Kev's new machine?

Post by **117** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 10:25 am

As mentioned in another thread I'm looking at building my own machine, with in the region of ?1000 to spend on it, to include a TFT, decent graphics card (but not over the top coz I don't play FPS etc), 64-bit processor, PCI-e etc, but doesn't need DVD-burner, keyboard, or mouse as I already have these.
Been looking this morning, and priced up the following from Novatech (just coz they're near me and have been winning awards for their service, I don't have to use them obviously).
Most stuff I've priced for 2 options, my personal preference being in bold. Your thoughts are more than welcome, lemme know if you see any non-compatibilities or if you find better options, and more importantly, if I've missed anything!

Processor

AMD X2 3800 512Kb Socket 939 - ?240.24
AMD 64 4000 SanDiego 1Mb SOcket 939 - ?255.79

Motherboard

MSI K8N Diamond NForce4 SLI PCI-e DDR400 7.1 - ?132.19
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe NForce4 SLI939 PCI-e DDR400 - ?111.63
ASUS A8N-E Nforce4 Ultra PCI-E DDR400 GB LAN SATA - ?69.33
CPU Cooling Fan

ASUS StarIce 4in1 CPU Cooler Blue - ?34.08
CoolerMaster Hyper48 Silent - ?29.48

HeatSink

ThermalRight XP-120 (Socket 754/939/478) Heatsink - ?31.67

Case

ThermalTake Soprano Silver with window - ?46.72
Antec Sonata II Piano Black Quiet Case - ?79.96

Case Fan

Sanyo-Denki 120mm Fan - ?17.57

PSU

ThermalTake SilentButterfly PurePower 480W Xeser Silver - ?51.76
Hiper 525Watt 23dB Triple Fan - ?55.23
Tagan TG430-U15 430W ATX2.01 - ?56.34

Memory

OCZ 1Gb Kit (2x 512) PC3200 DualChannel Gold Series - ?114.94
Novatech 1Gb PC3200 - ?64.63
Corsair XMS3200 1GB (2x512MB) 400Mhz Non-ECC Matched Pair - ?93.48

Graphics Card

Sapphire X800GT 256Mb GDDR-3 PCI-e TV-Out DVI - ?111.80
ASUS EN6600 Silencer 256Mb GeForce 6600 DVI TV-Out PCI-e - ?91.65

Hard Disk

Western Digital Caviar 250Gb 16Mb Cache SATA-II 100 <8.9ms 7200rpm - ?85.19

Monitor

Samsung 19" SM913N Silver 8ms - ?202.55

OS

Windows XP Pro SP2 OEM - ?100.57
Windows XP Pro x64 Edition OEM - ?95.89

Eamonn · Post by **Eamonn** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:47 pm

Won't you need the Windows XP Pro x64 Edition OEM for a 64 bit processor?

Post by **fac51** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:01 pm

driver support is pretty dire for it at the moment but yes it's worth bearing in mind. amd64 cpus run fine in 32 bit windows though its just that your obviously not using it to its full potential.

will have a proper look at the list later.

edit:

all look ok, for the mobo are you really going to bother adding a second graphics card in the future - bearing in mind they have to match etc? if not then you dont need sli.

ram - i personally would go for corsair as their sticks are top nothc and ive never ever had any issues with their ram - plus its generally considered to be the best. OCZ is a great make but i just prefer corsair.

psu - tagan are pretty good - may be worth a look

graphics - try to go the a geforce 6800gt or similar if you can stretch to it

cpu's - both good, i cant believe how cheap for 4000 is now as that used to be the FX53 (well almost) - bargain. i would probably go for the dual core to future proof your system more, plus your not building for gaming primarily so dual core is the way to go.

also maybe skip the cooling fan and use the stock fan supplied with the processer - will be fine unless you plan to overclock. bear in mind you wont get a stock fan and heatsink if the cpu you buy is OEM.

Post by **117** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:29 pm

cheers ed

mobo - can you recommend a good one that's non-sli then mate? as the answer to your question is a no!

memory - can get 1Gb Corsair Value Select for ?87.44, worth it or you recommend buying the more expensive of Corsair's range?

PSU - had a look at Tagan, their 430Watt model is roughly same price as the Hiper 525Watt

graphics - the 6800GTs that i've seen are roughly another ?100, it really worth forking out that much extra?

cpu - ok, which would you prefer, the slightly faster single-core processor, or the not-so-fast dual-core?

Eamonn · Post by **Eamonn** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 1:51 pm

It's strange that the normal Win XP is more expensive than the x64!

Post by **117** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:15 pm

yeah i thought that! mebbe it's to encourage more people to adopt the 64bit world, thus creating more need for the manufacturers to create the correct drivers

Post by **fac51** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 5:45 pm

117 wrote:cheers ed

mobo - can you recommend a good one that's non-sli then mate? as the answer to your question is a no!

memory - can get 1Gb Corsair Value Select for ?87.44, worth it or you recommend buying the more expensive of Corsair's range?

PSU - had a look at Tagan, their 430Watt model is roughly same price as the Hiper 525Watt

graphics - the 6800GTs that i've seen are roughly another ?100, it really worth forking out that much extra?

cpu - ok, which would you prefer, the slightly faster single-core processor, or the not-so-fast dual-core?

there should be a non sli version of the asus?

wattage tells very little of the story, its the amount produced on each rail you really need to look at as most psu will blow up at there maximum wattage. cheaper models are shite and not worth buying, saying that you've chosen named brands that are ok i just know tagan are highly recommended.

corsairs value select are perfectly fine for non overclocking but do not have nice shiney heatsinks on like their xms stuff

the 6800gt will be better for gaming in the long run but all depends on how much gaming you want to do. probably not.

i would go for the dual core for future proofing

Post by **117** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:07 pm

aaah got it: Asus A8N-E Nforce4 Ultra PCI-E DDR400 GB LAN SATA ?69.33, much cheaper too

the HIPER PSU has this review with it on Novatech's site, plus a 5star rating

Just built a system based around the Asus A8N SLI motherboard, Athlon 64 4000+, Leadtek 6800 GT card, two 200 Gb HDDs, etc and wanted a quiet and powerful PSU that was 24 pin compliant. This fitted the bill and has lived up to its name. The sliding switch you can see in the picture between the mains switch and power plug has 4 LEDs underneath and you can select the the fan speed (low, med,high,auto) Strangely enough though, this switch is not mentioned in the manual that comes with the PSU, it says underneath it what position each is for, I just leave it on auto. It really is quiet, I cant actually hear it, the internal processor and chipset fans, albeit pretty quiet thenselves, make more noise than this PSU. This is a very high quality item with plenty of power plugs including SATA and braided cables and is well worth the money if you want to build a quieter PC with plenty of power in reserve.

Post by **117** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:25 pm

have edited the original post now with new findings, total cost of the system in bold ?1014.44

Post by **fac51** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:37 pm

yeah that hiper psu looks ok.

not sure about the case you have chosen but try to go for one that takes 120mm fans as they are quieter.

Post by **117** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:55 pm

oh right ok, just chose it coz it was fairly cheap without looking tacky!

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:06 pm

The Antec Sonata is a good un, but if you're looking for the all encompassing monster daddy of upgradeproof cases then you'll be wanting the Akasa Eclipse which can be found here

Rest of the rig sounds tickety boo bar the Hiper PSU, I'd personally go with the Tagan as you can FEEL the quality (that and I haven't managed to kill one yet)

If you're gonna go for an aftermarket cooler, then be looking at the two Thermalrights again in the OCUK This Week Only section as they are the dogs danglies, then you'll be wanting some Arctic Silver 5 or Arctic Ceramique as a thermal interface, and a decent 120mm fan (Sanyo Denki are good)

Also: OS?!

Post by **117** » Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:33 pm

damn you and your extra-cost tips! cheers mate, will havta upate me list now.

gotta have the XP Pro for my course mate,else it would be a Ubuntuuuuuuuu-only install