One confused Assembler!!

[akshtray]

 

[akshtray]

Errr ... pressed enter by mistake ..

Hi ..

I have a "few" questions so please bear with me.

I am assembling a computer within the the next 1 month or so and am very confused about certain things. I certainly do not have money to throw and want to make sure I build the right gaming system withing my budget of around 800-900 dollars.

My questions are as follows:

First the expensive stuff:
I plan to get a nForce2 based chipset with and Athlon XP processor between 2200+ and 2600+. I will have an hard drive between 60GB or over at 7200 RPM. I will need to buy an Operating system: Windows XP Pro or Home (I have heard these are optimum for gaming).

Now the Cheap stuff:
Other than that I will have the regular floppy drive, a CD-RW/DVD combo drive. An Enermax case with a 350W power supply.

And finally .. the confusion:
I do not know as to what the optimum combination for me will be. I am not sure if I want to compromise the motherboard, Hard drive size, Processor speed and RAM to get a Video card and sound card. I was planning for the ASUS A7N8X Deluxe or the Epox 8RDA+ as motherboards but they are the most expensive and I will not be able to buy the video card and sound card if I get either. Also, I have an extra copy of Win 2000 at home. I could stick using that and save more money if required but was suggested to splurge 100 dollars on the XP home itself.

Please help!!!

Akshtray

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

First, what is your price range and needs for this computer?

Is that Windows 2000 the Pro version? If it is, you'll be fine. Otherwise, yes, upgrade.

When I first read this message, I thought it was going to be about assembler, which is low level programming, I think thats what my dad told me, but he also said its the closest to the binary code (010101010111000 stuff).

 

[akshtray]

eek .. assembly programming ..

dont even remind me .. took that course 3 years back in Comp. Engg .. worse course ever .. and like ur dad said .. the closest to binary .. too close for my comfort .. i like my courses/classes in english ..

anyway .. back to the present . . u prolly missed it .. but i did mention that i need the system mainly for gaming and my budget is between 800-900 dollars .. also .. I have Windows 2000 Professional ...

Hope this will answer your question and help me further ..

thanks ..

akshtray

p.s: ankit .. thats an indian name ..

 

[everman]

Win2k will do fine, I've used both Win2k and XP pro for gaming and there's no difference, even comparisons done agree.

You can get an 8rda+ from newegg for 105, it's about 20 bucks cheaper than the asus and a nice mobo. If you haven't looked at Newegg.com I would, they always seem to have nice prices. You can also look on pricewatch.com and check store ratings at resellerratings.com.

 

[akshtray]

Thanks everman ..

i check pricewatch for most of the prices ... will check newegg too .. i am kinda wary about assembling a computer .. (strange especially since i am a computer engineer) ..because i am so sure i will mess up on something and cause my computer to blow up (overheat).. i am mainly curious about the whole heatsink, fan and all those .. everything else i know i can get to work .. what kind of graphics card under 100 .. (well at the most 150) do u think will go best with the system ..

akshtray

 

[Ophir]

Save the money on the sound card, both those mobos have AFAIK very good sound, on par with Audigy 1 cards. Put that money toward the video card. For now, IMO you basically have 4 choices as far as video goes:

1) Low End: ATI 8500 ~$75
2) Low Mid-End: Nvidia Ti4200 ~ $120
3) High Mid-End: ATI 9500Pro ~$160
4) High End: 9700Pro ~ $275
*I won't mention the 5800 or 9800 as they are a bit unreasonable.

Option 2 is faster than 1. 3 is faster than 2 (especially with AA/AF). 4 is king of the bunch.

As far as the mobo, CPU, and RAM. Get an Asus/Abit rev. 2 board, a 2100+ T-bred B (w/ a good HS, like the SLK-800), and 2 sticks of 512MB PC3200 RAM (Samsung, Corsair, Kingston HyperX, TwinMOS are all good). Then OC that badboy. These boards have made 200FSB easily.

For the HD, 80GB WD drives go for pretty cheap nowadays.

Go to Newegg.com, excaliberpc.com, svc.com and run some price checks. You may be surprised.

 

[wfbberzerker]

Originally posted by: akshtray
eek .. assembly programming ..

dont even remind me .. took that course 3 years back in Comp. Engg .. worse course ever .. and like ur dad said .. the closest to binary .. too close for my comfort .. i like my courses/classes in english ..

anyway .. back to the present . . u prolly missed it .. but i did mention that i need the system mainly for gaming and my budget is between 800-900 dollars .. also .. I have Windows 2000 Professional ...

Hope this will answer your question and help me further ..

thanks ..

akshtray

p.s: ankit .. thats an indian name ..

we started assembly last week, and i dont think its too bad, i seem to be able to grasp it fairly well.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: akshtray


akshtray

p.s: ankit .. thats an indian name ..

Akshtray, thats an indian name as well! This is the place to find the desis! Anand's name is Indian as well.

I'll get back to the actual topic hopefully today if not tomorrow, I'm busy right now.

 

[akshtray]

damn ..

thanks a ton .. Ophir .. i can say that i really appreciate ur post .. the kind of setup u have suggested looks pretty good .. and most likely within my range as well .. ill easily be able to get a 2100+ or 2200+ within my range .. i have never overclocked before .. but yes .. i have heard that the 8RDA+ and A7N8X Deluxe are one of the best to overclock .. so the decision is made ..

MB: 8RDA+ or A7N8X Delux
PC: XP 2200+ or 2100+ and overclock
Memory: 2 x 512 MB
HDD: 80 GB
Video: GeForce4 Ti4200

Hope this sounds good .. I guess u suggest sticking to Windows 2000 instead of spending $100 on Win XP ...

Also .. wfbberzerker .. i hated assembly .. love VHDL and Verilog though .. ..

take it easy one and all ..

akshtray

 

[mechBgon]

Hi akshtray, I recommend this guide for the heatsink installation The pictures Figure 7, Figure 13 and Figure 14 show the proper direction to install the heatsink, which is often installed 180° backwards in error.

Also, when you use a screwdriver to fasten the heatsink clip, use one that has a good fit and be careful, so you don't slip and damage your motherboard. Don't push on the heatsink when fastening the clip; push only on the end of the clip, so that the focus of the pressure is at the clip's contact point, directly over the CPU core. This prevents cracking the CPU core.

Good luck with your new system!

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga

Originally posted by: akshtray


akshtray

p.s: ankit .. thats an indian name ..

Akshtray, thats an indian name as well! This is the place to find the desis! Anand's name is Indian as well.

I'll get back to the actual topic hopefully today if not tomorrow, I'm busy right now.

this always gets me

 

[human2k]

One heck of an overclocker combo from excaliberpc:

Asus A7N8X Deluxe -$140 (Revision 2.0 guaranteed)
Athlon XP 1700 0310WMP Stepping (shimmish/bgeh both have this cpu clocked at 2.5ghz)
SLK800A + 80MM of your choice
Kingston Hyper-X PC3000 512MB x 2 - $170 ($85 x 2)
ATI Radeon 9500 PRO OEM 128MB $172 from mwave.com

Just add in the drives you need and high quality chassis with a quality PSU and you're set. BTW order the CPU/board/HSF/RAM from excaliberpc and save $12-15 because of a combo discount.

 

[Gage8]

Agree with human2k's system.

Only thing i might change is to go with a XP2100+. Great OC'er for not that much more.

Also if you are not going to overclock you can get the retail heatsink/fan and CPU pacage for $83.00. Great price.

Gage

 

[Jeff7181]

If he's got 800 to spend, I say go with a 9700 Pro for a gaming rig

 

[akshtray]

Thanks all ..

human2k any reason why go specifically with the 1700+, i was thinking more to the order of the 2100+ -> 2400+ .. they are around the same price .. is because they do not overclock or something ?? other than that i really love your setup .. did u really get ur 1700+ to work at 2.5 GHz .. thats awesome ..

My range is around 800 but if i can get my wifey (fiancee actually) to turn her back .. i might be able to spend around 850 -> 900 and another 50 on shipping or so .. also i thought that the Geforce based Video cards might work better for me since it is a nForce based chipset .. or do you still think i should go with a Radeon 9500 PRO .. how about the ASUS based Ti4200 which is around $140??

I would like to overclock ..

Gage8

.. is it hard though?? i have never really bothered overclocking any of my computers before ..

do let me know ..

thanks

akshtray

 

[Gage8]

Overclocking Tutorial

OCing is quite easy. You enter the bios when you first start up by pressing F1
A easy overclock for the Asus A7N8X Deluxe:
Multiplier = 12.5
Core voltage = 1.65
Bus speed = 166MHz

You should take your XP2100+ from 1.7GHZ to 2.1GHz. 2.1GHz is about equal to a XP2600+

If you read the official Asus A7N8X thread they will have more on getting better performance from it.

Cheers,
Gage

 

[Malladine]

Anand's name is Indian as well

Isn't he Sri Lankan? Looks very much similar to some Sri Lankan school mates of mine. *shrug*

Akshtray: I'm a heavy gamer and Win2kPro does me proud, so i'd say spend the money you save there on a better vpu and more RAM!! oh yeah

 

[Malladine]

human2k any reason why go specifically with the 1700+, i was thinking more to the order of the 2100+ -> 2400+ .. they are around the same price .. is because they do not overclock or something

The 1700+ and 2100+ T-Bred chips are reputably the best overclocking CPUs in the biz right now. I recently (as in last night and another 3 months ago) ordered myself a 1700+ for $48 along with a superb HSF: the Vantec Aeroflow. Total: $87. If I can get it to 2ghz, i'll be happy

How about this:

Antec case & ps: $60
Biostar M7VIT mb 4/5 stars w/66 votes: $63
1gb Crucial PC2700 Ram: $160
Radeon 9500Pro: $170
1700+ CPU + cooler: $90
Samsung monitor: $140
Logitech MX300 mouse: $25
Fortissimo III sound card: $40
Sony DVDROM: $42

Total: $790

 

[akshtray]

hey malladine ..

yeah .. anand is a very common south indian name .. also .. it could be sri lankan too .. but if it is .. they are still of indian origin .. (a large part of the sri lankan population is of indian origin, from one state in particular) ..

anyway .. back to the topic .. is it possible to OC the 2200+ or 2400+ .. their price is pretty close to the 2100+ .. so ..

thanks ..

akshtray

 

[Malladine]

SharkyExtreme states that the 2200+ overclocks to little more than 1.9ghz before losing stability. The reasons are: 1. higher voltage required therefore less voltage to work with in order to improve speed by that method and 2. the die size is reduced and therefore there is less area by which heat can dissipate through the HSF, making the chip more difficult to keep below dangerous heat levels. I believe this is due to the fact that the 2200+ is NOT a Thoroughbred 'B' chip, but a standard T'Bred...the 2400+ and 2600+ on the other hand are Bs. They will overclock better than the 2200+ but comparitively speaking still not as well as the 2100 and 1700.

So, my advice is to avoid the 2200+, pick up the 2400+ (2ghz stock) if you don't plan on overclocking or the 1700/2100 if you do

More conveniently:

2400+ plus decent quiet HSF = 2ghz for $115
2100+ plus top end HSF = ~2.2ghz for $111 (w/o'c)
1700+ plus top end HSF = 1.8->2.5ghz (results vary widely depending on which stepping/week etc) for $90 (w/o'c)

 

[ScrapSilicon]

bhangra babay,,,

go with a Radeon 9500 PRO

 

[akshtray]

Okie dokie guys ..

Here is my revised configuration:

Processor :: XP 2100+ :: $82 @ Newegg
Motherboard :: Asus A7N8X Deluxe :: $139 @ Newegg
Memory :: Kingston Hyper-X PC3000 512MB x 2 ????? :: $170 ($85 * 2) @ ExcaliberPC
CDRW :: Lite On 52x24x52 CDRW Model LTR-52246S Retail :: $47 @ Newegg
DVD :: LITE-ON XJ-HD166S 16X DVD ROM Drive :: $33 @ Newegg
HDD :: Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM Hard Drive 8MB Model :: $99 @ Newegg
FDD :: SONY 1.44MB 3.5 INCH INTERNAL FDD DRIVE :: $8 @ Newegg
Video :: ATI RADEON 9500PRO 128MB DDR :: $165 @ OC Systems

The memory has a ? because I read that the Hyper-X based memory might not work with these systems but I am not sure. Is this memory fine with my system or do I need a different one. YAY!! cos now I am not buying Win XP home and will use the spare Windows 2000 that I got with my fiancee's system .. praise the lord that she uses Win 98 still .. I can use those $$$$ for improving my computer ..

Also, now that all this is decided most of what my system will have, I need major suggestions on what is the best CPU, Power Supply and cooling system for me. I am not a person who is showy about their computer but still want the computer to look nice. Also, since I am getting a XP 2100+ I do plan to overclock it.

Why do we have to pay for shipping .. sucks .. it should be free universally and always overnighted ..

Thanks
Akshtray

 

[akshtray]

Errrrr ...

Forgot to ask ..

Does it really matter if I get the retail version of all these things or just the OEM version ??

Thanks a ton ..

akshtray

 

[jhu]

mov ax, 3
int 21h