Help me put together a new system...

[IgoByte]

I'm looking to build on one of those Shuttle small-format barebone platforms.

Here's what I have in mind:
Shuttle SN41G2 - $330
AMD Athlon XP2500+ BARTON (rtl.) - $176
2x 512MB PC2700 Crucial - $125
WD2000JB - $228
SONY DRU-500AX - $350
GeForce 4 Ti4200 128MB Gainward - have
3.5"-bay 6in1 memory card reader - have
Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 speakers - have


Any comments or suggestions? This is going to be an all-around system; supposed to do a little bit of everything.
Should I get a PCI sound card or use the onboard sound? How many HDDs will I be able to fit into this case?
Any personal experience with the Shuttle SN41G2?

Thanks in advance...

 

[AtomicDude512]

Looks good except for the Crucial memory! There have been MANY problems with the nForce2 chipset and Crucial memory. If you are thinking budget memory buy some Kingston instead, as thst has worked fine with the nForce2.

As for the HDD question the case can only fit one as far as I know. So stock up on those GBs!

 

[IgoByte]

Hmmm...problems with crucial memory...that's pretty unusual.
Can anyone else confirm this?

Thanks a lot for your input, AtomicDude!

 

[IgoByte]

Anyone else? How stable is this Shuttle platform?

 

[optimistic]

Try This site's SFF section or visit Sudhian for more opinions.

 

[lumen]

My newly built Athlon system is using the Crucial pc2700 512mb stick of RAM somewhat successfully, I say somewhat because it will only work at DDR266 or pc2100 speeds... this is a well documented problem with this PARTICULAR stick of RAM, some links for your perusal....

Link

Link #2

 

[IgoByte]

Just spoke to Crucial and the tech support rep. told me that the Crucial PC2700 512MB dimms are compatible with NForce2 boards.

Should I buy crucial PC2700 and run it at 133Mhz or should I choose another brand?

How about the PCI sound card? Any thoughts on that? Should I take up the single available PCI slot with a sound card or should I use the onboard stuff?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: IgoByte
Just spoke to Crucial and the tech support rep. told me that the Crucial PC2700 512MB dimms are compatible with NForce2 boards.

Should I buy crucial PC2700 and run it at 133Mhz or should I choose another brand?

Samsung,Mushkin or Corsair or buy the Crucial and give it a whirl ..might be excellent for your build

How about the PCI sound card? Any thoughts on that? Should I take up the single available PCI slot with a sound card or should I use the onboard stuff?

use the onboard ..like I'd mentioned above...give it a whirl..listen if it suits you..why grab a card..but if it sucketh..

gl and keep us informed

 

[IgoByte]

Thanks, ScrapSilicon. Will do.