Please rate my potential computer

iluvjo

Junior Member
Feb 6, 2004
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CoolerMaster TAC-T01-E1C Wave Master Aluminum 420W Case (SILVER)

(939-pin) AMD ATHLON64 4000+ Processor (Maybe get a 3800 and upgrade to FX-55 later)

(939-pin) ASUS nForce4 SLI Chipset Mainboard

ULTRA X-Connect 500W ATX PS w/2 80mm Fans - Black SKU

1GB (512MBx2) PC3200 DDR400 Memory (Corsair_XMS)

MAXTOR 200GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA 150 8MB CACHE HARD DRIVE

NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT 256MB 16X PCI EXPRESS VIDEO CARD (just 1 now and get a 2nd later)

Samsung TS-H522B 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER

Creative Labs SB Audigy-2 ZS 7.1

Creative Labs SBS 560 5.1 Surround Subwoofer Speaker System

Windows XP Home w/SP 2

I realize this could be a huge waste of money, but as I said earlier I would like to get a computer like this now and just leave it alone upgrade-wise for a long time.(I also may wait until end of Jan or Feb to make the purchase) Also, I want a computer that has a large potential for upgrades, one that will last 4 years or so with whatever upgrades. Also, I am not getting a monitor, as I have one from my 4.5 year old computer. But, how will I know if it is compatible? Thanks everyone!

 

iluvjo

Junior Member
Feb 6, 2004
14
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Thanks for all of your input. By the way, I hope noone takes this as a "hey look at me" type thing, these are honest questions that I want to ask those in the know before I make the purchase. :)

3 questions:

1) If I get that motherboard right now, is it a guinea pig type of situation, where I will be in essence beta testing a new product and should I wait until the tech stabilizes?

2) How much of a performance difference will I be looking at between the A64 4000 and 3800? $90 worth?

3) Is the upgrade to XP Pro really that necessary?

Oh and all of these are being put together by http://www.cyberpowersystem.com Anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks again!
 

Mik3y

Banned
Mar 2, 2004
7,089
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Originally posted by: iluvjo
Thanks for all of your input. By the way, I hope noone takes this as a "hey look at me" type thing, these are honest questions that I want to ask those in the know before I make the purchase. :)

3 questions:

1) If I get that motherboard right now, is it a guinea pig type of situation, where I will be in essence beta testing a new product and should I wait until the tech stabilizes?

2) How much of a performance difference will I be looking at between the A64 4000 and 3800? $90 worth?

3) Is the upgrade to XP Pro really that necessary?

Oh and all of these are being put together by http://www.cyberpowersystem.com Anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks again!

1) i say it's fine to go for it
2) ~3-5% dif in performance.
3) no, but pro has a bit more features.
 

imported_NoGodForMe

Senior member
May 3, 2004
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Haven't heard of that MB, I have an Asus A8V, I'm sure it will be stable.

You could save yourself $100 and go with regular memory. For some reason, many can't get those fancy 2225 timings with an Athlon. I have an FX53 in my A8V and have to run it at 2336 timings. Others have posted the same problems. I dunno, I give Corsair props for their return policy, but many are having problems with their memory. I'd recommend value select, or even go with OCZ, but you really need to read other messages boards to see what others are saying. Here's the Corsair forum.
http://www.houseofhelp.com/for...forumdisplay.php?f=130
If you wanna try XMS, go for it, but don't be surprised if you can't run those 2225 timings.

The 4000 is a great choice and will fly thru all games you throw at it. And you can even OC it by upping the FSB of the MB. I have the FX53 and it screams thru everything. It's the GPU that will gives you more FPS in games. If you really want a screaming machine, go with the 6800 Ultra.

And yes, go with XP Pro on the OS.

If you'd like to see my building page, go here. It's a lot to read, kinda like my diary, so look at the pics at the top, the scroll down to the bottom. What you are building is very similar to mine.

http://www.nogodforme.com/MyBabyTera.htm
 

theinsen1

Senior member
Sep 10, 2004
260
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1 won't say thats abeta product but try reviewing about the product from different sources

2 NO

3 yes have you used it before??
these are my opions,others may vary
btw good selection of parts :)
 

iluvjo

Junior Member
Feb 6, 2004
14
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Ok sounds great. Should I wait until after Christmas for a price drop? Would it be that substantial? Thanks.
 

ngray

Junior Member
Dec 2, 2004
24
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Suggestion on Windows XP:
XP Home - basic, OEM is $90-ish
XP Pro - OEM is 140-ish, adds web server (IIS), Remote Desktop Hosting (great for accessing your pc from abroad), and ability to join a network domain (probably useless to you)
XP Media Center Edition 2005 - OEM is 130-ish. Everything in XP Pro except the domain stuff, but adds the MS Tivo copyware. I'm going this route.

If I were you, I'd go with Pro or MCE JUST for the Remote Desktop feature. It's that handy, and but underused by most.

hth
 

jterrell

Senior member
Nov 18, 2004
559
0
76
I don't like cyberpower's psu selection.
I'd say check ibuypower which is basically the same but has better options.

Better yet if you build it yourself you'll save about 10% and have any option you choose that is compatible.

The nforce4 mobo's will be a bit risky til its been out and had a few bios'es revs released.

You might go with monarch as the supplier for your mobo, cpu and memory.
They will test out that much for you then all you have to do is pop it in a case with a psu and your drives. Not much work at all.

 

iluvjo

Junior Member
Feb 6, 2004
14
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0
Are cyberpower and ibuypower legit? I mean I'm really worried about all the negative stuff I just read about them... How comps come shipped without cables connected and scratches and overheating and so forth... Anyone have experience with either?