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How is my system

S

stickybytes

Golden Member
I have a existing pentium 3 1.6 ghz desktop and i now want to upgrade. After looking at my options i found that i would be better off building a new one and chucking the parts off my old one. I could use the fdd, keyboard mouse, and dvd-rom and cd-rw drive from it.
I now have compiled a system and tell me what you think of it.

Asus P4c800-e deluxe
Pentium 2.4 ghz 478 800 fbs ht
Corsair xms pc2700 256mb 32x64
Sapphire Atlantis Ati radeon 9000 64mb dvi/vga out
Western digital 80gb special edition 7200 RPM 8MB
Antec Case

If i left out anything or if you think i should change anything please tell me about it.
 
Yes. I want to keep the system under 1200. So far the specs listed will cost me around 600.
Yes i will add the extra 256 mb ram. Found out in that these days, 256 just won't cut it. Also heard about dual channel ddr ram. Any suggestions as to what pairs of memory to buy?
 
Yeah definitely get at least 512, 2 stick if you want to run in dual channel. And since you have a 800 mhz fsb you should get at least pc3200. Will you be overclocking?
 
Planning to overclock? Planning to buy a gaming video card to replace the 9000?

800 fsb needs 2 sticks of pc3200 to run in dual-channel mode at a 1:1 memory ratio. One stick of pc2700 would run single-channel with a 5:4 (CPU : memory) speed ratio.
 
No im not planning to overclock. But i do wish to take advantage of dual channel ddr. What ram should i get that will run in dual with my 800mhz fsb? Any suggestions that are affordable?

Im planning to keep my video card as is. Unless some other models drop significantly i mind as well wait untill the new wave of ati cards come out before upgrading possibly.

 
as for a brand of ram, you cant go wrong with corsair, mushkin, samsung or crucial (in that order imo) but i highly recommend getting identical sticks cause different sticks even with similar specs dont always work well together (found this out the hard way last couple weeks...)

peace and gl
 
If you have any intention of gaming then that Radeon 9000 is just a waste of money. If you are really strapped then look around the FS/T forums for a good deal on a vid card...Im sure you can find something. other than that the system looks good.
-doug
 
Nice to hear all the good reviews.
Is the ati radeon 9000 that out of date?
I believe the newest radeon card is the 9800. The 9000 also comes with 64mb of video ram so i think im pretty well suited there.
 
R9100's are like $50ish, and they're a tad faster. But if you want games, try to get a better card. If you get lucky, you can get Cusa to get you a R9600 Pro for $99 this week.

BTW get your drive from a local store; they're cheaper when on sale (IE Compusa 120GB w/ 8MB cache for $60 this wk).
 
The CompUSSR 9600 was a non pro and they were not honoring that typo. I'd say get a Radeon 9600 Pro or a 9700/9800 non pro or a GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB for a budget solution.
 
Originally posted by: stickybytes
I have a existing pentium 3 1.6 ghz desktop and i now want to upgrade. After looking at my options i found that i would be better off building a new one and chucking the parts off my old one. I could use the fdd, keyboard mouse, and dvd-rom and cd-rw drive from it.
I now have compiled a system and tell me what you think of it.

Asus P4c800-e deluxe
Pentium 2.4 ghz 478 800 fbs ht
Corsair xms pc2700 256mb 32x64
Sapphire Atlantis Ati radeon 9000 64mb dvi/vga out
Western digital 80gb special edition 7200 RPM 8MB
Antec Case

If i left out anything or if you think i should change anything please tell me about it.
Click to expand...

P3 1.6???? never heard of it.

But that system you plan on building seems quite suitable. But more RAM never hurts

 
You might get better value ram and get identical 512mb sticks so you dont use up all your slots with titchy 256.Also consider serial ata hardrives as they are much better connections than the old ata ribbon,and if you can swing it built in raid.Just make sure your mobo supports S-ata for the future.
 
There is nothing really wrong with your system as configured. It will work. However it almost seems pointless to pay almost $200 on a board and then use other components that don't take advantage of the boards onboard features. Given that you said you wanted to keep it under $1200 and you did not list other components you may want here is how I would configure it.

Antec 1080AMG -plenty of room/430W psu
Asus P4C800-E
P4 2.6c- if you don't plan to overclock you may as well get a couple extra Mhz since the price difference isn't that much.
Corsair XMS 3200 512 Twin Pack (2X256)- match up your memory with your cpu
Seagate 120GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive Barracuda 7200.7 - take advantage of the SATA (no speed gain) and the extra storage/quiet
ATI SAPPHIRE RADEON 9800 PRO 128MB DVI/TV 8X AGP RETAIL - if you game you will spend it now or spend it later.

This would be about $1100 but would be a much better configuration. If your looking for the bang for buck consider an Abit IS7 or Asus P4P800. I would however put a litlle more into the Vid card and memory even if I used the ATA hard drive and the 2.4.
 
wow im happy with all the suggestions you guys made. Thanks.
I hear alot of people are recommending me to get a better video card. Right now im considering the nvidia geforce ti4200 8x 64mb or an ati model that is similar to the nvidia in terms of specs. Does anyone know which one?
Secondly im not really interested in a sata drive unless you can find a model that is over 80gb for under 100 dollars. In order for me to get a speed gain i would need to purchase a 10000 rpm model and right now those drives are not within my budget.
Im definetely going with you people on the memory though. I was talking it over with the local computer shop guy and he said you get alot more speed by using dual ddr and what not, i have it on supported on my mobo.
 
this question is asked regularly here. Usually what I do when I want to build a system is copy the components from another system that another user has. It may seem like a stupid idea but if you're unsure of a component and get a good recommendation or see alot of users having it then it's usually safe to get it.
 
Yes, get a better Vid Card than the 9000, since it can fit in your budget. Don't spend the money for the 9800, though. And it doesn't make sense to replace an ATI 9000 with a TI4200. For about $200 you can get a FX5600 Ultra or an ATI 9500 Pro. Whatever you do, though, get a card with 128 MB, not 64.
 
I wouldn't suggest the 5600 Ultra, if Nvida get a 5900, if you want the best bang for the buck then ATI 9800 can be had for a bout 200.
 
basically, i want a system that can play half life 2, counterstrike condition zero and those types of games. its quite clear the 9000 is far too out date. Are there any good suggestions for cards either from nivida or ati that fit my 1200 budget. I don't want to go overboard as such would happen if i were to get the ati 9800.
 
Well, a 9800 Pro's going for around $300, while the non pro is around $200. Personally, I can't see spending more than $200 for a vid card in your system (I wouldn't either). Here's a 9800 And here'as a 9800 pro But having a good video card is important for FPS games, especially like HL2. You're going to be happy getting a newer card that supports Direct X 9.0
 
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