10-17-2004, 04:22 PM | #1 (permalink) |
Location: Waterloo, Ontario
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I'm upgrading my computer and I would like some opinions...
I, too, am upgrading my system... by buying an entirely new one! I have no real budget, since I have a full time job, but I have very particular needs (actually, I'm just picky). I'm buying all my parts from Canada Computers since they seem to have good prices and a store is just down the street from me. So, this is what I plan to get:
I'm not really comfortable spending that much on a case and power supply but I can't find anything that's both nice and inexpensive. In particular, it would be nice if I could find a case like the Antec P160 without it having to be aluminum, a feature that doesn't much concern me. What concerns me is that my enclosure is more expensive than my video card! I also wanted one of those fancy PSUs that display exactly how much power is being used but my store doesn't seem to sell one. Also, I have this fear that it will pretty much read the same amount of power regardless of what my computer is doing--which would be good to know but kind of embarrassing. Perhaps there's a generic device I can get to do this? It would be nice to include my monitor's power usage too! Anyway, any advice? All comments are welcome! Thanks... Last edited by KnifeMissile; 10-17-2004 at 08:28 PM.. |
10-17-2004, 05:30 PM | #2 (permalink) |
Insane
Location: Austin, TX
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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, 06:09 PM | #3 (permalink) |
Knight of the Old Republic
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
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I'd save money and buy an "old fashioned" AGP/PCI mobo instead of the LGA 775. That much for a motherboard is insane. PCI-E isn't useful yet and LGA requires DDR2 memory on most boards.
The processor is fine, but I'd get a Socket 478 version and possibly the 3.4 GHz Northwood. That processor won't need upgrading for years. What's the deal with the shitcan videocard!? If you're gonna get 1 GB of RAM and a super fast processor, the only obvious thing to do is to get a blazing fast videocard (unless you're not gonna play videogames at all). If you are gonna play games, I'll recommend some videocards later! Everything else looks fine! -Lasereth
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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert |
10-17-2004, 08:25 PM | #5 (permalink) | ||||||||
Location: Waterloo, Ontario
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These are some very good advice. I'm glad to find some reasonable replies here and it's a refreshing change from Tilted Politics. Thank you. Now, I use the threaded view so it would make sense for me to reply to each person, individually, but I don't think this is a popular view so I will lump my responses in one post...
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Also, what's wrong with DDR2? Is it no better than DDR? I really think the performance bottle neck on computers these days is the RAM. I mean, the fact that my P4 2GHz system at work is no more responsive than my P3 800MHz system at home is really dumb... Quote:
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10-18-2004, 01:45 AM | #6 (permalink) |
Upright
Location: Berkeley, CA
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If you're going to spend that much money, I suggest upgrading to an LCD display, if you don't already have one.
Also, is noise an issue at all? I hate noisy machines, so much so that I go through a lot of trouble to buy silent PSUs, huge passive heat sinks, and silent fans. Just a thought. |
10-18-2004, 02:01 AM | #7 (permalink) |
Tilted
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LCDs are very nice, but remember, it won't look very good unless it runs in its native resolution (likely 1600x1200), especially in games. So unless you can comfortably run whatever you are running (Doom3, HL2, whatever) at full res all the time, you might want to consider a CRT.
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10-18-2004, 05:15 AM | #9 (permalink) |
Upright
Location: Stamford, CT
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Those speakers are nice, but if you have a bookshelf stereo nearby, just go get a y-adapter from a Radio Shack like store and hook up to the AUX in the back of the stereo. Saves on buying speakers and sound is MASSIVELY better.
On the whole LCD screen issue, they still look good in the 800x600 res(which the program at my job runs at) but it is expensive for a PC you say you are trying to do with a "Small budget". CRTs are much better unless you plan on gaming or want to watch TV through your PC.(TV outs off of the video card).
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Anthony T. Townes
Victim of the Glass Ceiling |
10-18-2004, 02:27 PM | #10 (permalink) |
Knight of the Old Republic
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
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If you're not gonna game then I'll still suggest buying a Socket 478 board with a Socket 478 P4 with an AGP videocard. It's simply overkill for what you're using it for. PCI-E is a damn waste of money right now. The best videocards on the market aren't even out in PCI-E yet...only AGP. It'll be a year or two before PCI-E is worth a crap so you may as well save money now! With the applications you're gonna use the PC for you won't need to upgrade for years. Make sure you have over 512 MB of RAM and the processor you want and you'll be set.
-Lasereth
__________________
"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert |
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computer, opinions, upgrading |
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