System Finalised - Thoughts?

[Fionavar]

Well after a lot of tweaking, pricing and reviewing - here are the final specs for my new rig - any final thoughts before I order?

Note: I am running this for stability, not O/C.

AMD Athlon XP 2600

Asus A7N8X Deluxe Socket-A ATX Motherboard

ATI Radeon 9700 Pro

Thermaltake Volcano 9

Vantec Stealth 470W ATX Power Supply

Samsung 2x512MB PC2700 K4H560838C-TCB3 2-2.5

Western Digital WD800JB 80.0GB 7200rpm Hard-Drive

YAMAHA CDRW 44X24X44X EIDE WHITE NERO 5.5 SW MANUAL

Samsung SD-616 16x/48x DVD-ROM

LOGITECH MX700 CORDLESS OPTICAL MOUSE
Microsoft Natural Elite 104 Button Keyboard

Alps 1.44MB Floppy Drive

Thermaltake Xaser II 6000 Plus

PLANTRONICS .Audio 90 Analog Headset

Rounded Cables

Front Intake Filters

 

[pillage2001]

Ditch the yamaha and get the Liteon.

 

[CrazySaint]

Looks pretty nice, make sure you get the 2600+ with the 333FSB instead of the 266FSB.

 

[Fionavar]

The reviews I have read give the Yamaha the nod - Mt Rainor and all.

The 333 fsb is definitely the one I will go with - if not I will go down to the 2400 and pair it with PC2100 and wait for the Barton to come down in price once it is released.

 

[magomago]

I'm aslo getting the volcano9 and some of the reviews some people at newegg said they are worried that i'll rip the socket right out of the mobo cause its soo big

 

[PCMarine]

Nice system. However, It looks like you're building a hardcore gaming comp, and you're buying a cordless optical...arn't they rather crappy for gaming?

 

[pillage2001]

Originally posted by: PCMarine
Nice system. However, It looks like you're building a hardcore gaming comp, and you're buying a cordless optical...arn't they rather crappy for gaming?

MX700 is a totally different feel in gaming.

 

[Slugbait]

you're buying a cordless optical...arn't they rather crappy for gaming?

The ones you're thinking of are. This one isn't.

I also am concerned about the Yamaha, but it's not a big deal. However, for building a system from scratch today, I would ditch both optical drives and go with the Sony DVD/CD recorder. It'll cost quite a bit more, and the media isn't dirt cheap yet, but if you'll be getting one eventually, spending on other opticals now might not offset the cost later when prices come down.

 

[Fionavar]

Originally posted by: Slugbait

you're buying a cordless optical...arn't they rather crappy for gaming?

The ones you're thinking of are. This one isn't.

I also am concerned about the Yamaha, but it's not a big deal. However, for building a system from scratch today, I would ditch both optical drives and go with the Sony DVD/CD recorder. It'll cost quite a bit more, and the media isn't dirt cheap yet, but if you'll be getting one eventually, spending on other opticals now might not offset the cost later when prices come down.

I thought of DVD/CD-R but the fact is there is yet no standard for the DVD-R and I do not want a Beta Tape Lemon (for those who remember the VHS/Beta wars) on my hands. Hopefully in a year or two - but still too much speculation, imo.

 

[Slugbait]

there is yet no standard for the DVD-R and I do not want a Beta Tape Lemon

That's why I suggested the Sony. MaxPC gave it KickAss award last month in their "Gear of the Year" issue. c/net gave it an 8.9 rating. Basically, you don't have to worry about which of the different formats will win the war.

DRU-500A specs:
2.4X max. DVD+R Write; 2.4X max. DVD+RW Write; 4X max. DVD-R Write; 2X max. DVD-RW Write; 8X max. DVD-ROM Read 4X, 12X, 16X, 24Xmax. CD-R Write; 4X, 10X max. CD-RW Write, 32X max. CD-ROM Read Random Access Time:
DVD: 200ms
CD: 160ms

Supported disc format: DVD-ROM, DVD R, DVD RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM (XA), Video CD, Photo CD (multi-session), CD Text, CD Extra and others

And it has an 8-meg buffer. There are tons of reviews out there, nearly all find it great.

 

[cockeyed]

I would use Seagate HDD's; fast and quiet. For the CDRW look at the Samsung SW-248 48x16x48 which also supports Mt Rainor. Best Buy has the SW-248 for $50 after rebate; it is very quiet and smooth as glass. I read a tech site review of the SW-240 (40x instead of 48x) and it was rated very high being compared to a Plextor. I have 1 and a friend has 3, all perform very well.