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ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
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I'm thinking about a computer, I already have an AMD, and I would like to try Intel, what do you think of this one?

Any suggestions? (spending 1100 or under)

Will the beastly :D heatsink fit?

Know of any places where I can get these cheaper? I couldn't find any?

Intel Pentium 4/ 3.2 GHz 800MHz FSB, 512K Cache, Hyper Threading Technology 266.00
GIGABYTE "GA-8IK1100" i875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU 126.00
Chenbro Xpider Case (Silver) 48.00
Azza 450W Power Supply with Quad Blue LED Fan 50.00
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 8T 80.00
SAMSUNG 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive 94.50
Aerocool X-Blaster "The Heat Terminator" 80mm Fan 12.00
Thermaltake Tower112 Copper Heatpipe Cooler 50.00
Quad LED Blue 80mm Fan 8.00
HIS Hightech ATi RADEON 9600XT Turbo Video Card 650 MHz, 256MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "EXCALIBUR RADEON 9600XT PLATINUM" 180.00
SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model MPF920 11.00
Rosewill 52x32x52x16 CD-RW & DVD Black Combo Drive 41.00
ORtek MCK-9000 Wireless OfficeMedia Pro Keyboard and Optical Mouse PS/2 103keys 37.00

1003.50 total

Thanks for your time
 
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PhoenixOrion

Diamond Member
May 4, 2004
4,312
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nice list.

1. you might want to look at western digital caviar series or maxtor's diamondmax9 series = life, warranty, reliability
2. with this fast system, stay away from 128-bit memory interface on gfx cards, this is a bottleneck you'll definitely notice when running graphics intensive apps
3. for fan needs, www.bestbyte.net have the best prices and selection than any other retail sites i've looked at
 
U

ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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Originally posted by: PhoenixOrion
nice list.

1. you might want to look at western digital caviar series or maxtor's diamondmax9 series = life, warranty, reliability
2. with this fast system, stay away from 128-bit memory interface on gfx cards, this is a bottleneck you'll definitely notice when running graphics intensive apps
3. for fan needs, www.bestbyte.net have the best prices and selection than any other retail sites i've looked at
Click to expand...

1. I'd like to keep this Samsung, thanks for the suggestion though!

2. How about this one? http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-281&depa=0

3. I couldn't find them cheaper here, thanks for the suggestion though!
 
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Tostada

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Antec makes pretty blue power supplies. Newegg has a 350W for $49 and a 480W for $79. I don't know anything about "Azza," but Antec seems like a safer way to go.

This is the 2nd time today I've seen someone criticize Samsung... odd... They make great drives. I wouldn't pay $94.50 for a 120GB one, though, when the 160GB SATA 8MB 3-year model is $105.49.

I don't see any specs on that Aerocool fan, but you might want to look at these Arctic Cooling fans, which are very quiet and very highly rated, and also have a good bulk discount.

I don't think I'd get the Rosewill combo drive when this Sony combo drive is $1 more.

That ORtek keyboard doesn't have the best reviews. If you have experience with it, then by all means buy it, but I'd suggest looking at the very good Microsoft (non-wireless) keyboard/optical mouse combo for $39, or go with Logitech if you want a wireless setup that you'll be satisfied with (Logitech has a wireless setup that's actually cheaper than ORtek).

As others have implied, $180 for a 128-bit video card isn't that great. In that price range, you should look at a 256-bit GeForce FX5900XT for $175, or maybe pay a little extra for the Golden Sample to overclock a little, or even the much-loved Sapphire R9800 Pro with the XT core for $199 and perhaps the Vantec IceBerg 4 to overclock it (which also fits into your pretty blue LED theme).
 
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ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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Originally posted by: Tostada
Antec makes pretty blue power supplies. Newegg has a 350W for $49 and a 480W for $79. I don't know anything about "Azza," but Antec seems like a safer way to go.

This is the 2nd time today I've seen someone criticize Samsung... odd... They make great drives. I wouldn't pay $94.50 for a 120GB one, though, when the 160GB SATA 8MB 3-year model is $105.49.

I don't see any specs on that Aerocool fan, but you might want to look at these Arctic Cooling fans, which are very quiet and very highly rated, and also have a good bulk discount.

I don't think I'd get the Rosewill combo drive when this Sony combo drive is $1 more.

That ORtek keyboard doesn't have the best reviews. If you have experience with it, then by all means buy it, but I'd suggest looking at the very good Microsoft (non-wireless) keyboard/optical mouse combo for $39, or go with Logitech if you want a wireless setup that you'll be satisfied with (Logitech has a wireless setup that's actually cheaper than ORtek).

As others have implied, $180 for a 128-bit video card isn't that great. In that price range, you should look at a 256-bit GeForce FX5900XT for $175, or maybe pay a little extra for the Golden Sample to overclock a little, or even the much-loved Sapphire R9800 Pro with the XT core for $199 and perhaps the Vantec IceBerg 4 to overclock it (which also fits into your pretty blue LED theme).
Click to expand...

I cannot thank you enough for all your insights and opinions, I have changed all as you have suggested.

However I stll have one question:

Which Video card would you/anyone recommend?

Chaintech (175) - http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-145-072

Gainward (191) - http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-128-185

Sapphire (199) - http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-268

This one has BULK next to it, does that mean I have to buy more than one?

Sapphire (210) - http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-281&depa=0

Could I have your opinions on these? May a sentence or so from experience or opinions?

Thanks very much!
 
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Tostada

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,789
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No, "bulk" simply means that it's a white-box item. I'd go with the $199 Sapphire and the Vantec cooler if you feel like overclocking your video card a bit. Someone had a website that actually showed how simple the process was with that exact model.

It really all depends how comfortable you are playing around with things. Get the $175 Chaintech if you just want to use it stock. Get the Gainward if you want to overclock it a little with a really nice stock heatsink. The $199 Sapphire will be the best option with the best performance if you flash it and get the Vantac cooler and install that.
 
U

ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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Here's the new PC configuration:

Intel Pentium 4/ 3.2 GHz 800MHz FSB, 512K Cache, Hyper Threading Technology 266.00
GIGABYTE "GA-8IK1100" i875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU 126.00
Chenbro Xpider Case (Silver) 48.00
Antec 480W Power Supply with Blue LED Fan 79.00
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 8T 81.00
SAMSUNG 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive 105.49
Aerocool X-Blaster "The Heat Terminator" 80mm Fan 12.00
Thermaltake Tower112 Copper Heatpipe Cooler 50.00
Artic Cooling All Clear LED Adjustable 80mm Case fan 12.00
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP 199.00
Vantec "IceBerq 4" Copper All-In-One VGA Cooling Kit with Blue LED Lights 13.00
SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model MPF920 12.00
Sony Black 52x32x52x16 Combo Drive 42.00
Microsoft Black Multimedia Keyboard & Wheel Mouse Optical Bundle PS/2 102keys 35.00

Another question (getting sick of this? LOL):

Will all this stuff fit in my case?

http://www.case-mod.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=131

Do I have enough fans?

Will I be able to use SATA? Will this be much faster than IDE?

Are all my parts compatable?

What do you think I will be able to OC the processor to?

Thanks very much for your time. (this should be my last question! :))
 
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ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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I may in the future consider 1 GB, but 512 WILL work for now, thanks for the suggestion though. :)
 
T

Tostada

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Did you really intend to put both those 80mm fans in your system? There's certainly no point in getting the nice 14dB Arctic Cooling fan if you're going to be getting that Aerocool 45.6dB jet engine. I'd either get two of the Arctic Cooling fans or one of the Aerocool fans and a set of ear plugs. ;)

Did you notice that NewEgg also has that case?

You won't have any trouble fitting any of that in the case except maybe the Thermaltake Tower. Those things are ridiculously large. The case is listed as 198mm wide, and the heatsink is 138mm tall. That's only giving you 60mm before you consider the height of the motherboard, additional height added by the fan bracket, thickness of the case itself and window, and even the thickness added by the motherboard standoffs and the CPU itself. It would probably fit, but it's going to be right next to the window.

Also, the weight of that heatsink is 640g, and Intel lists the maximum heatsink weight at 450g. The sheer height of the heatsink also means it's going to be exerting more torque on the board than a 640g heatsink would if it was a normal height.

If you want a heatsink that performs really well and is quiet, the Silent Boost is very popular. The Zalman 7000 Al-Cu looks really nice and is an extremely good/quiet heatsink according to Silent PC Review. The Zalman is even a better heatsink than the hardcore $61.99 Thermalright SP-94.

If you want to extend that blue-fan motif to your entire system, you could always get the AeroCool HT-101.
 
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ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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That one will not work, as Tostada said the max heatsink weight is 450g, this one is 635g.

Thanks though!
 
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stevty2889

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2003
7,036
8
81
I used the thermalright sp-94 on my 8IK1100 motherboard. Got my p4 2.4c up to 3.2ghz with it...also that Thermaltake heatsink you have a link to doesn't appear to be compatible with P4's...
 
J

JonathanYoung

Senior member
Aug 15, 2003
379
0
71
You might also want to think about getting 2 DIMMs instead of 1 so you can get dual channel performance!
 
U

ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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0
How come it says that Intel only supports 450g, but the heatsinks are compatable with Intel? What would happen if I did use a heavier heatsink?

Details please... thanks!
 
U

ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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Originally posted by: JonathanYoung
You might also want to think about getting 2 DIMMs instead of 1 so you can get dual channel performance!
Click to expand...

Wouldn't buying 2 of the same type be less cheaper in the same type then the 1GB bundle?
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
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Originally posted by: ulty
How come it says that Intel only supports 450g, but the heatsinks are compatable with Intel? What would happen if I did use a heavier heatsink?

Details please... thanks!
Click to expand...
If you saw some side-on photos of what an Intel heatsink's clamping mechanism does to a motherboard, I think you'd cast aside any worries about mere heatsink weight ;)
 
T

Tostada

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,789
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Originally posted by: ulty
Thanks very much for the insight!

Which heatsink do you recommend for overclocking?

Zalman - http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-118-108

Thermaltake - http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=35-106-037

??? - or another?
Click to expand...

The Zalman heatsink is the best performance you'll get for overclocking if noise is a concern (not that the Silent Boost is much worse). The Thermalright heatsinks will perform a little better than the Zalman if you put a high-flow fan on them, which will of course make them louder. In the end, I'd say go with the Zalman unless overclocking is priority number one.

As mechBgon said, the weight isn't really all that big a deal because of how well P4 heatsinks are secured. I was more concerned with the tower heatsink because the combination of weight and height might actually twist things over time. Still, even with that 640g Thermalright ... 1.5 lbs. of copper is a lot.

It's really whatever you want. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the things people have suggested. The Zalman looks really cool, but if you get a Thermalright heatsink you could also put another neon blue fan on it. You'd have blue fans all over the place. :)
 
J

JonathanYoung

Senior member
Aug 15, 2003
379
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71
Originally posted by: ulty
Wouldn't buying 2 of the same type be less cheaper in the same type then the 1GB bundle?
Click to expand...

It depends on the bundle and the 2 individual DIMMs you're getting... some places are cheaper, some are more expensive. The thing with bundles is that a lot of them are so-called "high performance," so you'd be paying more for that (not worth it IMO), but I've found that it doesn't make much of a difference unless you're a hardcore overclocker. One good thing about the bundle is that they're pretty much guaranteed to work, but theoretically any two identical DIMMs should also work. I'd say just add another one of those Crucial DIMMs that you have in your list and you'll be fine, since Crucial guarantees compatibility.
 
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ulty

Member
Jul 7, 2004
65
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What other priorities are there? stability?

I'm not for certain if I want to overclock, I just want the option open. I won't go with the tower, but I would like a heatsink that will keep my processor cooooool. :)

So Zalman then?
 
Markfw

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
27,124
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I don't want to sidetrack you or hijack this thread, but what are the intended uses for this PC ?
 
Mo0o

Mo0o

Lifer
Jul 31, 2001
24,227
3
76
3.2 is a waste, might as well go from 3.0 and OC it. If you want a 3.2 speed, go w/ 2.8 and OC from there. save you quite a bit
 
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