new system build up

[ellisz]

Hi all,

I have been reading some the other posts and the FAQ's in order to help me build my first system. I have looked at newegg.com and their prices are good but if you know of other suggestions, please feel free to tell me

Any way, the system that I was looking at was:

*Motherboard: EPOX EP-8KHA+ or the Shuttle AK31(266A. leaning towards the EPOX
*AMD XP1600+ procesor
*ENLIGHT EN-72370X3C4 MEDIUM ATX TOWER CASE with 1 Internal CaseFan-OEM
*CRUCIAL MICRON 256MB 32x64 PC 2100 DDR RAM
*IBM #IC35L040AVER07 40GB 7200RPM - OEM.
I am planning on using the 40 gig drive as a video drive for my Studio DV card and using a 20 gig 5400 drive for my main(this is what I already have)

This is all I plan on getting for now. I want to us the AGP video and modem out of my k6-2 450 system. These pieces are off there top seller list but will these work for a nice system? I do some home video editing so I want something that can handle the load and render video quickly.

My main question is with this case and getting the retail AMD chip, will I need to buy anything to get the mobo and everything installed? The case is OEM, does this mean it won't come with any hardware?

Sorry if this has been answered already.

Thanks

Mike

 

[NTguru]

Welcome to Anandtech

I would suggest the ECS K7S5A as it is Cheaper, it supports both ddr and sdram and it has the sis 735 chipset, which if you looked at the articles posted on this site about the motherboard roundup, the ecs had the best performance over the other boards in the same field. My friend is getting one this week, so I'll have first hand experience on this board. Also, for the case I would suggest a Lian Li-Lian PC60, but those are quite expensive, however they come with 3 fans, aluminum plated and they look good! I have an Enlight mid tower case myself, and I dislike it. At first it was awsome because you could remove the front panel, unscrew one screw and the side panel was off, but when it came to changing hard drives frequently or floppy drives, it became annoying because you have to remove all expansion slots and then remove the back panel with motherboard, then you get to work on it... It's just a hassle, not worth waiting for. I would recommend the Maxtor DiamondMax 40gb HD ATA-133 as this drive is priced at the same cost as the ata-100 and its a very good and stable hard drive, unlike the IBM drive. If you want quick 2d rendering, then you want the Radeon 7500 or 8500, however if you need the best 3d rendering, I would suggest any Geforce 3 (ti 200 or ti 500 included) if you can afford it, if not the Geforce 2 MX400 64MB is just fine. (My friend bought one last week and he is very impressed with it, as he had a tnt2 ultra before hand). You will also require a hefty HSF (Heatsink and fan) for the processor. I would suggest the Thermalright SK-6. I have 2 myself, and they are quiet and do the job right.

 

[mztykal]

I'd get the Epox. And don't go with the ECS, if you search you'll see more probs than you want on your first build. Also use a 7200rpm drive for your boot drive. You'll notice a big difference. Other than that, all you need is more memory and you're all set...

 

[khtm]

<< using a 20 gig 5400 drive for my main >>



Aaaaaa!!
Don't. Use a 7200rpm drive for your main. It makes a HUGE difference.

-khtm-

 

[DaveK]

You'll get a vote here for the Shuttle board...very easy installation and very stable. (Plus you save $20 or so over the Epox)

I would suggest getting a 7200RPM drive for your main disk. It will help boot time, and provide faster access all around.

DaveK

 

[Rahminator]

Another vote for AK31A. Running for a few days now and is rock freakin' stable after burning-in with memtest86, prime95 torture test, sisoft sandra burn-in and 3DMark2001. It's also running my XP 1600 at 1612 MHz. Truly awesome board for the price.

 

[ellisz]

NT Guru, all:

Everything I have read says the 266A chipset is a lot faster than the sis 735 chipset - Toms Hardware and here say so, right? I was going to go this route until the 266A came out. My original intent was to get a nice cheap replacement for my AMD K6 450.

As for the case, can you recommend one in a similar price range? I thought a few of the guys on here liked that brand and recommended newegg.com. I liked the price I just need a good case that will hold 2 hard drives, CD-rom, CD-RW, floppy, etc. I would prefer to buy it so there is as little to assemble as possible. I have not found any good bare bones kits with a mobo w/266A chipset and just a XP1500 or 1600. MOst have an 1800 or 1900. Can you get a good case that has adequate fans already and then get the retail AMD chip with HSF and be ready to mount and go? Or do you always need to upgrade or add additional fans?

Also, are you saying that the quality of the video card will effect the movie rendering I do? I was not aware of this. I currently have a Rage IIc AGP card and I was just going to re-use it until some more money was available. I thought the 7200 RPM drive would help with the access speed and data transfer for creating the MPEG's from the Studio DV software I use. How does the video card come into play? Sorry if this is obvious.

I thought the IBM hard drive had good review so I guess I will have to look some more. Thanks.

The only reaon I was going to use the 5400 drive as the main was just because I had it. I may have to rethink it. It will definately be easier to change out the video drive than the main drive. 20 gig just does not last very long with AVI files

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[ellisz]

bump

 

[FlippyBoy]

definitely look into a 7200 rpm drive for your os. you will thank yourself if you do. i had that enlight for a few months, and i liked it very much. i never did put in that screw that secured the side panel, though, so i never had to deal with removing it (and i removed my side cover often). as far as the motherboard goes, dont skimp. i've learned that skimping on the motherboard only leads to headaches later on.

 

[DickBurns]

Good setup so far.

I agree with all the other guys put your os and programs on the 7200rpm drive, it will speed things up tremendously. You can use ghost to switch everything off your 5400 and put it on the 7200 and then use the 5400 for data.

The ibm is a good drive. People had a lot of problems with the old 75gxps but the new 60gxps do not have as much problems and neither will have problems if you keep them cool (they run hot) I have one 75gxp and two 60gxps next to two big case fans and I have never had a problem with them.

The enlight case is a good one I have used it several times for other people and it is good for the money.

Kt266a is a good chipset. VIA makes the best athlon chipsets. The epox and shuttle are both decent boards. I would lean toward the epox between the two but the best motherboard maker is asus. I bought the A7v266-e with the kt266a chipset and it should be arriving tomorrow. What makes asus the best in my opinion is quality. All the boards may perform similar now, but a year or two down the road the owner of the asus will have less headaches. Just my own experiance of owning 50+ computers with all kinds of different motherboards.

Good luck

 

[t4t3r]

okay. here goes...

go with the epox 8kha+. you will be very pleased with this. ecs isnt bad for the money, but there are a couple more issues with it. the shuttle is also great, but the epox is worth the extra $25-30. as for the case, i really wouldn't recommend that one. try to find a nice antec case. i bought the sx1040 for 135 shipped from microbarn. the ps is more than enough and the case is very well made and cool. newegg sells the 1030 with an enermax ps, so also look at that one. i will also have to agree with the other replies in saying that you shouldn't use the 5400 rpm hdd as your main. either buy a new 7200 rpm drive, or use that 40 gb 7200 rpm drive as a main. you will definitely notice the difference. other than that, your comp sounds good. mine is somewhat similar to your's, so you will be very pleased just like i am



t4t3r

 

[Bovinicus]

Motherboard: There is nothing wrong with the AK31A from Shuttle, save yourself the $25.
CPU: The 1600+ is a good selection.
Case: Of little importance, the PSU included is AMD recommended. That is all that matters.
Memory: Crucial is always good, but I might go with another 256MB with prices so good right now.
HDD: Good choice, though Maxtor seems to be the most reliable according to the StorageReview reliability database.

Use the faster HDD to put your OS and system files on, there is definitely a performance improvement. Pretty good selections overall.