input on a new system

[AvatarD]

I'm in the process of building my first custom system, and right now I'm trying to figure what components to use. I have an idea of what I want so far, but there are still a few things i'm trying to figure b/c I honestly am not sure what would be best. This is the first time I've tried this, so any input would be greatly appreciated. Here goes...

Case/Cooling: this is something i know nothing about! i really don't know what case to get
Mobo: Epox 8KHA+ Apollo KT266A (i've read some good things, but heard it might be a lil unstable?)
Processor: Athlon XP 1700+ or 1800+ (this is pretty much a given; final cost will determine which i get)
Hard Drives: Either two 30 GB Western Digitals w/ an IWILL SideRAID100 RAID 0 setup or just a single
60GB (the single drive would be a lot cheaper, it all depends on whether the performance
boost would be worth it)
Video Card: Most likely GeForce3 Ti 200 chipset, although I'm not sure which card (i've heard Visiontek
Leadtek and Gainward)
Sound card: I've heard the SoundBlaster Audigy cards are good, but really not sure
Memory: I'll probably just outfit it with at least 256 megs DDRAM from Crucial
CD: I'd like to go with a CD-RW, but $$ constraints may mean I'll have to skimp here; I was thinking
Plexor (are they really worth the money?) but not really sure what to do

I still need to pick out speakers, modem, monitor, etc. but this is pretty much the bulk of it. Like I said, first time I've done this, but I'm determined to make it work. Thanks for any input!

 

[Antoneo]

You forgot to mention your budget...

 

[Zugzwang152]

most people tend to buy enlight or enermax cases, they apparently are the best although i've never seen one myself...a Plextor 20x10x40 runs over 160 bucks the last time i saw, although you may be able to get a cheaper brand and slower speed for much much lower. might as well go with the XP 1800+, the price difference will be negligable when you consider all the other stuff you're buying.

 

[AvatarD]

Sorry Well, not counting a monitor and speakers (there's the good possibility this will be working hand in hand with my stereo system) at or about $1000. I've crunched some numbers already using prices from newegg and mwave, and I think it'll be do-able, but I'm still looking. BTW, I forgot to mention. Besides the Epox 8KHA+, the SOYO K7V Dragon Plus is also a possibility. It's more expensive, but I like some of the extras (i.e. RAID controller). Thanks!

 

[ku]

You'll definately be able to build a nice system with a $1000 budget. However, you're going to have to sacrifice some stuff. ie: Get the shuttle ak31a and use onboard sound (saves about $70). Go with a cheap cd-rw (Lite-Ons).

As for the case, go for the enlight 7237 or enermax cs-aq1x cases. They are fairly cheap and has decent cooling. If you got a little more money to spare, get Antec 600 series (mid), 800 series(full), or 1000 series(full).

 

[evergreen96]

I am bias toward iwill xp333. it has onboard raid and sound XP333 review

Another Persective

What they are saying on Anandtech

The new Abit board is also impress but it cost a little bit more

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

Heres my go of a $1000 system... most parts pulled from newegg, you might even be able to make it abit cheaper, considering this is a 10 or 20 minute project. Does the sound offered on the SOYO give you what you need?


Antec SX830 from www.emscomputing.com... 84 shipped

2 sticks of 256mb of crucial PC2100 (using the 15 percent anandtech discount)... 99.10 (YOUCH!!!) shipped.

Better yet...

1 stick of 256mb of crucial PC2100 (using the 15 percent anandtech discount)... 49.55 (YOUCH!!! get the other stick after christmas)

and from newegg... not I could not calculate shipping because some of these items were out of stock at the moment. So I am cutting and pasting straight from a wishlist...


SOYO K7V DRAGON+ Plus VIA KT266A ATX MOTHERBOARD - AMD Socket-A XP, Athlon & Duron CPUs (1.9 GHz ready). 200/266 MHz FSB. Three 184-pin DDR SDRAM 2.5V DIMM.Up to 3GB. On board CMI 8738 Audio to provide 6 channels audio solution. 4 independent channels for eight IDE devicesSigma box- Support smart card reader/writer to usb port
Review Link: tomshardware.com
N82E16813139104 $146.00 $146.00


ATI RADEON 8500 64MB DDR - OEM/White Box Powered by the revolutionary RADEON? 8500 world?s fastest and most advanced graphics processing unit (GPU) Features ATI's TRUFORM. SMARTSHADER SMOOTHVISION?, and HYPER Z II technologies The only GPU to support DirectX® 8.1 Supports OpenGL® 1.3 features 64MB of (DDR) memory Dual monitor and Video output support Industry-leading DVD video playback w/tv cable only - Core: 250MHz, DDR RAM Speed: 240MHz NO DVI to VGA Adaptor! N82E16814102185 $189.00 $189.00


AMD 1700+/266 FSB Athlon XP PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL 1700+/ 1.47GHz, AX1700BOX. 3 Years
Warranty. With heatsink and cooling fan. The Ultimate Digital Media Experience in an x86
Platform.Tailored for Microsoft® Windows® XP. Featuring QuantiSpeed? Architecture for Rapid
Execution of Applications. Tomorrow?s Technology Today.The Power of a Reliable Partner.
N82E16819103306 $170.00 $170.00


MITSUMI D359M3 FDD 1.44MB 3.5INCH - OEM N82E16821103104 $9.00 $9.00


2 OF THEM!- MAXTOR 6L040J2 DIAMONDMAX PLUS D740X 40GB HDD - OEM 3.5 inch EIDE ATA133, 7200RPM, 2MB Cache Buffer, OEM - Verson, 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty N82E16822140127 $88.00 $176.00


Zoom 56k V.92 PCI Modem Voice, Data, Fax, Voice Mail, Plug and Play, Internal Model# 1120M N82E16825115106 $22.00 $22.00


SONY 52X MAX EIDE INTERNAL CD-ROM DRIVE - OEM CDU5221, 7,800 KB/sec. data transfer rate, 33.3MB/s OEM version - (Click Here for IDE cable)CDU5221 N82E16827101120 $28.00 $28.00


LITE-ON LTR-16102B 16x10x40 CD-RW DRIVER INTERNAL EIDE - OEM 16X Record, 10X Re-write & 40X Max Reading Data Transfer Rate, CAV 1 Access all formats CD-ROM , CD-R , CD-RW title & disc Conforms to Orange Book Part 2, 3 & Volume 2 : Compliant with PC99, Support Over-Burn, Raw mode copy vibration Absorber System (VAS)® to reduce ibration & noise Click Here for Blank Media N82E16827106155

This comes to a total of 943.45, plus shipping from newegg.
This does not include a monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, and operating system.

Like I said, you could prolly find most of these components cheaper if you took some time, and you might not need some things like a modem.

And the reason I got the 2 40gb maxtors is they were a dollar more apiece than the WD 30gb... you make that call...

Hope this helps you out!

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

Oh, and the plextors are great. Don't get me wrong. But for the money, the Lite-Ons beat all. They are damn near if not just as good as plextors, sometimes at half the price. Ask around on the forums, I want to say about 80% (at least) of the members will back me up here... If you have any more questions, feel free to reply here, PM me, or email me, sylvershard@hotmail.com. Good luck.

 

[AvatarD]

Thanks a lot for all the input everyone!! It helps a lot!

AvatarD

 

[FlippyBoy]

i didnt see any reccomendations for a heatsink, so i will make this one: an alpha pal8045. awesome heatsink, while being relatively quiet. and as far as the case goes, i would definitely reccomend the enlight 7237. its a great case, and you can find it from most places for around 60 bucks shipped.

 

[teddymines]

Input appreciated? Ok, I'd recommend a keyboard and a mouse. Been using them for years and they work great.

The case is one of the more critical components, even though people tend to think of the internal components first. Consider that your case will probably be upgraded last, and the fact that cooling is important. Go to the cases and cooling section for tips on this.

The SK-6 is also a good heatsink. Don't skimp on either the case or the heatsink, or you will be paying more in the very near future.

Also, what will you use the system for? You can probably shave a little off the graphics card and hold off the the cdrw until prices drop a bit. If you are hard up for cdrw, could you buy a slower cdr (used) for now?