New system - what do you think

[Tasman]

Greetings all.

After much research and running around trying to find a decent retailer in Perth West Australia I have come up with the following system and would like people's opinions.

AMD Tbird 1333mhz chip
Asus A7V133A mb
Globalwin FOP 32 CPU fan
Hyundai 256mb SDRAM
Aopen HQ08 Full Tower case 300w
Quantam AS 60GB ATA100 7200rpm HDD
Panasonic 1.44MB FDD
Sony 52x CDROM
Ricoh 7125A CD Re-writer
Mitsubishi 19NF Flat Screen Monitor
Hercules GameTheatre XP
Boston Acoustics BA4800 speakers
MS Internet Keyboard
MS Intellimouse Optical
Creative Geforce 256 Pro 32 mb DDR (this is my old video card which I will use until the prices of the Geforce 3 drops a bit)

I have been using a P2 400 with 128mb RAM and the Creative card for the past year (and 2 8mb V2 cards before that) so hopefully I will notice a bit of a speed difference.

I will be using the PC for gaming mostly (is there any other reason) and I am hoping I can get all the flight simulators I have, eg Janes FA18, B17 2, MS Flightsim 2000, etc to start running nicely now. That's also why I have not included a DVD drive. I don't watch movies on my PC so going without one helps keep the price down.

Opinions appreciated before I lay down my cash. No point giving the price as A$ computer prices do not convert to well to US$ prices. It is much more expensive in comparison to buy items in Australia.

Regards,

Tasman

 

[Atlantean]

Looks pretty good although you might want to go with a ddr system because they are better for upgradability (like later in the future)

 

[Tasman]

Yeh that is one of the things I am trying to decide on now. Whether to change to the Asus A7M266 mb with 256mb DDR Ram. It is about A$370 more expensive than what I am currently thinking of getting so I need to decide whether it is worth laying down the extra cash for the DDR Ram.

Regards,

Tasman

 

[TripleJ]

Hey Tasman, I'm in Perth! Where are you planning on getting it from?

In terms of DDR memory, it's bloody expensive here, if you can find it. I was thinking of getting it from crucial's web site. I'm not sure about the tariffs and what-not though. I still reckon it'd be heaps cheaper though.

 

[Tasman]

Hi TripleJ.

I am getting all of the items from Austin Computers in Osborne Park, except for the speakers which I am getting from Best Buy in Cannington. The PC is costing me $3,320 and the speakers will be $450. I am using my current video card until the price of the Geforce 3 drops down to around $750 or so. So all up I should end up spending approx $4,520 which I think is a bloody good price. Some stores were going to charge well over $5,000 for the same setup.

I think I can live without DDR memory. For the extra $370 it will cost me I don't think I am going to see much of a performance increase, and lets face it I am upgrading from a P2 400 with 128mb RAM so even SDRAM combined with the 1.3ghz chip is going to be a huge difference from what I am used to.

Regards,

Tasman

 

[Atlantean]

Well there is always cost but then why not go with the epox ddr mobo or the asusa7a266 (if you don't plan to overclock) ddr ram should cost about the same as sdram so I am not sure how you are getting an extra 370 in cost

 

[Sugadaddy]

you guys should do a group buy from Crucial since shipping is a flat rate. (20$ US I think)

Aside from the DDR thing, the system looks very nice. Good choice on the sound card/speakers.

 

[jzodda]

I would go with DDR at this point. The price has come down enough to make it worth while. Or at least get a MB that will take both DDR and SDRAM so you can upgrade to DDR later w/o having to buy a new MB.

As for the CD-ROM- Why not just get a new 16x DVD-ROM Drive? The latest ones spin CDs at 40x so I dont see you running into a prob with anything you would throw at it

 

[Tasman]

Well those are the prices here in Perth so that extra cost is what I have been quoted.



<< Well there is always cost but then why not go with the epox ddr mobo or the asusa7a266 (if you don't plan to overclock) ddr ram should cost about the same as sdram so I am not sure how you are getting an extra 370 in cost >>

 

[velvetfreak]

Hey guys, I'm in Melbourne, I just put a new PC together with half the parts coming from Scorpion Technology and the other half from EYO. Both were Internet orders, and both delivered next-day without any hitch. Swap-meet-competitive prices, I might add.

If you're interested, techwatch.com.au has a pretty good breakdown of online retailers for the Oz market.

Good luck with it!

 

[Tasman]

The DVD is an extra A$120 and as I am trying to stay under A$3500 the DVD will put me over. The different MB that will take both RAM is a good idea though. I actually thought the Asus did. If it doesn't can you recommend one that does. Preferably Asus as they are relatively easy to come by here in Australia.

Regards,

Tasman



<< I would go with DDR at this point. The price has come down enough to make it worth while. Or at least get a MB that will take both DDR and SDRAM so you can upgrade to DDR later w/o having to buy a new MB.

As for the CD-ROM- Why not just get a new 16x DVD-ROM Drive? The latest ones spin CDs at 40x so I dont see you running into a prob with anything you would throw at it >>

 

[velvetfreak]

The Asus that takes both is A7A266 - ALi Magik1 chipset. $376 at EYO and $380 at Scorptec.

Is having the cross-compatibility worth it? IOW, does the Magik1 with DDR perform better than a 133A with SDR????

 

[Atlantean]

the asus a7a266 does come with dimms for both types of ram, 3 for sdram and 2 for ddr ram

 

[Tasman]

That's the one I have just discovered takes both sets of RAM. Perhaps I will get this one instead of the A7V133 and then wait for the price of DDR Ram to fall in Australia.



<< the asus a7a266 does come with dimms for both types of ram, 3 for sdram and 2 for ddr ram >>

 

[TripleJ]

Yeah, Austin's probably the cheapest you can find in Perth. But hunt around. I found a guy that got me everything at the same price or better to what Austin quoted.

I think the 60GB HDD is probably a bit big. Do you have a lot of stuff to store on there? Personally, I would get a 30GB, which saves you around AU$200 and you can spend that on your next graphics card and the DDR setup(DDR should only cost another AU$50 at the most if a few things like tariffs fall your way). I would recommend trying to find out what the tariffs are for import because the memory is so cheap at the crucial site. Worth your while and money doing that research. Where do you find out what the tariffs are? I'm not sure.

Just one note on the CPU fan. The FOP 32 has a sleeve bearing where as the FOP 32-1 has a ball bearing. Ball bearing is better (but that's being anal about it). It is a little more efficient and quieter and should last longer.

If you find out about the tariffs, I'd love to know because I've been trying to find out myself.

Thanks
JJJ

 

[TripleJ]

No, don't get the A7A266. That's got the ALi chipset. That DDR chipset even with DDR memory performs worse than a KT133A solution. If you're going to get a DDR platform get an AMD 760 mobo.

 

[Tasman]

I think you are right about the Hard Disk size TripleJ. I might drop it to 30GB ( I will be storing all my photos on CD anyway). With the $200 I save I might get the Asus A7M266 mb with 256 mb DDR RAM. That way I only need to come up with another $170.

Did you get your system from a retailer? if so which one?

Regards,

Andrew

 

[TripleJ]

I got my components from Computer Man in Mount Lawley. It's a one man band and he's a bit weird, but he can find almost anything you ask for at a lower price. But it sounds like you want it built for you, is that right?

I'd still try and find out about getting the DDR memory through crucial, but I'll try and find out what the tariffs are on it. Oh, and make sure it's PC2100 if you are going to get it.

Tristan in Freo (I am sad, I am a Docker )

 

[Pers]

damn, prices in Australia are crazy!!!

i could build 8 computers with that money!

 

[Tasman]

Yes I want it built for me. Building it myself is not in my skill pool. Anyway I am pretty happy with my price as I just priced it through Navada Computers (somehere in Perth) and they were $500 more expensive. I think I will go the A7M and pay the extra money for the DDR Ram. I want to place my order tomorrow so I have to make up my mind tonight. I really wanted the larger hard drive so I could store more software ie games but as I currently only have a 5gb HDD I think 30gb will be a huge difference and will be fine. I can allways put another one in later if I have to. Thanks for all your advice anyway, especially on the A7A266 mb. I thought that would be good one but your comments on performance have turned me off it.

If you are a Dockers fan you certainly are sad LOL

But that's okay I am an Eagles fan and I think the pressure will be on Mr Ken Judge now.



<< I got my components from Computer Man in Mount Lawley. It's a one man band and he's a bit weird, but he can find almost anything you ask for at a lower price. But it sounds like you want it built for you, is that right?

I'd still try and find out about getting the DDR memory through crucial, but I'll try and find out what the tariffs are on it. Oh, and make sure it's PC2100 if you are going to get it.

Tristan in Freo (I am sad, I am a Docker ) >>