recommendations for my new system

[grb137]

Hello everyone -

I would love your expertise on a atypical system I'd like to built.

You see, I am not a gamer, so a lot of the suggestions I've read regarding "good systems" don't seem to apply to what I'm after. (For example, the System buyer's guide threat.)

Here's what I'm after in:
1) Fast booting and loading of programs (I know many of you may be rolling your eyes... I know)
2) Quiet
3) Good value/performance ratio (i.e., I don't want the super-fast or the super-quiet, because they're not worth the significant extra expense)
** I'm willing to give up some silence for speed

I don't do anything intensive- no games, no math homework. All I do is web browsing, word processing, email, and on-line poker.

So far, I've already purchased:
1) 19" Spectre DVI LCD, 700:1 contrast and 300 brightness
2) The 74 GB 100,000 RPM raptor with 5ms response

I'm not sure what I need for the following:
1) CPU. I definately want Athlon, because I've read they're just as fast, if not faster, than Intel, but cheaper (criteria #3). But I'm not sure if I'd see a difference between the various AMD 64's.
--- Would I see a difference between a 3000+ versus a 3200+ versus a 3400+?
--- If I go with 3400, I've concluded that I wouldnt see a difference between 754 and 939. Anyone disagree?
--- Why is there a 3400 with 1MB of L2 cache and another 3400 with 512k of L2 cache, and the one with 512k is more expensive? Something to do with "clawhammer" and "newcastle" and that stuff? Anyone think I'd notice a difference by going with the cheaper version?

2) Memory I was originally thinking 2 Gigs of the DDR 400 type. But again, might that be overkill for what I want?
--- Would 2 Gig instead of 1 Gig appreciably change XP booting time or program loading?
--- Would I notice better speed improvements by going with 1 Gig and using the saved $$ for a better CPU?
--- Would I notice a difference if I went with a lower speed RAM like DDR 333 (or whatever the next lowest would be)

3) Motherboard What's the fastest "chipset"? Or maybe a better question, does it matter? Can I get by with a $70 cheapie or would I see performance boost by something higher?

4) Video Card This is where I'm SURE I don't need anything high end - I just want to make sure I get full utilization out of my monitor. I was thinking a cheapie 128MB DVI card from newegg...chaintech I believe is the brand

5) Case I'm thinking Antec Sonata...but only because its advertised as "quiet." I don't think I need anything high end, because I'm not gonna be overworking my CPU to were it would get super hot.

Having already purchase my monitor and hard drive, I'm looking to blow another $750 for the rest.

I know I've asked a lot of questions, so if anyone has any input on any of them, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

[JBDan]

My suggestion: CPU>AMD643000+ 90nm OEM@ Newegg $155 / 1gig corsair value select pc3200 $142 oem / mobo> MSI K8T NEO2-F $100 / GFX card > ATI9600xt $137 / Sonata is a good case with a good PSU

 

[jdogg707]

I would go with:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (Newcastle Core) - $225.00
1GB Kingston ValueRAM PC3200 - $140.00
Asus K8N-E Deluxe Motherboard - $129.00
ATi Radeon 9600 128MB Video Card - $100.00
Antec Sonata w/380W PSU - $100.00

Total: $694.00

The above parts should get you by for sometime, allow for some upgradeability a bit later on, and give you great performance, for not a lot of loot. Use the money you have left over to pay for shipping and play a little poker.

 

[grb137]

Originally posted by: JBDan
My suggestion: CPU>AMD643000+ 90nm OEM@ Newegg $155 / 1gig corsair value select pc3200 $142 oem / mobo> MSI K8T NEO2-F $100 / GFX card > ATI9600xt $137 / Sonata is a good case with a good PSU

Thanks for the response....that still leaves me with about $100 bucks to spare - where should I blow it?

 

[JBDan]

LOL on your girl

 

[grb137]

Originally posted by: jdogg707
I would go with:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ (Newcastle Core) - $225.00
1GB Kingston ValueRAM PC3200 - $140.00
Asus K8N-E Deluxe Motherboard - $129.00
ATi Radeon 9600 128MB Video Card - $100.00
Antec Sonata w/380W PSU - $100.00

Total: $694.00

The above parts should get you by for sometime, allow for some upgradeability a bit later on, and give you great performance, for not a lot of loot. Use the money you have left over to pay for shipping and play a little poker.

thanks!

 

[ts3433]

If this thing is solely a Web terminal and typewriter, you can get by with even less than what I have in my rig below. Probably didn't need the Raptor--my rig boots in around 15 seconds as it is.

In any case, you DEFINITELY don't need 2 gigs of RAM (maybe not even 1 gig), but get DDR 400, as it's usually the same price anyway. You can get by with a cheap board, so long as it's reliable. I'd have suggested a Shuttle AN35N Ultra with an Athlon XP, but it has no SATA for your Raptor. Your case selection is great, though the SLK3700BQE is a bit cheaper and virtually the same case with better airflow, but no front 1394 or audio ports.

 

[grb137]

Originally posted by: ts3433
If this thing is solely a Web terminal and typewriter, you can get by with even less than what I have in my rig below. Probably didn't need the Raptor--my rig boots in around 15 seconds as it is.

In any case, you DEFINITELY don't need 2 gigs of RAM (maybe not even 1 gig), but get DDR 400, as it's usually the same price anyway. You can get by with a cheap board, so long as it's reliable. I'd have suggested a Shuttle AN35N Ultra with an Athlon XP, but it has no SATA for your Raptor. Your case selection is great, though the SLK3700BQE is a bit cheaper and virtually the same case with better airflow, but no front 1394 or audio ports.

Thanks!

I would get the case you recommended, but new egg has free shipping on the sonata but not on the SLK, so its only about $10 more for the Sonata.

 

[LtPage1]

definitely get the sonata.

i really dont think youll notice a difference with anything more powerful than a $100 vidcard, 1gig of ram, and a 3000+.

 

[grb137]

Originally posted by: LtPage1
definitely get the sonata.

i really dont think youll notice a difference with anything more powerful than a $100 vidcard, 1gig of ram, and a 3000+.

thanks for your response

 

[biostud]

The 74 GB 100,000 RPM raptor with 5ms response

That's a pretty fast harddrive

PSU: Seasonic Silent Tornado 400W
CPU fan: Zalman 7700Cu or 7700AlCu

 

[pelikan]

If the stock heatsink isn't quiet enough for you you'll need a Thermalright heatsink, like the XP120, and a quiet fan. Be sure to check the Thermalright website for motherboard compatibility. If the XP120 won't fit on the motherboard you want then the XP90 is a great choice.
Your system will boot fast if you optimize XP.

 

[grb137]

I've had a couple of recommendations to fork out $100 for a 128MB Radeon video card (I was gonna go with a cheapie $50 128 MB generic card.)

My question now is this, if I'm gonna shell out $100, would I get more bang for my buck by going with this one, which has 256 MB?

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-145-078&depa=1

 

[ts3433]

Stay far far away from the nV FX 5xxx series. ATI beats them at all of those price points (though above $200 nV wins). Besides, you don't need 256 MB of graphics card memory if you aren't going to play serious hardcore games, and even then, it can only be effectively used by something a lot more powerful than a 5700 LE (128MB 9600 >> most any 5700).

I'd go ahead and get a Radeon 9600 (vanilla, full 128-bit memory interface), if only for future DX9 compatibility. It also has ample power if you do, by some chance, get into some light gaming down the road.

 

[grb137]

Originally posted by: ts3433
Stay far far away from the nV FX 5xxx series. ATI beats them at all of those price points (though above $200 nV wins). Besides, you don't need 256 MB of graphics card memory if you aren't going to play serious hardcore games, and even then, it can only be effectively used by something a lot more powerful than a 5700 LE (128MB 9600 >> most any 5700).

I'd go ahead and get a Radeon 9600 (vanilla, full 128-bit memory interface), if only for future DX9 compatibility. It also has ample power if you do, by some chance, get into some light gaming down the road.

Thanks for the response, that's good to know. Do you say that 128MB >> most any 570 because of the benchmarks they did here: http://www.anandtech.com/video...oc.aspx?i=1910&p=7 ?

And when you say "vanilla" - do you mean that I can go with a card that isn't made by ATI, just as long as it uses the ATI 9600 chipset? For example, this one:
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=14-164-022&depa=1

Again, thanks for your reply. I'm enjoying learning about the different technologies as I put together a system.

 

[JBDan]

That Rosewill ATI card would be just fine for what you need it for. Earlier I said the 9600xt for 137$ because I was following your budget and if you decide to do some gaming, the xt will perform decently at a good price point. G-luck wit your system.

 

[w00t]

Originally posted by: grb137

Originally posted by: JBDan
My suggestion: CPU>AMD643000+ 90nm OEM@ Newegg $155 / 1gig corsair value select pc3200 $142 oem / mobo> MSI K8T NEO2-F $100 / GFX card > ATI9600xt $137 / Sonata is a good case with a good PSU

Thanks for the response....that still leaves me with about $100 bucks to spare - where should I blow it?

get a64 3200
some better oc ram
get msi neo 3 plat.
9600xt is a good card 9600pro isnt much worse and cost less. i would get 6600gt
get enermax psu or somthing.
take back the raptor drive only 3-5 sec less loading times not a big performance gap.
not sure if that lcd is good if good keep bad take back

 

[dennisjai215]

my opinion is that there is no need to spend 70-100 bux for a video card because if u was a gamer.. u cant play the new games.. its already on the low low low low end of the GPUS so just spend like 30-40 bucks on a 3d card so u can just do what you normally do.. which is not intensive gaming

 

[ts3433]

"Vanilla" = non-Pro, non-GT, non-Ultra, non-SE, essentially non-subtitled edition of a graphics card. Doesn't refer to brand, though since most follow ATI/nV reference it doesn't matter as long as it's quality.

 

[w00t]

will he be playing games? whyelse would he want raptor drive? see what he has to say
wait i c he said he is not a gamer. if you are not a gamer you do not need a good grahics card. just wasting money but you might want to be set just in case you begin to game i like to think into the future about this stuff like new comp my 3200 processor will be gone in 2005 due to i want the dual core. than i will give my 3200 to my lil bro's comp.