How Does This System Look?

[Playmaker]

I am building a new system for myself that will be used primarily for mp3 encoding, watching dvds, and playing everquest (only game I really play anymore). The following are the specs I have planned...

Abit IS7-E
P4 2.4C Retail (hope to get 3.0 on stock cooling)
ATI 9600 Pro (what's a good brand?)
onboard sound
Western Digital 80GB SE
onboard NIC
Lite On DVD and CDRW drives
Antec SLK3700 w/ Antec 350W Smart Power
Additional 120mm fan for 120mm in/out

My first question is regarding the RAM. 512mb vs. 1024mb...More then 512mb wouldn't make a difference for mp3 encoding as that is mostly CPU correct? The only reason I'm considering 1024mb is because I've heard it can help with EverQuest a lot. Would I be better off going for 2 cheaper sticks of 512mb (GeIL probably) and running at 400mhz? Or going for 2 higher quality sticks of 256mb (the best Corsair or Kingston probably) and running the fsb higher with more aggressive timings?

Second is the power supply. I went overboard on my last comp with a 431W for a non-OC'd 1.2gig T-Bird with only 1 HD because of how much everyone hyped power supplies back then. Is the 350W Smart Power going to be enough in my situation? At most I'd add another hard drive, but that's it.

Are there any other changes or recommendations you could make in a similar price range? Thanks...

 

[chocoruacal]

Forget the 2nd 120mm fan, it will only make things hotter. With only one HD, you don't need a fan on it anyway. 512MB will be fine, go for quality over quantity. I have a gig right now, and even with vid editing/encoding and photoshop, I don't come anywhere near the whole thing, and it certainly doesn't feel any faster. What WILL feel faster is low latency RAM like HyperX and nice, tight timings 🙂

 

[brettjrob]

For the RAM it depends on how long this upgrade is going to last. If you know you're going to do another system overhaul next year after Prescott/Athlon64 come out, you may as well get the high-quality 2x256MB and run at as high an FSB as possible. On the other hand, if you think you'll be keeping this setup for years to come, the 1GB would be the way to go... it probably won't be that long before 512MB is insufficient for some apps/games.

I am in the process of buying a setup very similar to yours (ABIT IS7-E and P4 2.4C) and after much research, I just bit the bullet and went with 2x512MB of Corsair XMS PC3200 (knowing I'll be keeping my core components for at least two years)... each stick was $104. Of course the prices went up a few days ago and now they're $118 apiece, so you better stick with the GeIL 🙂

The 350W PSU should be fine.

 

[Playmaker]

I think I'm going to go for the Antec Sonata instead. $40 more but it comes with the 380W True Power. I'll probably add an extra fan also. Anyone have any experience with this case? Is the airflow sufficient compared to my 2 year old Antec SX1030B with 2 80mm in and 2 80mm out?

What about on the DVD and CDRW drives? Anyone have any problems with Lite On drives? Am I better off going with a combo drive? Burn on the fly is nice, but I don't see it as a daily thing.

I'm still not sure on the RAM. Any more opinions? Also, I'm not a big upgrader. I've been building a new comp every 2 years for awhile now without upgrading in between. My old comp was a T-Bird 1.2ghz, 512mb PC2100 DDR, GeForce2 Pro that I built 2 years ago and haven't upgraded once. Maybe I am better off going with 1gig of RAM on this one. Anyone have any experience with that GeIL Golden Dragon RAM? On paper it looks great...