Advice for a First Time build

[sisooktom]

I'm looking to build my first system. I want an A64, but I'm tired of waiting for the perfect mobo to come along, and I like what I've read about the VNF-250, and I like the price. I've read some comments to the effect of "This board isn't for the novice". I just wanted some clarification. I've done plenty of upgrades in the past, and I work as a programmer, so I'm plenty comfortable with PCs. Here are my plans as of now:

A64 3000+
VNF-250
512MB PC3200 RAM, will upg to 1GB soon
Seagate 160GB SATA
TDK CDRW from my old PC for now
ATI AIW 9600XT
Antec Sonata case


Now, I do NOT plan to overclock, and I will NOT be using RAID. Do you guys think the VNF is a good choice for me? Any recommedations for quality RAM that won't break the bank? Also, what are my chances of ordering all this stuff off newegg and just having it work?? My only worry is that I'll get a bad component somewhere along the line and have trouble diagnosing the problem. . . any and all advice appreciated!

 

[FunkierThanU]

I'm not so sure that the VNF is a good first time board. I would guess that the board will become easier to work with once a few BIOS revs have been released. I've built a number of systems and have had a few hitches that would have frustrated me if I didn't know what to try to resolve them. Other people have commented on other minor issues as well.

As a first time build I would recommend the Epox 8RDA+. Very forgiving board, with lots of documentation and comments out there on it. To me it helps to read what a lot of people have to say about their experience building different systems with a board. Buying a board like the VNF that is only a couple month on the market is more prolematic in that the serious tweakers haven't figured out the quirks of the board yet.

 

[sisooktom]

I've heard good things about that particular board but I really want an A64. And I like the NF3-250, as it seems like the old NF3 wasn't up to par, and I can't say I really care to buy a VIA based board. Thanks for the comment though.

 

[rev02]

Originally posted by: sisooktom
I've heard good things about that particular board but I really want an A64. And I like the NF3-250, as it seems like the old NF3 wasn't up to par, and I can't say I really care to buy a VIA based board. Thanks for the comment though.

so basically you want someone to say..

'yeah! you can handle it! go for it!' and justify a purchase

what is the point of asking for advice if you do not take it?

I am considering the ASRock K8S8X with the SiS755 chipset
-good reviews
-good brand
-good benchmarks
-comes in a pretty box

drawbacks
-only 2 slots for ram
-no gigabit ethernet


i am not knowledgeable enough to break it down any further.

good luck

 

[sisooktom]

I want someone to answer my question. FunkierThanU did that, but suggested a board that doesn't support the CPU I want. All I did was point that out, along with the fact that I'd prefer an NF3 based board. You're sarcasm was not required.