Finally, all components picked out...any suggestions or changes?

[jSuvius]

First of all, I'd like to thank all the members of this board for helping me out thoughout this process. This is my first custom PC so I took my time picking out components. My goal was to make a high-end system for video/audio applications, internet, dvd burning, etc. I will not be doing much gaming nor will I be doing any overclocking. Here are the components I picked out...is everythying up to spec? I'm getting the whole thing put together by Monarch because they seem to have good prices and I don't trust myself to put together all this intense hardware. Any suggestions or substitutions?

Case: Lian-Li PC-61 Aluminum Case - Black [$172]

PSU: Antec NEOPOWER480 ATX12V 480W [$121]

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3500+ [$347]

Mobo: MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum [$130]

Heat-Sink Fan: Thermaltake VENUS 8+ Highest Performance Cooler [$25]

Memory: 2 GB DDR PC-3200 OCZ Dual-Channel (OCZ4002048PFDC-K) [$439]

Video Card: eVGA GeForce 6800GT [$375]

Audio Card: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum [$179]

1st HDD: Western Digital 74GB SATA 10K RPM Raptor [$176]

2nd HDD: Western Digital 200GB SATA 7.2K RPM [$129]

DVD Burner: Optorite DD1203 12X DVD Burner [$94]

CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive: Samsung SM-352NENB 52X32X52x16 [$78]

Floppy drive: Mitsumi Floppy 7-in-1 USB Card reader / smart media Black [$35]

Case function add-on: Enermax Aluminum UC-A07FATR2 (BLACK) Multifunction Transfer Panel [$35]

OS: Windows XP Pro [$154]

Total: About $2600

 

[jSuvius]

up

 

[PCHPlayer]

You seem to have a nice sized budget. I only wonder if a CD-RW is necessary when you are also putting in a DVD burner?

 

[RedShirt]

If money is not a problem then looks good. If someone was on a tight budget, this is what I would say.

Case and PS: Why do you need a 172 dollar case AND a 121 dollar power supply? Best Buy right now has a nice Antec case on sale for 30 after rebate saving you over $250 there.

Processor and Mobo: I do like the 3500+, but are you sure you need to spend that much money right now on a proc? For $190 right now you can get a 3 Ghz Pentium 4 and a motherboard at outpost. This would save you around another 300 dollars. Since you do not plan on overclocking there is no real need to get a motherboard that is built for overclocking. In addition, since you will not be gaming with the computer, the P4 sounds like a great option for you. It also has hyperthreading which will help in some applications you will use.

Memory: Why 2GB? Unless you are doing heavy video editing or intense applications like 3d rendering or stuff like that 1GB is plenty. In addition, you do not need the tightest memory settings (it does help, but there is not a HUGE difference in performance). You could probably pick up a gig of Decent RAM for $150 saving you almost 300 dollars!

VideoCard: Why a 6800GT if not much gaming? If not gaming a lot I'd pick up something like a 9800pro for 180-200. Or you could even go with a lesser card for less money. With the 9800pro that saves around 200 dollars.

SoundCard: Are you going to even use the extra connections on the Platinum? If not there is no need to get it, unless you really like paying 100 dollars for a remote control. A normal Audigy 2 ZS can be had for around 60 after rebate at newegg. This saves another $100

HD: If you REALLY like the speed then stick with the Raptor. I personally don't mind a 200 GB PATA seagate for around 100-120. This saves about $200

CD-RW: No need since the DVD burner also burns CDs, this saves another 78 dollars

This is what I'd tell someone on a budget. Again, if money wasn't a problem, then go for it I guess.

 

[karma4jake]

Those components should be good enough for more than 2 yrs. I think most peops round here upgrade more frequently tho but by cheaper components for some reason. (like me)

 

[jSuvius]

Wow...you bring up a lot of interesting points RedShirt. If I followed all of that I could take $1000 off my system! I don' t think I'll be doing that but I will probably make some changes. I don't know much about computer hardware but let me explain some of the reasoning I used in picking out this stuff and maybe you can tell me where I went wrong. As far as the processor goes, I felt like going AMD mainly because I have always had Intels and I thought I might as well try the competition, especially now that they had the 64 bit line. Is AMD really only preferable to gamers? I don't play games but I always kind of assumed that whatever technology was good for gaming was good for system performance in general. Is this generally not true? For example, is the 6800GT only exemplary for game graphics and not for streaming video or dvd playback? I was willing to spend the extra money for the "new" components because I thought it would translate into a longer-life for my computer and less problems. Will I not see any benefits from the AMD or the 6800GT if I'm not gaming? Same thing for the MSI Neo2. I picked that just cuz I heard it went well with the 3500. Does it's ability to be overclocked not translate into general performance benefits? One thing I really want is excellent multi-tasking with numerous apps and web pages with as little lag as possible - This is why I picked the 2GB of memory.. Is 2GB no better at multi-tasking than 1GB? As you can tell, I'm pretty confused. I appreciate your help.

 

[bates747]

jSuvius...


The system you've lined up is geared entirely for gaming.

One thing I really want is excellent multi-tasking with numerous apps and web pages with as little lag as possible

A Pentium 4 w/ HyperThreading will perform a bit better for that purpose. Thats part of what HyperThreading was intended to do.

Also if your not gaming, that 6800 GT is a huge waste. It wont play DVD's or display any 2D apps faster than a $50 Geforce MX card.

 

[RedShirt]

This is what I'd do if I were you. Others please feel free to chime in. I'll do some explaining in my next post.

Case and PS $29.99

Motherboard and Proc $189.99

RAM $149.99

Video Card $70.00

Sound Card $25

Hard Drive $99.99

DVD Burner $64

WinXP Pro $141

Keep your cool floppy drive if you wish $35

Total: 804.96 not including shipping and the one rebate on the Antec Case

 

[RedShirt]

Ok, now for some explanation.

That case is a good case from Best Buy. It will power your computer no problem. Especially since you do not need a newer video card that requires a lot of power.

The mobo and proc is the best deal you could possibly get right now. And the P4 does have hyper threading which will be great for you. This will be more than enough for your needs.

The RAM would be good too. It doesn?t sound like you need uber fast RAM. This will run in sync with the Pentium 4 bus and give you all the performance you will need. 1 GB of RAM is plenty for having multiple windows open. Right now I have 7 windows open, and many processes running and am only using 257MB of RAM.

The video card is Radeon 9600 which is probably still more than you need. It?ll still run older games great, but that doesn?t even matter since you do not game. This will make DVD movies, streaming video, everything in windows look exactly the same as a 400 dollar 6800GT, plus it doesn?t have a fan so it is quiet.

For your uses, it doesn?t sound like you need a top of the line hard drive (paying a GIANT price premium for a faster drive isn?t worth it in my opinion, especially with what you have explained what you will use the computer for). You may wish to find a good price on Seagate since they have a 5 year warranty compared to Maxtor's 1 year.

I went with a great 8x DVD drive because of the price. You can spend more on a faster drive, but right now most people are buying 4x media at most, some may spend more for 8. In my opinion 8x is all you need right now. Later when 16x media and drives are cheap, upgrade then. For now 8x is all you need.

Also, if you have an older version of Windows laying around you could buy an Upgrade XP CD for under $100. It?ll just ask to verify the old CD you have when you are doing a fresh install. Or you could also just use your older OS, making this comp only $664 plus shipping!

Edit: Oh yeah, and the soundcard. The AV-710 rocks. If you don't game, there is ZERO reason to get a Audigy.

 

[nageov3t]

but that case is ugly as sin

if you're going to spend $170 on a case, though, you may as well throw in an extra $50 and get a Lian-Li PC-V1100

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-112-073&depa=0

if you have your heart set on the PC-61, it's availible from NewEgg for $99.

 

[SuPrEIVIE]

what does 4ball bearing fans mean is it 120mm? or what?
EDIT:in response to the pc-61 or is the CM praetorian preferable and a 1$ cheaper

 

[jSuvius]

Ok. I think I'll get a cheaper video card and only 1GB of RAM. If I don't mind spending the money on the AMD processor though, will a 3500+ still be good for what I am going to do? I mean, isn't 64 bit processing appealing even to non-gamers? It seems that the 3500+ would be at least as good at multimedia as any Pentium...is this not so?

 

[heartsurgeon]

get a Dell, and buy an Aeron chair with the money you save...

in 5 years you'll have an entirely different computer...

you'll still have the Aeron, with 7 years left to go on it's 12 year warranty!!!

 

[RedShirt]

Originally posted by: jSuvius
Ok. I think I'll get a cheaper video card and only 1GB of RAM. If I don't mind spending the money on the AMD processor though, will a 3500+ still be good for what I am going to do? I mean, isn't 64 bit processing appealing even to non-gamers? It seems that the 3500+ would be at least as good at multimedia as any Pentium...is this not so?

The 64 bit will just go unused. I believe the only OS that is out now for mainstream use is the 64-bit version of linux. MS is supposed to be releasing a 64-bit windows, and I think there is a beta out there... But 64-bit computing is still a ways out. By the time it's mainstream the Athlon 64 will be very outdated.

If I were you I'd go Pentium for the hyperthreading. The A64 offers nothing. No hyperthreading and you'd just run it in 32 bit mode anyways (just like almost everyone else here on anandtech does)

Edit: The Athlon 3500+ would be enough for you, to answer your question. What I'm saying is a 3.0 Ghz P4 would be more than enough also. With what you have said you'd be using the rig for, even a 3.0 Ghz P4 could be considered overkill.

 

[Mik3y]

Originally posted by: RedShirt
This is what I'd do if I were you. Others please feel free to chime in. I'll do some explaining in my next post.

Case and PS $29.99

Motherboard and Proc $189.99

RAM $149.99

Video Card $70.00

Sound Card $25

Hard Drive $99.99

DVD Burner $64

WinXP Pro $141

Keep your cool floppy drive if you wish $35

Total: 804.96 not including shipping and the one rebate on the Antec Case

YUCK!

jSuvius, i think the setup you listed is great. only thing that needs changing would be the optical drive. for that price, you can get a pioneer double layer 16x dvd+/-rw drive at newegg, which is perhaps the best you can get and get for money.

 

[RedShirt]

Doesn't anyone agree with me? For a computer that is being used to Watch movie files, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet, isn't the rig listed at top overkill?

Edit: And I mean WAY overkill. This is baffling me that people are saying it looks good for those uses! The rig I priced up saves close to TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS and I bet he wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the two in everyday use!

 

[deanx0r]

Have you ever thought of an SFF system? They perform about the same and yet are much more smaller/portable and nearly silent. They come pre-built so it'll save you some headaches mounting the motherboard to the case, and figure out power, reset, usb connection etc.

Putting the rest together (RAM, HDD, CPU, Graphic card) is rather easy and would be a great experience for first time builder.

Anandtech reviewed this excellent SFF case from Soltek a while ago, the Qbic 3801.
There's another version of this SFF with a 300W power supply I think, but many user reported that the current 250W were enough to beef up heavy demanding cards like 6800GT.
http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=2104

Here's what I'd get:

Soltek Qbic 3801 $299
Athlon64 3200 $212
1GB Corsair DDR400 RAM $155
9800 Pro $159
120GB Samsung HDD $85
Pioneer 108 DVD Burner $85

$995

add keyboard, and mouse to your own preference

The Soltek already comes with its own CPU cooling solution and has integrated sound system. It's up to you if you want to game with it or not, otherwise get an Audigy.
Samsung HDDs are cool and quiet, fast and cheap. I don't think there's really that much difference compare to a Raptor. You'll always see difference in a synthetic benchmark, but it's way different when it comes to real world environment.

Hope it helps.

 

[deanx0r]

Originally posted by: RedShirt
Doesn't anyone agree with me? For a computer that is being used to Watch movie files, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet, isn't the rig listed at top overkill?

Edit: And I mean WAY overkill. This is baffling me that people are saying it looks good for those uses! The rig I priced up saves close to TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS and I bet he wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the two in everyday use!

I think it really depend on how the buy value his/her money and how he gonna use his PC (gaming, video editing or just websurfing).

Don't forget jSuvius doesn't want to build everything from scratch with his bare hands too

 

[RedShirt]

Originally posted by: deanx0r

Originally posted by: RedShirt
Doesn't anyone agree with me? For a computer that is being used to Watch movie files, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet, isn't the rig listed at top overkill?

Edit: And I mean WAY overkill. This is baffling me that people are saying it looks good for those uses! The rig I priced up saves close to TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS and I bet he wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the two in everyday use!

I think it really depend on how the buy value his/her money and how he gonna use his PC (gaming, video editing or just websurfing).

Don't forget jSuvius doesn't want to build everything from scratch with his bare hands too

I agree. And if his uses are: Watching Movies, Listening to Music, Surfing the Net, Any Office Work, the system listed above is WAY overkill. He even said no games.

 

[deanx0r]

In that case even cheap Athlon XP would be enough.

I'd still recommend the SFF route tho, AthlonXP, Celeron even or Sempron are good enough to fulfill those function.

 

[RedShirt]

Originally posted by: deanx0r
In that case even cheap Athlon XP would be enough.

I'd still recommend the SFF route tho, AthlonXP, Celeron even or Sempron are good enough to fulfill those function.

Yeah SFF is awesome. That'd work perfectly for him.

 

[jSuvius]

I should clarify some stuff. Just because I'm not gaming, doesn't mean my needs are the same as Average Joe Dell user. This rig isn't just to "watch movie files, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet." Yes, I will be doing those things but I am also talking about video editing, audio editing, dvd authoring, extracting HUGE files quickly, having 5 programs and 20 windows open while burning a DVD, etc. I want HIGH performance that will last for a few years...I just don't play video games. That said, from what you say, a Pentium 4 may be in my best interest...but an 800 dollar system seems too cheap.

 

[RedShirt]

Originally posted by: jSuvius
I should clarify some stuff. Just because I'm not gaming, doesn't mean my needs are the same as Average Joe Dell user. This rig isn't just to "watch movie files, listen to MP3s, and surf the internet." Yes, I will be doing those things but I am also talking about video editing, audio editing, dvd authoring, extracting HUGE files quickly, having 5 programs and 20 windows open while burning a DVD, etc. I want HIGH performance that will last for a few years...I just don't play video games. That said, from what you say, a Pentium 4 may be in my best interest...but an 800 dollar system seems too cheap.

Ahh, Ok, then that is different. Sorry about my misunderstanding. If you are going to have a LOT of stuff open at once, I'd say a P4 is the better bet. You may even wish to get a faster P4 and get one of those handy P4 boards that have PCI Express! (You'd need the newer Socket-T P4). The P4 sounds like it'd be way better for you than an Athlon 64.

For video editing and things like that you will want that SATA Raptor for sure. You still will not need a top of the line videocard. A cheap 50 dollar or so card will work great. You may also wish to opt for the 2 gigs of RAM you had picked out as well. If you do massive video editing it eats the resources up. To REALLY get great performance with DVD authoring, video editing, etc, you could use the money you save on a video card for a second Raptor and Raid them. This is something to consider...

Your original rig looks great for that, except the videocard, mobo proc, and soundcard. There are better soundcards than the Audigy 2 for more professional audio work. You may wish to pick up a card by M-Audio. The Audigy is geared for gaming. M-Audio tailors their cards for people with your needs.

Edit: Also, you could save a TON of money on a case as well. You can pick up a good looking 100 dollar case at newegg. You don't need a 500 watt PS. Heck a 300 watter would probably be fine for you since you will not need an intensive gaming videocard, but I would suggest a quality 350-400 watt supply.