Hardware components (seeking opinion)

[silverfox]

Hello guys.
I'd like to get someone's (preferably who's comp. expert) opinion
regarding the hardware configuration I'm going to install into my PC.
Tell me what do you think about each of the components, and if possible
propose some replacements (in the same price region as stated
oryginals).

Graphic Card:
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 256MB 128 bit
CPU:
Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
Motherboard:
Asus P5LD2 SE/C i945P s.775 DDR2-667 Sata2 GBLan
Hard Drive:
Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB Sata2
RAM memory:
Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
Sound Card:
Sound Blaster Live 24bit OEM
DVD recorder:
NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM OEM
Display:
NEC LCD 73V 17"

One more thing. I think that all those components fits (are compatibile
with each other), but I'm no expert on this field so I'd be glad to
hear if they really are or not. Thanks in advance.

 

[John Weiss]

I'd like to get someone's (preferably who's comp. expert) opinion
regarding the hardware configuration I'm going to install into my PC.
Tell me what do you think about each of the components, and if possible
propose some replacements (in the same price region as stated
oryginals).

CPU:
Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit

Find a Core 2 Duo CPU in the appropriate price range. P4 is "old tech" now!

Motherboard:
Asus P5LD2 SE/C i945P s.775 DDR2-667 Sata2 GBLan

Ensure ANY MoBo is compatible with Core 2 Duo CPUs, regardless if you get
that CPU now.

Hard Drive:
Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB Sata2

In that size range, the WD Raptor 150 will likely perform MUCH better, if
you can afford it.

RAM memory:
Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5

You can start with 512 MB now, but 1 GB will be "standard" REAL soon!

NEC LCD 73V 17"

The price of 19" LCDs has come WAY down recently. Think about a larger
monitor, but do NOT give up quality for size!

 

[Paul]

Hello guys.
I'd like to get someone's (preferably who's comp. expert) opinion
regarding the hardware configuration I'm going to install into my PC.
Tell me what do you think about each of the components, and if possible
propose some replacements (in the same price region as stated
oryginals).

Graphic Card:
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 256MB 128 bit
CPU:
Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
Motherboard:
Asus P5LD2 SE/C i945P s.775 DDR2-667 Sata2 GBLan
Hard Drive:
Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB Sata2
RAM memory:
Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
Sound Card:
Sound Blaster Live 24bit OEM
DVD recorder:
NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM OEM
Display:
NEC LCD 73V 17"

One more thing. I think that all those components fits (are compatibile
with each other), but I'm no expert on this field so I'd be glad to
hear if they really are or not. Thanks in advance.

Are you trying to fit an AGP video card into a
PCI Express x16 motheboard ? That won't work.

The processor support list is here, for P5LD2 SE.
The release 2.01G boards are Core2 Duo compatible, and since
there is not an easy way for vendors to communicate the fact that
they are selling the latest revision board, that may be why
the model number is listed as "SE/C". In any case, verify
the revision is 2.01G or later, for future compatibility.
If the motherboard is real cheap, it could be an older
revision.

http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/...?type=1&name=P5LD2 SE&SLanguage=en-us&cache=1

An 820D may be cheap, but an E6300 would outperform it.
And perhaps run a bit cooler.

For LCDs, it is best to view them in person. See a sample
screen with text on it. Any cheap monitor looks gorgeous
with pictures like this on it. Text is another story.
You'll never see adverts with text on the screen.
The last time I went to a big box computer store, I was
shocked at the poor quality of the displays. It looks
a lot different than the pictures you see on the web.

http://www.misco.co.uk/HPSinfo/~129289~WW~/NEC LCD73V 17in TFT.htm

For burner technology, there are sites that review them, with
various brands of media. The drive may cost $50, but you'll
waste $100 trying media, trying to find something that burns
properly. I've had a fair amount of trouble with compatibility
between drives on my computers here. So good luck with that.
It helps to have burning software, that has a scanning capability,
and can show you an error scan after you have completed a burn.

http://www.cdr.cz/a/18190/10

Paul

 

[Victor]

Hello guys.
I'd like to get someone's (preferably who's comp. expert) opinion
regarding the hardware configuration I'm going to install into my PC.
Tell me what do you think about each of the components, and if possible
propose some replacements (in the same price region as stated
oryginals).

Graphic Card:
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 256MB 128 bit
CPU:
Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
Motherboard:
Asus P5LD2 SE/C i945P s.775 DDR2-667 Sata2 GBLan
Hard Drive:
Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB Sata2
RAM memory:
Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
Sound Card:
Sound Blaster Live 24bit OEM
DVD recorder:
NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM OEM
Display:
NEC LCD 73V 17"

One more thing. I think that all those components fits (are compatibile
with each other), but I'm no expert on this field so I'd be glad to
hear if they really are or not. Thanks in advance.

And your using this computer for?

 

[Geoff]

For LCDs, it is best to view them in person.

One odd thing, I bought some supplies at a small computer shop nearby and
they had a large table with computers and monitors, all running.

My monitor is a 20.1 inch, lcd wide screen, however, it looked like their
monitors were larger than mine, even though they were 17 and 18 inches only.

So, I guess even looks can be deceiving.

-g

 

[anishvaranasi]

Hello guys.
I'd like to get someone's (preferably who's comp. expert) opinion
regarding the hardware configuration I'm going to install into my PC.
Tell me what do you think about each of the components, and if possible
propose some replacements (in the same price region as stated
oryginals).

Graphic Card:
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 256MB 128 bit
CPU:
Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
Motherboard:
Asus P5LD2 SE/C i945P s.775 DDR2-667 Sata2 GBLan
Hard Drive:
Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB Sata2
RAM memory:
Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
Sound Card:
Sound Blaster Live 24bit OEM
DVD recorder:
NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM OEM
Display:
NEC LCD 73V 17"

One more thing. I think that all those components fits (are compatibile
with each other), but I'm no expert on this field so I'd be glad to
hear if they really are or not. Thanks in advance.

 

[anishvaranasi]

they had a large table with computers and monitors, all running.

My monitor is a 20.1 inch, lcd wide screen, however, it looked like their
monitors were larger than mine, even though they were 17 and 18 inches only.

So, I guess even looks can be deceiving.

-g

 

[silverfox]

Are you trying to fit an AGP video card into a

PCI Express x16 motheboard ? That won't work.

Thanks for mentioning this.I don't have much experience in computer
assembly, that's why I overlooked it. Seems it would be better to use
PCI card , so I'd switch to:
Gigabyte GF 7300GT 256 MB PCIE DDR2

The processor support list is here, for P5LD2 SE.
The release 2.01G boards are Core2 Duo compatible, and since
there is not an easy way for vendors to communicate the fact that
they are selling the latest revision board, that may be why
the model number is listed as "SE/C". In any case, verify
the revision is 2.01G or later, for future compatibility.
If the motherboard is real cheap, it could be an older
revision.

I decided to switch to Asus P5LD2 i945P DDR667 sATAII Raid CH8, which
supports dual channel architecture (at least that's what the
specification sais).

An 820D may be cheap, but an E6300 would outperform it.
And perhaps run a bit cooler.

I have to admit that the main factor for this choice was the price, and
as the 820 is 2 times cheaper than E6300, i'll stick to this choice for
now. For the time being I just need the PC for programming, and I
haven't even started DirectX programming yet, so I don't need so much
of the "horsepower" on board. Correct me if I'm wrong here.

For LCDs, it is best to view them in person. See a sample
screen with text on it. Any cheap monitor looks gorgeous
with pictures like this on it. Text is another story.
You'll never see adverts with text on the screen.
The last time I went to a big box computer store, I was
shocked at the poor quality of the displays. It looks
a lot different than the pictures you see on the web.

That's what I'm gonna do. Thats fairly obvious that nobody would show
the real pictures if it has poor quality since it is so easy to imitate
the display using any decent graphical prog.

http://www.cdr.cz/a/18190/10

As far as burner is concerned I'll leave the one I've chosen. Choice
was made upon other users opinions, so it may not be perfect, but I
think I'll take that risk and go for it.
BTW, I don't know czech language

This should be the platform for programming purposes mainly (visual
studio, eclipse), and some graphics (photoshop, 3D Max, or Caligiari
True Space). I don't need to run the most recent games on it (just some
football manager or so ).

 

[Mike T.]

Hello guys.
I'd like to get someone's (preferably who's comp. expert) opinion
regarding the hardware configuration I'm going to install into my PC.
Tell me what do you think about each of the components, and if possible
propose some replacements (in the same price region as stated
oryginals).

Graphic Card:
Gigabyte ATI Radeon 9550 256MB 128 bit

I'm glad to see in another reply that you've already nixed this idea.

CPU:
Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit

Great choice. There are faster on the market, but this one is good.

Motherboard:
Asus P5LD2 SE/C i945P s.775 DDR2-667 Sata2 GBLan
Hard Drive:
Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB Sata2
RAM memory:
Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5

All this looks good, but start with 1Gig of RAM

Sound Card:
Sound Blaster Live 24bit OEM

Decent sound card, but I'd recommend an Audigy SE instead, for the same
price. The very latest drivers for the 24-bit card you chose are about 2
years old now. The Audigy SE is the only card (relatively inexpensive) that
I could confirm has Vista drivers available. Not that you are necessarily
going to run Vista. But for the same price, it makes no sense to choose an
older card that is NOT vista compatible.

DVD recorder:
NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM OEM
Display:
NEC LCD 73V 17"

NEC is great quality, but (as someone else mentioned) it makes no sense to
buy a 17" LCD monitor right now, when 19" (and some 20") are really cheap.
I'd suggest substitute an AG Neovo F-419, you will love it. I switched from
NEC to this brand, and no regrets . . . great monitor. It will probably be
cheaper than the monitor you chose, in fact. -Dave

 

[silverfox]

Hi again.
I've finally made up my mind about the configuration, here it is:
MB: Asus P5LD2 i945P DDR667 sATA2 Raid CH8
CPU: Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
GRAPHIC: Gigabyte GF 7300GT 256MB PCIE DDR2
HDD: Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB sATA2
RAM: Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
(still thinking about adding second one)
SOUND: Sound Blaster Audigy SE
DVD-RW: NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM
POWER: Chieftec GPS-450AA-101A ATX 450Watt
SPEAKERS: Logitech 5.1 X-530 970114-0914
LCD: NEC LCD 73V 17"
(still considering Dave suggestion about AG Neovo F-419)
CPU COOLER: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

As I said before it has to be cheap (but no crap ),
and sufficient for programming purposes mainly.

 

[Mike T.]

Hi again.
I've finally made up my mind about the configuration, here it is:
MB: Asus P5LD2 i945P DDR667 sATA2 Raid CH8
CPU: Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
GRAPHIC: Gigabyte GF 7300GT 256MB PCIE DDR2
HDD: Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB sATA2
RAM: Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
(still thinking about adding second one)
SOUND: Sound Blaster Audigy SE
DVD-RW: NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM
POWER: Chieftec GPS-450AA-101A ATX 450Watt
SPEAKERS: Logitech 5.1 X-530 970114-0914
LCD: NEC LCD 73V 17"
(still considering Dave suggestion about AG Neovo F-419)
CPU COOLER: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

As I said before it has to be cheap (but no crap ),
and sufficient for programming purposes mainly.

If you want no crap, you will need to re-think that power supply. A quick
search of newegg netted me this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817709002
Sunbeamtech isn't quite up to Seasonic or Enermax quality, but it's pretty
decent. It's a good buy for a budget system, for sure.

Also, I'd suggest the following Biostar board instead of Asus. Asus is
supposed to be good, but they are highly over-rated. Meanwhile, Biostar IS
as good as Asus is alleged to be, and Biostar is highly under-rated. -Dave

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138034

 

[Paul]

If you want no crap, you will need to re-think that power supply. A quick
search of newegg netted me this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817709002
Sunbeamtech isn't quite up to Seasonic or Enermax quality, but it's pretty
decent. It's a good buy for a budget system, for sure.

Also, I'd suggest the following Biostar board instead of Asus. Asus is
supposed to be good, but they are highly over-rated. Meanwhile, Biostar IS
as good as Asus is alleged to be, and Biostar is highly under-rated. -Dave

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138034

The only caveat I find with Biostar, is some of their boards have
been connecting the ATX12V 2x2 power connector, to the 12V from
the main connector (i.e. connected inside the motherboard). I don't
know why they are doing this, and if a 12V1/12V2 power supply is
connected, what is supposed to happen. This is based on the observation,
that some people have set up a Biostar board, not connected the
ATX12V 2x2 connector, and yet they are able to boot. I'd want to know
if the Biostar product has that "feature" or not, before buying one.
The majority of manufacturers isolate the 2x2 ATX12V, from the main
connector, which is consistent with the ATX 2.0+ power supplies
(12V1/12V2 outputs). On a normal motherboard, failure to connect
the 2x2 connector, means no POST, as it should be.

Paul

 

[VanShania]

Stay away from the 9500/9600 ATI cards. They only have 4 pixel pipelines and
you can pickup a Sapphire 1600 pro 256mb for about the same price and it has
12 pixel pipelines. I had a 9600XT benchmark 1400 in 3DMark 2005 free
edition. My Sapphire1600 pro 512mb scored 4000.

--
Love and Teach, Not Yell and Beat
Stop Violence and Child Abuse.
No such thing as Bad Kids. Only Bad Parents.
The most horrible feeling in the world is knowing that No One is There to
Protect You.

A64 3500+, Gigabyte GA-K8NSC-939,AIW 9800 Pro 128mb
MSI 550 Pro, X-Fi, Pioneer 110D, 111D
Antec 550 watt,Thermaltake Lanfire,2 Gb OCZ Platinum 2-3-2-5
2XSATA 320gb Raid Edition, PATA 120Gb
XP MCE2005, 19in Viewsonic,BenchMark 2001 SE- 19074
Games I'm Playing- Falcon 4, winSPWW2, winSPMBT, Call of Duty War Chest

 

[Gert Elstermann]

Hi again.
I've finally made up my mind about the configuration, here it is:
MB: Asus P5LD2 i945P DDR667 sATA2 Raid CH8

The Asus P5LD2 has the dual channel architecture,

CPU: Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
GRAPHIC: Gigabyte GF 7300GT 256MB PCIE DDR2
HDD: Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB sATA2
RAM: Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
(still thinking about adding second one)

Therefore you should use two DIMMs.
WinXP runs comfortable with 1 GB! For WinVista, 1 GB is practically
the minimum!

Gert

 

[OSbandito]

Hi again.
I've finally made up my mind about the configuration, here it is:
MB: Asus P5LD2 i945P DDR667 sATA2 Raid CH8
CPU: Intel P4 2.8 820 800/2x1M 775 64bit
GRAPHIC: Gigabyte GF 7300GT 256MB PCIE DDR2
HDD: Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB sATA2
RAM: Kingston 512MB DDR2-667 Non-ECC CL5
(still thinking about adding second one)
SOUND: Sound Blaster Audigy SE
DVD-RW: NEC AD-7170A DVD-RAM
POWER: Chieftec GPS-450AA-101A ATX 450Watt
SPEAKERS: Logitech 5.1 X-530 970114-0914
LCD: NEC LCD 73V 17"
(still considering Dave suggestion about AG Neovo F-419)
CPU COOLER: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

As I said before it has to be cheap (but no crap ),
and sufficient for programming purposes mainly.

Silver--Hold off on that monitor! The 73V uses only a VGA analog input.
Since your stated use will be programming, text rendition is critical
and full page display is helpful. Grab yourself a 19-inch DVA
DIGITAL-input monitor. Check the 7300GT graphics card specs for correct
output interface (digital, analog or both). The USA version of the AG
Neovo F-419 has both inputs.
Not sure which Euro versions are avail. to you but it looks like a nice rig.