Is this worth building?

[Bodfish]

Hi guys!

I've got a question. I bought these components a couple of years ago, I
think, I just recently wondered if I should scrap them and get something
else. (mobo and CPU).

The mobo is K7n2 Delta 2 Plantinum MSI and the CPU is, I think, 3200 AMD,
and I think it was fast for it's time. Socket A. It is OEM, so can't really
be sure. I matched it up at the time using the reviews off newegg.

I've also got a Cooler Master black tower case, high end PS, 2 sticks of
Corsair Value Select 512 mb, 184 pin DDR. Also a Sata HD, about 60 G's. All
the rest of the stuff, optical drives, floppy, modem. Logictech wireless
mouse and KB, nice cooler, and fans. I also have Geoforce MX4000 AGP8X.
video card.

All this unopened.

So....what are my choices to salvage something here? I'd guess a newer mobo
migh even havae better on board graphics, right?

I don't really game, and use my system now for business, (AMD 1600, on a
Epox DDR 8KHA mobo with some older DDR..) I'm a dinasour, right?? man, I
havent' even built a system in years. I had to get a new USB mem stick
becasue my old one just ate my files. Nothing there at all. So I was reading
the reviews at newegg and here I am..........

What do I want to do? Well upgrade to forstall any crashes, really. This
system has been rock solid for years. XP pro, but I'll need to get a new OS,
probably XP Home. One problem is my UBS ports now are only 1.1 (and in the
back of the box).

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Mike
(note: I also posted this on alt.computer, but have no idea which group is
active. Sorry)

 

[Paul]

Hi guys!

I've got a question. I bought these components a couple of years ago, I
think, I just recently wondered if I should scrap them and get something
else. (mobo and CPU).

The mobo is K7n2 Delta 2 Plantinum MSI and the CPU is, I think, 3200 AMD,
and I think it was fast for it's time. Socket A. It is OEM, so can't really
be sure. I matched it up at the time using the reviews off newegg.

I've also got a Cooler Master black tower case, high end PS, 2 sticks of
Corsair Value Select 512 mb, 184 pin DDR. Also a Sata HD, about 60 G's. All
the rest of the stuff, optical drives, floppy, modem. Logictech wireless
mouse and KB, nice cooler, and fans. I also have Geoforce MX4000 AGP8X.
video card.

All this unopened.

So....what are my choices to salvage something here? I'd guess a newer mobo
migh even havae better on board graphics, right?

I don't really game, and use my system now for business, (AMD 1600, on a
Epox DDR 8KHA mobo with some older DDR..) I'm a dinasour, right?? man, I
havent' even built a system in years. I had to get a new USB mem stick
becasue my old one just ate my files. Nothing there at all. So I was reading
the reviews at newegg and here I am..........

What do I want to do? Well upgrade to forstall any crashes, really. This
system has been rock solid for years. XP pro, but I'll need to get a new OS,
probably XP Home. One problem is my UBS ports now are only 1.1 (and in the
back of the box).

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Mike
(note: I also posted this on alt.computer, but have no idea which group is
active. Sorry)

Computer equipment loses value rather quickly. You could sell it all, but
you'd get a fraction of what you paid for it.

Your current processor is a 1600+, the unused one could be a 3200+. That
meets the "only worthwhile to upgrade if 2x the processor" rule. So you
could use the gear, and see some benefit. If you don't do a lot on the machine,
the most obvious benefit could be when you are web surfing.

If you are in a mood to just spend money, leave that stuff piled in the
corner. Or, use the CD, hard drive, fans, computer case, power supply,
all except the motherboard, CPU, and memory. The new style memory (DDR2)
is cheap right now. Motherboards are anywhere from $40 to $400, depending
on your tastes. Processors also vary all over the place on price, with
the low end at maybe $60, up to the standard $1000 high end.

But if you're going to justify all this upgrading, there should be
a compelling reason. If you had to wait hours for some operation to
finish on your current PC, then spending money to fix that could well
be worth it. If the computer is nothing more than a fancy typewriter,
maybe even 1600+ is overkill.

If you wanted to spend money, consider how you back up your data. Maybe
you need something there. If the current computer ever has a coronary,
you'll want a "portable" data backup solution you can move to the
new computer. An enclosure with a hard drive inside it, is a start in
the right direction.

Paul

 

[Bodfish]

If you wanted to spend money, consider how you back up your data. Maybe
you need something there. If the current computer ever has a coronary,
you'll want a "portable" data backup solution you can move to the
new computer. An enclosure with a hard drive inside it, is a start in
the right direction.

Thanks Paul!

Regarding the backup...........I've never had much luck backing up in
Windows. I've tried ghost, and couldn't get it done. Right now I'm using a
USB pen drive for data, but the dang thing took a dump after one year. It
was cheap, though.

What's a good solution for backing up?

Thanks again.

 

[Paul]

Thanks Paul!

Regarding the backup...........I've never had much luck backing up in
Windows. I've tried ghost, and couldn't get it done. Right now I'm using a
USB pen drive for data, but the dang thing took a dump after one year. It
was cheap, though.

What's a good solution for backing up?

Thanks again.

I've copied the whole disk with Partition Magic
I have an old copy here, when it was owned by PowerQuest.

I believe I've got a copy of Ghost here as well, but got stuck when
it reboots.

(Some of the disk manufacturers provide a copy utility, which
might be used to simply clone a disk as well.)

There are also devices like this. This is 500GB and costs $149.
A raw 500GB drive is $114. So for $34, you get an enclosure
and software. The reviewers mention a fan, so maybe it is
fan cooled (I cannot see vents in the pictures). They also mention
that this doesn't back up the whole system.

Maxtor OneTouch III 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache USB 2.0 External Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16822144069

So I'm a noob when it comes to backup software.

Paul

 

[Bodfish]

Well, I went against my own grain, and put this thing together. This case is
NICE. I mean it. Good metal, nice hardware, bad docs. Plus, the stuff you
put in the back, AGP card, etc, is held in place by a nice plastic lock and
no screws......I forgot WHY I bought this case, Cool master Caviliar, but
it's the tits!

The ISO shield, or whatever you call it, was a bitch. Until I found the
right one in the mobo box. (I told you it has been awhile!). Anyway, I spent
some time bending and removing sheet metal to get the ports to go through
the back. After that, th install was easy. BTW, I've never seen these, but
you may have. These are the stand-offs that have a little groove (or rabbit,
or cut) around them. The mobo *hooks* around them prior to you screwing in
the screws. No all of them only about 4. Anyway, the mobo hooks on a few of
them and saves yo the trouble of pushing the mobo against the back panel.
Very nice and helpful.

Ok. I had 1 gig of mem. It's 184 pin DDR. Crucial. 2 sticks, I remembered
enough to push like hell, and then push in the tabs. The CPU was something
else. I had never seen a coating on the part that takes the Artic Silver. It
looked golden, or copper; didn't know whether to use paint thinner or
acyetone to clean it off. I didn't bother, I took a chance. I spread some of
the stuff included with the cooler, and went ahead. It's a silent type,
copper core, slow speed, variable fan type, and I CAN'T remeber the name of
it! Kool Fan, maybe? It turns about 2850 RPM's. (I threw out the box, ergo
can't find the name).

Anyway, I hooked it up to the CPU (which turned out to be a 3000+ in the
bios), and plugged it in.

The PS was a trip. It HAD a 24 pin hook up. So..........I cut off 2 pins,
needing only 20, and the other ones got in the way of the HDD> Found out
later, that these EXTRA 2 pins simply swung out of the way if not needed.
Duh! I'm an idiot. It has the HAL switch and 450 watts, I left it on A.

This case has 2 built in fans, front and and a big one in the rear. Plugged
them in. Did all the front attachments......speaker HDD led, etc. NO biggie.
This board is kool in that it has a bunch of places to plug in USB or
firewire. Also has brackets for the back for extras. Also has mic and sound
stuff in front, and also in rear. Didn't hook it up yet.

Plugged in the AGPx8 card, easily, and decided to test it. No other drives.
I have a spare monitor, and KB, so plugged it all in. Turned on the switch.

WHAT? ................It booted right up. Cpu temp 98*. Silent as a baby
with all the silent type fans. Did the beep thing, but the power led
wouldn't light. Swithed the leads, and much joy. this thing is QUIET,
which, as I remember, is WHY I ordered it..............gonna keep it, me
thinks...

 

[Skybuck Flying]

I used windows 95 with 8 mb of ram and 33 or 66 mhz cpu not sure which...
probably 33 mhz... with a 56k6 modem... it worked like a charm... except for
big smileys

So your system is just fine

Bye,
Skybuck.

 

[Paul]

Well, I went against my own grain, and put this thing together. This case is
NICE. I mean it. Good metal, nice hardware, bad docs. Plus, the stuff you
put in the back, AGP card, etc, is held in place by a nice plastic lock and
no screws......I forgot WHY I bought this case, Cool master Caviliar, but
it's the tits!

The ISO shield, or whatever you call it, was a bitch. Until I found the
right one in the mobo box. (I told you it has been awhile!). Anyway, I spent
some time bending and removing sheet metal to get the ports to go through
the back. After that, th install was easy. BTW, I've never seen these, but
you may have. These are the stand-offs that have a little groove (or rabbit,
or cut) around them. The mobo *hooks* around them prior to you screwing in
the screws. No all of them only about 4. Anyway, the mobo hooks on a few of
them and saves yo the trouble of pushing the mobo against the back panel.
Very nice and helpful.

Ok. I had 1 gig of mem. It's 184 pin DDR. Crucial. 2 sticks, I remembered
enough to push like hell, and then push in the tabs. The CPU was something
else. I had never seen a coating on the part that takes the Artic Silver. It
looked golden, or copper; didn't know whether to use paint thinner or
acyetone to clean it off. I didn't bother, I took a chance. I spread some of
the stuff included with the cooler, and went ahead. It's a silent type,
copper core, slow speed, variable fan type, and I CAN'T remeber the name of
it! Kool Fan, maybe? It turns about 2850 RPM's. (I threw out the box, ergo
can't find the name).

Anyway, I hooked it up to the CPU (which turned out to be a 3000+ in the
bios), and plugged it in.

The PS was a trip. It HAD a 24 pin hook up. So..........I cut off 2 pins,
needing only 20, and the other ones got in the way of the HDD> Found out
later, that these EXTRA 2 pins simply swung out of the way if not needed.
Duh! I'm an idiot. It has the HAL switch and 450 watts, I left it on A.

This case has 2 built in fans, front and and a big one in the rear. Plugged
them in. Did all the front attachments......speaker HDD led, etc. NO biggie.
This board is kool in that it has a bunch of places to plug in USB or
firewire. Also has brackets for the back for extras. Also has mic and sound
stuff in front, and also in rear. Didn't hook it up yet.

Plugged in the AGPx8 card, easily, and decided to test it. No other drives.
I have a spare monitor, and KB, so plugged it all in. Turned on the switch.

WHAT? ................It booted right up. Cpu temp 98*. Silent as a baby
with all the silent type fans. Did the beep thing, but the power led
wouldn't light. Swithed the leads, and much joy. this thing is QUIET,
which, as I remember, is WHY I ordered it..............gonna keep it, me
thinks...

Good work. Now you've got a box with better "surf" power.

A copy of this, will verify CPU clock speed, RAM speed and timing info.
So you can tell if all is up to spec.

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

And this application will check that it really computes. This program
has a "Torture Test" option, and it does some math with a known answer.
If it detects arithmetic errors, the program stops. You'll get an error
in seconds to about 10 minutes, if the machine is not very healthy. It
should run error free for hours. This also tests the cooling, so if
you have a temperature reporting utility, you can run that at the same
time as Prime95.

http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm (Prime95, for Windows/Linux etc)

If you want to benchmark it, get a copy of SuperPI. Typical benchmarking
technique, is to calculate 1 million digits of PI. My 3.2GHz P4 does
that in 44.4 seconds. Less is better. You can run this on the old box,
and see how much better off you are. The ratio is probably not
exactly 2x.

http://www.xtremesystems.com/pi/
http://www.xtremesystems.com/pi/super_pi_mod-1.5.zip

The best SuperPI 1M result is 9 seconds, so my machine is only off
by a factor of five or so

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59753

HTH,
Paul