Questions about new computer...

[Addikt]

Well I have not made a new computer for a while so I have decided to make one now. Really not the best timing so I am told, but I need a new system for University next year and just to play games on, photoshop, 3d modeling and all that good stuff. So far I have tried to do as much research as possible and I have come up with the following system...all prices are in Canadian funds, and it comes in at around $1600 CDN.

Video Card -- ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB DDR AGP 8X ($320)
Motherboard -- Gigabyte GA-K8VT800 Pro VIA KT800 w/ AUD/GB LAN/RAID ($153)
CPU -- AMD ATHLON64 3200+ 1MB BOX ($387)
Memory -- Kingston 2 x 256MB PC-3200 DDR400 SDRAM ($160)
Sound Card -- Creative Labs Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS ($119)
Optical Storage -- ASUS 52x32x52 CD-RW ($48)
HDD Storage -- Western Digital 120GB S-ATA, 7200 RPM ($143)
Cooling Fan -- Thermaltake Thermaltake Venus 12 Opteron and Athlon 64 ($48)
Case -- Antec Sonata Mid Tower Case (black) w/ 380W PSU $141
Power Supply (included) -- Antec TruePower 380Watt ATX12V (included in case)
Power Supply -- Antec Antec TrueBlue 480 Watt ATX12V Illuminated ($129)

I just want to know what people think, just trying to see if I made the right decisions and what others think about the system. I have been thinking about getting more ram 1 GB instead of the 512, that's about another $150. Also I was wondering if anyone could tell me their experiences with the Athlon 64 3200+ and if the power supply wattage I chose (480W) is enough. I was also considering a 36GB 10K RPM WD S-ATA drive instead of the 120 GB because I already have a 120 GB drive and would just run programs off the 36 GB drive, good idea? I read somewhere that I should be using a 550W for such a system!! Finally the reason that there are two PSUs listed is because the sonata case comes with a 380W special edition True380S, and I am wondering now what I should do with that also.

Again any comments/critiques are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Mik3y]

dude, 480W psu is plenty. in fact, its like overkill, but i'd still get one . the athlon64 system requires probably just 380W. maybe even 350W. also about hte harddrive, i say get the 10,000 rpm rapter to run apps and use your existing 120gb hd for storage. thats a very good combo there. in fact, thats what i would get if i were to get a new computer.

btw, welcome to the forums!

 

[mechBgon]

If you can find the Albatron K8X800 Pro II, it has very fine hardware-accelerated audio onboard and you could probably scratch that Audigy 2 ZS off the list.

A 480W power supply isn't needed for what you've listed, but it still may end up being a good investment since next-gen video cards are almost here and a 480W power supply is stipulated by nVidia for theirs (GeForce FX 6800). Since power supplies can stick with you for a long time... yeah.

My other main suggestion is to get a single 512MB memory module instead of two 256MB modules. You'll want to have a slot free for another 512MB module before it's all said and done, I think Welcome to the Forums and enjoy planning & building your new rig

 

[Addikt]

Thanks a lot for the warm welcome. I was just wondering if the 380 Watt PSU that comes with the box would be good enough to run everything. Otherwise I will buy that TrueBlue 480 Watt PSU. Also I saw the stats for the Audigy 2 ZS and I am getting it pretty cheap for the performance and I plan to hook my audio out to my home receiver and getting some nice stereo sound going, that's the only reason I am getting a high quality sound card. As far as nextgen equipment...when can we expect to see the new lines coming out? That is why I was told that now is not a good time to buy.

Cheers.

 

[sharq]

If I were you, I'd look into how much an A64 cpu uses in comparison to a standard Athlon XP. I have a 2400+, 512mb, 9200, sound, lan, 2 IDE hd's, 2 CDROM's, 1 ide controller and zip drive, 5 fans, and 1 usb device, all running on an Antec True 330 without any problems. So I think your setup should be just fine on a True 380.
Nextgen would be PCI-express, nforce3 (I think that is out now), the new breed of video cards by ATI and nVidia (those would drop the price of your 9800), and DDR2. If I were you, considering you have time before school starts, I say wait on your purchase of a video card. The new cards are expected out in the near future, and I believe the price of a 9800 should drop quite a bit after the new line is introduced.

 

[Addikt]

Well I have assumed that this computer will only have a life of about 2 years (if that) and was looking at that 9800 Pro as a binge buy almost. Really what I would buy is a 9700 Pro, but I cannot find them ANYWHERE. Also does anyone have any information on how I would be able to calcuate the power requirements of the machine? I used a power supply calculator and I came up with a BASE wattage of 428 Watts. That calculator can be found at: http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply

AMD Athlon XP Barton 3000+ (75 Watts)
ATI Radeon 9700/9800 Pro (54 Watts)
Two sticks of DDR SDRAM (20 Watts)
2 Hard Drives (2 x 25 Watts each)
CD-RW Drive (20 Watts)
(expansion)DVD-RW/DVD+RW (25 Watts)
Motherboard (25 Watts)
Floppy Drive (5 Watts)
Keyboard and Mouse (3 Watts)
CPU Fan (3 Watts)
SoundBlaster w/ Front Bay (18 Watts)
Network Card (4 Watts)
3 Aditional PCI Cards (15 Watts)
USB Device (5 Watts)
4 80mm System Fans (8 Watts)
FireWire Device (8 Watts)

I just don't know what to do with that True380S power supply when I get the antec sonata case...

 

[sharq]

I know AMD has a document on their site (somewhere) for power requirements for Athlon XP cpu systems, thats what I had referred to when buying my 330. I will look for the link, just have no idea what it is right now.
I presonally wouldn't trust a power supply calculator on a site selling you computer parts. Just my instinct tells me that it might be a little biased, ofcourse I have no idea/knowledge about the site you linked to.

EDIT: My system it said needs a 380 watts PSU, while it is running very smoothly, for months now, on a True 330. The Antec True line provides you with alot of power, alot more than an equivalent output generic PSU, because each line has it's own power source, and none are shared. So I think you will be fine with a 380.

 

[NervousNovice]

Originally posted by: Addikt
Also does anyone have any information on how I would be able to calcuate the power requirements of the machine?

THG has a quite update table for you.

Originally posted by: Addikt
I just don't know what to do with that True380S power supply when I get the antec sonata case...

Give it to me.

 

[Addikt]

Thanks for the advice guys. I just wanted to make sure that a 380 W PSU would do it for the power requirements, but I will check just to make sure also. Does anyone think that it would be a good idea to get 1 GB of RAM instead of 512 MB? I am not sure if it is a good investment. Also if I get only one stick of 512 MB now, that cuts my bandwidth in half doesn't it?

Thanks again.

 

[Regs]

Bandwidth? No. Your bandwidth is depended on your bus speeds. The link between the memory, and cpu. 64 Bits x 2 (Double data rate) x Clock speed. PC3200 runs data at 3.2 GBps. It's not the quantity that matters. And a 380watt is more than plenty if coming from a reliable PSU manufacturer.

 

[Markfw]

First the 380 in the Sonata is fine. Ditch the venus, and get the silent boost K8. Your 9800 pro should be $210 US, is that $320 CDN ? And get 2 512 meg memory modules, Hyperx would be better, or Mushkin level1. I like the 3500 so I have a little headroom for a little OC'ing.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: Addikt
Thanks for the advice guys. I just wanted to make sure that a 380 W PSU would do it for the power requirements, but I will check just to make sure also. Does anyone think that it would be a good idea to get 1 GB of RAM instead of 512 MB? I am not sure if it is a good investment. Also if I get only one stick of 512 MB now, that cuts my bandwidth in half doesn't it?

Thanks again.

Originally posted by: Regs
Bandwidth? No. Your bandwidth is depended on your bus speeds. The link between the memory, and cpu. 64 Bits x 2 (Double data rate) x Clock speed. PC3200 runs data at 3.2 GBps. It's not the quantity that matters. And a 380watt is more than plenty if coming from a reliable PSU manufacturer.

I think that he s referring to dual channel. This is not a concern for the system you are building, since the A64's don't support dual channel memory (yet).

 

[Addikt]

Alright, so I will stick with the 380 in the sonata. But I didn't know that Athlon 64s don't support dual channel memory yet...that sucks. Should I reconsider getting a 3200+ then? I have read a couple of articles and a lot of different hardware sites praise the 3200+ as being one of the better chips available. What say you guys? Also yes the 9800 Pro is $320 Canadian...which with exchange works out to a fair price...

Should I make the purchase?

 

[Maximilian]

I have basically your system running perfectly on a 300W seasonic atm.

A64's have an onboard memory controller which sort of cancels out the need for duel channel ram. Duel channel is overrated anyway, 3200+ is a great processor dont let somthing like that put you off it. Make the purchase

 

[Addikt]

Alright, thanks that gives me a lot of comfort. Also why is it that most people put their RAM in the 1st and 3rd slot as opposed to the 1st and 2nd?

Thanks.

 

[Maximilian]

hmm im not sure, id guess to leave space so the ram wont overheat or anything.

 

[Addikt]

So what kind of RAM should I buy then, I don't understand the differences between PC 3200 and PC 3500, 3700 or 4000 etc. Also I have seen 433 MHz RAM as well as 500 MHz RAM, but what is the point since the mobo can't support it anyways?

Also I read up on the on-chip memory controller and the idea sounds pretty good. No need to rely on special dual channeled DDR kits that are really expensive.

Finally, I have seen some PSUs that say that they are S-ATA compatible and I haven't found anything on the antec site about the power supply that comes with the sonata case being S-ATA ready...does this mean that I will not be able to connect my S-ATA 10K RPM WD drive?

Thanks.

 

[calam63]

you shouldn't get your video card yet - the gf 6800 just got reviewed i think ati's x800 is coming out soon - prices for the 9800 pro will plummet

the faster the speed on ram - faster the information travels

edit: your 380 ps is fine - antec is great! i think i am running a 350 ps right now

 

[Addikt]

Yeah, I read that and I was thinking about it. This being not only for school but also a leisure system, and since I will have nothing to use since my laptop isn't powerful enough to do practically everything, I want to try to get this system as soon as possible so I need a video card. I have another computer with just a simple GeForce 2 MX in it so I am not sure if I could use that for 2 months and just not run any graphic intensive applications. I could just stick to starcraft and such for the 2 months.

Also, I have never put such an old card in such a new system. I was wondering what everyone thinks about the idea. I mean the video card IS powerful enough to play quite a few games on. I have actually successfully played Knight Online and Battlefield 1942 on the computer. Any suggestions?

Thanks guys, this forum is a real big help in making a well-informed purchase. Also some questions I ask might not sound too bright, I know the technicalities of most components, but this will be the first time I build my own computer (with a watchful and experienced eye present of course) and my intentions are good, that's gotta count for something.

 

[Addikt]

*bump*

Would this be possible?

Thanks.