n00b builder, oldie user...setup?

[pixelsteward]

Hiya all.

So this is it. I was once a mac entusiast. Then I was bestowed with a pc...and have been hammering my own head for the past 4 years with a p3 650.

Now it's time to enter the unknown. To build a tin box of lore.

I'm mostly a content creator, and this machine will prb be used mostly for 3d and compositing. Pls keep in mind i'm a student; hence the me-not-going-overboard part of my list...my wallett may thank me one day.

AH yes, all CDN prices listed here too. I'd like to buy local, these are all canadacomputers.com listed prices in Toronto. If you can suggest a better place around Chinatown, extra points 2 u!

mobo: ASUS A7N8X Deluxe $183

CPU: Athlon XP 2400+ Retail $125
OR
Athlon XP 2500+ (Barton) w/ 512K L2 cache Retail $132


case: some sort of cheap atx case, 300w. is mid sized okay? or should i go full tower? I couldn't imagine having more than 3 hd's down the line, with 3 or 4 MAX bay devices. being an art student, i'd opt to go for a cheap beige case and go paint-mad on it instead of buying a fancy pantsy neonlights case.

HD: Western Digital 80GB w/ 8MB cache $121

MEM: KingMax 512MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM $121
or should i get two sticks of; for dual channel:
KingMax 256MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM $69

Video card (already bought in the states) -
nvidia quadro4 750xgl - approx 420$


I appreciate anyone's comments more than you can imagine. A place like this is great, I've noticed there's a friendly vibe in here. Please don't hesitate w/me.

cheerio for now

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Erm ... Holy WTF - you actually bought a Quadro? Mind if I ask why?

- M4H

 

[pixelsteward]

for 3d use.

i should have mentioned; i'm totally not a gamer...well i wish i could be, but in the 5 spare minutes i have each day, i like to sleep

 

[ec32070]

Midtower case should be fine for your fist build. Fulltower will definitely have more room but you will usually have to buy new longer floppy and hard drive cables.

Good luck on your build.

 

[pixelsteward]

thnx.

yeh the fulltowers are a bit more pricey...and i DO live in a 'student sized' room too

anyone have thoughts on the RAM?

or on the CPU aka barton vs. not?

 

[ec32070]

I would recommend the barton chip. Faster fsb and more cache, plus based on some reviews of the A7N8X deluxe I've read the barton can be "tweaked" to run very well on this mb.

 

[Sideswipe001]

I'd take the Barton as well.

I WOULD suggest getting 1 GB of RAM if you can afford it (2x512 MB) as Dual Channel is always nice to enable.

2x256 gives you 512 in Dual Channel mode - but leaves you 1 slot for upgrading down the line.

1x512 gives you 512 in Single mode - but is easy to upgrade to 1 GB in Dual Channel later.

It all depends on really what programs you use and how much they like RAM.

 

[pixelsteward]

hmmmm i never thought of the two 256 now vs the two 512 in the future.....ddddah! i'm not sure when i would upgrade... oh the choices :s

i tend to use a lot of high*er* end programs for compositing, and maya 4 for my 3d brain work.


now about the barton... i read that the regular athlon equivalents are clocked much higher than the bartons? or was this an early article i read before they fixed the barton up?

thnx again for the help, this is helping a great deal already

 

[newuser]

I'd get 512 single channel for now and upgrade later to 1 Gig

go with a 2600+ or 2500+ Barton for your CPU

check out the "LanBoy" Case

 

[Dreadogg]

those prices are to high, better check around.

 

[pixelsteward]

ok. i'll go w/the 512. will the dual channel really afford me a noticeable speed increase?

Dreadogg -> CDN prices, remember. can you suggest a more gooder place in toronto? preferably somewhere near the city core...i like to walk.

 

[lameaway]

The only problem I see with your setup is "some cheap ATX case, 300w". Get a good ATX case and a highly-rated 350w power supply. Your wallet will thank you over the next several upgrades and when your power supply doesn't blow up.

 

[pixelsteward]

k...i'll look into the higher power, thnx for the advice.

anyone have opinions on refurbished monitors? i already have a 17inch old monitor...but would like to make use of the dual head on the quadro. are refurbished things 'stay away from' items? i've never known someone who has gotten one.

thnx again

 

[lameaway]

Well, higher power isn't really all that you need. No matter how much of it is availible, bad power is still bad power, and cheap components are still cheap components. If possible I'd buy the PS seperate from the case and get a respected brand - Antec, Enermax, Fortron, WPS, Sparkle... that is, if it fits within your budget, of course. The only reason I recommend 350w is for future upgrades.

Or you could just get an Antec case with a built-in power supply and be done with it.

 

[pixelsteward]

hmmmm. there's an antec with 350W for 105CDN...maybe i should do like you do

as they say, when in rome...

 

[nick1985]

120 for a 2500? you can get it for like 80 or 90 off newegg. those prices suck. plus the quadro isnt worth 420 bucks.

 

[pixelsteward]

CDN prices...

xe.com will translate into greenbacks for you