Upgrading for the first time.

[sixty9sublime]

Here is what the scenario is as of now.
This is what im thinking of purchasing,

Cpu : AMD Athlon XP 2800+ " Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
Motherboard : EPoX "EP-8RDA3+" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Memory : Corsair XMS , 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-2700 with Platinum Silver Heat Spreader
Power Supply: Antec Tru430 Power Supply

How is this combo? Will it work well, I have read many reviews on the epox board and most have certified it as great so im ok with that, I also have a question on what type of ram i should get, I was thinking of getting this corsair memory but it also is very expensive.

All these products together on newegg come to 413, so If i didnt have to get the corsair memory and could get something a little less expensive that would be great.

Thanks in advance for any replies, again this is my first thought of upgrading my pc so be gentle

sixty9sublime

 

[moonsite]

I would just buy the XP 2500+ oem with the Thermaltake TR2tt fan and Abit NF7-S motherboard, then overclocked to 3200+. This motherboard has better sound system. You would save about 20-30 dollars. Just change the FSB in bios to get 3200+ and you are all set. The Abit board costs same as the Epox one too.

 

[sixty9sublime]

You speak about the sound system, Im not sure what that means, I currently have a Sound Blaster 5.1 Live...Im new to building and probably wont be overclocking anytime soon also.

 

[moonsite]

The onboard sound on the Abit mainboard is the same one as on the Xbox. It is better than the Sound Blaster Live! Besides, most people would recommend the Abit board over the Epox board anyway. The two most favorite boards for Athlon XP cpu's are Abit and Asus, if you have the money.

 

[moonsite]

Oh Yeah. In my opinion, you don't need the high-speed RAM. You can just get the value select RAM. 1 or 2 percent speeds gain, if at that, for that much money more is not worth it. Just my opinion. Value Select for Corsair Ram at Newegg is $85 for 512Mb PC3200.

 

[sixty9sublime]

How so? Ive read atleast 3 or 4 reviews about epox going against asus, abit, msi, and giga and performing as well as each of them, also being able to be overclocked far better.

BTW thnx for the tips, Im gonna go with the corsair value memory

 

[moonsite]

Epox used to be the best of overclocking. But now, it isn't any better than any others. Most Nforce2 board now can overclock easily if you don't do extreme overclocking, even the cheapo ones. Only thing is I am not sure if the NF7-S use the Ultra 400 chipset or just the NForce2 400. Alot of people on this board would know. The Ultra chip is a bit faster, I believe.

 

[sixty9sublime]

Now I have to figure out a good case design, One with atleast 3 spots for fans, possible screwless design etc. Any ideas?

 

[SneakyStuff]

Antec Super Lanboy is a great case for high airflow. And choose an ASUS or Abit motherboard, you won't regret it.

EDIT: And I have the same CPU, it absolutely rocks, and I don't overclock it

 

[Cerb]

Antec SLK3700-AMB
Antec SLK3700-BQE
Antec Sonata
Evercase E4252

Only two fan spots for all of them. All good cases (two cases, really), not too expensive. The ANtec ones come with good enough PSUs for ya.

 

[sixty9sublime]

Thanks for those Cerb. Think ive decided to go with the antec sonata BTW is a 380 powersupply from antec able to support all that? I have 2 hardrives, a DVD rom, and a zip drive also.