[Mimic]

Hey guys, I'm building my first pc and I have assembled a list and wanting feedback, so ehre it goes:

CPU

Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0GHZ HT Skt775 FSB800 1MB Cache

Mobo

Asus P5P800 Socket-775 I865PE ATA - Sound Gb-Lan USB2 800FSB SATA

DVD Drive

NEC ND3520A 16x DVD R/RW Dual Layer Internal IDE Beige OEM

Memory

Crucial CT6464Z40B 512mb DDR 400MHz PC3200 CL=3 Memory Module

Hard Drive

Seagate ST3160023A 160GB 7200rpm 8mb Cache Barracuda 7200.7 Plus - OEM

Graphics

PEAK ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB


Is a Socket 775 CPU better than a Socket 478 CPU and how does these settings sound?

Thanks!

[Advertisements]

Yeah, looks fine.

But, why don't you get a PCI-Express system?

But, You can get a GFX card better than the one you have now for the same price or cheaper

[volcomssj48]

Yeah, looks fine.

But, why don't you get a PCI-Express system?

But, You can get a GFX card better than the one you have now for the same price or cheaper

[anoobrew]

Socket 775 is better because of upgradeability.

If you are going for gaming dont get Pentium....go for AMD
especially the new 64-bit processors which will be able to handle upcoming 64-bit software/games and the new Windows OS

All tests prove AMD's do better in games....they also run cooler and have better overclocking potential


Dont buy a RADEON 9600 .....you can get a GeForce 6600 GT for the same price but u get better graphics

[Congo]

The chipset you chose is out of date. You need to research modern chipsets and re-design your rig. Base it on PCIe graphics. (I'm assuming you'll want graphics performance.)

That graphics card is not suitable for modern games. You need to buy a NV6600GT (minimum) PCIe compatible card if you want any sort of modern graphics performance.

You need to select a chipset that supports dual channel ram and buy 2 matching sticks, either 2 x 512mb modules or 2 x 1024mb modules. While CAS3 ram is standard for PC3200, you'll get better performance from a lower latency RAM spec.

A 3ghz CPU is a little light considering what is currently available. Consider spending slighlty more on a CPU to boost overall system performance.

[Mimic]

Thanks for the feedback.

Rethought and heres what i got:

CPU:

AMD (Winchester) Athlon 64bit 3000+ 939pin 512kb L2cache 90nm

Mobo:

Asus A8V Deluxe Socket-939 VIA/KT800Pro

Graphics:

Sapphire ATI Radeon X600 PRO 128MB DDR PCI-Express


I want to keep costs at a bare minimum so I really don't want to spend an extra 30-40 pounds for a small upgrade Eg. to 3200+.

[Hemal]

better choice for the processer....what type of case and ps do you have? what kinds of games do you plan to run on this machine?

[Mimic]

PSU
Antec True380SPGB True Power 380w ATX PSU

Case

Ebuyer X-313bk Black Atx Case

New Hard Drive:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80gb, Sata Ncq 3.5lp 7200rpm 8mb

[volcomssj48]

380 Watt supply.. is that enough?

[[x]t4sy]

I would recommend you an abit mobo : AV8-3rd Eye but it's just an option asus is find.

[Congo]

The brand of motherboard is not so important. People who get hung up on brands are limiting their options.

What IS important is the chipset, and you are getting warm there Mimic.

If you have chosen the Via chipset for a specific reason, then fine, but that's not the latest via chipset for socket 939. The 890 has some advances over the 800 series, not the least of which is PCIe support.

You are still looking at mainboards supporting AGP graphics, you need to move on from there. The Graphics card you chose simply won't fit into that mainboard.

http://usa.asus.com/...-d/overview.htm

Personally, I wouldn't use them at all and I would go for either an nForce4 Ultra or an nForce4 SLI chipset, with a leaning towards the Ultra.

Check this one out as an example: (and a fine example it is too!) (no WiFi)

http://www.asus.com/...455&modelmenu=1

The ATI X600 graphics card is very poor for gaming, see my post above for minimum spec. You cannot skimp on the graphics card if you want gaming performance, even the fastest PC won't produce graphics without a decent card.
I can't stress this point enough, anything less is a waste of money and will leave you with inadequate and less than enjoyable performance. The little bit extra for a good graphics card is not that much money in the overall price of the system, but it makes all the difference in whether or not your PC will perform as it should.


Summary of your spec:

CPU too slow
Mainboard still has outdated chipset
Outdated AGP bus (should be PCIe..... PCIe video cards are slightly cheaper as a bonus!)
Graphics Processing Unit inadequate. (X800 minimum in ATI GPU's, 6600GT minimum for nvidia GPU's)
Graphics card won't fit in slot

Edited by Congo, 22 May 2005 - 07:53 PM.

[Mimic]

Thanks for the replys.
@Congo

I appreciate all the help but please note I am not building for hardcore gaming but occasional gaming (3hours a week at adequate graphcis performance) and as cheap as possible.

Ive put it all to consideration and this is what I got:

CPU:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Winchester 90nm (Don't mind the speed, may overclock slightly)

MOBO:

Asus A8N-E nForce4 Ultra (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard

OR

Asus A8N-SLi nForce4 SLi (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard

Graphics:

Sapphire X700 128MB DDR PCI-E VGA TVO DVI-I

OR

Sapphire ATI Radeon X600 PRO 128MB DDR PCI-Express TV-Out DVI-I

Please note I don't want to spend more for a better card!

@volcomssj48

380w should be enough, I used this tool:

http://www.jscustomp...tor.php?cmd=AMD

It seems I will have some space for upgrades.

Edited by Mimic, 23 May 2005 - 02:29 AM.