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Upgrading my computer

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Thanks for the responses I took both ideas and changed my motherboard, video card, and processor to:

GIGABYTE GA-K8NF-9 ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor
CHAINTECH SE6600G Video Card

are these any better if not tell me what i need to change. Also can anyone tell be whats wrong with the case, if I need to I'll change it

thanks
 
The mobo is good, the best value s939 board out there. Though if you overclock, I would get the DFI Ultra D, otherwize the mobo's fine.
Processor and video card are great, I was going to get the same myself.
The case is bad because lood at the specifications : Text
Only .7mm steel, so it will be flimsy. Also, the case has bad airflow. by looking at the pics, the front bezel will clearly restrict air from the front. 7 80mm fans will be really loud. If you want to upgrade to maybe dual core later, heat will be your problem.
The antec slk 3000b will actually be the cheaper (after shipping) from amazon. Its got 2 120mm fans (quiet) and its from the best steel case maker. look around in the cases cooling fourm, anyone will tell you its the best value case.
 
Originally posted by: Cheezeit
Though if you overclock, I would get the DFI Ultra D, otherwize the mobo's fine.
Click to expand...

I'm not positive, but judging from the previous content of this thread, I don't think a whole lot of overclocking is going to take place.

I like the changes you made. That looks good. One question, what type of Corsair memory were you looking at? If you're not planning on overclocking, then there isn't really any reason to get anything more expensive than Corsair Value Select, which can be had for somewhere around $80-90 for a gig (2x512)
 
I changed the case and am thinking about getting the:

A-TOP XBlade AT859A-BK Black/Silver Computer Case With Side Panel Window

Can you tell me if it will be a good one or not and if it is compatible with my other parts. Also do you think I should upgrade the processor, its only 1.8 should I upgrade to 2.0 or is there not much of a difference. I just dont want it to be slow

thanks
 
Whats the matter with the Power Supply? I really like the case and have read a lot of good reviews on it. If I need to couldn't I just replace the power supply unit, If I do that whats a good one?

thanks
 
the power supply is a very important part of your system, often times the power supplies included with the case are just plain crap. what do i mean by this? they will over/under volt your system causing damage or if your lucky will just simply die. i've had many friends who weren't the most knowledgeable skimp on the psu or just not really think much about it and use the cheap one included in the case and all four have had to replace theirs while one had the psu take out his motherboard and processor. the one case maker that also includes a good reliable power supply would be antec. if your getting a case other than an antec stick with a reputable name like: ocz, fortron, seasonic, antec, sparkle, pc power and cooling, or enermax.
 
I found another one is this one good. Does anyone know if the power system is good and is the cooling system alright. So here it is:

ENERMAX 10MCS-56881LBFS-D3 Blue Computer Case

thanks
 
Originally posted by: staabie66
I found another one is this one good. Does anyone know if the power system is good and is the cooling system alright. So here it is:

ENERMAX 10MCS-56881LBFS-D3 Blue Computer Case

thanks
Click to expand...

funny thing is that an enermax case doesn't use an enermax psu. you'd wanna replaced that psu. and it only has one 80mm fan, you might want to add another for intake and exhaust.
 
Once agsin I picked a new case so is this new one any good. I know the revies say its a little noisy but thats ok cause it probably not as noisy as the one I have now is. I also upgraded my processor so here it is

NZXT GUARDIAN BLK Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor

If the case is not any good then could someone reccomend one that good and looks really cool. Also the operating system im gonna go with is Microsoft Windows Media Center 2005, so could someone reccomend a good tv tuner and a good sound card

thanks
 
Originally posted by: staabie66
Once agsin I picked a new case so is this new one any good. I know the revies say its a little noisy but thats ok cause it probably not as noisy as the one I have now is. I also upgraded my processor so here it is

NZXT GUARDIAN BLK Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor

If the case is not any good then could someone reccomend one that good and looks really cool. Also the operating system im gonna go with is Microsoft Windows Media Center 2005, so could someone reccomend a good tv tuner and a good sound card

thanks
Click to expand...


I personally don't like the looks of the NZXT, but if that's what you like then it's prolly fine. I personally own this case. It's an EXCELENT case. I would deffinently buy it again if I was in the market.
 
most ppl will be fine with the on board audio of their motherboard. for a good tv tuner check out Hauppauge PVR-150 also anandtech did an article on some recently
 
There's nothing wrong with the one you picked, I just don't how the outside of it looks. Too futuristic for me.

As for a tuner card, there are MANY different kinds. If you want HDTV, I have no I idea what to recomend, but if you just want a regular capture card, This one is good. I own the deluxe version of this card. (The only thing deluxe about it is that it comes with an FM radio tuner.) I would link you to somewhere that sells the deluxe version, but I couldn't find it online anymore. I really like the card a lot. I have my PS2 and my PSX hooked up to my computer with this card and it works flawlessly. Another really cool thing about this card is that you can reprogram the remote control with a program called girder. I have mine programed so that I can start winamp with it and navigate my playlist, adjust computer volume, fastforward etc etc... It really works good, and I like it a lot.
 
After looking at reviews and getting awnsers for my questions on this site (thanks to everyone who answered my questions I really appreciate it) I have these new parts for the computer I said I was gonna buy. So here are the parts I am gonna buy. Please everyone tell me if these parts are compatible together, good, and if I should upgrade any of these. Here they are:

GIGABYTE GA-K8NF-9 ATX AMD Motherboard
CHAINTECH SE6600G Video Card
CORSAIR 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM System Memory
LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner
SONY MPF920 Black Internal Floppy Drive - OEM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA NCQ 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 - OEM
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 939 Processor
NZXT GUARDIAN BLK Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window

Also I just want to verify do I or do I not need a sound card?

Thanks


 
The gigabyte board you picked has a Realtek ALC850 chip on it. That is one of the higher end onboard sound chips, but it's still an onboard sound chip. If I was you, I would buy those parts and see if the sound quality is acceptable to you. If it's not, you can always add a soundcard later. As a general rule of thumb you can't tell the difference between the onboard sound chips and a seprate PCI card unless you have speakers that cost over $100. It all really depends on the user though. Some people really complain about onboard sound and some people don't care either way.

Oh and about the DVD drive you picked, I would not get that one. I own two Lite-On DVD burners and they are both pieces of crap. I also own a Benq 1620 DVD burner and it's soooo much better. I recomend you get either the Benq 1620, the NEC 3500, or the NEC 3520. Those 3 are really good drives and they're only like 50-60 bucks. Some people on these forums will tell you Lite-On drives are good and they never had a problem with them, but I will never buy a Lite-On product again.

When you hook up your Hard drive, there is a certain connector that you need to use. I don't own any SATA hard drives so I can't tell you exactly which connector you need to use or why. I think there is a stability issue with one of the SATA controllers on the nvidia chip or something. I'm sure someone else on this board can tell you more about it. I think you also have to load a special driver when you're installing windows to make it work. Once again, I not sure on these points so you should ask someone who actually owns a SATA drive.

Other than that your set up looks good. Don't forget to get a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and speakers/headphones.

oh, By the way, the BEST mouse I have EVER used is the Logitech MX 310. I bought it at Best Buy for about $30.
 
I'll also mention this point since I didn't know about KVMs until about a year ago.

If you don't want to buy a new monitor keyboard and mouse, you can re-use your old ones from your old computer WITHOUT giving up the functionality of your old computer. This is what a KVM switch does.

Basically, it lets you hook up one monitor, one mouse and one keyboard to TWO computers. There's a button you press on the KVM and it will switch the keyboard/mouse/monitor to the other computer. So if you're like me, you can run multiple computers at the same workstation with only one monitor.

Link to good deal on KVM

EDIT:

One more thing: Make sure the chaintech card you listed is a 6600GT not a 6600 or a 6600G. The GT model is quite a bit faster than the plain 6600, and I've never heard of a 6600G. I assume you ment to put 6600GT. That is prolly the best bang for the buck graphics card out there today.
 
Thanks for the help I will look around and see if I can see any information on the Hard Drive driver deal and the connector. I own a Lite-On DVD Burner and I really like so I dont know if I'll change to a different one or not. I already have a good keyboard and mouse, and a fairly decent moniter. I really don't listen to music a lot so I am not gonna go overboard on buying speakers so I think I'll go with these.

Logitech X-230 2.1 Speaker

thanks for the help
 
If you like your Lite-On, there's no reason to change. When I burn disks with my Lite-on, the slightest scratch in the disks will render them unreadable. If I burn the disk in my Benq, they can withstand heavy scratches and still read just fine. If you're really careful with your disks this is not going to be an issue for you, but be warned.

Then again, it could have been that the particular model drive I got was just a bad model. I have the 411S. Either way, I would not recomend buying another Lite-On.

Another thing you could do if you don't want to go the SATA route with the hard drive is not order it online. If you watch the newspaper, you can get good deals at your local Staples/BestBuy/Officemax on IDE harddives. IDE drives are completely compatable. They're the only ones I use, and they can be really cheap too. Just last week I bought a 80GB hard drive at Best Buy for $30. I think they have a deal this week on 160GB drives too, but I'm not sure. You can check out FatWallet for all the info on good deals at local stores.
 
After you mentioned that on the Lite-On DVD Burner I got to thinking that I have had the same problem I just just never really thought about it I think I will get the one you mentioned, the Benq, also what Hard Drive did you get at best buy? Can anyone else reccomend a really good internal 80 gb or so Hard Drive?

thanks
 
I am looking around at some IDE like the post said which ones do I look for the IDE Ultra ATA100 or the IDE Ultra ATA133

thanks
 
I'll mention a few things; some may be new, some may be redundant.

As for the basic difference in the capabilities between the Intel Pentium 4 CPU (Central Processor Unit) and the AMD Athlon64 CPUs is that (mostly due to the shorter "pipeline" of the AMD CPU and the longer "pipeline" of the Intel P4 CPU) the AMD processor is best suited for Microsoft Office applications and Gaming. The Pentium 4 is a better processor to use if you are involved in Content Creation, 3D rendering or modeling and Video or Audio encoding. BOTH will serve your Internet purposes equally well.

As far as cases are concerned, the ANTEC brand of cases are an excellent Case make by a well-established manufacturer of Cases and Power Supplies. Just keep in mind that these cases (at least at one time) could often be found in nearly identical formats under the name CHIEFTEC.

I agree with YOyoYOhowsDAjello that the way to LEARN what "all this stuff means" is to READ, READ, READ and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Reading can be done both on the internet here at ANANDTECH.COM which is an EXCELLENT source of PC news and information as well as the "other" major site that was mentioned called "Tomshardware.com". After a while, via links from these sites, you will begin to disvover websites that are smaller, but sometimes more specialized that may suit your needs like hardocp,hardwareanalysis, hardwarezone,legionhardware, pcstats, vr-zone and overclockers.com just to name a few.

There are also plenty of good printed materials out there to keep you up-to-date on the lastest hardware and software news such as MaximumPC and CPU (Computer Power User), just to name a couple of them.

Your first system build may not turn out as well as you hoped but with practice each successive system build will get better and EASIER (USUALLY, lol).

Lastly, there is NO BETTER PLACE to get help with your problems with system building than RIGHT HERE at ANANDTECH.COM 😀
 
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