Build ok?

[bjk]

Hi,

Being asked to build a cheap pc for family member. Is all this lot ok? Any known probs?

AMD ATHLON XP1900 266Mhz 256cache CPU - Palomino - OEM
Asus A7V8X-X SKT A KT400 8x AGP DDR Sound/lAN/USB 2.0
Coolermaster CP5-8JD1F-0L Upto XP3200+ Silent Skt A Heatsink & Fan
Crucial 256 DDR266 PC2100 DIMM
Maxtor 6Y060P0 Plus 9 60gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache ATA133 - OEM
Panasonic Floppy Drive 1.44mb - OEM
LG 16x48 IDE DVD-ROM Drive - OEM
Antec Solution Slk3700amb - System Cabinet - Mid Tower - Atx - Metallic Bronze - Power Supply 350 Watt
GeForce4 PowerPack Pro/600 8X AGP MX440 Chipset, 64MB DDR, Video-Out Retail Box
IDE Cable UDMA Ultra 100/66 46cm Long

Many thanks

[gamezfreak]

Seems ok to me!

Just the PSU might be a bit iffy. Research into that one.

[Austin]

XP1900+ is a decent enough CPU despite CPU speeds spiralling ever upwards. However because it's Pally it will get very hot, un less you get it cheap it's well worth getting a Tbred as they run MUCH cooler. If you don't mind trying a little o/c'ing then any TbredB is well worth forking out for and can often exceed XP2600+ speed with little trouble ... you could set it to XP2400+ if you want a quick boost.

The A7V8X-X KT400 is decent enough and has the ability to run 333FSB and adjust the multiplier so is good for upgrades or o/c'ing. Obviously KT600, SiS748 (no multiplier ctrl) or nForce2 are better mostly due to 400FSB but for a budget mobo that one is decent enough. If you are buying new then look at the nForce2 400 over at Dabs.com for under £40.

No real point in getting DDR266-PC2100 now as both DDR333-PC2700 and DDR400-PC3200 are practically the same price and will run as PC2100 with very fast timings. On KT400 you can also run async (266FSB with DDR333-400) which is good for a 3-5% boost. That's similar to the boost you get from nForce2's Dual Channel (but only at 266FSB IIRC). 256MB is still fine esp as it's easily upgraded later.

I'd rather stick an 80GB 5400 or 7200-2 HD in there rather than a 60GB 7200-8, IMHO always better to have 33% more capacity than a few percent more speed. I'd also add a CDRW or combi DVDROM+CDRW as it gives the PC a lot more appeal and ability.

Finally even for modest games the GF4MX440 is a waste and out-dated. If gaming is in any way important I'd stick a Rad8500 or GF4TI if possible otherwise a GF-FX5200 or Rad9000-9200 which are still a big step up from GF4MX440. I know you need to stick to a budget but there's definitely a few things I'd change even though the PC is far from bad.

[bjk]

Thanks for all that - no there won't be any games or clocking. Its mainly office stuff and possibly the odd DVD.

[gamezfreak]

The MX440's fine then.

[steve threlfall]

Originally posted by gamezfreak
The MX440's fine then.

superb card for just a little light gaming or something but not for a games rig

[bjk]

Ok thank you - sounds like i'll order it then

[gamezfreak]

A friend of mine played the (illegal) half life 2 pre release on his MX440. Worked fine.

[Merlin]

thats nice to know for us mx440 owners!