1st time building a computer - need opinions

[magictom8]

Hi Everyone

This forum looks really useful, so I thought I should ask your advice before buying all the parts. I live in the UK so price advice won't be relevant by the way.

This is what I'm thinking of getting. Please let me know what you think - any suggestions would be really appreciated.

CPU - Intel P4 2.4 512Kb S478 Box 800FSB
MoBo - Abit S478 Intel 865PE ATX A L
RAM - Crucial Technology 256MB 184Pin DIMM PC2100 DDR RAM Non-Parity CL2.5 (times 2)

Graphics - Dabsvalue Radeon 9600 256mb DDR AGP
Sound - m-audio Audiophile 24/96

Lian-Li pc7 case
Cooler Master Smart Quiet 8cm Case Fan
Thermaltake Silent 300W ATX PSU

Maxtor DiamondMax Plus9 120GB UDMA133
Pioneer 16xDVD 40xCD Int IDE Slot OEM
Lite-ON CD-RW 52r 52w 32rw Int IDE RP
Mitsumi 1.44MB Internal 3.5"


Should I go for the PC2700 ram? will any extra cables/screws etc. be needed?

[Budfred]

Welcome to http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/pcgubb.gif

Looks pretty good to me...

The two things I would reconsider: I would want a board that uses SATA and a SATA hard drive and I would consider getting a DVD +/- RW since the prices are dropping on them and they can do all of the major formats available today.

Caveat: depends on what you want to do with the system. You have a pretty nice one there, but not state of the art.... If you are a gamer, you may want to do a bit more... Might be helpful to say why you want it....

One more point: quite a few of our members are from your part of the world, so they may be able to give you some good price advice....:)

[magictom8]

cheers for that.

I'm buying the system mainly for sound production which is why i went for the audiophile card. I chose an intel rather than AMD because I have been told intels are slightly more stable when running intensive sound production apps.

im not too concerned about the gaming performance, although this will be a family machine so it needs to have good all round performance. for example, i will probably be hooking up the graphics card to the tv to watch dvds.

I would want a board that uses SATA and a SATA hard drive

I don't know much about this - is this a slightly different interface? what MoBo would you recommend that would go well with the processor. (and what HD).

Will I need any additional cables?

thanks again

[malcore]

That board you chose has SATA capability. Will probably have the cables too. Easy setup, if you use 2000 or xp.

As for the RAM, you have an 800FSB P4 on a dual channel mobo, so for best performance you really need to get some PC 3200 (DDR400).

Consider a stronger power supply as well.

Maxtor, Western Digital and Seagate all make good 7200 rpm SATA drives. For a bit more money Western Digital makes 10000 rpm SATA drives called "Raptors".

[pave_spectre]

For a P4 board with 800FSB you definitely want better than PC2100 RAM, PC2700 would be the minimum 3200 might even be better.
SATA is a different interface than regular hard drives but SATA compatible boards usually come with a couple of SATA cables.

[Whyzman]

I'm not a RAM expert by any stretch of the imagination... :D

However, it does seem as though your choice of PC2100 is a bit passe and does not take full advantage of the FSB of your chosen processor...

I would say that something in the vicinity of PC3200 would be a bit more apropos...

I know that Saphaline eats this type of question for dinner as well as some of the more "in the know" RAM folks around here... ;)

(edit)...Oh, and then there's Mr. pave the faster typer than I...who points you also in the right direction...:D

[magictom8]

thanks for the suggestions everyone - keep 'em coming. Is dabs the best place for cheap components in the UK?

[magictom8]

which power supply unit should i get?

[pave_spectre]

Antec (http://www.antec-inc.com/pro_powerSupply.html) come highly reccomended.

[Budfred]

Here is a good article about choosing a power supply (http://www.firingsquad.com/guides/power_supply/default.asp) and here is a good review of power supplies.... (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20021021/index.html)

[saphalline]

I know that Saphaline eats this type of question for dinner as well as some of the more "in the know" RAM folks around here... ;)Hehe, thanx for the recommendation, Whyzman. :cool:

Yes, PC3200 DDR RAM (aka DDR400) would be the best. The reason is that a processor performs at peak efficiency when the RAM and the FSB are the same speed. So, PC3200 operates at 400MHz. In dual-channel mode, it's doubled to 800MHz. The same as the P4C's FSB. Of course, in order to take advantage of dual-channel mode, you'll need two sticks of RAM, which you wisely chose. ;)

PC3200 can be a bit expensive, however, so 2 sticks of 256MB aren't a bad idea. That's 512MB total, the least amount of RAM for a new PC, IMO. I like 1GB myself :D but that's not needed for a non-gaming PC.

I definitely "second the motion" for a SATA hard drive. Only a few pounds more on average vs IDE hard drives, and SATA is more efficient. I recommend one of the 7200rpm ones at around 120GB. The 10,000rpm "Raptor" is only 36GB and is really only meant for a gaming machine with a second hard drive (that's me! :D).

Also, if you really needed to get the price down a little more, you could pull back on the video card. The R9600 is pretty powerful, but if sound production is the main use of this PC, the Radeon 9200 would be just fine. You can easily find a 9200 with the required connections you need and is about half the price.

[rond36]

i will probably be hooking up the graphics card to the tv to watch dvds.

The ATI All-In-Wonder 9600 Pro 128MB card would be better suited for this. It comes with the necessary software and outputs.

[magictom8]

Cheers for those comments everyone. ;)

I think I will cut back on the video card - probably go for a 9200 128mb or sumthink. The comment about dual dimms was useful too - i had kind of suspected I would need to fill two slots to take advantage of the speed but wasn't sure.

After reading the articles about PSUs, I'll probably go for the 380W antec one - means if I need to upgrade theres sufficient power left over.:D