• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

what do you think of these system specs

Q

qwex

Member
I'm building a new computer for my family, the most intensive thing it'll be used for is gaming and ideally it won't need upgrading for 2 or 3 years. my biggest concern is stability/compatibility because I'm at college now so I can't help out with major problems. so far I've got:

enlight 7237 case
epox ep-8kha mobo
visiontek xtasy 5632 GF2 GTS-V 32mb video card oem
1ghz duron oem
256mb pc2100 crucial ram
maxtor 40gb 7200rpm hard drive, oem
plextor 12/10/32 cd-rw, oem
pioneer 16x dvd-rom, oem
sb live! 5.1, oem
logitech z-340 3-piece speakers
keyboard, mouse, modem (no broadband yet...)

no one that'll be using it is a computer expert or anything so they won't be too discerning on the technology

my questions so far:
- any good 17" monitor suggestions?
- any glaring incompatibilities here?
- should I go retail over oem for any of these parts?
- should I get the "plus" version of the motherboard?

thanks in advance for any suggestions
 
Get Epox 8KHA+

Faster CPU since you won't be upgrading for 2 or 3 years, preferable Athlon XP.

Get GeForce 3 Ti200 at least, once again for the 2 or 3 years won't be upgrading it.

Would say get more RAM but those prices aren't great like they were before.

All my opinion......
 
I second motoamd's recommendations for the Epox 8KHA+ (don't even bother with the non "A" version of the KT266: it sucks) and a faster processor. For a few dollars more you can get a low-end Athlon XP (like the 1600+). As long as your putting all those quality components in there (the Plextor and Pioneer drives, for example) you might as well spend a little extra and get the spiffy processor to go along with it. 😉

Personally, I think that graphics card is fine, as long as you don't want to run the latest games at the highest resolutions with all the eye-candy turned on. I have a Hercules 3D Prophet 4500 (Kyro II-based) which was low-end even when I bought it last June, but I can still run UT, Q3A, Max Payne, and Serious Sam at acceptible resolutions and great quality. I think most people would agree that your card would beat mine, so as long as you don't need the absolute latest and greatest, save your money. Ha, not often you hear someone on these forums telling you that, eh? 😉

As for your other questions, I'm very happy with my Philips 107S 17" monitor that I picked up from Best Buy for $120 after a $50 mail-in rebate. As long as you don't plan on running it at 1280x1024 (it only does 60Hz. at this resolution and looks awful), it's fine. I've got mine running at 1152x864 @ 75Hz. and it looks fine to me. If you want something with higher resolutions, so for a ViewSonic or a Sony, whichever is cheaper.

There's no need to go retail over OEM if you don't mind not getting the fancy boxes. That's usually the only real difference. Make sure the drives you're getting come with some kind of software though (e.g. Nero, EasyCD, WinDVD, that kind of thing).

Good luck!
Nick
 
IMHO you should go with the shuttle ak31 because it's cheaper and the epox is more of an overclockers board. The graphics card and cpu look fine. Doesn't sound like it'll be doing much gaming so it'll work fine. I would get the seagate hdd just because it's the quietest and that seems to be a priority for home users. How much do you want to spend on that 17" monitor? I just got a Sony G220R and it works great but it's pricey at around $300. BTW I had a gateway 1 ghz athlon that didn't come with any case fans whatesoever and only a cheapo hsf with a quiet 60mm fan and it worked fine so don't be persuaded by people to buy any case fans for it since it doesn't need and that would make for a very quiet system. Just my opinion. Hope that helps.
Scoob
 
I noticed the shuttle ak31 has onboard ac97 sound...the people that are going to be using this computer aren't audiophiles or anything, so is the sound so bad it's not worth it, or is it fine for general use? speaking of which, are there any known sblive/via-chipset problems anymore?
 
What's your budget like? If that's what you can afford then it looks pretty good. If you can you should get a better video card. The GF2 is becoming obsolete pretty fast. Get a GF3 Ti200 if possible, it's a good balance between speed and price. If there's any money left over an Athlon XP would be an idea but a 1GHz Duron is no slouch.

I'd go for the 8KHA+ if you can. The + version uses the KT266A chipset instead of the KT266. It's faster and more stable.

For a 17" monitor you can't go wrong with a Samsung 755DF. If you want to spend a bit more on one a 700NF would be really nice. But at that price you could get a 19".

Don't bother with retail components. I've been buying OEM my whole life and never had a problem with it.

I don't see any incompatibilities, it looks pretty good. 🙂
 
I agree with motoamd. I would get the Epox 8kha+ board its cheap, fast and stable. Look at Dell.com, they have some pretty good deals on Samsung monitors. Last time I looked they had a 17" for $189 and a 19" for $289.
 
you could probably save a little money and get Lite-On optical drives, they perform as well if not better than the Plextor and Pioneer drives. In fact you could probably pickup a Lite-On 24X for the same price as a Plextor 12X. I had a Pioneer 16X DVD that i didn't like too much, it had problems reading fast enough to burn at 12X on the fly.
 
A Radeon LE or 7500 would be pretty slow. If this system is supposed to last for a few years then a faster video card is needed.
 
If money is a concern, I would get a k7s5a instead of the 8kha ( I have both a k7s5a and an 8kha+). If not overclocking, the k7s5a will be just fine for you and easier to deal with then the 8kha+. Also includes onboard LAN for when u need it without having to add another card. I know a lot of people say negative stuff about the ECS board, but I have built 3 of them that are running fine (altho had to rma 1 initially) The $30 you save on the mobo, throw into an xp1600 instead of the duron. Someone mentioned needing more ram, but 256mb of PC210 is plenty. I would also go for the g3 ti200, I love mine.
MOnitors, look for a good one on sale at Staples or something with a rebate and use a coupon code. I got a 19" Envision few months back for $138 shipped after all was said and done it it works just fine for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top