Can you make this $1825 system any better? (suggestions please)..Update...If I can purchase from NewEgg...

[BeyondGomer]

ok Peoples,

I am building a computer that should be able to last me quite some time performance wise. This computer will be used for everything from data compiling/aquisition (lab stuff) to word processing to gaming (Counter-Strike is my favorite at the moment).
The computer system listed below costs ~$1825. Without going much higher in price (say $1850 max), would you recommend a changes here. (..ie is there too much RAM? if so, how could I best use the freed up $190?)

Everything here has to be from www.pcclub.com ..unfortunately this is not negotiable.

This will be a Windows XP Professional system


Item# Item Price ea
A1313324 350W MED ATX P4 w/USB; TU-124 $59.99
A1546949 CD-RW 40X12X48X Lite-On; Retail $119.99
A1546923 DVD 16X Lite-On W/Software $49.99
A3450875 40GB 7200RPM Maxtor U133 6L040J2 $89.99
A3450875 40GB 7200RPM Maxtor U133 6L040J2 $89.99 (these will be in RAID 0)
A4678829 19" Sony FD Trinitron CPD-G410R $399.99
A4351513 512MB DDR333 ValueRam $189.99
A4351513 512MB DDR333 ValueRam $189.99
A5300016 3COM 3C905C-TXM PCI 10/100 Ethernet Adapter; oem $49.99
A5104009 Altec Lansing ATP3 3-Piece Speaker System $69.99
A3847000 Logitech Cordless Freedom K/B & Optical mouse $79.99
A3182340 Teac 1.44MB 3-1/2" $19.99
A9654921 MSI GeForce4 MX440 G4MX440-T 64DDR $109.99
A1906379 AMD Athlon XP 1900+ RTL $165.99
A4854969 MSI 6380E KT3 Ultra-ARU S-A KT333 $135.99

 

[Goi]

Well, for one, unless you really really need RAID 0, I wouldn't recommend it, especially when using software based controllers like those integrated on many motherboards, and especially on IDE drives too. The stability issue is a big one, and since you're dealing with databases, you might not wanna take the risk. Instead, opt for a high performance 80GB model like the WD 80GB Special Edition with the 8MB cache.

Also, the 1GB might be a lot, too much even, for your system, but then again I'm not very familiar with database operations. If you could servive with 512MB, or perhaps 768MB, you could use the freed up cash to get a better video card. The GF4 MX440 might be pretty good for its price, but for just a bit more you could get the GF3 Ti200 which would perform better...or the GF4 Ti4200, which would perform significantly better, and boast DX8.1 support.

 

[MichaelD]

I agree w/Goi for the most part...except the IDE Raid part. I run IDE Raid 0 and have really grown used to it. You gain, on an average, a 33% decrease in load times and as long as you have the memory to support all that data "streaming" in so quickly, you're good to go. If you run Raid 0 and don't have backups on either CDR or another HD, you're asking for it. Enough said there.

Also, what's with that "valueram" RAM? Is that Kingston? That's OK, but for $30 less you can get Micron memory from Crucial.com. Some of the best stuff out there. I have it in ALL my boxes.

You made the right choices by going w/Lite On CDR/CDRW. Best thing out there right now. I have both the 40x CDRW and the 16X DVD. Awesome drives, both! Just installed them a few days ago, incidentally.

Other than that, lose that GF4MX. If you game, you need a better card. My plain-Jane GF3 will spank that MX...get the GF4 4200 from TCWO (link at top of General Hardware) the extra $100 for this card is offset partially by the money you save by getting the memory from Crucial. The 4200 is to the GF4MX like a Porsche 911 is to a Yugo. Both will get you from Point A to Point B, but in very, very different ways.

Hope this helps.

*EDIT*
The XP1800 is $24 cheaper than than the XP1900. Is 70MHz worth $24? It's up to you....I'll say this though (and nobody will disagree) In gaming performance, the 1800 + GF4 4200 will absolutely blow away the 1900 + GF4MX. Once you're up there above 1GHz, something like 70MHz isn't even noticeable in anything but extremely CPU-intensive benchmarks. The video bandwith you'll gain by going with the 4200 is way more important than the 70MHzyou gain with the 1900 over the 1800.

 

[BeyondGomer]

Thanks for the replies.

1) I will toy around with pricing the better video card by downgrading to 512mb
2) Unfortuately, I cannot get Crucial memory. All PC Club carries is Kingston and generic stuff.
3) PC Club does not have the special 8mb buffer WD drive=(
4) RAID is not necessary...I just wanted to get the performance boost.

I wonder if they can special order either of those...better email them
(BTW..I have to go through PC -club since that is where we have an account)

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

- For the same price as that GF4MX you can get a 64MB Radeon 8500LE that will spank it in pretty much anything (does PCCLUB carry it?)
- Like others said 1GB RAM is a little excessive for most tasks: I'm using 512MB here and I very rarely run out of RAM (when I do it's because of heavy multitasking)
- MichaelID is right, Crucial RAM is good stuff, highly recommended Samsung Original is also supposed to be excellent stuff
- RAID 0 risky if it's for critical data, the performance boost may or may not be be worth the risk.
- Nice monitor, CD-RW, and DVD-ROM!

Is it just me or do PCCLUB prices seem inflated compared to newegg?

-Ice

 

[BeyondGomer]

ok..After going through some rapidy posted suggestiong (you people are fast) on this forum and another, I revised the list the best I could
recall, all parts have to be purchased at www.pcclub.com

Let me know what you think with this one...or if I should be thinking of something else.
I read that the MSI board is better than the ASUS analog...is that correct?

A1906378 AMD Athlon XP 1800+ RTL $139.99
A4351513 512MB DDR333 ValueRam $189.99
A4854969 MSI 6380E KT3 Ultra-ARU S-A KT333 $135.99
A1546923 DVD 16X Lite-On W/Software $49.99
A1546949 CD-RW 40X12X48X Lite-On; Retail $119.99
A9654923 MSI G4 Ti4400-VTD 128MB DDR $249.99
A3450875 40GB 7200RPM Maxtor U133 6L040J2 $89.99
A3450875 40GB 7200RPM Maxtor U133 6L040J2 $89.99 (RAID 0)
A5323708 D-LINK 10/100 Mbps PCI LAN Adapter 530TX+ $16.99
A4678829 19" Sony FD Trinitron CPD-G410R $399.99
A3847000 Logitech Cordless Freedom K/B & Optical mouse $79.99
A5104009 Altec Lansing ATP3 3-Piece Speaker System $69.99
A3182340 Teac 1.44MB 3-1/2" $19.99
A0159703 Arctic Silver III, Prem Thermal Compund $8.99
A1906200 Cooler Master HC001 Heatpipe Copper Fan
A6250942 ENERMAX SUPPLY,350W(P4)WHISPER ATX365PFC $59.99
A1350009 ENERMAX, 9CM GOLDEN FAN ADJUSTABLE SPD $19.99 (i think this is the size fan I need)

 

[Def]

I'd still say lose Raid 0 if you're not going to have another HDD to keep "mission critical stuff" on, or at the very least, make a CDRW backup of your important stuff every few days. My friend had this setup and hated it. While it will be slower, the difference is very negligible in day to day stuff(seeks are more important here), and you ARE doubling the chance of a critical failure.

I'd also say get at the very least a 64MB GF3 Ti200, if not a low-end GF4 ti4200 like others are saying.

Other than that, looks like a nice machine.

 

[BeyondGomer]

I'll take your advice and skip the raid drive and get an 80gig drive instead.

Isn't the 128DDR GF4 ti4200 better than the 64MB GF3 Ti200? This isn't the mmx one like before.

Here is the link to the video cards that I have availible...Set $250 as the absolute max please=).

Video cards at PC-Club

 

[LordAccord]

Im sorry, but I couldnt help but see for myself...

Dude, what is the problem with OPENING AN ACCOUNT somewhere else....

Almost your exact system, except with

SAMSUNG TRUE PC2700
MSI GeForce4 ti4400
Antec TruePower 380w
and a Cheiftech / Antec midtower (DH-01W)

$1558.72 shipped accross the country, all completely from newegg... thats 300 dollars difference with BETTER STUFF!!!!!

Is there a real real real good reason why it has to be from PCClub, because I think you are cheating yourself out of a lot.

Sorry, I know you said non negotiable, but thats too much of a difference to let slip buy unnoticed... at least maybe it will fend some n00b off of pcclub or something....

edit: if you have the money to spend, I say go for the ti4400 or 4200 64mb....you are going to have a lot of system ram too and can up how much the video card uses for caching textures and stuff, if Im not mistaken. Also, good choice on PSU... mine has been rocksolid. I am a fan of RAID, but I have only run on a standalone controller, never software RAID or off of a mobo controller, so I cant really speak for how that will run compared to what I have dealt with...but for wanting to keep the cost down from that wretched pcclub, then yeah, go a single drive

LoRdAccord

 

[BeyondGomer]

Why PC Club...just why that damned place?!

well...I will give you the best reason you can possible think ok. The School is paying for this computer for me and they have an account there. This computer isn't going to hit my wallet in any shape or form=) ..pretty cool huh=)

There might be a way to use newegg, but it might take a bit of work.

oh..two other reasons for PC-Club. School gets a discount there (not reflected in the prices I posted) and they are a 15 minute drive away incase there is a problem...no shipping things back..and no having to pay for shipping fees.

 

[SilentRunning]

Are you planning on overclocking?

A1906378 AMD Athlon XP 1800+ RTL $139.99

A1906200 Cooler Master HC001 Heatpipe Copper Fan

If you are not, then the heatsink and fan included with the retail Althon XP should be enough.
I think you were better off with the 3com NIC rather than the D-Link NIC

 

[BeyondGomer]

Wasn't planning on overclocking, but it is nice to have your system nice and cool.

 

[miken]

Your school is paying for this? Is it yours? If it's just a workstation you have some major overkill there..

 

[BeyondGomer]

The school is buying....it is sorta mine (school owned, but for my use). Since I will be in the Lab 10-14/hrs a day with a fare amount of dead time waiting for equipment to run...well..I need a break everyonce in a while=)

 

[BeyondGomer]

IF..I can pull off a purchase order through newegg, how does this look?
This should be EVERYTHING I need including cables (as far as I know, the MB still comes with IDE/FD cables and mounting hardware)
As far as I know, the list below all looks compatable.

...so???? I do anything wrong this time?

ANTEC Performance PLUS Model PLUS1080- with Antec Original TRUE P4 Power Supply 430Watt $135.00
Asus VIA A7V333 KT333 Chipset ATX Motherboard $120.00
AMD ATHLON XP 2000+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - OEM $148.00
CORSAIR MEMORY CMX512-2700C2 PC2700 DDR RAM 333MHz w/ Heat Spreader - OEM $182.00
GAINWARD/CARDEXPERT GeForce 4 Ti 4400, 3.6ns, nVIEW (TWIN CRT Display), 128MB DDR $259.00
Lite On 32x12x40 CDRW Model LTR-32123S $70.00
LITE-ON LTD-163 SPEED - RETAIL16X DVD $41.00
3COM 905CX-TXM PCI 10/100 Network Card with Wake-Up (No Cable Included!) - OEM $32.00
14 Ft. Cat. 5e Patch Cable, 350 Mhz. Can be used as Cat. 5. With Snag-Free Caps. Color: Black $3.00
WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL $123.00
VIEWSONIC P95F 19" (18" viewable) 1940 x 1440 0.25mm PerfectFlat MONITOR - RETAIL $399.00
Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified 3 piece Personal Audio System $179.00
Logitech Cordless Freedom Pro Keyboard - RETAIL $75.00
Enermax Adjustable 8CM cooling fan. Manual adjustable fan speed, 1000 RPM ~ 3000 RPM.$7.00
Enermax Adjustable 8CM cooling fan. Manual adjustable fan speed, 1000 RPM ~ 3000 RPM.$7.00
CPU FAN|HHC-001 PURE COPPER (AMD/INTEL) $25.00
Arctic Silver's NEW Premium Silver Polysynthetic Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 3. 3-gram( 1 cc. ) tube. $6.00

 

[LordAccord]

BeyondGomer, if the computer will never be yours to take home with you anyways, then you might as well get it from wherever they get their discount and be done with it, the system looks nice. I was just wondering what your stipulation was for buying at PCClub... I thought it might have been like your parents bought something from PCClub before and didnt want to open an account somewhere else and that would have been stupid... but I would point out to the school that they are really screwing themselves over when any joe schmoe can buy the exact same system for so much less, even with shipping fees....

LoRdAccord

 

[gennro]

all i have to say most of that stuff is cheap and the place you are buying from has really HIGH prices and is a major rip off

 

[Goi]

Hmmn, if your school is paying for it, why stick to $1850?
Do they have a maximum budget or allowance for this system?

 

[Markfw]

I agree with MichealD, and just about every other comment in this thread, EXCEPT I Like raid 0! It really blows away myother systems with FAST drives. Also, the controllers I have seen are mostly hardware, not software. (promise, HPT370, there is a chip on the board, I call that hardware)

 

[Goi]

Yes, there is a chip that's on the motherboard, but AFAIK these onboard controllers still rely pretty heavily on the CPU, which is then pretty much software...

 

[Electric Amish]

A Matrox video card makes everything better.

amish

 

[Goi]

Unfortunately pcclub doesn't have the G400, and even if it did, it would not beat the GeForce4 MX440 or Ti4400 that he has chosen...

 

[pcclub2000]

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: Goi
Unfortunately pcclub doesn't have the G400, and even if it did, it would not beat the GeForce4 MX440 or Ti4400 that he has chosen...

I didn't say it would beat it. Just that it would be better.

amish

 

[Goi]

Hmmn...I don't quite get you...if it doesn't beat it in at least SOMETHING, how can you claim that its better? By definition better means that it has to be superior to, hence beating it in at least SOMETHING. Perhaps performance, perhaps price, perhaps image quality, perhaps something else as obscure as looks, weight, number of capacitors or dimensions.