New PC Configuration

[jldodge]

Following is a PC configuration I plan to assemble. Would appreciate any comments/observations/advice. The PC will be used
for video editing in addition to the normal PC chores. I plan to setup as a dual boot with Windows 98SE on the C-drive (FAT
32) and Windows XP (NTFS) on the D-drive. I plan to have another drive with a 300GB capacity (NTFS) for ALL data files used
by both OS's.

·Tyan S2665UANF E7505 Audio/GB-LAN/IEEE/US with Adaptec SCSI
·Intel Xeon 3.2 GHz !MB 533 FSB Dual CPU
·Corsair 1.0GB DDR Registered
·Thermaltake Dream Tower Series ? Tsunami VA3000BNA
·Cooler Master Aerogate II ALD-V02 Thermal Control Monitor
·Enermax 550W Power Supply For Intel Xeon & AMD MP Model EG651PVE24P
·Teac 1.44MB 3½? Floppy
·Sony SDT-11000/PB DDS-4 Internal Drive, PCBacker Solution Kit with Wide Ultra SCSI
·Seagate Cheetah Ultra160 SCSI, 68 Pin, 15,000rpm, 5.6mms, 73.4GB Internal Drive
·Seagate Cheetah ST336752LW 36.7GB 15,000RPM Ultra3 SCSI 68 Pin) Internal Drive
·Hitachi Ultrastar 10K300 (IBM) 300GB Ultra320 SCSI 68 pin 10,000 RPM Internal Drive (HUS103030FL3600)
·HP DVD Writer dvd420i
·Plextor PlexWriter 40x12x40x CD-RW Ultra SCSI Drive (optional)
·Creative Labs Audigy Platinum Pro (external device)
·ATI Radeon All-in-Wonder Pro 9800 XT 256 DDR 8x/4x AGP TV Out
·Pinnacle Version 5 Video Editing/Video Capture
·U.S. Robotics 5633A 56K External Voice Faxmodem w/ USB interface, V.92 & V.90 ITU Standard
·LogiTech Cordless Comfort Duo with Mouse
·HP OfficeJet G85xi (already own)
·Netopia Cayman ADSL Modem/Router 3341-ENT (already own)
·Viewsonic P95F 19-inch Flat Screen, 1920x1440 Resolution, 25mm (already own)

While the hard drives are SCSI, getting some of the other peripherals in SCSI is very difficult. I assume that, given the
state of EIDE technology, mixing the two is not a problem. True?

Can the 98SE read data files stored on the NTFS drive?

I plan to share a printer and modem via a Belkin USB switch. I have not done this before. Is is possible for another computer
to access the dial-up modem via a modem connected to the USB switch if that computer is also connected to the switch? Are
there any special configurations necessary on the computer accessing the modem?

 

[dderolph]

Can the 98SE read data files stored on the NTFS drive?

The answer to that question is no.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Why on earth are you getting xeons? they are horribly overpriced in comparison with the opterons.

 

[mechBgon]

Win98 is not going to work with 1.0GB of RAM, for starters. It doesn't like processors over 2.4GHz either. With some convolutions it can conceivably be tricked into operating, I hear, but I'd build an old Pentium3 or AthlonXP for the Win98 if you really need it.

I advise you to be careful of that 73GB Cheetah because I think it's either one or two generations obsolete, you want the Cheetah 15k.3 or the faster-yet Fujitsu MAS models, if performance will be your first concern. A look at the seek time should be a strong clue as to why.

You might want to pick up a separate SCSI card for the tape drive, too. An LSI Logic U160 should do the trick, leaving your motherboard's SCSI channels free to run full U160 or U320 protocols. I'd put the LSI Logic card on the 32-bit PCI bus, not the PCI-X buses, because it would slow the PCI-X buses down.

As for the networking, you could use Internet Connection Sharing. Each PC would have a NIC, and the one with the modem would give the other computer access over the network cable. If the PCs will be linked directly, use a Cat5 or Cat5e crossover cable.

With a valuable system like that, it would be good to pick up a decent line-interactive uninterruptible power supply too. Hope that helps some

 

[jldodge]

Thanks for the input ... Looks like the smarter thing to do is drop the dual boot with Win98SE. Friends have suggested that I dual boot using Linux, e.g. Red Hat.
Does that make sense with this configuration? Are there any other considerations?

At this moment, I save myself the 36GB Hard Drive since I was only using that for some old Win98 programs. I've also heard that Win XP is very flexible and that there is a good chance that some of those older programs would likely work on XP (unlike Windows 2000). Would that make sense to you folks?

Thanks again, this has been a great help to me ...

 

[myocardia]

Yes, XP can be run in compatibility mode, I think it's called. Most Windows 98 programs will run on it that way, though the only way to know if it works is to try them.

 

[OCedHrt]

You could also use some PC emulator (like VMWare) to emulate Win98 inside of XP. And Xeon's are a bit..overkill. I would always try to aim for the best performance/price ratio because the extra bit of performance is almost always never worth the price.

 

[jldodge]

Sounds like single boot is the best way to go and it saves me a hard drive.

Any thoughts on dual booting with Linux? I don't have an immediate need but I do have an appetite for trying some of the emerging sofware applicatons.

Thanks for all the help ...

 

[Tostada]

You don't mention what your budget is.

You haven't said anything to justify getting the Xeons, although I doubt that would be possible to justify.

It looks like maybe you already have half of these parts and you actually doing an upgrade. If this isn't the case, you've made some very questionable choices in most areas.

NLE is about drive speed. Apparently you want a new Cheetah for Windows XP and big Ultrastar for storing the video. The only way you can get a decent deal on those drives is getting refurbished ones or SCA models with 68-pin adapters. No matter how you look at it, two or four SATA Raptors is going to be better and faster.

If you want SCSI, you can get an Intel Ultra320 RAID card for $179, then just get two or four of the 73G Cheetah 15K.3's. If you have the cash for $700 Xeons, you can probably get a RAID card and at least one more $500 Cheetah. If not, "budget SCSI" is a bad idea, so SATA would be more practical.

 

[jhurst]

Good choise on PSU. I do not see where a 9800XT AIW is needed for video editing, which doesn't require a card like that.

I would have a tough time paying $450 for a video card that I wouldn't even be gaming with.

I would also be concerned with paying extravagant amounts for an Audigy Platinum. Is that going to be necessary for your computer needs? I mean, your MB has onboard audio, high quality speakers make the difference to me, not the sound card. (I took the Audigy out of my system and just ran the onboard 5.1 with my DTT3500 system and could not tell the difference).

P.S. I doubt anyone here really cares that you are planning on buying a TEAC floppy, or Logitech mouse/kb, or an HP printer, you can leave all that junk out of it and save some space. U.S. Robotics 56k? Why wouldnt you just get one of the 56k free ones Frys gives away every week with rebates ($9.99 - $9.99 MIR = $0).

Why the Xeon again?

 

[jldodge]

Since I am being bombarded on the Xeon's, I probably need to rethink. I don't buy PC's or swap out boards on a regular basis. Generally, I buy a PC (somewhat high end) and then stick with it for a few years. My thinking on the Xeons was in part planning ahead for software evolution and also for the video editing. If my thinking is wrong then I should reconsider. What is the advice now?
Will a single processor system work just as well?

Also for the RAID, do I set up the OS for RAID and then use the 300GB drive for media storage, etc.? I had planned to load all software on the same drive as the OS, i.e. without RAID, I would have only two drives.

Thanks in advance for the input.