In the market for new PC.

MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 2:52 pm

I am either going to buy a new one or upgrade my current PC. Just wanted some opinions on what to get or where to get stuff. Things I want: New motherboard - 8x AGP, Firewire, USB 2.0 CPU - Not sure to go with P4 or an AMD RAM - Heard RAMbus is good and heard Dual channel DDR is good so I don't know. All Fans: CPU and case fans. Debating on new case DVD-rom Video card - Thinking of just getting an All in Wonder 9700 Pro cause they have gotten cheaper. Things I have: Sound card burner Hard Drives floppy drive Ethernet card I have about $1400 I can spend and I want the best bang for my buck. I would appreciate any feedback you can provide. Thanks. <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
<a href="http://www.dragontalonmercs.com">DTM</a> <hr /><a href="mailto:madmind1@bellsouth.net"> madmind1@bellsouth.net</a>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub141.ezboard.com/bxmenclan.sho ... MadMind</A> at: 7/31/03 3:54 pm

XMEN Ashaman DTM · Post by **XMEN Ashaman DTM** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 3:20 pm

Best bang for your buck would have to start with AMD. Here you have a couple of options for processors. Either wait a few months for their new 64 bit cpu to come out (which won't have any applications for a while, unless you do a lot of CG stuff). Or get an Athlon. If you go Athlon, don't get the XP 3200+, it's performance to price is not the best. Stick with an XP 2700 or XP 2800. That's where the best bang for the buck is right now. For motherboards, definitely get an ASUS A7N8X Deluxe 2.0, if you are going Athlon. There is not a single MB that beats it in terms of performance and features. Make sure you get the Deluxe 2.0 version though, the first generation ones were a bit finicky. Next is memory. Go as much memory as you can. And be sure to get two identical sticks from a respected retailer (crucial/micron, kingston, samsung, etc.) I have heard that Samsung is the best bet now in terms of quality when it comes to stability and overclocking. And there is no reason that you shouldn't be able to find memory that has CL 2.0 or CL 2.5 timings either for reasonable prices. But above all, make sure you get a set of two identical sticks from the same manufacturer. For video, definitely ATi. Nvidia's newest cards just don't perform as well as they should. Though be warned that ATi's cards may prove troublesome with some games. Their driver support is still somewhat lacking from what I've heard, but they're definitely getting better about it. I'd say a 9800 would be about right in terms of cost/performance/long-term usage potential. Also be warned that ATi's cards run very hot! With all this new stuff, you'll need at least a 400 W PS. Go for a high efficiency, switched power supply that is rated for both AMD Athlons and P4's. I know that there are brands to watch out for, and ones to get if you see them. <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com" target="top">Tom's Hardware Guide</a> has a couple of articles on power supplies, and which ones can actually deliver what they say they can.

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 3:22 pm

I'm kinda partial to AMD, for the price/performance ratio, and I like Nvidia Cards for the most part because of the support, but frankly, The Radeons are wiping the floor with Nvidia. Go with the 9700 or 9800, and you'd be good to go. The NForce2 Boards are really nice, Stable and fast. I have the Asus A7N8X Deluxe, and it's smokin fast with Dual Channel DDR. (333 MHz) As for the DVD ROM, that's just a price/color thing. Nothing really special with those, IMO. And I have an Antec 1080 SOHO Server case, but it's not as huge as you'd think, with room for 5 80mm fans, and a window pre cut into it. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"> That's it from the opinion side of things from me today. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"> And Hi. Welcome back to the nuthouse. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"> <hr /><div style="text-align:center"> "Never, Never, Never Quit" -Winston Churchill</div>

MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 3:36 pm

Thanks for the info guys. I'll am going to start shopping around soon. Probably look around locally first. I've had a few bad experiances buying stuff online. <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
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MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 3:39 pm

hmm... Is this a bad price? <a href="http://www.envisioncs.net/store/item-de ...  <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
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Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 3:50 pm

That's a pretty good price, but you can get it at Newegg for $129.99 <hr /><div style="text-align:center"> "Never, Never, Never Quit" -Winston Churchill</div>

MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 4:04 pm

I've seen these rounded cables you can get for your HD and such. You can get them in Diff colors and stuff. Does your HD and floppy have to support that or is it standard connectors? <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
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Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 4:14 pm

Advice - pass on the RAMBus memory. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)">

MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 4:51 pm

Ok, sorry for asking so many stupid questions. When i am looking at PC3200 ram i see this 64megs X 64. What does that mean. Because I see some that say PC 2100 128meg X 64. I mean does that make a differance? <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
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XMEN Ashaman DTM · Post by **XMEN Ashaman DTM** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 4:56 pm

Those cables will typically say something like ATA100 or ATA 133 on them. If you get ATA133 cables, then you can use drives and motherboards that support ATA133. Most harddrives nowadays follow that specification. Floppies and CD/DVD/DVD-R/CD-R/CD-RW drives do not. They do help a bit with airflow in your case. But if you get a SATA harddrive (it has a different interface, and different cables), then you won't need to worry about rounded cables. Primarily because the cables are already rounded. There are little add-on devices to make a serial interface work with an older harddrive. BUT, the performance isn't as great. And since you didn't list that you were in the market for a new harddrive, I'd just stick with regular IDE cables (either the flat ribbon kind, or the rounded kind), and make sure they're ATA133 if your drive supports them.

MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:05 pm

I just have regulare IDE HD. I would upgrade but i have a 100gig one so I don't need another. SO they do make rounded IDE cables ?? <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
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Post by **XMEN Gambit** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:14 pm

Yes, they do. I have some. Don't pay more than about $15 for them. <img src="http://www.xmenclan.org/xmengambit.gif"/> XMEN member Card-carrying DTM OKL Fish-napper Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be maintained.  The Tao of Programming

XMEN Ashaman DTM · Post by **XMEN Ashaman DTM** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:24 pm

I got mine from www.coolerguys.com For about $5.00 each. Don't know what they are now... but they have lots of odds-and-ends type stuff there. Some good stuff too.

MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 5:36 pm

cool <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"> <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
<a href="http://www.dragontalonmercs.com">DTM</a> <hr /><a href="mailto:madmind1@bellsouth.net"> madmind1@bellsouth.net</a>

MadMind · Post by **MadMind** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 6:47 pm

What are your thoughts on this case? <a href="http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ...  I think it will run good and it looks nice. What sold me is it has the LoS symbol on the side. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"> <hr /><a href="http://www.lordsofsteel.com">Lords of Steel</a>
<a href="http://www.dragontalonmercs.com">DTM</a> <hr /><a href="mailto:madmind1@bellsouth.net"> madmind1@bellsouth.net</a>

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