Help/Advice with my new rig?

[Nutrageous]

Hey all...

After years of being a slave to the Compaqs, HPs, and Sonys of the retail stores, I have finally decided to build my own machine. I've never been afraid of hardware, but I've been lazy and attracted to software bundles...

Anyway, I've spent all my freetime this last week reading online reviews and comparing prices, and I think I've more or less assembled an almost complete parts list. I'll put a star (*) by everything I either already own or is on its way here:

CPU - P4 2.4 800 (price is right, just haven't ordered yet)
MB - Abit IC7-G (Auction pending)
*HD - Maxtor Ultra 160GB 7200 ATA/133 8MB
*Video - ATI Radeon 9500 Pro
*Sound - Hercules Game Theater XP 6.1


Now I haven't decided on RAM yet. The board I want supports dual channel DDR 33 or 400. Actually, it should even support the new DDR 500 and 433, but that stuff is just crazy expensive. And that's my point. I'm running short on cash now and can't afford the RAM I'd ideally want...so should I buy a single 512 stick of 333 or 400 and hope to get an identical one in the future? Should I just buy the cheapest thing I can find and toss it out when I get more coin? Should I buy a pair of 256 DDR400? I feel like I'll surely be replacing those with higher numbers in the future, but at least I'd be taking advantage of the dual channel support in the IC7... I was even reading a post on this site that talked about certain combinations of DIMMS in the 4 slots being more advantageous than others...


Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone had advice or help for a newbie. The RAM is just one thing... I was hoping I was throwing together a decent rig. I don't think I see any pitfalls in my setup, but then again, I don't know much...

Thanks in advance for the help/comments/advice...

 

[Macro2]

Not too late to go AMD and save a bundle.

 

[Nutrageous]

Yeah, I've heard/read that AMD MB+CPU combos are rivialling Pentiums for much cheaper... I've never owned an AMD before so I don't know how I feel about them. I have read that the Canterwood chips combined with 800 FSB processors are doing some amazing things, and that overclocking (if I ever decide to tackle that) is very significant with these combos... like that 2.4 would easily pass the 3.0ghz barrier...

I dunno... It's looking like my IC7-G MaxII + P4 2.4 800 will end up costing me about $330 together. How much less is a comparable AMD?

 

[Macro2]

An AMD Barton 2500+ for $90 plus a nforce2 motherboard from say $90 to $125 will get you to 3200+ with an overclock and PC3200+ RAM.
Kind of hard to beat that.


mac

 

[compudog]

Yeah, you can go AMD and save some coin, but your Intel setup is nice too. Even though I love my AMD rigs, my next is going to be an Intel on one of these new boards. (865/875 chipset) As for the RAM, get DDR 400. Who knows what fantastic things will be available down the road when you are ready for your next upgrade???

 

[BaboonGuy]

i love amd but the hyperthreading on those p4s is super nice, kinda wish i had it. do some research on hyperthreading and see if you'll really need it, then if you will i'd go intel, if not go AMD.

also you save even more with AMD since an abit NF7-S board (one of the best amd mobos) will be not only cheaper than the ic7-g but you wont have to get a sound card since the onbooard on the nf7-s is just like an audigy (not sure how good the onboard sound on the ic7-g is though.)

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Well, how much do you have left for the RAM?

And do you really need 160GB of HD space? If not, get an 80GB drive with 8mb of cache or something. How much are you paying for the parts?

I'd go for atleast 2 sticks of PC3200 256MB. Also, what do you plan to do with the system? If you plan to play games, spend a dollar or two more, and get the Radeon 9700 Non Pro which is right around $200 like the 9500 Pro.

Also, do you really need that audio card? The motherboard has integrated audio, and a decent one at that. I'd get some decent 256MB PC3200 sticks for now, start off with 2, and then later on you can buy another two of the same kind or even 512MB sticks for a total of 1.5GB then.

I feel like I'll surely be replacing those with higher numbers in the future, but at least I'd be taking advantage of the dual channel support in the IC7... I was even reading a post on this site that talked about certain combinations of DIMMS in the 4 slots being more advantageous than others...

First, if you aren't going to overclock, the extra speed in the RAM won't really help out much, if any, unless you use a divider, even at that it won't help much and if it does, only in very few situations. As for using 4 slots, I too read an article about that, but let me tell you that since you are kind of tight on the budget, don't try and get the most performance. Also, the difference will be about 2 or 3 percent or less, more like 1 or 2 percent.

If we can get your budget and what you plan to use this system for, then we can help you come up with the best solution in your price range. What about a case and PSU? Also, you might want to check out Newegg.com sinec they have great rates and always in the Top 10 at resellerratings.com

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Nutrageous
Yeah, I've heard/read that AMD MB+CPU combos are rivialling Pentiums for much cheaper... I've never owned an AMD before so I don't know how I feel about them. I have read that the Canterwood chips combined with 800 FSB processors are doing some amazing things, and that overclocking (if I ever decide to tackle that) is very significant with these combos... like that 2.4 would easily pass the 3.0ghz barrier...

I dunno... It's looking like my IC7-G MaxII + P4 2.4 800 will end up costing me about $330 together. How much less is a comparable AMD?

2500+ and 8rda+: $170
1700+ and 8rda+: $140

 

[Nutrageous]

Hey all, thanks for the responses...

Ok... well I have an electronic keyboard and need in/out midi connectors on my card. I also wanted something with an optical out, so I ended up with the Game Theater XP. Already have it on my current PC. I also already own a new Asus CDRW 52/24/52.

I found the ATI Radeon 9500 pro on eBay for $150, and it's on it's way. ($14 Shipping)

No I don't need 160 GB hard drive, but I found one on eBay for $105, so I figured a couple extra bucks was worth an extra 80GB. It's on its way. ($12 shipping)

I also found a case, psu, 3 fans, keyboard, and mouse on eBay for about 70 bucks shipped.

My biggest thinking has been floating around the MB/CPU/RAM and since they all pretty much depend on each other, I've been saving them for last.

So, it looks like I've already spent about $350, and I still need MB/CPU/RAM and a floppy drive(not worried about that ). I already have a copy of XP Pro. I'm getting $550 for my old Sony, and can still spend a couple hundred bucks more. It sounds like everyone is suggesting AMD?

What specifically would you get? You have 400 bucks and you need MB/CPU/RAM.

???

 

[Slammy1]

I'd recommend the P4 with good memory (PC3500 for the 2.4C). You'll get far better performance. Also, I'd recommend buying from places like NewEgg and GoogleGear, and not EBay. YMMV with EBay auctions, and returns aren't as easy.

 

[Nutrageous]

Oh no...

I'd never trust eBay for things like motherboards, but I figured I could shave a little off the price by picking up a few things there.

Anyway, I wanted to add something else: Right now, on my current machine, I'm running the Sony Vaio stock Asus P4266LM motherboard with a 1.8 Pentium processor, and 1GB PC2100 RAM.

When I build a modern rig, am I gonna be so blown away I won't even notice a difference? It seems like there are two schools of thought going on for my system... either

A) nforce2 board + AMD 2500+ (then whatever RAM I can afford, probably more than with Intel option)

or

B) IC7-G board + 2.4C processor and a couple of 256mb sticks of PC3500

A sounds like it will be a lot cheaper than B... I guess I could go down to a IS7-E board. I read that Kingston had tested their new DDR500 RAM on the IC7...

But are both options gonna be such an improvement that I won't care and should just get the cheapest thing?

 

[Macro2]

RE:"nforce2 board + AMD 2500+ (then whatever RAM I can afford, probably more than with Intel option"

A lot more...You'll need RAM that can run at PC3200 to get to 200MHZ FSB. SO at least PC3200 RAM. Corsair is good, Kingston is good etc.

Then again, Athlon64 will be out in about 6 weeks...won't be cheap at first though.

Prescott will be out this year too...

Mac