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Another "Hows this Rig Look" Thread

newParadigm

newParadigm

Diamond Member

RAIDMAX 10-Bay ATX Mid-Tower Case (Gray) with Front USB 2.0, Model "ATX-847WTP" -RETAIL
N82E16811156133 $47.50

EPoX "EP-8KDA3J" nForce3-250Gb
N82E16813123219 $73.00

CHAINTECH nVIDIA GeForce 6800 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-Bit, TV-Out/DVI
N82E16814145096 $269.00

AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor for DTR Notebooks
N82E16819103444 $175.00

(2)Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
N82E16820146219 $156.00


(2 in RAID0) Seagate 80GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model ST380013AS
N82E16822148019 $142.00


ACER AL1714CB Black 17" LCD Monitor
N82E16824009023 $289.00


SAMSUNG 16X DVD Drive Black, Model TS-H352A/WBGH
N82E16827151208 $23.99

NEC 8X Black Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A BLK
N82E16827152023 $69.99

Arctic Silver Premium Silver Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound, Model "Arctic Silver 5", 12-gram
N82E16835100008 $12.99

Thermalright Heatsink for P4 & K8 CPUs, Model "XP-90"
N82E16835109119 $39.99


Subtotal » $1,298.46



Hows this look,

How will the Mobile A64 3000 OC, and will its Extra Cache make a BIG Difference?

Is the AS5 good, I have AS3 and I like it, how do they compare?

How is the Thermalright XP-90 HS?

Is that EPoX Board any Good?

And Finally, will the PSU in the RAIDMAX case be enoguh to run this system Decent?


Thanks Guys,
~new
 
think you should do some more research..

alot of brands your thinking of using, i'd stay away from.

RAIDMAX, ACER, THERMALRIGHT, SAMSUNG

EPoX i'm kinda on the fence about, they have made some decent boards, but not consistently.

I'd stick with the major / proven brands (Asus, MSI, Abit, LiteOn, Pioneer, Sony, Toshiba, Enermax, Crucial)

 
I've gotta agree with Dr. Cool.

I'd stick with the better known name brands.

Nothing worse than having to rip your computer apart because some component went out on it. Especially if it is the motherboard.
 
Spend $5 more on the Chaintech VNF3-250.

Raidmax cases suck. Stay away.

Great choice on the hds - major thumbs up 🙂.
 
I'm with DrCool... good advice in his post.

I'd definitely get a brandname PSU and a case that is known for being quiet, cool, and easily worked with.

Stick with one hard drive and put some money into a 6800GT if you really want the visuals... otherwise I'd say a 9800Pro would cut it.

As for the CPU, unless you plan on overclocking it, stick with the stock HSF... if you DO want to overclock, get a cold case and HSF like Thermaltake or Coolermaster.

I'd say you've got a ways to go, but it's a good rough layout... what do you want to do with your PC and how much if your budget?
 
Originally posted by: DrCool
think you should do some more research..

alot of brands your thinking of using, i'd stay away from.

RAIDMAX, ACER, THERMALRIGHT, SAMSUNG

EPoX i'm kinda on the fence about, they have made some decent boards, but not consistently.

I'd stick with the major / proven brands (Asus, MSI, Abit, LiteOn, Pioneer, Sony, Toshiba, Enermax, Crucial)
Click to expand...

Thermalright makes good heatsinks....not sure what you're talking about
 
Thermalright heatsinks are some of the top of the line. Nice choice with the XP-90. SLK-948U is nice also, as well as the Zalman CNPS-7000Cu or AlCu.
Dump the Chaintech, get a nice card, Evga, PNY, BFG.
NEC has a 16x DL DVD burner out now, the 3500A, I just picked one up for $73 something after shipping. :: Haven't used a Samsung DVDRom but their memory, monitors, CDRW's are nice.
Those seagates are nice.. just used one in a machine, very quiet.
The Raidmax case, definately look into something else, I've had nothing but bad luck with Raidmax PSU's in machines...

Just use Google for some site reviews, Newegg reviews are kind of worthless.
 
OK,

First off My budget is to stay somewhere around 1300-1400

Ill def look into a better case (or maybe use my Aspire X-Dreamer 2 for this rig, and just get another case for the old rig)

OK, I am definatley an Overclocker, so maybe i will look into better RAM, and i will want to keep the ThermalRight HS.

I proly stick to 1 HDD, and use my old RIG for downloads and other stuff that takes up lotsa space.

Proly get a 6800GT, with money saved from HDD, (Thinkin BFG Cause of Lifetime Warranty)

I'm lookin at the chaintech board you guys suggested, either its that, or the new DFI Lanparty.
I hafta say i like the lanparty boards, i got the NFII one. Unless of course i just wait for nForce4?

Lookin at a Fortron PSU, might get that instead, I've also had good luck with Allied PSU's before, are they still good?


Does the Extra Cache on the Mobile A64 make a Big Dif
 
Originally posted by: Chronoshock
Originally posted by: DrCool
think you should do some more research..

alot of brands your thinking of using, i'd stay away from.

RAIDMAX, ACER, THERMALRIGHT, SAMSUNG

EPoX i'm kinda on the fence about, they have made some decent boards, but not consistently.

I'd stick with the major / proven brands (Asus, MSI, Abit, LiteOn, Pioneer, Sony, Toshiba, Enermax, Crucial)
Click to expand...

Thermalright makes good heatsinks....not sure what you're talking about
Click to expand...

Yeah ignore the detracting posters on TR Heatsinks. The will likely run that cpu even w/o a fan (not that I am saying you should). Course with the recent OC comment you will need a good fan (Panaflo 92mm should do the trick). Thermalright is definitely a cadillac of heatsinks.

Also, on the OC bit, I thought several peeps in the OC forums were saying the A64 integrated memory controllers were making lesser RAM really go a long ways. Not top performance, but nothing to ignore either.

And I love my Antec SLK3700BQE case, but hard to pay for Antec case and not get a "True" PSU. Though it sounds like you want the flash of the gamer rig with the "Dreamer 2" comment. My box sits under my desk, quiet and cool is what I want, could care less if it looked like one of the creatures I am fraggin'.

You definitely seem to be on the right path though NP.
 
Originally posted by: newParadime
OK,

First off My budget is to stay somewhere around 1300-1400

Ill def look into a better case (or maybe use my Aspire X-Dreamer 2 for this rig, and just get another case for the old rig)

OK, I am definatley an Overclocker, so maybe i will look into better RAM, and i will want to keep the ThermalRight HS.

I proly stick to 1 HDD, and use my old RIG for downloads and other stuff that takes up lotsa space.

Proly get a 6800GT, with money saved from HDD, (Thinkin BFG Cause of Lifetime Warranty)

I'm lookin at the chaintech board you guys suggested, either its that, or the new DFI Lanparty.
I hafta say i like the lanparty boards, i got the NFII one. Unless of course i just wait for nForce4?

Lookin at a Fortron PSU, might get that instead, I've also had good luck with Allied PSU's before, are they still good?


Does the Extra Cache on the Mobile A64 make a Big Dif
Click to expand...


yeah, both allied and fortron still make good powersupplies

 
I'm reluctant to post on these kinds of threads, since I'm usually so much in disagreement with those who always feel themselves called to suggest alternative brands.

Definitly get yourself a PSU-less simple case, with PSU mount above mobo. Then buy a seperate HQ PSU. Three brands to look for: Fortron, Antec, Enermax. Not necessarily in that order, but I only use Fortron.

As for the rest, EPoX, Samsung and Mushkin are GREAT brands. I'm not really all that fussy about brands, but I'd choose EPoX ahead of MSI any day. And Samsung ahead of LiteOn, Pioneer, Sony, whatever. LiteOn are probably re-badged secondrate Samsung or LG drives anyway, and I've been very unlucky with Pioneer and Sony lately.

I wouldn't hesitate much to try Chaintech either. It's cheap stuff with poor documentation & support, but a lot of people seem to be successful with that brand.

As for the monitor, you need to see it in real life. There is a good spread in image quality (colors and viewangle) between LCD monitors. Once again, Samsung is a good brand.

And as have already been pointed out, Thermalright's heatsinks are popular. (Don't you also need a fan for that XP90 though?)

You do need faster memory if you intend to OC. You should also consider the OC capabilities/reputation of the particular mainboard (and not the brand), if going that way. I have built some EP-8KDA3J, but I don't OC, so I can't comment on that. Otherwise, I'm happy and consider them good value.

I recommend using a very, very thin layer of silicon paste instead of AS5. AS is a superiour gapfiller, but you shouldn't have a gap with smooth surfaces. And AS5 forms a much thicker layer than silicon paste. But as you're already used to handling AS, it's no big deal. I don't know how AS5 handles compared to AS3 though.

No comment on RAID0. Some people swear by it. Same as my feelings on OC, I don't. I suspect the money does better in the videocard instead.
 
AS5 is marginally better. I was using the original arctic silver and i went to AS 5 and my temps dropped like 10C, and im not even through with the break in period yet.

THermalright is the BEST period when it comes to HS's. Get a nice panaflo fan and you got yourself one hell of an air cooling system.

I would stay away from that case, it is very very flimsy, easily dented because of thin cheap metal, and the PSU and ythe fans are realy bad. The fans when they came (my dad bought it against my will) the lines were cut so we had to peel back the rubber insulation and jam the wires back together. Also the PSU is HORRIBLE. It is tiny with a huge as* fan strapped to the back the is blowing air absolutely no where. It is severly underpowered even though it says 420, his old Enlight 300 is way more powerful.

For powersupplys, Antec, Enermax and OCZ are the top tier followed closely by Zalman, Seasonic, Silverstone, Fortron.

Epox normally makes good boards but i haven't heard anything either way on that board so i cant comment. Most M/B have problems with the Mobile CPUs (Not necessarily the DTR's, but the mobile mobile ones) with voltage and recognizing them. So just get the regular old one.

Overall Decent system man, youll be happy with it.

-Kevin
 
Originally posted by: Vee
I'm reluctant to post on these kinds of threads, since I'm usually so much in disagreement with those who always feel themselves called to suggest alternative brands.

Definitly get yourself a PSU-less simple case, with PSU mount above mobo. Then buy a seperate HQ PSU. Three brands to look for: Fortron, Antec, Enermax. Not necessarily in that order, but I only use Fortron.

As for the rest, EPoX, Samsung and Mushkin are GREAT brands. I'm not really all that fussy about brands, but I'd choose EPoX ahead of MSI any day. And Samsung ahead of LiteOn, Pioneer, Sony, whatever. LiteOn are probably re-badged secondrate Samsung or LG drives anyway, and I've been very unlucky with Pioneer and Sony lately.

I wouldn't hesitate much to try Chaintech either. It's cheap stuff with poor documentation & support, but a lot of people seem to be successful with that brand.

As for the monitor, you need to see it in real life. There is a good spread in image quality (colors and viewangle) between LCD monitors. Once again, Samsung is a good brand.

And as have already been pointed out, Thermalright's heatsinks are popular. (Don't you also need a fan for that XP90 though?)

You do need faster memory if you intend to OC. You should also consider the OC capabilities/reputation of the particular mainboard (and not the brand), if going that way. I have built some EP-8KDA3J, but I don't OC, so I can't comment on that. Otherwise, I'm happy and consider them good value.

I recommend using a very, very thin layer of silicon paste instead of AS5. AS is a superiour gapfiller, but you shouldn't have a gap with smooth surfaces. And AS5 forms a much thicker layer than silicon paste. But as you're already used to handling AS, it's no big deal. I don't know how AS5 handles compared to AS3 though.

No comment on RAID0. Some people swear by it. Same as my feelings on OC, I don't. I suspect the money does better in the videocard instead.
Click to expand...

specifically in your 3rd paragraph the line " LiteOn are probably re-badged secondrate Samsung or LG drives anyway" couldnt be farther from the truth 😀

liteon drives are NOT rebadged drives from other companies!!!! other companies ARE rebadged liteon drives.... for example the sony DW-D18A (dual layer 8x) is a rebadged liteon, same with sony's other 8x dual layer and 16x dual layer 🙂
 
Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer
Dump chaintech, they are extremely unreliable
Click to expand...

"We are extremely pleased to award our Silver Editors Choice to the Chaintech VNF-250 motherboard. As the first in a new Zenith Value Series, we think Chaintech has a great idea - build an overclocker's dream board with all the performance and none of the frills for the lowest possible price. Chaintech also managed to do it without giving up really important features, which is even more commendable. The fact that Chaintech was a top performer in our overclocking tests at a price of less than $100 deserves our award. The VNF-250 proves that you can build a board any enthusiast will want without breaking the bank. Well done, Chaintech."
Text


Pwned
 
Thanks peeps, this was a big help,

Gonna proly get an allied PSU, (I've had good luck with them, i have a 350w right now runnin an AthlonXP2500m at 2.4ghz rock solid, so I like 'em)

Dropin, 1 of the HDDs and gettin some sort of 6800gt, proly BFG.

Might go with LianLi Alluminum Case with the side panel, its like $100 Bucks, but I've always wanted a LianLi. Plus they keep low temps case of alluminums heat transfer capabilities.

Stickin with Mobile CPU.

Orderin the stuff when i get some $$$


:beer: (Or a :cookie: for all u minor* peepolz)









































P.S. By minor i meen under 21, not minor like unimportant.*
 
Originally posted by: nick1985
Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer
Dump chaintech, they are extremely unreliable
Click to expand...

"We are extremely pleased to award our Silver Editors Choice to the Chaintech VNF-250 motherboard. As the first in a new Zenith Value Series, we think Chaintech has a great idea - build an overclocker's dream board with all the performance and none of the frills for the lowest possible price. Chaintech also managed to do it without giving up really important features, which is even more commendable. The fact that Chaintech was a top performer in our overclocking tests at a price of less than $100 deserves our award. The VNF-250 proves that you can build a board any enthusiast will want without breaking the bank. Well done, Chaintech."
Text


Pwned
Click to expand...

Speed means nothing if it has to RMA'd every 3 months
 
Thanks peeps, this was a big help,

Gonna proly get an allied PSU, (I've had good luck with them, i have a 350w right now runnin an AthlonXP2500m at 2.4ghz rock solid, so I like 'em)

Dropin, 1 of the HDDs and gettin some sort of 6800gt, proly BFG.

Might go with LianLi Alluminum Case with the side panel, its like $100 Bucks, but I've always wanted a LianLi. Plus they keep low temps case of alluminums heat transfer capabilities.

Stickin with Mobile CPU.

Orderin the stuff when i get some $$$


:beer: (Or a :cookie: for all u minor* peepolz)









































P.S. By minor i meen under 21, not minor like unimportant.*
 
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