Advice before placing my order... I'm really about to place an order this time :o)

[JH]

Greetings,

I have posted a few messages on this newsgroup in the past asking for
advice on how to configure my dream computer. I have compiled all of
the suggestions and feel like I have come up with a configuration that
meets my needs, but isn't overboard. I want the system as an all
around contender to be used as a Tivo and to play MP3's.

The Cooler Master Stacker because it is extremely flexible and allows
for the most expandablity of any other case I have seen.

The ASUS P4C800-E DELUXE because it seems to strike the best balance
between performance and stability. Plus ASUS is well know for making
quality motherboards.

The Antec 550W sower supply because I don't want to be short on power
no matter what I decide to install in the future.

The Intel Pentium 4/ 2.8C GHz because I don't game, but want to strike
a balance between performance and cost.

Kingston HyperX RAM because it was recommended to me by someone I
trust.

I want it to be fast, but I don't game, so I don't need the most
powerful graphics card. I chose the ATI AIW RADEON 9700 PRO Video
Card because it has DVI, which will allow me to hook it up to a HDTV.

I chose to get the 74GB Raptor and the 250GB Hitachi as a backup and
file storage drive. I will create a 75GB logical partion on the
Hitachi to be solely used to back up the Raptor. The Raptor has a
five year warranty and the Hitachi a three year warranty.

Lite-On Black 52X32X52X16 Combo because I don't want to take the
plunge with a DVD burner yet. When I do, I will still want two
optical drives (one to copy from and the other to burn to).

Now that you all know why I decided on this configuration, I would
appreciate any input. Maybe I am missing something that I didn't
think about before. I have been given some great ideas in this group.

Here is a link to my configuration:
http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=728465

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Hamman]

I chose to get the 74GB Raptor and the 250GB Hitachi as a backup and

file storage drive. I will create a 75GB logical partion on the
Hitachi to be solely used to back up the Raptor. The Raptor has a
five year warranty and the Hitachi a three year warranty.

This is the only part is disagree with. Theres been a lot of raptors going
bad recenty, if your looking at it for disk access performance, then get 2
identical 250Gb disks and run them on a RAID controller

Hamman

 

[larrymoencurly]

Kingston HyperX RAM because it was recommended to me by someone I
trust.

I've bought only their ValueRAM, and it often comes with no-name
chips. If HyperX doesn't have name brand chips on it, I wouldn't pay
extra for it.

Lite-On Black 52X32X52X16 Combo because I don't want to take the
plunge with a DVD burner yet. When I do, I will still want two
optical drives (one to copy from and the other to burn to).

I haven't paid anything for my last 3-4 CD writers, net of rebates,
and www.salescircular.com has informaton about local deals. I haven't
seen any DVD writers selling for less than $50-60, after rebate, but
the best buy right now may be the bare NEC ND-2500A (no software
included) from www.newegg.com, $70-75, delivered (price varies by
color and day of the week). The dual-layer version, ND-2510A, is
available for about $92.

 

[BP]

The HyperX RAM may be overkill for your system. It is preferred by gamers
and overclockers but for normal day by day use you wont see any tangible
performance difference. You might want to consider Kingston KVR400X64C3AK2
Value RAM for that motherboard.

 

[Dave C.]

This is the only part is disagree with. Theres been a lot of raptors going
bad recenty, if your looking at it for disk access performance, then get 2
identical 250Gb disks and run them on a RAID controller

Hamman

I gotta disagree with your disagreement. He said he wants backup. To
increase performance, you'd have to be running the RAID mode to use both
disks, instead of one being a mirror of the other. Thus you not only lose
your backup, but you double your chances of losing your PRIMARY hard drives,
as well. That's because if one drive fails, all the data is GONE on both
drives.

I'd suggest two cheap 7200RPM hard drives in the ~120GB range. Make these
two IDE format and preferably 8MB buffer. RAID these two for maximum
performance. Now buy a third hard drive that is SATA format, and buy as big
of a hard drive as you can afford. NOW you've got the best of both worlds.
Store your large files on the SATA drive. Frequently copy all your
important data files over to the SATA drive, as well. The motherboard he
chose should handle this setup quite well. -Dave

 

[Matt]

The Cooler Master Stacker because it is extremely flexible and allows
for the most expandablity of any other case I have seen.

The Antec 550W sower supply because I don't want to be short on power
no matter what I decide to install in the future.

Wow---that is some case. The first BTX capable case I've seen.

Possible problem with the cable lengths though, since the case is huge
and I recall somebody saying (in this NG?) that the Antec 550W cables
are short. You might want to be prepared for some kind of workaround
(extension cables?).

 

[Hamman]

I gotta disagree with your disagreement. He said he wants backup. To
increase performance, you'd have to be running the RAID mode to use both
disks, instead of one being a mirror of the other. Thus you not only lose
your backup, but you double your chances of losing your PRIMARY hard drives,
as well. That's because if one drive fails, all the data is GONE on both
drives.

I'd suggest two cheap 7200RPM hard drives in the ~120GB range. Make these
two IDE format and preferably 8MB buffer. RAID these two for maximum
performance. Now buy a third hard drive that is SATA format, and buy as big
of a hard drive as you can afford. NOW you've got the best of both worlds.
Store your large files on the SATA drive. Frequently copy all your
important data files over to the SATA drive, as well. The motherboard he
chose should handle this setup quite well. -Dave

Argh, sorry, you're right. it was early

hamman

 

[dg]

I disagree with both of you. He said he was going to use a Raptor and back
it up to a partition on the 250GB disk. The raptor is high performance, if
is gets backed up nightly (like with Acronis True Image) who cares if the
Raptor fails-the data is safe. The original posters plan is good-however I
would skip making a backup partition and just backup to a single image file.

--Dan

 

[Mac Cool]

(e-mail address removed) said:

I chose the ATI AIW RADEON 9700 PRO Video
Card because it has DVI, which will allow me to hook it up to a HDTV.

Not likely... Computer DVI output is not compatible with HDTV DVI input.
I've heard one person claim their HDTV had a compatible DVI port, but I
would guess the majority are not.
Try alt.tv.tech.hdtv

ATI sells a dongle wich will convert to component output, BUT, the card
does not have TRUE HD output. You will need a program called Powerstrip
and you'll have to fuss with the settings to get it working. Nvidia claims
their next gen card will have native HDTV support.