Requesting a looksie before I buy this thing...

[Nipples]

This is a followup to a previous thread.

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Processor Socket 939 Retail $189

Motherboard: MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum nForce4 Ultra Athlon 64 Skt939 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA Retail $140

Memory: Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2/1G 1GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 Memory Retail $109

Video Card:
MSI NX6600GT-TD128E GeForce 6600 GT PCI Express 128MB DDR3 Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI Retail $179.99

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 - Hard drive - 160 GB - standard - 3.5" - SATA-150 - 7200 rpm $96.32

DVD Burner: BenQ 16x, Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive with Software, Black Model DW1620 PRO, OEM $53.99

Case: COOLER MASTER Praetorian Black ALUMINUM MID-TOWER CASE, Model "PAC-T01-EK" -RETAIL $124

Power Supply: XCLIO ATX 550W Power Supply, Model "XClio 550BL" -RETAIL +12V1@19A, +12V2@18A, Efficiency: >70% at full load, nominal line $106.98

For a GRAND TOTAL of $999.28

Any glaring errors or omissions (incompatibility, missing cables etc...) I'm a glaring Noob!

In advance, thanks.

 

[imported_Kensai]

Everything there should work together. Gogo MSI!! 😀

 

[mechBgon]

I don't see an operating system on there. Also you might consider Microsoft Works Suite 2005 OEM, which is about $45 and has full-version Word, Encarta 2005 Standard (encyclopedia), Works 9.0 and some other stuff. Word alone would be worth it in my book.

FYI people have run into some difficulty getting Coolermaster's mystical front-audio cable to work, since they don't terminate it with a standard mono-plug but rather a bunch of individual one-wire plugs with ambiguous markings.

 

[Nipples]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
I don't see an operating system on there. Also you might consider Microsoft Works Suite 2005 OEM, which is about $45 and has full-version Word, Encarta 2005 Standard (encyclopedia), Works 9.0 and some other stuff. Word alone would be worth it in my book.

FYI people have run into some difficulty getting Coolermaster's mystical front-audio cable to work, since they don't terminate it with a standard mono-plug but rather a bunch of individual one-wire plugs with ambiguous markings.

I plan on getting Microsoft XP Pro and Microsoft Office Pro, both OEM w/Keys or COA.

So, if the cables are problematic, can you just buy a new cable and stick it in, or is it more complicated than that? Are the front Audio cables hardwired in the jack? Can you replug the individual wires? Is there a solution?

Thanks for the insights.

 

[mechBgon]

Here's a thread on the topic, where I was trying to help someone decipher the cable. There's a diagram of the cable illustrating what you'd be up against. Maybe Coolermaster has changed to a nice standard plug (this is a standardized header design that all motherboards share), but I wouldn't look forward to trying to figure it out myself.

 

[tallman45]

That system config looks good but the power supply is a ?

For over $100 you really should get something that is better than 70% efficient at full power. That means it is likely 50-60% efficient at 50% power. The rig you are building will likely only need 120-140watts at idle. You will be better served with a 400W Seasonic Super Tornado or a Fortron 450w Blue Storm or the like which would provide you with ample power, energy savings and a know brand that can be confirmed via reviews. 70% efficency also means 30% inefficiency at full power, that is over 170watts of wasted power, that is a lot of heat blowing out you case, and $ out your wallet

 

[Nipples]

Originally posted by: tallman45
That system config looks good but the power supply is a ?

For over $100 you really should get something that is better than 70% efficient at full power. That means it is likely 50-60% efficient at 50% power. The rig you are building will likely only need 120-140watts at idle. You will be better served with a 400W Seasonic Super Tornado or a Fortron 450w Blue Storm or the like which would provide you with ample power, energy savings and a know brand that can be confirmed via reviews. 70% efficency also means 30% inefficiency at full power, that is over 170watts of wasted power, that is a lot of heat blowing out you case, and $ out your wallet

I haven't been able to find the Fortron Blue Storm 450W. Having never sized a power source before, I thought I would need at a minimum 450W for this system, not accounting for adding another hard drive in the future.

I also was considering the following:
Sparkle FSP550-60PLG
Vantec VAN-520A
Seasonic Super Silencer 460W

The Seasonic may be the best choice in stock? I have looked at various articles on sizing a PSU for a system, but I don't feel like I have a good feel for the process. Seems as though they try to find worst case senarios under specfic conditions, i.e. overclocked systems running energy hog software. I don't think I will be that sort of user since I don't game and don't plan on overclocking. I do plan on adding some moderate energy consuming components to the system in the future.

Can anybody offer a rational as to what size PSU I might need based on experience?

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: tallman45
That system config looks good but the power supply is a ?

For over $100 you really should get something that is better than 70% efficient at full power. That means it is likely 50-60% efficient at 50% power. The rig you are building will likely only need 120-140watts at idle. You will be better served with a 400W Seasonic Super Tornado or a Fortron 450w Blue Storm or the like which would provide you with ample power, energy savings and a know brand that can be confirmed via reviews. 70% efficency also means 30% inefficiency at full power, that is over 170watts of wasted power, that is a lot of heat blowing out you case, and $ out your wallet

The XClio's are fine, thier made by Channel Well. (supplier of Antec)

If you really want efficiency.
Seasonic Tornado 400
or
Seasonic S12-500

 

[iamskew]

Looks good, but I think that possibly between the case, power supply (and add a few bucks) that you might be able to beef up that 6600 to an ati x800xl...::maybe::....either way, that rig will be very nice

 

[akugami]

Do you have a floppy? You never know when you might need one. I have a few salvaged from some old and dusty Dell's when my workplace upgraded theirs. It's a good idea to snag old floppies, ram and cpu off of computers you see on the street. Some of that stuff can save you money if you're building a new system (as in the case of floppies) or you can ebay some of that stuff. SIMM's aren't made anymore for instance, nor are older CPU's like the P3's and while they won't make you tons of money you can snag a quick 5-10 bucks off ebay for them. Sometimes more. It's why I carry one of those smaller swiss army knife type tools with a small screwdriver on it.