Need Advice. Building new system AMD 1600+

Turbo55

Senior member
Jul 16, 2000
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I need your guys' expertise advice. I want to build a new system -- fast, but affordable. Please let me know if this is going to be a good setup for the price.

AMD XP 1600+ 133.00
Abit KG7-RAID 153.00
256 MB PC2100 51.00
ATI Radeon 7500 64MB 153.00
THERMALTAKE A1119 VOLCANO 10.00

Antec ATX SX-830 70.00

I searched all those prices on AccesMicro, totalling $500 and ordering the Antec case on Outpost.com, so that'll be an additional 70. I heard good reviews of the case, but not sure which XP processor has the best performance/price ration.

Also, since the Abit MB has a built-in RAID, but only RAID-0, RAID-1, and RAID-0+1, I'm aiming for the RAID-0+1. I like to know how many HDs do I need. Will (3) Maxtor 40GB do, or will I need (4)?

Purpose (usage of computer): Need an affordable, well rounded high-performance system. Will be used mainly for professional work, such as file sharing, file moving, file serving, FTP hosting, and possibly acting as a low-budget server. Will also use to play high-end graphics games occassionally (such as CounterStrike) and to surf the web. Must be able to handle multi-tasking work. Typical usage on a Win2K Pro includes operating with many applications simulataneously -- MS Outlook and MS Office, Norton SystemWorks (w/ NAV), at least 10 IExplorer windows, as long as FTP hosting, and occasional file sharing among different drives and computers.


Thanks in advance.
 

NelsonMuntz

Golden Member
Jun 14, 2001
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Looks like a solid system. I would probably get a different heat sink/fan, but other than that, it looks real good.
For RAID 0+1 you will need 4 hard drives. They are set up in two sets of RAID 0 drives with the other two making a duplication of the first two.
 

techweenie

Senior member
Oct 24, 2001
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Nice looking setup. I would change the HS/HSF though. I would go for an Alpha pal, or ThermalRight Sk6...
 

PhiI2e

Banned
Jul 6, 2001
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Got the same proc and mobo, but I got 512mb and an SK6. Get the 830 or the 1030, both great cases.
 

Turbo55

Senior member
Jul 16, 2000
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Thanks guys. What would be a REALLY good heatsink, as I do have many experiences with overheating in my hot room?

Also, is the ATI Radeon 7500 a really good video card for the price? What about the 8500? Is it worth the extra dollars? Let me edit my thread to show the usage of the computer.
 

Turbo55

Senior member
Jul 16, 2000
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What do you guys think of the price? Does the XP 1600+ has the best performance/price ratio?
 

SpecialEd

Platinum Member
Jul 18, 2001
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<< Alpha pal, or ThermalRight Sk6... >>



those are probably the most popular heatsink out at the moment. Both are great for OCing.

as for the Radeon 8500, I hear its significantly better than the 7500 and is worth the extra buck. Be sure to download the latest drivers which ever one you get. Good luck!
 

Turbo55

Senior member
Jul 16, 2000
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<<

<< Alpha pal, or ThermalRight Sk6... >>



those are probably the most popular heatsink out at the moment. Both are great for OCing.

as for the Radeon 8500, I hear its significantly better than the 7500 and is worth the extra buck. Be sure to download the latest drivers which ever one you get. Good luck!
>>



Significantly? The 8500 is $207 on AccessMicro.com. Hmm... that's an extra 50 bucks. Can anyone give me a basic idea why the 8500 is better, besides that it's a later model?
 

RSMemphis

Golden Member
Oct 6, 2001
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7500 is a nice card, but if you pay $153 for it?
For $199 you can get an OEM 8500, which would be nicer and faster. It's not a retail, but you could even try to overclock it and flash it with the retail BIOS - there is probably more info on that on rage3d.com
 

ku

Golden Member
Mar 11, 2001
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you want the radeon8500. amazing... i've seen both 7500 and 8500 in action and 8500 is significantly better if you set the settings just right.

you definately want a new heatsink. I'd suggest the Alpha PAL8045. It's tedious to put on. You should try to get 512 at least, more if possible. You can wait until prices go down after christmas,,, i guess (which will be a little while).

if you really want to set up a computer for professional work, (server) you should really consider dual proc. it costs alot but it'll help alot... i dont know about the low-budget thing though.

BTW: counterstrike isn't high-end graphic game ^^... high end graphic games are more like quake3 and serious sam.
 

Turbo55

Senior member
Jul 16, 2000
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Well, I'm planning to set up the computer during the Christmas vacation. And did you just say that prices are going to drop? Do you predict a big drop or a small drop? If it's going to be a big drop, I may as well just wait, or I can purchase the components with a Blue card and pricematch (but I never done that before). I have a low limit on my Blue card, and if I can only purchase one or two items with the this card, should it be the processor, motherboard, RAM, or video card?
 

AMDPwred

Diamond Member
Mar 22, 2001
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For all of the things you do on that PC, I would say 512MB RAM is the minimum amount you should have. You've picked the perfect CPU. By far the best price/performance chip out there at the moment. I'd also go with a GF3 Ti200 card as it has great OCing power. Lastly, I would recommend a Shuttle AK31A motherboard for that system. It's super stable, OCs well, chipset is supurb, and the price is unbeatable. Only $80 from Newegg. But it seems like you have the right stem of products to achieve your goals with this new workstation. Oh yeah, you may want to think about RAID5. For server things, it could come in handy someday;)
 

Turbo55

Senior member
Jul 16, 2000
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<< For all of the things you do on that PC, I would say 512MB RAM is the minimum amount you should have. You've picked the perfect CPU. By far the best price/performance chip out there at the moment. I'd also go with a GF3 Ti200 card as it has great OCing power. Lastly, I would recommend a Shuttle AK31A motherboard for that system. It's super stable, OCs well, chipset is supurb, and the price is unbeatable. Only $80 from Newegg. But it seems like you have the right stem of products to achieve your goals with this new workstation. Oh yeah, you may want to think about RAID5. For server things, it could come in handy someday;) >>




You read my mind. I wanted RAID-5, but Abit KG7-R doesn't have one, and I don't want to spend extra cash for a RAID card. I do plan to upgrade to 512MB when the mem prices drop. :D

Does the Shuttle AK31A MB has a built=in RAID, if the IDE controller would be very crowded. I have at least 4 IDE devices.
 

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
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"Does the Shuttle AK31A MB has a built=in RAID, if the IDE controller would be very crowded. I have at least 4 IDE devices. "

No but the new shuttle board will and I think it only cost $100+ or -

check this thread

I am not sure when its going to be available though
 

Demonicon

Senior member
Oct 30, 2001
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I just got a Shuttle AK31A board for a machine i'm building for my Sister, and let me tell you, the best $80 I have ever spent(and I was skeptical). It has no onboard raid, but you can buy a raid controller.