Upgrading soon - anything around the corner to wait on?

[Jeriko]

First let me say I really appreciate much of the advice I've gotten here. It's helped me make quite a few better purchasing decisions.

As I've said before, I'm planning a Canterwood based system for a new upgrade. Certain components - the 3 GHz / 800FSB variant P4, the motherboard, the Raptor hard drives, and the FIC 9800 Pro - are set in stone. However, none of those are on the market yet so I can't order them.

Other parts, though, can be ordered now, and probably won't drop in price over a month's time. Some of these parts are elements that I don't really pay attention to news and reviews about. So if there were something big right around the corner I'd be completely oblivious.

For example, I'm planning on purchasing a Sound Blaster Audigy 2. Is there an Audigy 3 in the wings that I should be aware of? Is there anything more equipped for gaming sound effects that I should consider? Or is it pretty safe to go ahead and place this order now?

And the heatsink/fan. Is it safe to assume the Spark 7 will be sufficient and will fit the 875 boards? Will the new P4's use the same mounts? I had heard something about a T-mount a while back.

The CD/DVD drive (s). What's the best CDRW/DVD combo drive? Or should I go with separate drives for some reason? And is there anything I should wait on?

The power supply. I'm looking at an aluminum POWMAX 400W unit. I know folks here are big fans of Enermax, but I'm balancing looks and performance and POWMAX makes some nice looking PSU's. I'm not OC'ing or turning the system into a server, so I'm not overly demanding. All I need to know here is if I'm making some sort of fatal mistake.

-J

 

[XMan]

I would hope there's nothing better than the Audigy 2 coming out anytime soon, they just released it, didn't they?

The Sony DRU-500AX is supposed to be the best DVD burner out there, it does CD-R, CD-RW, and all 4 types of DVD burning, as well as reading CDs and DVDs.

 

[mcveigh]

sony dvd burner, antec true power powersupply, M-audio revolution soundcard

 

[wetcat007]

The AMD Athlon 64 perhaps?

 

[Jeriko]

Not looking for a DVD burner. I'm just looking for a fast CDRW/DVD ROM - preferably a combo. I'm trying to keep the upgrade at $1800, and the Sony kind of throws a wrench in that equation.

Besides, I'm not sure but I think it's actually cheaper to buy a CDRW and a DVD R drive seperately than the Sony isn't it?

What makes the M-Audio so good? I've heard it's good as far as music's concerned, but I haven't heard much of its gaming effects abilities.

-J

 

[AndyHui]

Athlon 64 isn't around the corner. It's over 6 months away. Not to mention that you probably won't be able to take full advantage of the processor, since not all vendors will have 64-bit drivers for your hardware, and who knows what Microsoft is doing.

The Creative soundcard line isn't due for a refresh for quite a while. Their product cycle is just over 12 months, so you won't see anything from them until November.

For CDRW/DVD drive, it's hard to beat the Sony DRU-500AX.

 

[Limbo]

nv35 or R400?

 

[Jeriko]

Originally posted by: AndyHui
Athlon 64 isn't around the corner. It's over 6 months away. Not to mention that you probably won't be able to take full advantage of the processor, since not all vendors will have 64-bit drivers for your hardware, and who knows what Microsoft is doing.

Actually, the Opteron is supposed to launch on the 22nd of this month. But I agree, I'd be worried about software support.

-J

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Jeriko
Not looking for a DVD burner. I'm just looking for a fast CDRW/DVD ROM - preferably a combo. I'm trying to keep the upgrade at $1800, and the Sony kind of throws a wrench in that equation.

Samsung makes a nice CDRW/DVD ROM combo. Goes for @ $79 AR, ~$100 retail. I'm sure you could shop around a bit to find a better price on it.

Besides, I'm not sure but I think it's actually cheaper to buy a CDRW and a DVD R drive seperately than the Sony isn't it?

Yep, you can get a $20 Lite-On AR and a $200 Cendyne or whatever else is out there. Not sure about the compatibility though, as I haven't researched DVD burners thoroughly (I still think the technology is a bit immature).

What makes the M-Audio so good? I've heard it's good as far as music's concerned, but I haven't heard much of its gaming effects abilities.

Nothing, for your purposes. If you want the best gaming card that also provides excellent sound quality in other applications, Audigy 2 is the only choice.

Chiz

 

[Jeriko]

Originally posted by: Limbo
nv35 or R400?

Is the R400 the 9900?

-J

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: Jeriko

Originally posted by: AndyHui
Athlon 64 isn't around the corner. It's over 6 months away. Not to mention that you probably won't be able to take full advantage of the processor, since not all vendors will have 64-bit drivers for your hardware, and who knows what Microsoft is doing.

Actually, the Opteron is supposed to launch on the 22nd of this month. But I agree, I'd be worried about software support.

-J

Opteron and Athlon 64 are very different animals. The article alludes to desktop versions of Hammer, which will be Athlon 64. AMD pushed the release of Athlon 64 back to September at the very earliest. I wouldn't expect it any sooner, as Andy mentioned, there are still many question marks on the software side that need to be answered, as the supporting hardware is already in place.

Chiz

 

[Jeriko]

Originally posted by: chizow

Originally posted by: Jeriko
as Andy mentioned, there are still many question marks on the software side that need to be answered, as the supporting hardware is already in place.

Chiz

Yeah, and I'm not willing to be another AMD guinea pig.

When I bought my current system, an AMD 1.33 T-Bird, I bought the first motherboard from a major manufacterer that I could find that seemed to have a good feature set - the MSI KT266. Well it has a misplaced transistor that crippled the speed by about 5-10%.

-J

 

[chizow]

the MSI KT266

Not sure about the transistor thing (not doubting you, as I'm sure you've researched your board), but its also missing a vowel at the end and a revised northbridge that would've given it a 5-15% boost in performance.

Chiz

 

[Jeriko]

Originally posted by: chizow

the MSI KT266

Not sure about the transistor thing (not doubting you, as I'm sure you've researched your board), but its also missing a vowel at the end and a revised northbridge that would've given it a 5-15% boost in performance.

Chiz

That's the full name. It was a fairly well documented flaw at the time, one that MSI refused to correct with replacements.

But that's part of the risk you take when you buy at the beginning of a new product cycle. Hopefully, history won't repeat itself.

-J

 

[Jeriko]

Question, regarding the Enermax and Antec power supply suggestions.

Is there something about POWMAX power supplies that ya'll don't like?

I'm looking at this one...

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=75&products_id=183

...and if it's not a quality PSU I don't want to waste $109.

-J

 

[mcveigh]

antec true control 550 is about the best power supply out now

 

[thorin]

Chispets w/ integrated SATA and more 10k rpm SATA drives like the WD raptor.

Thorin

 

[Jeriko]

Originally posted by: mcveigh
antec true control 550 is about the best power supply out now

Understood - and that is a fact. But they look bland and plain.

Can you imagine a system with a bright red motherboard and a bright red and gold video card... with a plain ol' looking power supply?

NO, you can't imagine that, and don't even try!

I'm just trying to make sure that the POWMAX isn't a mistake - I'm not trying to buy the best power supply. In other words, from others' experiences, does the POWMAX deliver as advertised, and is it a reliable product?

I'm not seeing much in the line of reviews, but it may be new for all I know.

-J

 

[scotoma]

I was looking at the COOLMAX 470W CT-470 or the 550. I have read a couple good reviews on the 470 and it looks really good. All aluminum, 3 fans ? the back one has 3 different colored leds. Im a total noob though, so others may know something about those power supplies that I don?t. google it, and you'll find something.

 

[SolrFlare24]

Antec also makes a 450watt true power PS with a variety of LED lights on the the three fans. They work very nice. Otherwise, your setup look sound and the advice given in here looks good. Definately go SATA with a Canterwood though since the SATA channels will be running off their own bus and not through the PCI bus.

But yes, your setup looks good and also that board/combo will be good through the first generation of Prescott processors. About mid to late *next* year Intel will be changing over their socket type but your canterwood board will support prescott chips using the current 478 socket. So down the line you can always nab a prescott once they get cheap and slap it in for a quick and easy processor upgrade. And of course, if you are getting a new HD, SATA is the way to go for sure. But yeah, once Canterwood/800mhz FSB comes out, for the most part this year will be fairly dead save for minor processor speed updates.