My first build - AMD budget box - Advise please

[Cory]

I'm comfortable working inside a computer, but when it comes to building,
component selection makes my head spin. I've been looking around for a
reputable website that would help a new builder run this gauntlet. I found
what appears to be a good one at Ars Technica and I'm planning on putting
together a system based on their 'Budget Box' shown here:
http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/budget.html

Here's my current component list:

Motherboard: Shuttle AN35N ($55.12)
Processor: AMD Athlon XP2500 OEM ($80)
Fan: SVC GC68 ($5.50)
RAM: Two 256MB PC3200 DDR ($105.98)
Video: ATI Radeon 9100 128MB ($72)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB ($67)
CD-RW: Lite-On LTR-52327S ($40)
Case: Antec SLK3700BQE ($77)
Monitor: NEC FE991SB ($211.94)
Floppy: Teac 1.44MB ($6.95)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home ($85)

Total Price: $806.49

When I first started my research, I was hoping to put a system together that
would meet my needs for around $500. After returning to reality, I've
changed my goal to something as far under $1000 as possible. I left out the
mouse, keyboard and speakers since I already have those. The only changes I
made to their list were the CD-RW (I don't need a combo drive), the case
(quieter) and the monitor (17" is too small). The case and monitor
recommendations were taken from their mid-range system, the 'Hot Rod.' The
computer has to run the usual office bloatware, Photoshop and streaming
internet video. The only heavy duty game that I would play is Microsoft
Flight Simulator. I've been reading this group for awhile and I'm impressed
with the expertise represented here. I'd be very interested in reading your
feedback to this system.

Cory

 

[Eternally]

I'm comfortable working inside a computer, but when it comes to building,
component selection makes my head spin. I've been looking around for a
reputable website that would help a new builder run this gauntlet. I found
what appears to be a good one at Ars Technica and I'm planning on putting
together a system based on their 'Budget Box' shown here:
http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/budget.html

Here's my current component list:

Motherboard: Shuttle AN35N ($55.12)
Processor: AMD Athlon XP2500 OEM ($80)
Fan: SVC GC68 ($5.50)
RAM: Two 256MB PC3200 DDR ($105.98)
Video: ATI Radeon 9100 128MB ($72)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB ($67)
CD-RW: Lite-On LTR-52327S ($40)
Case: Antec SLK3700BQE ($77)
Monitor: NEC FE991SB ($211.94)
Floppy: Teac 1.44MB ($6.95)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home ($85)

Total Price: $806.49

Pretty good setup. I have a very similar one. Same mobo and cpu. Radion
9000. 2 x 256 PC3200. Antec Sonata case.
The only thing I could recommend to you to cut the budget further is if you
live in the US, check out the sales from Best Buy every week. I got my two
sticks of matched Kingston ram sold together for $65 after mail-in rebate
last week. Also, they've had great sales on Monitors too. I bought my
sister a great 19 inch Phillips monitor for $100 after mail-in rebates. You
may be able to save another $20 or so bucks on the cdrw and the hard drive
by doing the same thing. Also, that's a great video card, but may even be
more then you need if you're not doing any gaming or video editing.
Consider the Radeon 7000 which starts at around $30 and is still better then
most video cards included in standard desktop systems.

 

[zalzon]

I'd go with a DVD recorder which can do both CDRW and record DVDs.

Just be careful to get a DVD recorder which does both DVD+R/W and
DVD-R/W. Its just a lil more money but its worth it I think.

 

[tweak]

I'd go with a DVD recorder which can do both CDRW and record DVDs.

Just be careful to get a DVD recorder which does both DVD+R/W and
DVD-R/W. Its just a lil more money but its worth it I think.

Actually it's cheaper. The liteon 411s or 811s is about 30-40 bucks
cheaper than a comparable speed HP burner and the HP won't burn both
media.

 

[Ed_]

I'm comfortable working inside a computer, but when it comes to building,
component selection makes my head spin. I've been looking around for a
reputable website that would help a new builder run this gauntlet. I found
what appears to be a good one at Ars Technica and I'm planning on putting
together a system based on their 'Budget Box' shown here:
http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/budget.html

Here's my current component list:

Motherboard: Shuttle AN35N ($55.12)
Processor: AMD Athlon XP2500 OEM ($80)
Fan: SVC GC68 ($5.50)
RAM: Two 256MB PC3200 DDR ($105.98)
Video: ATI Radeon 9100 128MB ($72)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB ($67)
CD-RW: Lite-On LTR-52327S ($40)
Case: Antec SLK3700BQE ($77)
Monitor: NEC FE991SB ($211.94)
Floppy: Teac 1.44MB ($6.95)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home ($85)

Total Price: $806.49

When I first started my research, I was hoping to put a system together that
would meet my needs for around $500. After returning to reality, I've
changed my goal to something as far under $1000 as possible. I left out the
mouse, keyboard and speakers since I already have those. The only changes I
made to their list were the CD-RW (I don't need a combo drive), the case
(quieter) and the monitor (17" is too small). The case and monitor
recommendations were taken from their mid-range system, the 'Hot Rod.' The
computer has to run the usual office bloatware, Photoshop and streaming
internet video. The only heavy duty game that I would play is Microsoft
Flight Simulator. I've been reading this group for awhile and I'm impressed
with the expertise represented here. I'd be very interested in reading your
feedback to this system.

Cory

That's a great choice for the case. I have one sitting on my kitchen floor
right now for my next build. Very solid and quality built case that should run
cool and quiet, especially if you add the 120 front fan.

Nice job, looks like you've done your homework.

Ed

 

[Cory]

I'd go with a DVD recorder which can do both CDRW and record DVDs.

Just be careful to get a DVD recorder which does both DVD+R/W and
DVD-R/W. Its just a lil more money but its worth it I think.

Thanks for the input, but why do you think I should get a DVD R/W for 3
times as much as a CDRW? What's the advantage? I'd only be using it to
back up files.

Cory

 

[Scapaflow]

I'm wondering if PC2700 memory is advisable for this system since the
2500+ is 333MHZ FSB chip? I know PC3200 will work, but I believe Dave
C. suggested performance may suffer if 400 mhz ram is used with a 333
mhz CPU. Perhaps a penalty exists but is negligible.
Dave

 

[Dave Navarro]

RAM: Two 256MB PC3200 DDR ($105.98)

Why two 256MB chips when a single 512MB chip will save you $10 to $15?

--Dave

 

[Dave Navarro]

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home ($85)

If you own a copy of Windows now for your existing system, you can save
another $10 to $20 by going with the XP Home OEM upgrade (you just have
to buy it with a piece of hardware).

--Dave

 

[JT]

Why two 256MB chips when a single 512MB chip will save you $10 to $15?

--Dave

Could it be it's an Nforce2 board, and he wants to use Dual Channel ram for
a performance boost? Not much of a speed up, but probably worth $10 to $15
for the difference.

JT

 

[Dave C.]

I'm wondering if PC2700 memory is advisable for this system since the
2500+ is 333MHZ FSB chip? I know PC3200 will work, but I believe Dave
C. suggested performance may suffer if 400 mhz ram is used with a 333
mhz CPU. Perhaps a penalty exists but is negligible.
Dave

You called it. A penalty exists, but it is negligible. Still, unless the
OP is planning to overclock (not advisable), there is no need for 400MHz
RAM. I'd pay no more than $80 for a good pair of name brand 256MB PC2700
memory modules. The RAM the OP chose will work, and it's not overpriced,
but it will also hamper system performance slightly as the CPU FSB and the
memory will be running asynchronously. -Dave

 

[Cory]

You called it. A penalty exists, but it is negligible. Still,
unless the OP is planning to overclock (not advisable), there is no
need for 400MHz RAM. I'd pay no more than $80 for a good pair of
name brand 256MB PC2700 memory modules. The RAM the OP chose will
work, and it's not overpriced, but it will also hamper system
performance slightly as the CPU FSB and the memory will be running
asynchronously. -Dave

Thanks for the heads up on this. It's curious that the guys at Ars Technica
got this wrong. FYI, this is what they said about why they selected this
RAM:

"Memory prices continue to fluctuate, with PC3200 and PC2700 price gaps
shrinking dramatically, at least when checking prices on DealTime or
Pricewatch. We use two 256MB sticks for optimal performance from our
dual-channel DDR controller on the nForce2 Ultra400-based motherboard; two
sticks so we can use both channels, with 512MB over 256MB for significantly
enhanced usability."

If PC3200 is not a good match for the Shuttle AN35N board, I think I'll take
your advice and to with PC2700.

Cory

 

[Cory]

If you own a copy of Windows now for your existing system, you can
save another $10 to $20 by going with the XP Home OEM upgrade (you
just have to buy it with a piece of hardware).

--Dave

Is it really a good idea to upgrade from Win98 to WinXP rather than doing a
clean install? I thought a clean install was always the way to go with a
major OS change, especially with XP. For what it's worth, I plan on setting
up dual boot with Win98 and XP, if that matters in regard to this question.

Cory

 

[Cory]

Could it be it's an Nforce2 board, and he wants to use Dual Channel
ram for a performance boost? Not much of a speed up, but probably
worth $10 to $15 for the difference.

JT

That's correct. I'm trying to take advantage of the dual-channel DDR
controller per the advice from Ars Technica.

Cory

 

[Dave Navarro]

Is it really a good idea to upgrade from Win98 to WinXP rather than doing a
clean install? I thought a clean install was always the way to go with a
major OS change, especially with XP. For what it's worth, I plan on setting
up dual boot with Win98 and XP, if that matters in regard to this question.

If you have a Win98 CD, you can do a clean install of XP and insert the
Win98 CD when it asks for proof of upgrade.

That's what I did for my grandfather's computer.

--Dave

 

[Dave C.]

"> > You called it. A penalty exists, but it is negligible. Still,

Thanks for the heads up on this. It's curious that the guys at Ars Technica
got this wrong. FYI, this is what they said about why they selected this
RAM:

"Memory prices continue to fluctuate, with PC3200 and PC2700 price gaps
shrinking dramatically, at least when checking prices on DealTime or
Pricewatch. We use two 256MB sticks for optimal performance from our
dual-channel DDR controller on the nForce2 Ultra400-based motherboard; two
sticks so we can use both channels, with 512MB over 256MB for significantly
enhanced usability."

If PC3200 is not a good match for the Shuttle AN35N board, I think I'll take
your advice and to with PC2700.

Cory

Cory - Ars Technica is not wrong. There is nothing wrong with using PC3200
RAM with that motherboard or processor. It will work fine. And as long as
it's the same price, it's not bad advice for ARS Technica to say buy it.
HOWEVER, your best performance (but probably not a noticeable difference)
will be achieved by using PC2700 RAM. Also, as technology changes faster
than people tend to upgrade, PC3200 RAM is no more future-proof than PC2700
RAM. That is, you'll probably buy new RAM for your next upgrade, even if
you buy PC3200 RAM today. So for the system built with a 333 FSB processor
today, PC2700 RAM is just as good as PC3200 RAM. That is, unless you intend
to overclock. Please don't overclock. -Dave

 

[AJ]

You called it. A penalty exists, but it is negligible. Still, unless the
OP is planning to overclock (not advisable), there is no need for 400MHz

That's a joke. The 2500+ is a 3200+ that didn't pass a picky heat
test. Run it at 400 FSB like I do on over half a dozen boxes.

 

[AJ]

That's correct. I'm trying to take advantage of the dual-channel DDR
controller per the advice from Ars Technica.

Forget that. Run the FSB at 400 which does give a big performance
boost in every way. That dual channel RAM is a joke compared to 400
FSB.

 

[Cory]

Cory - Ars Technica is not wrong. There is nothing wrong with using
PC3200 RAM with that motherboard or processor. It will work fine.
And as long as it's the same price, it's not bad advice for ARS
Technica to say buy it. HOWEVER, your best performance (but probably
not a noticeable difference) will be achieved by using PC2700 RAM.
Also, as technology changes faster than people tend to upgrade,
PC3200 RAM is no more future-proof than PC2700 RAM. That is, you'll
probably buy new RAM for your next upgrade, even if you buy PC3200
RAM today. So for the system built with a 333 FSB processor today,
PC2700 RAM is just as good as PC3200 RAM. That is, unless you intend
to overclock. Please don't overclock. -Dave

I did some digging at the AMD site and you may have been mistaken regarding
the bus speed. It says that the Athlon XP processor has a 400 FSB (and the
Shuttle AN35N supports 400). So the PC3200 would be the best match after
all wouldn't it?

Cory

 

[Cory]

Forget that. Run the FSB at 400 which does give a big performance
boost in every way. That dual channel RAM is a joke compared to 400
FSB.

Okay, here's where my knowledge is admittedly weak. If I use PC3200 with
the Shuttle AN35N, are you saying that it won't make any difference if I run
dual-channel or not? Could you point me to a source that would help me
separate the hype from the facts? Thanks.

Cory