Proposed parts for homebuild

M

Mike Day

I am about to order the following parts in the next couple of weeks to build
my own pc. Does anyone have any comments to make re
suitability/compatability etc or any tips on how to put the thing together.
I have not built a complete pc before but I have fitted garphics cards,
sound cards, processor fans, power supplies etc and installed Windows after
re-rformatting etc. The proposed system will be :

Motherboard ASUSA7N8X-X (ebuyer pt no 49061)
Processor AMDXP 2500 with Barton core and 333 FSB (ebuyer pt no 46513)
IBM/Hitachi 120Gb HDD (ebuyer pt no 43158)
Pioneer DVR-106 (ebuyer pt no 49638)
Sony 52x24x52 CDRW (ebuyer pt no 48491)
2 x 256 Crucial DDR2700 RAM direct from Crucial for lifetime warranty
Leadtech Winfast Geforce FX5200 8x AGP 128MB (ebuyer pt no 47906) - the
ebuyer description talks about Hardware Monitor & Dongle, what is it ?
Cheap 10/100 Ethernet card to port info from current system
Green tick case with 300w supply - any advice here would be appreciated
Panasonic FDD

I intend running Windows XP

Thanks in advance for any hepl or advice you can ofer.

Regards
Mike
 
F

Fitz

Unless you are set on the ASUS MB, you might want to check out the
Newegg.com website. I just ordered a Biostar M7NCD motherboard (NForce 2
single channel DDR, supports up to 400 MHz FSB) - basically the same as the
ASUS board you are considering. It also includes onboard 10/100 LAN and 6
channel Realtec audio. When ordered as a combo with the Barton 2500+, it was
$146.00 total. Crucial PC 2700 (512 MB non-ECC) was $86.00. I've never owed
a Biostar product, but the reviews weren't bad and the performance is on par
with the ASUS.

Good Luck,
Fitz
 
S

Steve Almond

Mike,

This probably won't help much, but..... I'm about to undertake a very
similar task, so I know the endless decisions.

I also chose the XP 2500+ chip.

Why the IBM HD, rather than the Maxtor Diamondmax 9 120Gb? Did you consider
using a S-ATA drive/motherboard combination?

Why the 2x256 RAM rather than 1x512? I'm hearing the dual channel idea is,
at best, no advantage on single channel. I'm going for Crucial RAM also.

How did you select the motherboard? I noticed on one of the help forums that
almost all the mobo problems were concerned with ASUS boards (maybe simply
the most popular?). Did you consider using a mobo with the KT600 chipset
(say an MSI board)?

Steve
 
D

Dave simons

avoid ibm/hitachi drives mate ive had two and both have gone fault within
12months,try maxtor or western digital

cheers

dave
 
H

higgy

Mike Day said:
I am about to order the following parts in the next couple of weeks to
build my own pc. Does anyone have any comments to make re
suitability/compatability etc or any tips on how to put the thing
together. I have not built a complete pc before but I have fitted
garphics cards, sound cards, processor fans, power supplies etc and
installed Windows after re-rformatting etc. The proposed system will
be :

Motherboard ASUSA7N8X-X (ebuyer pt no 49061)
Processor AMDXP 2500 with Barton core and 333 FSB (ebuyer pt no 46513)
IBM/Hitachi 120Gb HDD (ebuyer pt no 43158)

I'd go for Seagate or Western Digital. IBM's problems might be behind
them, but I haven't heard any compelling reasons to choose them over
other brands.
Pioneer DVR-106 (ebuyer pt no 49638)
Sony 52x24x52 CDRW (ebuyer pt no 48491)
2 x 256 Crucial DDR2700 RAM direct from Crucial for lifetime warranty
Leadtech Winfast Geforce FX5200 8x AGP 128MB (ebuyer pt no 47906) -
the ebuyer description talks about Hardware Monitor & Dongle, what is
it ?

Haven't a clue about the dongle, but if you're interested in games,
consider one of the Radeon line instead (preferably 9600Pro or above),
or an older GF4 Ti4200.
Cheap 10/100 Ethernet card to port info from current system
Green tick case with 300w supply - any advice here would be
appreciated Panasonic FDD

I intend running Windows XP

Yeah, it's a shame that's the only viable OS, isn't it? ;-)


Dave.
 
S

Strontium

If the picture of them is what you purport, here, then how on earth did they
ever stay in business? What a crock.

-
Dave simons stood up at show-n-tell, in [email protected],
and said:
 
J

Jim Strand

I'd go for Seagate or Western Digital. IBM's problems might be behind
them, but I haven't heard any compelling reasons to choose them over
other brands.
Instead, here is a reason to avoid them. Bought one in 2000 that
failed within the warranty period. Unlike the other brands the
IBM/Hitachi required you to send it in for them to test first. Then
they would determine whether to fix it, replace it, or say tough luck.
Meanwhile that computer doesn't work at all.

Stick with any other brand that allows a direct replacement guaranteed
by credit card to ensure the original drive is RMA'd back.




***************************************
delete "nospam" for e-mail reply
***************************************
 
W

w

Instead of the Asus MB, I would go for something from Gigabyte or MSI.
Gigabyte and MSI would cost less for the same features, or give you more for
the same money.
 
A

AJ

I am about to order the following parts in the next couple of weeks to build
my own pc. Does anyone have any comments to make re
suitability/compatability etc or any tips on how to put the thing together.
I have not built a complete pc before but I have fitted garphics cards,
sound cards, processor fans, power supplies etc and installed Windows after
re-rformatting etc. The proposed system will be :

Motherboard ASUSA7N8X-X (ebuyer pt no 49061)

Avoid -X since it has stripped down BIOS adjustments.
Processor AMDXP 2500 with Barton core and 333 FSB (ebuyer pt no 46513)
IBM/Hitachi 120Gb HDD (ebuyer pt no 43158)

Avoid that brand.
Pioneer DVR-106 (ebuyer pt no 49638)
Sony 52x24x52 CDRW (ebuyer pt no 48491)
2 x 256 Crucial DDR2700 RAM direct from Crucial for lifetime warranty

Crucial is not one of the 10 approved brands of RAM on that board. I
would get Corsair which is approved.
Leadtech Winfast Geforce FX5200 8x AGP 128MB (ebuyer pt no 47906) - the
ebuyer description talks about Hardware Monitor & Dongle, what is it ?
Cheap 10/100 Ethernet card to port info from current system

Spend more and get the model with 2 onboard LANs.
Green tick case with 300w supply - any advice here would be appreciated
Panasonic FDD

I intend running Windows XP

Thanks in advance for any hepl or advice you can ofer.

Regards
Mike
Great A7N8X info page:
http://www.techspot.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7934
 
H

higgy

AJ said:
Avoid -X since it has stripped down BIOS adjustments.


Avoid that brand.


Crucial is not one of the 10 approved brands of RAM on that board. I
would get Corsair which is approved.

Your approved list doesn't include "Micron", does it? ;-)

That's irrelevant, anyway. If it's bought through Crucials Memory
Selecter, it's guaranteed to work.


Dave.
 
A

AJ

Your approved list doesn't include "Micron", does it? ;-)

That's irrelevant, anyway. If it's bought through Crucials Memory
Selecter, it's guaranteed to work.


Dave.

As that A7N8X page points out these boards are RAM picky. Some have
had trouble with Micron RAM on the board but YMMV.
 
P

Phisherman

Crucial is not one of the 10 approved brands of RAM on that board. I
would get Corsair which is approved.

I bought memory from Crucial for hundreds of PC and Macs for many
years (in a school system) and have not had any problems at all, at
least so far. Good prices with a school discount and fast service
too. They will give discount for resellers also.
 
W

Walt R

Phisherman said:
The case is fine, but I'd beef up the P/S a little. Can't go wrong
with Antec.

A dongle is hardware that has to be installed on the correct port in
order for the software to function. Check the power requirements for
Athlon and your intended devices and add a hundred watts or so. The
starting wattage may be higher than the operating wattage.

Have you actually read and understand WinXP's EULA?

Walt R.
 
V

\(\) |V| 3 G A

Mike Day said:
I am about to order the following parts in the next couple of weeks to build
my own pc. Does anyone have any comments to make re
suitability/compatability etc or any tips on how to put the thing together.
I have not built a complete pc before but I have fitted garphics cards,
sound cards, processor fans, power supplies etc and installed Windows after
re-rformatting etc. The proposed system will be :

Motherboard ASUSA7N8X-X (ebuyer pt no 49061)
Processor AMDXP 2500 with Barton core and 333 FSB (ebuyer pt no 46513)
IBM/Hitachi 120Gb HDD (ebuyer pt no 43158)

nothing wrong with IBM, but *I* dont persoanlly class them as performance
drives. i`ve had the 3 other majors - seagate, maxtor and western digital.
cant fault any of them. dad has IBM in his P4 1.7ghz pc and he has no
problems - been running for more than 1.5years.
i`d also opt for SATA. i think SATA is slightly cheaper than PATA (standard
HDD connection) (you will need a SATA motherboard though - a7n8x deluxe)
i`m running SATA RAID on 2x western digital 10,000rpm raptor drives, and
it's faultless so far
Pioneer DVR-106 (ebuyer pt no 49638)
Sony 52x24x52 CDRW (ebuyer pt no 48491)
2 x 256 Crucial DDR2700 RAM direct from Crucial for lifetime warranty
Leadtech Winfast Geforce FX5200 8x AGP 128MB (ebuyer pt no 47906) - the
ebuyer description talks about Hardware Monitor & Dongle, what is it ?

surely you could push your wallet a bit further? if i were buying now it
would either be atleast the GF FX5600 (on par with gf4 ti4200 + DX9) or one
of the radeon cards which have alot better FSAA and AF
Cheap 10/100 Ethernet card to port info from current system
Green tick case with 300w supply - any advice here would be appreciated

i`d get branded psu - enermax, hyperpower, antec, qtec etc with a minimum of
350w
Panasonic FDD

I intend running Windows XP

Thanks in advance for any hepl or advice you can ofer.

Regards
Mike


hope that helps
tim draper
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Similar Threads


Top