New system on the way!

[Ambush Bug]

Well, it turns out that after I got moved and got my bills paid off and tossed in some of the wedding-gift cash, I had enough moolah to shoot for a new system. Thus, a quick trip to a few sites to figure out what I wanted, and poof, off I went to <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.essencompu.com">Essential Computers</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--> to make the order.<br><br>EC has been a good bunch of guys to work with in the past, so I'm not worried about problems with the order or anything. I'll keep you guys updated on that, though.<br><br>Anyway, here's what I got:<br><br>Antec SX835II Performance Series II w/350W Power Supply Mid Tower - <br>Corsair 512MB PC3200 ( 2x256MB ) TWINX512-3200C2PT XMS Dual Channel DDR400 w/Platinum Heat Spreader<br>Maxtor 80GB 7200RPM 8MB Buffer Serial ATA Hard Drive<br>ABIT-IC7-MAX3Intel875 Sk478 533/800 FSB Dual SATA RAID, DUAL DDR 400, AGP 8X, USB 2.0 Audio/GBLAN <br>ATI RADEON 9600 Pro 128MB DDR 8x AGP with TV-Out /DVI<br>Pentium 4 2.8 GHZ 800FSB<br><br>Yep, I went with an Intel chip this time. I wanted to go for an AMD chip, but the motherboard I really, really wanted (that MAX3 from ABIT) turned out some spectacular reviews on the Intel side, so Intel I went. I'm a firm believer in buying the best motherboard possible and working from there, and I've never had any problems with ABIT's stuff. (My dad's got my old P3 on my old ABIT mobo, and it's been running strong without problems for something like four years.)<br><br>SATA is going to be new to me, but frankly I was sick of ribbon cables and my current drives are reaching the end of their lives.<br><br>That MAX3 board will be a good addition, what with all those freaking ports it's got available to use. Finally my Jukebox will be able to connect at full USB2.0 speed and I can really get down to organizing all the music on it without having to wait for days on the transfer.<br><br>The 9600Pro was a compromise--I wanted to grab a 9800Pro and make this box into a real screamer, but I read a bunch of reviews on the 9600Pro and it's plenty fast for what I want--Half-Life 2 and Homeworld 2. This box should last me a good long time. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>This thing oughta run T2 like a damn rocket. Can't wait to FINALLY crank up every detail to maximum and start playing with some style. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Gambit]

Heh. Welcome to '03, Bug! Sounds like an excellent setup. The 9600 should be fine unless you start playing at 1600x1200 w/ AA and AF cranked.<br><br>Been itching to get in on SATA goodness myself, but I can't really justify and upgrade at this point (and I'm looking at those Athlon 64s...) <p><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.xmenclan.org/xmengambit.gif"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br>XMEN member<br>Card-carrying DTM<br>OKL Fish-napper<br><br>Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be maintained.<br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em> The Tao of Programming</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

Been looking at upgrading as well. It probably won't be for another year yet though. And with the Athlon 64 starting yesterday, and Intel's response, the prices of the other chips should start dropping pretty quickly.<br><br>But I'm definitely looking into the new chips with a K8T800 chipset. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br> <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Gambit]

Nah. Get the new nForce 3 chipset for your 64. I've not been impressed with Via chipsets for the last five years or so, and the nf3 is really supposed to rock. And stably, too. <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

I've read that it totally sucked ass. So much so that AMD was embarassed to associate with NVIDIA on this.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Gambit]

Hmm, I hadn't heard that. Post a Linky! Here's one of mine:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.aceshardware.com/read.jsp?id ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Check out the benchmark configuration page of this article (use the drop-list selector). They used an nf3. Then check the benchmark results. <p><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.xmenclan.org/xmengambit.gif"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br>XMEN member<br>Card-carrying DTM<br>OKL Fish-napper<br><br>Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be maintained.<br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em> The Tao of Programming</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[Ambush Bug]

Well, the nice folks at EC called me up this morning and confirmed the order--everything but the case should be here by Friday (FedEX) and hopefully the UPS guys will get their rears in gear and have the case here soon as well. <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Ashaman DTM]

Tom's Hardware:<br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/2003092 ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Besides the obvious biased statements, the article does present solid data on the new chips.<br><br><br>As to the NForce 3 issue:<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Nvidia: NForce-3 Bug <br><br>The extremely low AGP performance of the NForce3 can be clearly attributed to problems with the HyperTransport channel interface to the Northbridge. That is proven by the benchmark results and the performance differences of up to 33.2 percent. Details about this can be found in the benchmark section of this article. <br><br>Originally, Nvidia had planned to also integrate a SATA RAID controller in the Southbridge. Although the controller is included in the current NForce 3, Nvidia deactivated this feature. The reason was that error-free operation was not possible. For this reason, we decided to use additional boards based on the VIA K8T800 chipset. <br><br>Nvidia (Athlon 64 FX, or alternatively GeForce FX - related names) may be a more high-profile partner for AMD than VIA. However, we would point out that VIA, with the K8T800 chipset, currently offers a clearly better solution for the Athlon 64. <br><hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br> <p></p><i></i>

[Ambush Bug]

<!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Resolution</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Truth be told, I rarely go over 1024x768 when I play games... usually this is because going any higher tends to make the UI text impossibly small and hard to read. Half-Life is the only exception to this because the UI elements are big-print anyway, so I can go up to 12x9 without too much fuss. <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Gambit]

Yeah, it was nice of us to hijack your thread, wasn't it? Sorry... I've started a new thread for the Athlon64 stuff.<br><br>Bug, my monitor won't do much over 10x7 well, though it might manage 16x12 at 60Hz <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :x --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/sick.gif ALT=":x"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> . So I don't play at that resolution. But my next monitor will do it! I also have the same complaint with the UI text. So really, the 9600 ought to be fine for several years. It's only just off the cutting edge right now, after all. GF3 is toward the bottom of the requirements spec now, and it's how old? <p><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://www.xmenclan.org/xmengambit.gif"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br>XMEN member<br>Card-carrying DTM<br>OKL Fish-napper<br><br>Though a program be but three lines long, someday it will have to be maintained.<br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em> The Tao of Programming</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[Ambush Bug]

Well, the main guts of the computer came today. (Case comes in via UPS on Monday) Me, of course, being the type to drool endlessly in anticipation, just <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>had</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> to get the hardware installed <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>TODAY</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>First off, let me say that not a single part was damaged or non-functional upon arrival. Everything was perfect--no screwups on what I had ordered, the packing was good (everything in one box with a hell of a lot of styrofoam to keep stuff in place), and the box arrived free of dents and so on. I'm going to write a very nice letter to Essential Computer commending them for their service and the politeness of Diana, the nice lady that called me up after I'd ordered everything and confirmed the list of parts and my address.<br><br>The only thing that didn't come in an OEM box was the hard drive, but it was so wrapped up in bubble-sheets that I didn't know what it <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>was</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> at first. Not something to get bent out of shape about, IMO--I asked for the drive, and I got it. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>That said, getting everything jammed into my old case was a breeze. The MAX3 motherboard came with a bajillian connectors: 4 SATA cables, a rounded ATA-100 IDE cable with master/slave hookups, a rounded floppy cable, extra backpanel ports (USB and FireWire), SATA power connectors... everything I needed. <br><br>Before I put it in the case, I dropped in the CPU and memory. Memory was easy (those little heatspreaders on the sticks make grabbing it easy to do)--no problems at all. Dropping in the CPU was also easy. The Intel HSF unit was a little tricky at first, but it went in without a hitch. (Props to Intel for making a HSF retention clip that's child's play to install. Plunk it on, engage the plastic clips, and flip the levers. Bam, you're done.)<br><br>Putting it in my old case was pretty easy, too. I had enough screws left over and the mobo screwed down just fine. The ATI card was no problem (it's SMALL! Makes the GF4 I got last year look like the Titanic in comparison) as well. I haven't got the I/O shield or the case sides in place, since the new case will come in on Monday and I wanna make things easy. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>SATA drives are damn simple to hook up, folks. If any of you are gonna get a new machine in the near future, get SATA. You physically <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>cannot screw up the connections</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, and they just 'click' in. Much easier than Molex connectors and ribbon cables. Routing the data cable was a cinch--this is the part I like the most.<br><br>The mobo has impressed me the most, though. Booted perfectly on the first power-up, and it autodetected EVERYTHING. It nailed the processor, FSB, RAM-type and speed, my burner, and the SATA drive on the very first try. Once I got Windows XP installed (which now shows <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>two</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> CPUs, thanks to Intel's HT), I had to install a few drivers for the onboard sound, RAID, and audio components, but that was also a trouble-free process.<br><br>This box is ludicrously fast compared to my old Athlon. Especially the drive subsystem. My old drives were in the process of dying, so they were slowing down more every week. This new drive just blowing me out of the water.<br><br>I've yet to get anything (read: games) installed on this machine yet, but don't you worry, I'll be out and about later on this weekend for sure.<br><br>Just as soon as I stop drooling.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>*drip*</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> <p></p><i></i>

[Spinning Hat]

Nice! Nothing like the feeling of getting a new system up and running to make your day! <p><!--EZCODE HR START--><hr /><!--EZCODE HR END--><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:red;font-family:Arial;font-size:medium;"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"Never, Never, Never Quit"</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> -Winston Churchill</span><!--EZCODE FONT END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></p><i></i>

[XMEN Gambit]

Can't wait to get SATA myself. I'm thinking SATA RAID, though. You wouldn't believe the performance increase you can get by striping. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Glad it's all working so smoothly! I read that the Athlon64 HSF mounting is smooth, too, but until we get those we have to suffer along with the old "oops, I broke my CPU" method. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[Ambush Bug]

Well, I had to give this beast something to chew on, so I threw HW2 at it. Disgusting.<br><br>Disgustingly <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>good</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> that is. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> Cranked up the quality settings on the ATI card all the way (4x AA, 16x AF) and it dropped hardly a frame. I think it was cruising along at something like 50+ FPS with all that.<br><br>This is the first time I've been able to do something like that, I am a duly impressed. I just hooked up my old drives last reboot (and they're fast now--apprently the sound card I had in there (DIE CREATIVE!) was clogging up the PCI bus) and I'm copying over T2 as I write.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>*pause*</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Great Caesar's Ghost! Unless there is a Havoc on-screen, the framerate never drops below 85 or so. Impressive!<br><br>Excuse me, I've got about a million games to install that I've never seen in their full glory. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>

[XMEN Iceman]

Hey AB,<br>Did you ever get a bigger monitor? You sure needed one way back when.<br><br>I bet you are loving that system. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <p></p><i></i>