not much about the PSU. It is Intel/AMD listed. The case is $40 in the selection criteria... I know there are much more expensive cases. I will have a 128mb PCI video card in there, I assume that's what you're asking about. Also, I have zero interest in overclocking, even thought apparently this board rocks for that purpose. Maybe I'll get into it later, not a primary purpose. that's right, my primary goal in buying a computer is not to test its warranty.

Just curious... what can a 350W PSU fail to do that a 430W PSU can? Besides longevity, what can a name brand PSU deliver that a generic one, that this is sure to be, can't?

As for the DVD burner... I just picked the more expensive one of the two that mwave bundled. They also offered an NEC for a buck or two cheaper. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Skeeedunt]

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/Skusearch.hmx?scriteria=YB04

That's actually kind of cool. Saves you from a DOA at least.

Originally posted by: Skeeedunt
350W is fine in a high quality PSU, but it's worth being a little weary of anything that comes with a not-so-expensive case. It looks like a pretty low power system, though (no gaming card?), so you'll probably be ok. A good, though not necessarily super-high wattage, PSU is always a good investment though.

http://www.apextechusa.com/proddetail.asp?itemtype=&id=145
http://www.apextechusa.com/proddetail_power.asp?id=16
Well, here's the links. Not much about the PSU. It is Intel/AMD listed. The case is $40 in the selection criteria... I know there are much more expensive cases. I will have a 128mb PCI video card in there, I assume that's what you're asking about. Also, I have zero interest in overclocking, even thought apparently this board rocks for that purpose. Maybe I'll get into it later, not a primary purpose. that's right, my primary goal in buying a computer is not to test its warranty.

Just curious... what can a 350W PSU fail to do that a 430W PSU can? Besides longevity, what can a name brand PSU deliver that a generic one, that this is sure to be, can't?

You only need a powersupply with enough wattage for your system. If all you need is 350W, then 430W does nothing for you. Except, of course, provide for future upgrades / overclocking (and this system has great potential in both those areas, of course the PSU can be upgraded as well.)

Power supplies ratings get a little complicated, since the actual wattage can mean very little. To some degree, this is where a name brand PSU can come into play. A name brand 350W can sometimes supply more "power" than a no-name 450W. I took a look at the datasheet for that one, and it's rated at +12V@15A, which is pretty good for a 350W power supply. Though most people do recommend at least 18A on the 12V rail for most recent computers.

Long story short, you're on the low end of the power consumption scale, but 350W is a little lacking these days. You might be just fine, but you might end up needing a better PSU. If you put it all together and it won't turn on, or you experience random reboots/freezes, you can always order a better one and stick it in.

As for the DVD burner... I just picked the more expensive one of the two that mwave bundled. They also offered an NEC for a buck or two cheaper. We'll see how it goes.

Eh, it's probably fine