Building 1st AMD computer, need some advice.

[Vortex22]

I'm planning on building my first AMD computer in the very near future, I need some help with a couple things.

Here's what I have so far:
AMD Athlon XP 1800+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL - $154 (hardly any more than the OEM)
Abit VIA KT266A Chipset Motherboard Model KR7A - $116 - Is this any different from the KR7A-RAID other than the RAID controller?
MAXTOR Quiet Drive 60GB 7200RPM Model # 6L060L3 - OEM - $113
CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY WITH 1394 - OEM - $61 (changed from retail xgamer)
ATI Radeon 8500 (I already have this)
SAMSUNG 955DF 19" (WHITE) CRT MONITOR - RETAIL - $229 - Is this a decent monitor/price?
LITE-ON LTD-163 SPEED - RETAIL16X DVD ROM 48X CD-ROM - $53
SONY 1.44MB 3.5 INCH INTERNAL FDD DRIVE - OEM - $9
3COM 905CX-TXNM PCI 10/100 network card OEM version *No Wake-Up* - $32 (Changed from Intel NIC)
Logitech Deluxe Access 104 PS/2 Keyboard - OEM Package - $13
Logitech Mouseman Optical (got it)
Logitech Z540 5-Piece Speaker System - $56 - See below
256 mb PC2100 DDR RAM - $98 :| (from Crucial)
ANTEC Mini Tower ATX Case Model SX635 with 350 Watt Power Supply - $79 - (changed from SX830)

TOTAL: $1013 (now includes speakers that I'm not sure about, doesn't include anything that I have already or shipping.)

What do you guys think? I'm going on the recent Anandtech mobo review in choosing the Abit, this is a good mobo, right?
Will all these parts work together ok, and does it seem like a decent deal?

Edit: One more thing I forgot... I was looking for some speakers, and don't really wanna blow $200 on the Z-560's, I was looking at these. Anyone have any experience with them? They're pretty dirt cheap on newegg.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Things look pretty good but:
- A Linksys ethernet card should be good enough unless you plan on using things such as wake-on-lan, it will likely be cheaper
- I think you're a mouse short, no? I have a logitech mouseman dual optical and it rocks
- the Antec Case is very nice, but I would personally pop for the SX840 to get the 400W PS
- Crucial RAM is 83$ with the Anandtech rebate, with free sipping, buy through ebates for an extra couple of percents off


-Ice

*edit* yes the Antec PS will work with an athlon...
BTW, if you want to overclock, you may want to take a look at a Northwood 1.6A, the cost should be only slightly more expensive than your Athlon, but most are able to hit 2.3 GHz or better on retail cooling...

 

[circut16]

only diferance between the KR7A raid and non raid is you minus 2 IDE channels
I would the couple extra bucks and go for a 3Com 3C905C NIC
if the PS is Approved for P4 then it should be sufficient for Athlon

 

[Jsnmaj]

I would get at least 512mb of ram. 256mb does'nt really cut it now a days. Especially if your running Windows XP. You can also just get a OEM Sound Blaster Audigy for a bit cheaper. The only difference between the Audigy or Live! series is the software bundle and the Live! drive. But the cards themselves are all the same.

 

[punkrawket]

what about a hsf?? are you using the retail hsf? do you plan to overclock? what about thermal interface?

other than that, looks good

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

<< The only difference between the Audigy or Live! series is the software bundle and the Live! drive. But the cards themselves are all the same. >>



First off, welcome to the forums!


But this comment is incorrect, the Audigy series are completely different from the Live! series. They use different audio processors; also, audigy cards have a FireWire port.

-Ice

 

[fatbaby]

<< but I can't seem to find any on newegg that are "AMD approved". >>



There are many cases on newegg that are amd approved, assuming you are looking for chenming style cases, look into Enermax fs 710-b and chenming

 

[Vortex22]

Thanks for the replies...



<< You can also just get a OEM Sound Blaster Audigy for a bit cheaper. >>


The OEM Audigy will still have a driver CD, right?



<< the Antec Case is very nice, but I would personally pop for the SX840 to get the 400W PS >>


Will 300W be enough for my system?



<< what about a hsf?? are you using the retail hsf? do you plan to overclock? >>


Not really too interested in overclocking. If I decide to later, I'll get a better hsf.

 

[Yossarian]

I'm using the Antec 300W PS with an Athlon 1800 and it's fine. Be aware though that AMD only recommends that PS for a 900 MHz cpu, faster than that and they recommend the 400W one.

 

[Vortex22]

I might end up going with the SX840 then for the 400W psu. It's almost $40 more, and out of stock, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

 

[Leokor]

<< Will 300W be enough for my system? >>


Don't go cheap on a power supply. It's always a good idea to leave some safety cushion just in case. For if any of your other components fails, only that component fails. But if your power supply fails, it's likely to take other stuff to an early grave.

Also, I'd like to second the opinion that 256MB is just too little, especially if you're gonna install Windows XP. For XP, it is not just too little, it's blatantly inadequate.

Leo

 

[jonmcc33]

The OEM Audigy will still have a driver CD, right?

Yes, all OEM products from NewEgg except for drives will have a driver CD.

Will 300W be enough for my system?

Yes, but in case you want to upgrade for the future I suggest you get at least a 350W or 400W PSU.

Not really too interested in overclocking. If I decide to later, I'll get a better hsf.

The Thermaltake Volcano 7 is much better at cooling than the retail HSF that comes with the AMD Athlon XP. Don't just get a 3rd party HSF for overclocking, get it to keep your CPU running cool. It's like giving candy to a baby, they like it. Your CPU will like to run cooler if at all possible and it extends the life of your processor.

 

[Vortex22]

Whoa that Volcano 7 looks like it could lift the comp off the ground :Q
It looks like it installs the same way the retail hsf goes on the board, unlike those damn screw on orbs that were impossible to take off.
I guess I could get one of those as long as it fits on the board... but I bet it's loud as hell.

 

[jonmcc33]

Nah, it uses a 80mm fan instead of those 60mm fans. I would suggest you change out the "Smart Fan" it comes with. If you don't have good air flow the RPMs rise as the temperature does. I just replaced it with one of the 80mm 2900RPM case fans I have and my system is dead quiet. 80mm fans are larger and don't have to spin as fast to move a lot of air. It's a big heatsink but it cooled my system over 6ºC from what it was running at.

 

[starwarsdad]

Does the KR7A RAID allow you to turn off the RAID and still use the 2 IDE channels? I know several boards will only allow you to use the extra IDE channels for RAID. If you want a RAID board, the SOYO K7V Dragon+ is a winner! It allows you to use all four IDE channels for normal use.

If you plan on using the NIC for transferring a lot of data, spend the extra money. It is really worth it to have a separate on card controller to handle everything. If you are just doing ICS over the NIC, save the money and get a $10 D-Link or something cheap.

The ANTEC PS works fine with the Athlon. I am running an XP 1900+ on one myself. If you are OCing I would consider at least a 350W PS, but for stock speed, the 300W is fine.

I would check in to the SX630 if I were you. I have built systems with the SX830 and the SX630. The 830 is very nice, don't get me wrong, but it is HUGE. The 630 is a more livable size and still has plenty of room to work with. The 830 is the same size as the 1030 server series. I use the 1030's as well.

Here are the dimensions on the 830/1030: 18.25W x 21.25T x 8D.

You really will see the difference in the extra 256MB of RAM in XP. I would spring for the extra RAM.

Best of luck!

 

[Vortex22]

I didn't notice the SX830 was so big... I measured my case and it is almost the exact same size as the 630/635 so I'll probably be getting an SX635 with a 350W psu for the same price as the 830 with a 300W psu.

 

[Vortex22]

Also.. anyone know anything about those Logitech Z-540's? They look decent but seem awfully cheap to be any good.

 

[MrSanderzX]

<<
Edit: One more thing I forgot... I was looking for some speakers, and don't really wanna blow $200 on the Z-560's, I was looking at these. Anyone have any experience with them? They're pretty dirt cheap on newegg. >>



What ones are "these" you are taling about? The link you posted went to the Logitech front page.

 

[Vortex22]

<<

<<
Edit: One more thing I forgot... I was looking for some speakers, and don't really wanna blow $200 on the Z-560's, I was looking at these. Anyone have any experience with them? They're pretty dirt cheap on newegg. >>



What ones are "these" you are taling about? The link you posted went to the Logitech front page. >>



Huh? It brings me to the Z-540 specs. http://www.logitech.com/cf/products/productoverview.cfm/3262

Anyway, yeah I'm looking at the Z-540's, they seem to be one step lower than the excellent Z-560's but are only $56 at newegg (like $80 at Logitech's site.) But the huge price difference seems to suggest that they arent even close to as good as the Z-560's.

 

[Yossarian]

jonmcc33 wrote:



<< The Thermaltake Volcano 7 is much better at cooling than the retail HSF that comes with the AMD Athlon XP. Don't just get a 3rd party HSF for overclocking, get it to keep your CPU running cool. It's like giving candy to a baby, they like it. Your CPU will like to run cooler if at all possible and it extends the life of your processor. >>



Sure it's better, but it's more expensive, unnecessary, and voids your cpu's warranty.

 

[Jsnmaj]

<<

<< The only difference between the Audigy or Live! series is the software bundle and the Live! drive. But the cards themselves are all the same. >>



First off, welcome to the forums!


But this comment is incorrect, the Audigy series are completely different from the Live! series. They use different audio processors; also, audigy cards have a FireWire port.

-Ice >>



Thank you for the welcome.

I believe you misunderstood my comments.

I know the Audigy series is different than the Live! series. What I meant is that all Audgiy cards are the same, and all Live! cards are the same.

 

[Leokor]

<< I didn't notice the SX830 was so big... I measured my case and it is almost the exact same size as the 630/635 so I'll probably be getting an SX635 with a 350W psu for the same price as the 830 with a 300W psu. >>


How does the size matter? SX830/840 has an excellent ventillation system that you just can't get with a case of smaller size.

Leo

 

[staticfly]

Save 5 bucks and get the intel nic. They have lower cpu usage than all others, its the only difference. Intel,3com,Linksys,Netgear,D-Link(don't like these, all mine suck) all have almost exaclty the same tx rate. The only one that stood out was the Intel for less cpu usage. Plus its cheaper.

Take everyone's advice on the psu, get the case with the 400 watt.. you going to want to keep your case for a while. Actually, what is the difference in price?

As for a mouse, search in the HotDeals forum, there were some 25 dollar intelimouse explorer 3.0's in there a day ago, search for it.

Get at least 384mb ram, 256 doesn't cut it in winxp. 512 is nice.

other than that, it looks great.

I don't know about the 540's, I got 560's from Dell for 115 or whatever it was. These are awsome, thats all I can say.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

<<

<<

<< The only difference between the Audigy or Live! series is the software bundle and the Live! drive. But the cards themselves are all the same. >>



First off, welcome to the forums!
But this comment is incorrect, the Audigy series are completely different from the Live! series. They use different audio processors; also, audigy cards have a FireWire port.

-Ice >>



Thank you for the welcome.
I believe you misunderstood my comments.
I know the Audigy series is different than the Live! series. What I meant is that all Audgiy cards are the same, and all Live! cards are the same. >>



Oh my bad, I guess I misunderstood
Then you're right the OEM, X-Gamer, and MP3+ (or whatever it's called) are the same card with a different bundle
The Platinum and the PlatinumEX are different though as they have breakout boxes

-Ice