Re: Low Budget Shooting for Hi End Socket 478 Build

On 30 Oct 2005 06:11:17 -0800, teknowbabble@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

>Ive been saving up my pennies and am interested in building a system
>that can do,
>
>* 3D CAD
>* Digital Audio Production
>* Be a Small Server
>* Can Network with other computers

>----------------------------------
>I bought an Intel D865GBFLK Mobo.
>----------------------------------

Why? What was so special about that board? The price between a great
board and a not-so-great board are not that much difference. I hope
you bought it used, because the prices I've found from retailers for
this board are high - $139 at Directron. You could have bought a very
modern board with all the bells and whistles and a BIOS that'll let
you overclock every ounce of potential out for that kind of money.
Something from Gigabyte, Asus, MSI, Abit, or DFI would have been a
better choice.

>Im definitely on a budget. But Im trying to shoot as high as I can.

How tight?

>Basically Im looking for AFFORDABILITY, FLEXIBLITY, UPGRADEABILITY, and
>RELIABILITY.

You lost upgradability with that board. It's a generation old
technology that uses AGP, which will be a dead technology before long,
and the socket 478, which the availability of future processor
upgrades is limited and will undoubtedly completely dry up before
long.

You could have bought a Gigabyte nForce 4 board with SLI for $106 that
has upgradeability: Firewire, PCI-e, socket 939 (current socket), SATA
II, lots of USB ports, gigabit LAN, and SLI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128301

And AMD Athlon 64 has 64 bits and will be ready for future software
that'll take advantage of it and is much more bang for the buck. A
nice 3200+ Venice core Athlon 64 would set you back a paltry $152.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103535

>I was told that I would need at least a P4 800 FSB CPU for graphics.
>Thats means at least a 2.4C or E Ghz P4 CPU. I was also told at least
>512 MB RAM to start.

With Win XP, you should really get a full 1 MB of memory or more. It
makes a difference. Also, 2.4 GHz is awfully slow. Why not a 3.2 or
3.4 GHz? The Northwood, which is a better processor than the Prescott,
isn't even available anymore, I don't believe. If you use dual channel
memory, get matching pairs (2x512).

>I was thinking of getting a full tower case with a beefy power supply.
>I want a case with as many 5.25 bays in the front and 3.5 trays inside
>as possible.

What's your need for all those bays? If you're on such a budget, look
into something more affordable like a mid-tower.

>Which is better Antec or Enermax? or are they both about the same.

My personal preference is Antec, and get one with the PSU installed.
It's cheaper that way.

>I was thinking of getting around a 450-500 Watt PS. What do you think?
>I keep hearing that at least a 350W PS will due.
>If I transition to a Mobo with dual-core CPU, PCI x-press, and a SLI
>graphics system down the road can I get a compatible PS now? Are there
>any special connectors I need to be aware of?

If you want to go with Intel in the future, make sure the power supply
is compatible with the new connector to the motherboard. I believe
it's now 24 pin, vs. the ATX 20 pin.

Wattage is less of a concern than amps. Look for the +12V rating of
amps. Two power supplies with the same wattage rating can put out
drastically different amps on the +12V line, which is the most
important. I had a 350 watt no-name PSU that put out 12 amps and an
Antec 350 watt that puts out 21 amps. Huge difference. You'll know a
quality PSU when you pick them up. Generally, a heavier PSU is a
better made one.

If you want a great case that should meet your needs, and you can live
with a mid tower design, take a look at the Antec Sonata II. It has a
SmartPower 2.0 450 watt power supply that should fill your future
needs, is a quiet design, 4 internal 3.5" bays for HDD's, 2 external
3.5 bays, and 3 external 5.25 bays - all for about $100. Great little
case...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155


>I would love to get a lian li case but its out of my price rannge. What
>comparable brand-name cases do you recommend? I like a simple
>rectangular box like lian li's. I dont need the doors on front. I would
>like simple mounting and access systems. I dont know much about cases.
>Ive seen some with carry handles and quick release mounting screws that
>look nice and seem functional.

Those doors on the front are great for one reason - small kids. Kids
will find their way to your case and turn your computer off on you if
the power button is exposed. Hiding it behind a door fixes that.
That's a consideration if you have small kids, or plan to have kids.

If you like the exposed drive bays, consider the Antec Performance
TX640B, with a 400 watt PSU.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129157

You could get a little creative to dress it up by using paint or vinyl
die to color the drives, or just getting pre-colored or even silver
faces on them.

>As far as graphics I will have to save up for that. I guess that will
>be an ATI or NVidea. I guess there is some 6-pin connector for the
>higher power graphics cards to watch out for.

I would think that a 6600GT would fit your bill. You can get an EVGA
6600GT for the AGP slot for about $133 after rebate from New Egg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130214
.