Deciding on new system components.

[de8212]

I guess it's time for me to spend a few bucks for a new system. Just want some thoughts from you all on these components.

Epox 8KHA+ mobo
AMD XP (1600 or above)
Crucial DDR 512MB
Lite On 24x cdrw
Pioneer 106s DVD Player
Floppy (whatever i can get)
Video card (undecided)
Sound (on-board for a while)
Heat sink/Fan SK6
I already have monitor, keyboard, hard drive, etc. I am pretty set on everything here but as you can see I need some fine tuning.
Video Cards- I don't have to have the best one on the block but I'd like a pretty good one. Geforce 3 TI200 or 500 sounds OK. Can anyone suggest a particular brand? Or even better, does anyone have a simlar configuration with a good card?
HS/Fan. I've read alot a while back on the sk6. What fan should i get to accompany it?
Anyone see anything sticking out like a sore thumb?
BTW this will all be going in my new sx-1040.
de

 

[jcmkk]

Actually the GeForce 3 Ti 500 is the best video card right now. I would suggest the Leadtek cards becuase they have better filters which gives them much better 2D picture quality. The HS/F question is a tuff one. It really depends on how much noise you can handle. If you're not worried about noise then get a Delta. If you want to save your ears then I would suggest a panaflo. You also might want to check into a Alpha Heatsink. A lot of members here swear by them. They also use a 80mm fan instead of a 60mm which means that you can get a quieter fan without sacrificing flow rate. They attach using the four holes around your socket on your motherboard. I would go with 256MB of ram for now and wait to see if the prices will fall, then buy another 256MB. In my opinion the Athlon XP 1700+ is the sweet spot.

 

[de8212]

thanks for the info. I'll check into leadtek. Does anyone actually sell the sk6 with a fan already attached?

Any other thoughts on my selections?
de

 

[Tomek]

The gainward geforce3 cards are really good too. I would suggest getting 512mb of ram now, might as well have more than less, besides, I don't expect ram prices to fall that much anytime soon. The computer I'm currently building has components that are exactly the same as the ones you intend to buy (except I bought 512mb of ram and an ati radeon 8500). As for the heatsink I would agree with jcmkk that the Alpha heatsinks are good.

 

[de8212]

Still looking for info on the sk6 and vid card.
I have heard not-so-good things about the delta fans and that's the only ones I can find that come with the sk6. I know I can buy any name brand of fan and put it on but does anyone sell the sk6 alone (or preferrably bundled with a good/quiedt fan)?

OK, I have one vote for leadtek and one for gainward, what else is highly recommended?
Got a question about video in/out. What exactly is vivo good for? I mean is it solely for watching tv on your pc or watching your pc on your tv? Is is good for video editing, etc?
de

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

As far as vid card, I prefer ATI myself. Don't know whether its a root for the underdog thing, a price vs. performance thing, or something else. i would check out the OEM Radeon 8500, great price for a great card. Screw the extra 25 mhz gpu and memory speed.

And if i recommended a heat sink right now, it would be the Alpha PAL8045 all the way. It is an 80mm heat sink, allowing an 80mm fan, which means more air moved, and moved quieter. I am assuming that when you say not-so-good things about delta's that you are talking about noise. www.svcompucycle.com has a sale on the pal8045 bare for 29.99, and you can add three or four different ystech fans to them for a few bucks, choose which cfm and decibel you want and then rock and roll.

This build looks great! Should be a fun build, and you should have that baby purrin like no tomorrow. good to oc on too, from the looks of it. Have fun.

 

[de8212]

Thanks for the 8045 suggestion but that leads to another question or two.
Here's a clip from the svc site:


<< the Alpha PAL8045 requires the use of four mounting holes around the socket A processor. Please make sure these holes exist on your motherboard before ordering this unit. >>



Does the Epox board have these holes?
SVC also lists the fans in 3-pin and 4-pin varieties. Which of these best suits this epox board?
Any other fan suggestions?\
de

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

i believe the 8kha should be okay. if you do a search for the pal805 on this board, you should find a link to a website that lists tested motherboards. Also, the link is on the www.newegg.com product description for the pal805. hope this helps.

i almost always go for a 4 pin, would rather plug a fan directly into a ps rather then the motherboard. depending on the power that your fan draws (basically, the rpm's and how large the fan is) a 3 pin can be just fine. Ask around, as i don't own the board, sorry.

If you are going to overlclock i would just by the 50ish cfm ystech fan from svcomp with a 4 pin adapter, if not just go lower.

 

[de8212]

Yeah the alpha pal8045 would fit but they do say it may need modification. I just want a straight forward install without breaking out the dremel.
SO I guess I'm back to the sk6. Still need recommendations on a fan for the sk6.
de

 

[scoobydooby]

As for the video card I would say go with whatever your budget says. It seems like you don't get a whole lot more performance for the extra hundred or so dollars for the ti 500 over the ti 200. There's a poll over in the video card forum as to which ti 200 is the best I think the gainward is tied for first with another brand, can't remember. I ordered a Gainward TI 200 from newegg.com for $170 because it's cheap, red, and has good 2d quality. I haven't decided which HSF to get either. But form what I hear the sk6 doesn't do near as well without the delta... I think there's a review of some quieter HSF's at amdmb.com. You could check that out. Hope that helps.
Alex