Specs for New Rig - Your Comments

[leocanuck]

I'm building a new rig for multimedia, gaming, and CPU-intensive work. Budget is ~$3000. What do you think of this setup? Is it worth waiting for AMD Thoroughbred? New generation ATI AIW?

CPU Athlon XP 1900+
Motherboard Asus VIA A7V333 w/ RAID
Memory MUSHKIN DDR 512MB PC-2700 (or Corsair 2700)
Case Lian-Li PC-68 USB
Cooling Thermaltake Volcano 7+
Power Supply Enermax EG-465P-VE FCA 431W
Video Card ATI Radeon 8500DV ALL-IN-WONDER 64MB
Hard Drive 2 x Western Digital Caviar WD1200JB, 120 GB, 8 MB cache
CD-RW/DVD TOSHIBA CD-RW/DVD-ROM SD-R1202
Floppy Sony 3.5" 1.44 MB
Sound Card Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum eX
Speakers Cambridge SoundWorks Megaworks 510D
Modem 3COM USR v.90 56K 2977
Network 3COM 905CX-TXNM PCI 10/100
Keyboard Logitech® Freedom Pro Cordless
Mouse Logitech® Cordless MouseMan® Optical
Joystick Logitech® Wingman® Strike Force 3D
Gamepad Microsoft® SideWinder® Freestyle Pro
Monitor Samsung Syncmaster 900NF
OS MS XP Pro OEM

Thanks

 

[Justorq]

For the ATI, maybe u should get the 128MB version that's either coming out or is out ... dunno.
As for the Athlon... why just not wait a bit for the thoroughbred which might be a little cooler ...
THis is just my opinion !
Justin

 

[mcmatty]

Looks like a nice system. I just built a 1900+ with the Asus a7v333 board as well. Runs great. I used the corsair ram though. I only say that because I know there are no issues with it.

Good luck.

 

[microAmp]

Drool....

 

[jcmkk]

Very good looking except for a few things. I wouldn't suggest going cordless with the mouse because of the lag that you get when using it with fast paced games. Also, go with Win2K, it has all of the advantages of XP without the bloat and compatibility issues. Don't worry about the T-Breds or upcoming ATI cards.

 

[NeilPeart]

Leocanuck,
The system looks mighty nice. I read that the A7333?s extra memory bandwidth doesn't really help performance much, as it is running asynchronously from the CPU. However, if you want to eek out every possible performance from your system, that board will do it (especially for divx encoding, as every MHz counts)! The RAM is a solid choice; I use Crucial PC2100 myself, but they won't be releasing "true" PC2700 RAM for another few weeks (though my plain 2100 sticks overclock to 2700 with the most aggressive settings and encounters no problems). Another good choice for the HSF is the Alpha PAL8045 (or Swiftech MCX462, but it is $20 more), but it requires a more complex installation. Pair it with a Panaflo L1A or H1A for a quiet environment, or some Delta/Sunon for OC fun! That video card is the best multi-purpose card, but if you are an avid gamer, I recommend the GeForce 4 Ti Series (got a Ti4400 myself). The WD1200JBs are great choice for hard drives - I have the exact same setup, and it is beautiful. I must question the combo optical drive. Why not a Lite-on LTD-163 DVD-ROM and Lite-on/Plextor/Teac 24X - 40X Burner? If you are conserving 5 ¼ bays, just say so. I am unaware of the monitor, though I have a Mitsubishi Diamondtron NF 900u; your Samsung 900NF might be using my Mitsubishi's tube (or vice versa). Solid choice for the NIC - 3com's are trouble-free. Everything looks nice! Let me say that those speakers are THE BEST I have ever heard! I own a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1, and was shopping for the ProMedia 5.1 at Fry's. After sampling the ProMedia 5.1 (and liking it), I stumbled across the MegaWorks 510D. I thought to myself, "Oh great more overpriced Creative speakers" - I recalled my lackluster DTT2500. However, the sound escaping from the MegaWorkd was amazing! I quickly turned the volume to 75% and stepped back - the entire section of the store was filled with "The Song Remains the Same," a Led Zeppelin DVD. I could hear no distortion or clipping - it was beautiful. I am saving my pennies for that system rather then the ProMedia 5.1s. Sorry for the rambling, but I felt I had to inform others of the MegaWorks' splendor. Good luck with your system, and maybe wait for the Thoroughbred, smaller core = more overclocking potential.

 

[UThamburglar11]

I too think that you should wait for the newer AMD. With a $3000 budget no reason not to besides impatience (which I am known for).

 

[leocanuck]

Thanks - lots of good advice. I hope the wait for AMD and ATI is not too long! I had my eye on the Klipsch Promedia 5.1 as well until checked out a few threads here that recommend the 510D. I was also thinking of separating the DVD and CD-RW - higher speed and opportunity to run both at once.

 

[dlaw]

Well, too slow for working in NASA.

Good enough for everything else. hehe, my comment is, if you have 3000 to spend, you probably wanna spend at least $500 on your monitor. Just a though. Nice system, good luck.