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Choosing parts for my 1st cutom built PC, need opinions!

S

stepsinsc

Member
I'm getting ready to buy the parts for the first PC i'll be building myself. I need help/opinions on what I've selected so far. What I've chosen so far is pretty much just a starting point, I don't have my heart set on anything really. The biggest thing I'm wanting is stability...and not running into problems and frustrations when putting it together. Here's what I've come up with so far (all prices from newegg):

-Abit KR7A-133 VIA KT266A Chipset - $143
-AMD Ahtlon XP 1800 w/ Heatsink & Fan - $160
-256Mbs DDR-RAM ECC from crucial - $86.39
-Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live 5.1 - $32.00 (I'm not picky about sound, as long as my music sounds good on 2 speakers and a sub I'll be happy)
-Gaindward/Cardexpert GeForce 3 Ti200MB - $156.00 (I really need recomendations on Video Cards, I'm looking for most bang for your buck. I've never had anything other than NVIDIAs and I've heard a lot of good things about ATIs cards, but I'm not real sure which way to go. So any opinions on the best Geforce IIIs or the newer ATIs would be appreciated.)
-Lite On 32x12x40 CDRW - $139 (I saw a good review of this, and I've seen people saying more good things about Lite On then bad things, but please suggestion)
-Lite On LTD DVD/CD ROM, 16xDVD 48xCD - $53 (Not sure about this, just chose one)
-Linkskey 10/100 PCI Ethernet Card - $10 (Not sure about this, but I've used realtek's cards before and had nothing but success
-Sony 1.44Mb 3.5" Floppy
-Western Digital EIDE HD 60Gb 7200RPM

I need some help with the case though, like what amt of wattage should I look for. Also, will I need to buy any extra fans or do most cases come with a fan that should be sufficient. All of this right now is just over $1,000 and if I could save money anywhere, I of course would love to do so. I'm not looking for top of the line, but instead something that would give me less headaches when I put it together, as well as affordabililty and quality. And like I said before I just put this list together, for all I know the things I've chosen might not even be compatible and might give me the most frustration when building time comes, so please don't hesitate to give me your two cents! Thanks.
 
You picked the best GeForce Ti200, no doubt. Mine right now is overclocked to 220/520 and rock solid. If that's not bang for your buck, I don't know what is.
 
Doesn't look too bad. IMHO you don't need ECC RAM, and I wouldn't bother since it's probably slightly more expensive, and is a little bit slower.

I have a Linksys Etherfast 10/100 NIC, and it works great.
 
stepsinsc - what OS are you going to be using? I have a Linksys ethernet card and it doesn't work in Windows 2000 (I also have a friend who had similar problems). I have a couple of Dlink cards that work fine. (I didn't bother trying to update the drivers as I had the Dlink card lying around - I would check to see if the model of card you are getting is supported by Windows 2000 if you are going that route.)
 
system looks real good to me as well. one thing you may consider is a 1800 + MP as they are factory multiplier unlocked . also dont know why you want ECC memory for........



Jen
 
you might consider a non-stock heatsink instead of the boxed amd one. Add a couple points to your fsb for free and its all good. plus it'll run your cpu much cooler and extend its life.

Try a thermalright sk-6 or maybe an alpha. i have an sk6 and its awesome..much cheaper now too
 
I agree with the posts cautioning about the ECC RAM. It takes a LONG time for your puter to post on boot-up and is likely to add unnecessary complication to your set-up.

I don't know the KR7, but I have used ABit boards for a while now (4 different flavors to date) and they seem pretty straight forward to get set-up. My best suggestion is to READ THE MANUAL for your MoBo and follow it like a cook-book.

In general, I agree with the non-stock heat sink recommendation above. Even if you never overclock, it is only going to extend the life of your CPU if you keep it nice and cool. I use an alpha PAL 8045 and like it very much because the 80mm fan is pretty quiet. However, it is by no means the only good HSF out there.
Seems like virtually every post I remember about the SK6 was like the one above... the people that have it, like it.

edit: No matter what heat sink you use, I recommend Arctic Silver II thermal compound (or even thermal grease.... the white stuff) instead of the thermal pad that will come with the retail HeatSink. (use a wood or plastic scraper to remove the included pad) They are parafin based and "beloved patriot up" everything here is a great toutorial for it's application.
 
I'd pass on the Lite On 32x12x40 CDRW, and go for the 24x burner from Lite-On. From what I've heard, the new model will only save you five seconds in burning a full CD. This way you will save yourself a $60.

Lite On makes great DVD rom, so u can't go wrong with that.

Also, instead of teh Abit board, you might want to consider an alternative. Perhaps a Soltek, which I've heard overclocks very well and is $40 less expensive than the Abit.
 
I would say if you are budget minded then there are many ways you could save money with that system. For starters you could look at other mobos than the Abit. Contrary to the silly anand roundup the MSI is a great board. But there are many cheaper yet just as good options to look at, such as the epox, shuttle, and like someone said Soltek boards to name a few. Also you could get a 1600+ or what have you since you don't seem like a performance freak. You won't really notice much difference between 1800+ and 1600+ except in benchmarks. Just my opinion. Hope that helps.
Scoob
 
Thanks for all the info, I'll be using windows 98 so hopefully the NIC shouldn't cause any problems.

As far as ECC RAM...I don't know why I chose it, the only thing I knew about ECC RAM was that I had heard it can correct its own errors that sometimes parity RAM can't (or something like that, I just assumed it was the better of the 2)...but I'll definitely switch it for the cheaper faster one.

The reason I was leaning towards just using the boxed heatsink is because I've heard that putting the heatsink on the CPU is probably one of the most "frightening" aspects of putting your own machine together, and since I'm not the most handy guy in the world...but if you guys think buying another would be better. But let me ask you, can you buy non-stock heat sinks already cut to fit a certain CPU? Just wondering cuz I've talked to people who have said they went to hardware stores and had to cut their own when they used a non-stock heatsink.

Oh and I'm still kind of in the dark about a case. How much power will I need to run this thing smoothly? And are fans included with cases or do they need to be separately bought/installed.

Thanks again for the input!
 
you should drop the 1800+ and go with the 1700+.... that's the current sweet spot for athlon xp prices. by oem and use the money saved to improve your cooling.
 
ECC memory is not needed in your setup (unless you have a mission critical application which I doubt you have). As for the sound card, I would go with a Hercules Fortissimo II from Newegg (also $32). CPU usage is better than the Live! 5.1 and its chipset is so much better in music (Meridian, a maker of $8-10grand pre-amp home theater receivers use Crystal chips. The Herc has a Crystal chipset). As for the NIC, the Linksys also uses a Realtek chipset, just like any other cheap NIC. You can actually look around the For Sale/Trade boards and get an Intel or a 3com NIC for a little more.
I also prefer Maxtor harddrives over WD, but if the price is right, it generally doesn't matter. You should go with a PS with nothing less than 350w. Enermax is a good choice and they usually work well with Abit boards. You can go to Directron.com and they have a TTGI 420w PSU for the price of the 350w Enermax and the TTGI is a good, quality PSU.
Many has already suggested in going with an aftermarket HSF unit, which I agree with. Check out the Swiftech MCXC370-OA.. Its got a huge copper base plus it attaches easily. If you think the $48 is high, you can also save money by going with an Epox 8KHA+ mobo, which is around $40 cheaper than the Abit. I have both and although the Abit is just a hair faster (not noticeable in everyday use), the Epox is cheaper, and (to me) easier to install, more compatible and forgiving with peripherals than the Abit. Stability with the Epox is also top rate, and I think its even more stable than the Abit.
As for the burner, unless you really got to have the fastest, a 24x10x40 burner is more than adequate and cheaper than the newer 32x's.
 


<< one thing you may consider is a 1800 + MP as they are factory multiplier unlocked >>


No it is not. It just doesn't have the gap between the bridges.
 
From Newegg.com

AMD Athlon XP 1700+ retail - $132
ECS K7S5A - $57
Crucial 256MB PC266 DDR SDRAM - $73
Gainward Geforce 3 Ti200 - $156
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz - $65 (you're going to outgrow those crappy speaks)
Maxtor D740X 60GB 7200RPM - $86
Lite-On 24x10x40 CD-RW - $82
Lite-On 16X DVD-ROM - $53
Netgear FA311 NIC - $11
Teac 1.44MB FDD - $9
Enlight 7237 /w 300W AMD Appr. PSU - $47

Total - $771 + shipping + possible tax
 
Yucky the mobo you recomended has onboard LAN but you also recomended a separate NIC. Would the one on board be enough for an ethernet connection?
 
Another quick question..if I do buy the OEM version of the AMD 1700 and buy the heatsink + fan separate, does the type of fan actually make a difference...or would any one, like the thermaltake ones of newegg.com be enough?
 
i recommend getting a seagate barracuda iv over the maxtor. it will be quiet!
also recommend getting some quiet fans like panaflos and a good heatsink like alpha 8045. make sure your mobo will work with the alpha though. that way you'll have a fast AND quiet computer! 🙂
 
Do not get a Thermaltake heatsink, they all stink basically.

The CPU Cooler matters a lot. Personally, I would go with an Alpha PAL 8045 heatsink and attach a Panaflo 80MM quiet fan - whisper quiet.
 


<< Do not get a Thermaltake heatsink, they all stink basically.

The CPU Cooler matters a lot. Personally, I would go with an Alpha PAL 8045 heatsink and attach a Panaflo 80MM quiet fan - whisper quiet. >>



i have to agree with the alpha 8045 and panaflo suggestion.........however i feel retail is the way to go for warrantty purpose



Jen
 


What Yucky Said!!!!!

I just built my same system using almost the exact same components all from newegg.

I think at this point all the bugs must be ironed out of the ECS board as I have had zero problems, everything has just worked the first time with no tweaks.

My differences:

Using the $119 samsclub special WD 100 and very happy with it.

I went with a 1Ghz Duron for $47 (at the time) figuring I could not go wrong at that price. I know I am CPU limited as the GeForce 3 Ti 200 is CPU hungry BUT everything I've played (both serious sames, RTCW, etc) has looked and played wonderfully.

I'll upgrade to an 1800 or 1900 in a few months. Drop in prices will probably come close to covering the $47 duron, plus I'll have a spare.

BTW: I'm using a soundblaster Live! 5.1 MP3 with absolutely no problems you'll save a few bucks over the santacruz recommended by Yucky.

Also using the onboard LAN and it is working great.

Go this route and you'll save about $200 and probably not notice a difference!


 
IMO......Don't buy the MSI board. I bought 2 K7T266 Pro2 RU's and RMA'ed both. I now have the Abit KR7A RAID and the thing is solid as a rock.
 
Abit mobos are really good. The Abit KR7A is very stable! Plus its totally jumperless. Other mobos are jumperless too but still some stuff you need to use a jumper for. I own a Abit mobo right now and its rock stable! I have had it so far for 1 year about. No problems at all. I think the Abit is a very good choose. When i built my first computer which i am on now which has my Abit mobo it booted up the first time i turned it on right out of the box! All i had to do is choose cpu and a few other things. Very easy and lots of tweakable options.
 
killmeplease, some people have problems with some boards and some people don't. It's luck of the draw. I'm sure some people have problems with the abit as well. If you don't believe me head over to amdmb.com. The MSI board is great for the price. Mine is quite stable btw.
Scoob
 


<< killmeplease, some people have problems with some boards and some people don't. It's luck of the draw. I'm sure some people have problems with the abit as well. If you don't believe me head over to amdmb.com. The MSI board is great for the price. Mine is quite stable btw.
Scoob >>



The man asked for opinions. I gave him mine and the rational I used for my opinion.

My experience is indeed anecdotal............thus I state it as opinion.

You recommended the board based on your experience.

Fair enough?
 
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