Need help choosing parts for a new P4 system

[osmononame]

Hi,

My plan during the summer was to make a mid-range SFF pc, however, I have managed to get hold of some hi-end parts for cheap and have decided not to go down the SFF route, the parts I have are:

Pentium 4 3.0C
Maxtor Atlas IV 73GB 10K RPM SCSI or Seagate Barracuda IV 60GB
Inno3D Geforce 5900 Ultra 256MB
Audigy 2
Pioneer 107D

The parts I reckon I will need to get are:

Memory, I assume PC3200 as the P4 runs at 200mhz FSB?
Motherboard, am leaning towards an Asus P4C800 Deluxe
SCSI card, not sure about this so many standards i.e. Ultra 320, 160 etc, I assume its just like ATA 66/100/133 where its all backwards compatible?

I already have a case with a 350-watt PSU, I reckon this should be able to handle the above PC, it is a Tsunami PSU. I am not planning to overclock.

What do you guys reckon, I know noise/heat will be a issue but I don?t mind that as the PC will be kept in a separate room, I am more worried about the SCSI drive being an overkill, will I notice a difference compared to the Barracuda, the last time I used SCSI was back in the Yamaha 4416S days. Also I have PC2700 ram just now, I assume there is no way I can use that? Finally, I am not sure about which SCSI card to get, i.e. Ultra 160.320 etc. I live in the UK and all the SCSI cards I have seen are expensive.

Any help on the above issues appreciated or if you have any idea on how I can improve/save money on the system please let me know.

Thanks,

 

[mechBgon]

If you can find an LSI Logic U160 card, and a proper LVD SCSI cable with terminator, that should get you on the road with your SCSI drive. If you don't notice a difference between the performance of an Atlas 10k IV and a Barracuda IV, I'll eat my hat. And I don't even have a hat! However, the SCSI drive will be significantly louder both at idle and while seeking, if that matters to you.

For a P4 3.0C, dual-channel PC3200 is what you want. For dual-channel to work, the modules need to be logically identical, and most people buy two (or four) of the same module in order to ensure this. You can buy a pair of 256MB modules and later add a pair of 512MB modules without disrupting your dual-channel goodness... all four don't have to be the same, only the ones within each of the two pairs.

Hope that helps

 

[Markfw]

If you don't notice a difference between the performance of an Atlas 10k IV and a Barracuda IV, I'll eat my hat

So which is faster ???

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Markfw900

If you don't notice a difference between the performance of an Atlas 10k IV and a Barracuda IV, I'll eat my hat

So which is faster ???

Between the fastest 10k SCSI drive and the slowest 7200rpm ATA drive in recent memory? Take a guess :evil: (said the SCSI fanboy). The 'Cuda IV will certainly be a contender for quietness, but that's about all.

 

[osmononame]

Hi, thanks for the reply MechBgon, yeah the Barracuda is pretty quiet, I might just stick it in as a backup drive. I had a look for the LSI U160 before I posted, the only place i could find it was LSI's own online store and in that it was £99, which is more than double what I paid for the actual HDD. I have checked Adaptecs products and the cheapest new Ultra 160 card I could find was £150+ so the LSI is cheap compared to them however still much higher than what i am prepared to pay. I have had a look on eBay.co.uk and Adaptec U160 cards have been going for around the £50 mark, would they do the same job as the LSI?

Also I read somewhere that Windows 2000 does not have 'proper' HT support, is this true? if so what kind of performance drop are we talking about.

 

[imported_NoGodForMe]

I also build only SCSI machines.
Older computer has an Adaptec 29160 controller, with a 10k Seagate Cheetah 36 gig drive.
The new computer has the Adaptec 29320-R controller found here
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=16-103-159&depa=0
The hard drive is a Seagate Cheetah 15k 72 gig found here.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-111-138&depa=0
This is an LVD setup, 68 pin. The controller comes with the cable you need for the hard drive. If you want to hook up legacy devices (tape drives), then you need the 50 pin cable.

The drive is very quiet, and fast. SATA fans will say you don't need it. But they've never had an IDE drive die on them, and then have to load utilities from a floppy. With the Adaptec controller, you press CTRL-A at bootup, and the utilities come up from the card. And did I say it's fast?

If you can't go the 320 route, then do the 160 with the 10K Seagate drive to save money.

Oh, and on the scsi drives, you must download the latest driver from the adaptec site before trying to install XP. The driver that comes with the card is outdated and won't work. You need to have the driver on a floppy before you start. XP needs it during the install.