Components for new build. Comments?

[X Offender]

I'm just about to build myself a new machine, and after much agonizing, I
think I've selected all of the components. I'm going for a balance of
performance (won't be overclocking, not a gamer), good looks, and moderate
affordability. I'd be interested in any comments or suggestions anyone may
have regarding my choices.

Case: Antec P-160WF
Motherboard: Asus P5AD2 Deluxe
CPU: Intel LGA 775 P4 530 3.0 GHz
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Jungle 512
Memory: Kingston KVR533D2N4/1G DDR2-533 1 GB
Power Supply: Aspire ATX-AS500-SV 12V 500W
Hard Drives: Western Digital 250 GB 7200 RPM SATA (x2)
DVD+/-RW Drive: NEC 16x Double Layer ND-3500A S (Silver)
CD-RW Drive: Lite-On 52x32x52x SOHR-5238S
Video Card: Gigabyte ATI Radeon X600 XT GV-RX60X128V
Speakers: Logitech Z640 5.1

In order to save a few $, I'm going to try out the onboard sound on the
motherboard, which may actually be bearable, before purchasing a sound card.
Keep in mind that I have definitely settled on that CPU & motherboard, which
limits me to a PCI Express video card (they're a bit of a rip-off right now,
and there's a limited selection of them, but oh well) and DDR2 (also not
terribly cheap).

 

[JK]

I'm just about to build myself a new machine, and after much agonizing, I
think I've selected all of the components. I'm going for a balance of
performance (won't be overclocking, not a gamer), good looks, and moderate
affordability. I'd be interested in any comments or suggestions anyone may
have regarding my choices.

Case: Antec P-160WF
Motherboard: Asus P5AD2 Deluxe

see below.

CPU: Intel LGA 775 P4 530 3.0 GHz

Why a Pentium 4? Why not an Athlon 64 instead?

CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Jungle 512
Memory: Kingston KVR533D2N4/1G DDR2-533 1 GB
Power Supply: Aspire ATX-AS500-SV 12V 500W

Aspire? Why not an Antec power supply instead?

 

[Richard Dower]

I'm just about to build myself a new machine, and after much agonizing, I
think I've selected all of the components. I'm going for a balance of
performance (won't be overclocking, not a gamer), good looks, and moderate
affordability. I'd be interested in any comments or suggestions anyone may
have regarding my choices.

Case: Antec P-160WF
Motherboard: Asus P5AD2 Deluxe
CPU: Intel LGA 775 P4 530 3.0 GHz
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Jungle 512
Memory: Kingston KVR533D2N4/1G DDR2-533 1 GB
Power Supply: Aspire ATX-AS500-SV 12V 500W
Hard Drives: Western Digital 250 GB 7200 RPM SATA (x2)
DVD+/-RW Drive: NEC 16x Double Layer ND-3500A S (Silver)
CD-RW Drive: Lite-On 52x32x52x SOHR-5238S
Video Card: Gigabyte ATI Radeon X600 XT GV-RX60X128V
Speakers: Logitech Z640 5.1

In order to save a few $, I'm going to try out the onboard sound on the
motherboard, which may actually be bearable, before purchasing a sound
card. Keep in mind that I have definitely settled on that CPU &
motherboard, which limits me to a PCI Express video card (they're a bit of
a rip-off right now, and there's a limited selection of them, but oh well)
and DDR2 (also not terribly cheap).

I'd suggest investing more in the higher end PCI-E graphics card, the X600
ain't gonna cut it these days.

 

[Dave C.]

Why a Pentium 4? Why not an Athlon 64 instead?

Aspire? Why not an Antec power supply instead?

God, you're like a broken record. Because he wants Intel. Now go cash that
check from AMD, you've earned it.

I have to say to the OP that you MUST ditch the aspire power supply. I will
at least give a good reason. It has poor +12V stability, questionable
support, and (apparently) no warranty. Just about anything would be better.
If you want a high-quality alternative that looks as nice, is very stable,
and costs about the same, try a E-Power Cheetah 450. Outstanding quality,
stable voltages under load. Looks nice, too.

If you don't care about looks and want to save a few bucks, try a Enlight or
Thermaltake brand 420W. You don't need 500W for your rig. You DO need a
good quality power supply that will give you nice stable voltages under
load. -Dave

 

[DJS0302]

see below.


Why a Pentium 4? Why not an Athlon 64 instead?

Because he doesn't want an Athlon 64.

 

[X Offender]

Thank you for all of the useful feedback so far. My responses to a few of
the comments:

CPU: I was hoping that this wouldn't turn into an Intel/AMD debate. Let's
just say it's a matter of personal preference for me, and leave it at that.

Video Card: I understand your suggestion that I get something higher-end,
but I really can't justify spending more than $200 on a video card right
now, especially as I'll probably be upgrading once there's a better
selection of PCI-E cards available. Ultimately, I'd like an ATI
All-In-Wonder, but they haven't released a PCI-E version yet, and I can't
wait any longer. In any case, as I said, I'm not a gamer or anything, and a
high-end video card is not essential to me. The Radeon X600 XT seemed to be
the best solution in a quality, sub-$200 card, so I'll live with it for now.

Power Supply: Thank you very much for your feedback on this! I was quite
wary of the Aspire PSU, but researched it and found that it had gotten
uniformly good to excellent reviews (not that reviews are always unbiased
and accurate). Most reviewers' tests seemed to find that the voltages were
pretty stable. I do want a PSU that exceeds my current needs, as I'm
probably going to be adding several more drives and other accessories to my
machine in the coming months. I also liked that the cables are sleeved and
that the fan speed is manually adjustable. I actually just ordered the
Aspire, so I guess I'll give it a try and see what kind of performance I get
from it. At least it's cheap enough that I won't mind too much if I have to
replace it, should it come to that. I really wanted the Aerocool Aeropower
II+, but though it's pictuerd on Aerocool's website in silver, everyone only
seems to carry a black version, and that would have looked out-of-place in
my case (yes, I am overly concerned with the aesthetics of this build).

 

[Ruel Smith]

Thank you for all of the useful feedback so far. My responses to a few of
the comments:

CPU: I was hoping that this wouldn't turn into an Intel/AMD debate. Let's
just say it's a matter of personal preference for me, and leave it at that.

We all have our choices, and yes, it's a matter of taste.

Video Card: I understand your suggestion that I get something higher-end,
but I really can't justify spending more than $200 on a video card right
now, especially as I'll probably be upgrading once there's a better
selection of PCI-E cards available. Ultimately, I'd like an ATI
All-In-Wonder, but they haven't released a PCI-E version yet, and I can't
wait any longer. In any case, as I said, I'm not a gamer or anything, and a
high-end video card is not essential to me. The Radeon X600 XT seemed to be
the best solution in a quality, sub-$200 card, so I'll live with it for now.

In a couple of weeks, they'll have the X700 models out. I'd wait.

Power Supply: Thank you very much for your feedback on this! I was quite
wary of the Aspire PSU, but researched it and found that it had gotten
uniformly good to excellent reviews (not that reviews are always unbiased
and accurate). Most reviewers' tests seemed to find that the voltages were
pretty stable. I do want a PSU that exceeds my current needs, as I'm
probably going to be adding several more drives and other accessories to my
machine in the coming months. I also liked that the cables are sleeved and
that the fan speed is manually adjustable. I actually just ordered the
Aspire, so I guess I'll give it a try and see what kind of performance I get
from it. At least it's cheap enough that I won't mind too much if I have to
replace it, should it come to that. I really wanted the Aerocool Aeropower
II+, but though it's pictuerd on Aerocool's website in silver, everyone only
seems to carry a black version, and that would have looked out-of-place in
my case (yes, I am overly concerned with the aesthetics of this build).

Didn't you originally state that you were buying and Antec case? Why not
get one with a quality Antec PSU already installed? It's usually
cheaper, and Antec is top-notch.