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My Second PC Build - Comments/Suggestions


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#1
NimbuzWorld

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I'm building a second game machine, subject to future upgrades, with a budget of $1000 or less. Please advise for comments and suggestions on this system.

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail Model #: SONATA II $99 (01/07/2006)

MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: K8N Neo4-F $80 (01/07/2006)

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3200BPBOX $160 (01/07/2006)

Crucial 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model CT12864Z40B - OEM Model #: CT12864Z40B $89.99 (01/07/2006) QUANTITY: 2 FOR $169.98

XFX PVT42GUAD7 Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Model #: PVT42GUAD7 $205.00 (01/07/2006)

MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive - OEM Model #: D359M3D/D359M3B $7.99 (01/03/2006)

Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM Model #: WD2500JD $98 (01/07/2006) QUANTITY: 2 FOR $196

LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SOHD-16P9SV - Retail Model #: SOHD-16P9SV $20.99 (01/07/2006)

PLEXTOR Black IDE DVD Burner Model PX-740A/SW-BL - Retail Model #: PX-740A/SW-BL $82.99 (01/07/2006)

Total cost without shipping/tax: $1022 (NewEgg)

For the Antec Sonata II, which brand for the case fans would you recommend for the following: a. 1 front 120mm case fan (optional) 25mm thick, b. 1 92mm fan (optional) in the air duct to cool the CPU, c. 1 80mm fan (optional) for graphics cards? For the Antec Sonata II, how is the 1 rear 120mm Tricool fan (standard) with 3-speed control to balance quiet with cooling? Is the 450Watt sufficient for the current configurations and future upgrades?

Which of the following is the better budget buy:

Crucial 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model CT12864Z40B - OEM Model #: CT12864Z40B $89.99 (01/07/2006)

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model CT2KIT12864Z40B - OEM Model #: CT2KIT12864Z40B $185 (01/07/2006)

Crucial 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model CT2KIT6464Z40B - OEM Model #: CT2KIT6464Z40B $89.99 (01/07/2006)
What is the performance benefit between dual memory and non-dual memory in terms of the above selections?

Due to budget blow, would would you recommend 1 x 1 GB system memory and 2 x 250 GB HDD or 2 x 1 GB system memory and 1 x 250 GB HDD?

A safe assumption can be made that the investment in Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express will last for another three years.

I have Plextor CD-R (2001) and Plextor DVD-R (2003) on the first built PC (2001), both beige colors. What is the opinion on the Plextor DVD-R PX-740A/SW-BL? What is the performance benefit for Plextor DVD-R between 2 MB cache (PX-740A/SW-BL) and 8MB cache (PX-716AL/SW)?

Thank you in advance!
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#2
warriorscot

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You might try corsair ram its usually cheaper than crucial most of the time, 2gb of memory is better as data can be burned to DVD easily whereas system memory you cant just stick in a disk to get more.

You might save $40 on a cheaper DVD burner if you want to save some money. The dvd drive in terms of pc performance is the least important factor as it only really affects games when they install once they are installed the disk is only there to say you have it and i usually run my games from the HD anyway.

The 6800GS should last a couple of years ok, well have to see how DX10 does on the dx9 cards its going to be hard to tell untill its actually released this summer.

For the cooling the 120mm will be better and i would say the 92mm would be worth while, akasa make some of the best fans on the market and are usually good value for money and quiet, Vantec stealth fans are among the quietest you can get as well.

Antec fans are pretty quiet, mines came without the variable resitor to alter the speed and they go straight into the PSU which isnt as good as ones with a proper system fan plug but even at full speed they still dont make alot of noise, and its not the buzzing whine of an 80mm its a more of a gentle woosh with 120mms.

I hope my semi ramblings help.
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#3
warriorscot

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Was a double post.

Edited by warriorscot, 07 January 2006 - 05:57 PM.

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#4
NimbuzWorld

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After some research, here's the update (changed items are in italics) for further comments and suggestions:

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail Model #: SONATA II $99 (01/07/2006)

MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: K8N Neo4-F $80 (01/07/2006)

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3700BNBOX $222 (01/08/2006)

Crucial 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model CT12864Z40B - OEM Model #: CT12864Z40B $89.99 (01/07/2006)

eVGA 256-P2-N515-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Desktop PC - Retail Model #: 256-P2-N515-AX $304 (01/08/2006)

MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive - OEM Model #: D359M3D/D359M3B $7.99 (01/03/2006)

Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JD 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM Model #: WD2500JD $98 (01/07/2006)

LITE-ON Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SOHD-16P9SV - Retail Model #: SOHD-16P9SV $20.99 (01/07/2006)

Total cost without shipping/tax: $922

In the favor of AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego and eVGA Geforce 7800GT, an additional 250GB HDD and Plextor DVD Burner has been removed from the build list. There is a great dilemma between the fiscal struggle of 1GB or 2GB system ram due to the PC build budget of $1000 or less. With the current configurations (subject to installation of existing or new DVD burner at later date), is the 450W sufficient, especially the 7800GT requires a minimum of 450W? If not, would you recommend the following (the former built system is in Antec SX1040, heavy yet noisy):

Antec PERFORMANCE TX TX1050B Black Steel Server Computer Case 500W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply - Retail Model #: TX1050B $124.99 (01/08/2006)

With the above configuration in mind, which ATX case with PSU (perhaps 500W +) would you recommend that is super cool in terms of temperature and super quiet in terms of noise level?

What are the temperature and heat issues for AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego and eVGA Geforce 7800GT?

To avoid unknown potential problems, would you recommend to partition the 250GB HDD into 50GB (OS: XP) + 100GB + 100GB?

I hope the above configuration as game machine will last for another three years, subject to graphics card upgrade....

Thank you for the excellent feedbacks!

.
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