Another First Time Comp Builder

Yo guys. Im planning to build my own comp for the first time round... Im pretty sure on what I want to get spec wise, but just wanted some advise on a couple of things... no dount the first of many

Firstly, I was going to go for Athlon XP2800 but I read that it aint worth the extra if your going to over clock, and to go for a lesser version... so, Im guessing its not worth overclocking the XP2800 becuase Athlon have already done that..

second up, the motherboard I wanted to go for is here

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=51334

its a
Epox 8KRA2+ SKT A KT600 8X AGP ATX 133/SATA DDR400 SOUND/LAN/FIREWIRE/USB 2.0

Is this going to take the Athlon you guys advise in its full glory, or is it worth going elsewhere. I dont really want to go for loads of onbaord stuff... just me LAN, USB and Firewire.


I think thats about it for now. Cheers for the helps guys... now what was the other thing I was going to ask.......

-Rufus

im not really up on amd at the mo but im fairly sure ur going to be told to get an Nforce2 board probably the Abit NF7 v2.0

and to get a barton 2500 and 2 sticks of ram

get an Nforce2 board probably the Abit NF7 v2.0

get a barton 2500 and 2 sticks of ram

yeah, I thought somone was going to say that... but why?

for a start Im not an NVidia fan, I was going to go ATI... so why get this motherbaord everyones going on about?

And what about my choice? can someone give me some feedback on that, or at least go in to some detail why this suggest mobo is being pushed by nearly everyone that posts.

Hang on, don't confuse Nvidia chipsets with Nvidia graphics; I use an NF7-S v1 with a Radeon 9700, and they work fine together. You'll be told to get an nForce2 based motherboard because it's simply the best combination of blistering performance in terms of getting the best out of your AMD CPU and your memory; what graphics you plug in is entirely your own choice; as I say, I use an ATi-based graphics card in an nForce2 board, and it works very nicely, thank you. The two sticks of RAM are because you WILL want to use the dual-memory-channel capabilities of the nForce2.

Also, unless you want to spend a load of cash on an Audigy2, you'll get fantastic sound from the 5.1 sound on the Abit board. Get the NF7-S and you'll also get a SerialATA RAID controller; team that up with one or two Maxtor SATA drives, and you'll have VERY quick performance. All told, it'll keep you very happy.

I was planning to go for an audigy 2, I am a sound engineer (and my games are ruining my audio system :( ) so I want the full 7.1, but its going to be extremely useful moneywise to not have to fork out for it when I build the basic system.

Thanks for clearing up the wrong assumption of onboard graphics.

As far as cooling go's, if Im going to overclock am I going to need a nice heatsink and a couple of fans?

and just for re-assurance.... why it not worth doing the P4 route?

Ohhhh yes...your Heatsink/fan are going to be important, but fortunately the reviews here'll give you a heads up. As to what you buy, it's a while since I built mine, so I'll stay stumm on that point point - there are more qualified people here to address that. As far as case fans, I chucked 4 Coolermaster Smart/Quiet 80mms into a box here recently (they have thermal sensors and adjust their speed accordingly) and they do a nice enough job.
As far as going the P4 route, it's simply price/performance ratio. You can beat the performance of an AthlonXP/Barton with a P4, no question, but you have to pay a price premium for it. It's not a bad solution, and if you're prepared to pay for it, I'd consider another Abit board, the IC7-G (or the Max3 version, maybe), teamed up with a 2.4C P4 and a chuffin' good heatsink and fan, then OC it to hell. I've got a box here at work constructed around a -G, and that's quick and stable. Also, it's another dual-channel DDR solution, so again those two sticks of RAM'll come in handy.

Also has onboard 5.1 audio, USB2, firewire, all that stuff. It'll cost you more than a Barton/NF7-S combo though.

also just to check, im pretty sure on this one, but the NF7-S is just the NF7 with on board sound....?

Well, both the NF7's have onboard sound, but the S has "Soundstorm" branded sound - which you DO want :). Also the S has SerialATA RAID, and even if you don't use the RAID function and just use it as a straight hard disk controller, I reckon you'll see better performance (I assume, if it's a new system that you'll be buying a hard disk as well); and you'll get a wee bit of future-proofing.

Cheers. I think my choice of HDs at the moment is either the

Maxtor Diamondmax Plus 9 120Gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache ATA133 Hard Drive

or the

Maxtor 6Y080M0 Plus 9 80Gb Serial ATA 7200rpm


I dont think I need any epic amounts of space. I do some video editing and 3d graphics but I already own a firewire 160gb drive....

what would you recomend out of my choices (or outside my choices)?

I'm using a single plus 9 80GB plugged into the SATA controller on my NF7-S, and have found it reliable and trouble free, as well as quick, so I'm probably biased :)

I'll stick that down as a definate then for my HDs.... sounds like a winner to me...

A question I just realised that could solve a lot of potential embaressment is, will any mobo fir into any case?

Im browsing my cases now, thought I made a choice and realised I might decide to buy a case that wont fit the mobo

any buying hints?

Well, your NF7-S is a pretty standard sized ATX-format board, so Midi or full tower and up should be OK. Cases to avoid are those labelled as anything like FlexATX, mATX, µATX and similar, since these are all designed for smaller form factor boards.

Basically check the specs for the case; if it says it takes ATX boards, then the NF7-S should fit fine. Also check whether it comes with a PSU or not (lots don't; the user can fit their choice, which can be a GOOD thing - you get to pick a reliable one, and maybe quieter than some unbranded and cheap component).

I suppose the next question is what else do I need to look for in a case?

ANy specific vents, one with fans?


Also, does a PSU have any recommended spec?




btw this was the case I was looking at getting

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=51345

I am pretty sure this is the case makers page for the case

http://www.super-flower.com.tw/sf-461t2s.htm

no help on this one then?

PSU always causes a big debate tbh matey. You want to get a good quality psu about 350w. A cheaper 400w psu will not be rated correctly. Its best to spend a few quid extra on something that will last, make your system run with better stability etc

This is the kind of thing im talking about http://web6.scan.co.uk/Products/Info.asp?WPID=37215

:)

That case looks like the one I've got, I think they've just renamed it and stuck an extra few quid on the pricetag. It's pretty good as budget cases go - loads of drive bays (11), room inside to work with, and front ports. There are plenty of places to put fans - 2x80mm at the front, 2x80mm or 1x120mm at the rear, and one 80mm at the side (which comes with it). The only bad thing about it really is the garish acrylic cover. It does come off if you have the right allen keys but you then have to contend with the holes left behind which look a bit out of place, and the reset/power switches stick out too far. Good thing they have the blue one back in stock though, I had to settle for the green :) I bought it together with a PSU when mine blew, and while I'm happy with the functionality of the case case, I'm a little disappointed with the looks, so if I was back in the same position I'd probably spend the extra £15 or so to get a Coolermaster Centurion or similar. Up to you though - apart from looks, this is a very decent case indeed.

PSUs - search the forums, there should be plenty of threads about it. IIRC Antec or ThermalTake are highly recommended; also CWT which are what Antec rebrand. But as steve threlfall says - go for quality over quantity.

cheers dudes for the help.... I'll take a look at a couple of other cases then, if they come with a PSU I can combine the budgets I have otherwise, I may just have to work those couple of days extra.... its going to be a long haul of saving up.... but my estimates say it'll hit christmas when I have the cash..... convenient.... perhaps... too convenient

Indeed hehe

any psu you get with a case should be alrighty-ish until you have to start plugging a graphics card into the psu then its gona cause you all kinds of trouble!

Is this PSU going to do the job for me nicely... and handle any OC'ing situations

http://www.thecoolingshop.co.uk/tcs/...?idproduct=476

or is that going a little overboard?

Quote:

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Originally posted by RufusKing
no help on this one then?

---

Sorry, mate, but I DO have work to do as well :)

Opinion's seemed a little divided on Qtec supplies; I think 550W is in excess of what you absolutely require, the reviews indicate it's noisier than a Harrier, and I'd tend to go for something like: Antec Smartpower 350W

I know it's only 350W, but a good quality 350 beats a bad 550 any day of the week.

the 550 watt qtec has been overrated. The real rating im told is more like 350-400w so as you can see your better off buying a good quality 350w-400w psu

It IS worth spending the little extra. Having said that there are other people on this forum who swear by that qtec model you mention and as long as your not running more than two hardrives etc then you should be ok

Sometimes it comes down to the luck of the draw imo as i have the rig in my sig running on a generic 300w psu that came with a case! (tho the graphics are tnt2)

case choice is pretty much personal prefrence. i would go with a 400 watt power suppy. Most case come with a psu but check to make sure.

well I made my case choice, the PSU choice I tink will be the link below:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=43547

its an Antec 400 Watt Power Supply ATX Smartpower Dual Fan. For some reason I have a bad feeling about buying anything less then a 400w PSU. The reviews people gave it on eBuyer were pretty good, although it is a little pricey for a PSU it seems, I could be spending a lot more.

One guy's review said he was running 3 HD's and 3 CD Drives and it only lasted half an hour then died, but even in my newbie opinion I can kind of see that he should have had a better PSU... or am I wrong?

I think you should be fine with that; I reckon the guy who blew it may well have been...unlucky ;)