Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - I'm upgrading my computer and I would like some opinions...

skaven · 10-17-2004, 05:30 PM

Looks like you've thought it out quite a bit -- a couple suggestions (disclaimer: I work for AMD...)

If you're OK with spending CAD$1600 on a new system, I think you would get much better performance for your dollar going with an Athlon XP-based system. You can get an Asus A7N8X deluxe motherboardm (has sATA support), an Athlon XP 3200+ (barton core) processor, and 1G of Corsair XMS low-latency memory for just US$500. That leaves a TON of headroom for, say, a fancy schmancy video card, or a cool surround-sound system. As far as performance, the P4 HT 3Ghz chip on a DDR2 platform may score better in the benchmarks, but not so much that you'd notice, especially considering the extra money you're spending on the Intel platform.

Another suggestion (though ones that's probably more expensive than what you've listed), is to go with an AMD Athlon64 solution. Not only do the Athlon64 processors leave most Intel processors behind, you won't have to worry about upgrading your CPU/motherboard when the 64-bit edition of Windows comes out. Just load it up and you're good to go. Since Intel's 64-bit implementation is actually copied from AMD's, chances are Intel's will actually be buggier than AMD's in the new 64-bit apps.

The one caveat to this suggestion is if you're planning on using this rig to do a lot of video encoding (the DVD recorder might indicate this). In that case, the P4's simply put the Athlon in the dust. This is mostly due to most encoders supporting the P4's SSE-2 extensions, which the Athlon-XP does not have. Also, the HT helps a lot if you're encoding in the background and don't want your foreground apps lagging.

As for the chassis, the best suggestion I can make is to go with something time-tested and sure to deliver. I got myself a <a href="http://www.antec-inc.com/Search.bok?category=Enclosures"> PlusView 1000 AMG</a> enclosure, and married it with an Antec Tru380 380W power suply. The chassis is built like a tank, and has plenty of space inside for all your peripherals. As far as power supplies, the only ones I trust are from Antec. I have an Atec Tru380 PSU in my system, and it has delivered clean, reliable power for several years now.

I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for as far as monitoring power usage, but most (if not all) motherboards have onboard sensors to report the current voltages on the board. I'm not really sure what the benefit of knowing how many watts of power you're using would be, aside from the "bells and whistles" factor.

Finally, are you planning on doing any gaming with this rig? Remember that most games depend more on a good video card than they do a fast processor.

Well that's a lot to digest...no matter what you decide on building, just make sure you have fun with it!!

10-17-2004, 05:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
skaven Insane Location: Austin, TX	Looks like you've thought it out quite a bit -- a couple suggestions (disclaimer: I work for AMD...) If you're OK with spending CAD$1600 on a new system, I think you would get much better performance for your dollar going with an Athlon XP-based system. You can get an Asus A7N8X deluxe motherboardm (has sATA support), an Athlon XP 3200+ (barton core) processor, and 1G of Corsair XMS low-latency memory for just US$500. That leaves a TON of headroom for, say, a fancy schmancy video card, or a cool surround-sound system. As far as performance, the P4 HT 3Ghz chip on a DDR2 platform may score better in the benchmarks, but not so much that you'd notice, especially considering the extra money you're spending on the Intel platform. Another suggestion (though ones that's probably more expensive than what you've listed), is to go with an AMD Athlon64 solution. Not only do the Athlon64 processors leave most Intel processors behind, you won't have to worry about upgrading your CPU/motherboard when the 64-bit edition of Windows comes out. Just load it up and you're good to go. Since Intel's 64-bit implementation is actually copied from AMD's, chances are Intel's will actually be buggier than AMD's in the new 64-bit apps. The one caveat to this suggestion is if you're planning on using this rig to do a lot of video encoding (the DVD recorder might indicate this). In that case, the P4's simply put the Athlon in the dust. This is mostly due to most encoders supporting the P4's SSE-2 extensions, which the Athlon-XP does not have. Also, the HT helps a lot if you're encoding in the background and don't want your foreground apps lagging. As for the chassis, the best suggestion I can make is to go with something time-tested and sure to deliver. I got myself a <a href="http://www.antec-inc.com/Search.bok?category=Enclosures"> PlusView 1000 AMG</a> enclosure, and married it with an Antec Tru380 380W power suply. The chassis is built like a tank, and has plenty of space inside for all your peripherals. As far as power supplies, the only ones I trust are from Antec. I have an Atec Tru380 PSU in my system, and it has delivered clean, reliable power for several years now. I'm not sure what exactly you're looking for as far as monitoring power usage, but most (if not all) motherboards have onboard sensors to report the current voltages on the board. I'm not really sure what the benefit of knowing how many watts of power you're using would be, aside from the "bells and whistles" factor. Finally, are you planning on doing any gaming with this rig? Remember that most games depend more on a good video card than they do a fast processor. Well that's a lot to digest...no matter what you decide on building, just make sure you have fun with it!!