|
|
|
Computer Help |
Fun Stuff |
Misc Stuff |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Computer Help |
Fun Stuff |
Misc Stuff |
|
|
|
|
|
Use this Drop Box to navigate this section |
|
|
|
Building my own Computer Step 1 Parts If you have questions or comments about this, post them on the Message Board under Building a New Computer I'm Building a New Computer and will post the process step by step as I put it all together. Starting 2/5/2003 The first step is to figure out what to buy. I first decided on the Processor, I wanted one faster then 2 MHZ, because all the new games coming out will require at least a 2 MHZ processor, so I decided on an AMD XP 2600+ Socket A CPU that runs on a 333 MHZ FSB. I could have gone with a faster one but then the price jumps $100.00, this one will cost $286.00. I'm trying to stay in the $1,200.00 price rang with this Box, I have the Monitor so I am only building the box. Next I had to pick out a Mother Board ( Mobo ) for that processor. Mother Boards are designed for different Processors ( cpu ) , the one I decided on is the ASUS A7N8X Deluxe ( A7=Athlon Series, N=NForce Chipset, 8X=AGP 8X ), this board is awesome. Here is a link to the Review of this board at FiringSquad.com, it was tested with the Graphics card I am getting also, the ATI RADEON 9700 Pro the best card on the market to date. The Mobo cost is $139.00 and the ATI Radeon is $338.00 here is an old review on this card from Sharky Extreme Next I needed to decide on what RAM to use with the Mobo, the Mobo supports PC3200, so I decided on using a single 512MB PC3200 module. The cost of the RAM is $175.00. I do not need to buy a Sound Card, this Mobo comes with the latest greatest on board, it also has two RJ45 Network connections with the latest greatest for that also. Next I need a case to put the Mobo in and the other goodies, I decided on the SX1040B "Performance Series" ATX server chassis with 400W ATX 12V 2.03 power supply Black Case. Here a link to a review of the case at electricsheep.com OK were getting there, next I need a Harddrive, I'm going with the Maxtor 60 gig 7200 rpm ATA 133 , right now I am figuring on only one drive, mainly because I will be using my old computer for games, surfing and I am going to put Linux on one of the drives to play around with. I run Windows 98 SE on that computer and some of the stuff I use for the Web Site will not work on XP. This drive costs $77.00. Now I have a Harddrive, now the Operating System. I torn between XP Pro and XP Home, I am not going to set it up as a server, then again, the Mobo I'm getting is setup with two network connects just for this purpose, I'm thinking that I could connect a Hub to the extra RJ45 and use it as a Game Server inside the House, for Lan Parties ! I'm leaning towards XP Pro, that it the most voted for on my XP page too. Cost $122.00 OK getting there, now a Keyboard $25.00, a Intellimouse 5 Button Optical Mouse $18.00, Floppy Drive $13.00, CPU Fan $13.00, Last a CD-ROM, I think I'll go with the TDK 52x CD-RW $68.00. I may use my old one, and just buy a cheap CD-ROM to replace it, but, we'll see. Well that's the start for a new system, lets add it up. Case= $89.00 Well I am over budget, ummm ! 2/8/02 Well I am trying to stay around $1,200.00, with what is listed above plus Taxes and Shipping I will be over the Budget. I am going to recheck and search for better Prices to see if I can reduce the cost that way. I could use a different Case, but I paid that much for my last case and isn't any where near what this case offers, gotta go with this case. Mobo, latest and greatest and it has the Sound and Network cards that are better then any stand alone cards I could buy, so that is saving me money. Graphics card, this is a lot to pay, but ( a lot of buts - A ) as of today it is the only card that uses all the Features of DirectX 9, and it is to fast for any games on the market today, it is designed for Games like Doom 3, which will be coming out soon, so it will be awhile, a few weeks before I order everything, the price on the card may drop if Nvidia comes out with a card to compete with the ATI, gotta go with this card. I can save money by going with a different CPU, I could get by with a XP 2100 or even 2000 and save $200.00, but they would be running on the 266 FSB, the 2600 runs on the 333 FSB and that is what the Mobo supports, it supports the 266 FSB to, but 333 is FASTER ( : gotta go with the 2600, would like to get the XP 2700, but that would add another $100.00. I could save about $44.00 bucks on the OS by getting XP Home verses Pro, not sure yet. The rest of the stuff is all at great prices, I doubt I would find them any cheaper, except for the RAM, but I would rather go with a name brand on RAM, I have bought generic ram before and it failed. Well I need to checkout some more sites on prices and decide about XP Home or Pro Stay Tuned !!! |
2/8/2003 Well I went searching the web for the best prices and made some changes to the list. Here is the stuff I have ordered:
I went with the Crucial ATI 9700 Pro Crucial Radeon 9700 Pro it is the same as ATIs and it comes bundled with all the cables and connectors I need, nice bonus. It was 319.00 but then they added Taxes which put it up to $347.59, but I did get free shipping and Crucial Lifetime Warranty.
I went with the Asus A7N8X Deluxe Mother Board, one Awesome Mobo got it for $135.00
Stayed with the Antex SX1040 BII with a 400 watt power supply $89.00
Changed to the Western Digital 40 gig 7200rpm with the 8MB Buffer ATA100, I wanted to try the new 8MB buffer and figured I could order another one later. I have always used Western Digital and have never had a problem with one $96.99 with an 80 pin dual cable.
Went with XP Pro OEM $122.00
Changed to a TDK 48x16x48x48 velco CD-RW, got a $30.00 rebate which made the price $48.00
Thinking about buying this Memory the Corsair XMS Extreme 512MB PC3200 DDR 400mhz, the fastest memory in the world they claim. Found it for $158.00
I found a site that is selling the Athlon XP 2700+ Socket A CPU 333mhz FSB for the same price as the 2600 or I could get the 2600 at a much lower price, still checking on this. Here is the Athlon XP PC2600+ I will probably end up with.
Bought the above Mouse, Keyboard and Floppy at those prices. $56.00 total
Well lets add up what I bought:
Case= $89.00
Mobo= $135.00
CPU= $293.50
Graphics Card= $337.59
Mouse= $18.00
Keyboard= $25.00
Harddrive= $96.99
CD-RW= $48.00
XP Pro= $122.00
Floppy Drive= $13.00
Ram= $220.00
Shipping costs= $89.45
______________________
Final Total Cost = $1487.53
Well with the CPU I will go over budget, but this will be one AWESOME System !!!!!!!!
The search for the CPU Stay Tuned !
2/9/2003 I found a site that has the Athlon XP 2700 for the same price as the 2600 and it comes with the Heatsink and Fan Athlon XP 2700 I haven't ordered yet, because I am still researching the Memory, seems when using the XMS Corsair, there were some compatibility issues, mostly with using matching pairs. From what I have read, it seems that the new Bios Flash has corrected the problems. I downloaded to my 98 Computer, the latest Bios, Version 1002 and XP Drivers, Update Version 1.16 for the Mother Board, so I should have less problems with the setup. Well, back to checking out the Memory.
2/9/2003 Well interesting stuff, I have seen the bench marks for the Athlon XP 2700 (333) and the 2600 (333) and the 2700 is way faster on all tests, sooo it is the Athlon XP 2700 (333). I next have to decide about the Memory. The Mobo supports Dual Channel, Unbuffered, Non ECC, DDR400 and the DDR333, PC3200/PC2700/PC1600, 3 x 184-pin Dimms, the Mobos FSB will run at 333mhz, here's what I'm not sure of about which Memory to use, First I know I will be using Corsair Memory, but I'm not sure if I want to use 2-256 dimms or 1-512 dimm. This Mobo supports Dual Channel, which means in my terms, it is designed to use the two dimms in a very effective way, that actually gives the system a performance boost. But if I am going to use 2 dimms then I should really use Corsairs TwinX modules, the TWINXTM memory kits are composed of two low latency memory modules that have been tested as a pair in an Asus A7N8X dual channel motherboard. These are expensive and the XMS ( Xtreme Memory Speed ) is actually for Overclockers. I have also read reviews that a single 512 dimm works equally as well, using the 2-dimms with the Dual Channel support gives about a 3% power boost, which is not a lot and they cost about $200.00. Next it is better to synchronize your system for top performance, The Mobo can run on a 333 FSB, the Athlon will be 333 MHz, so I really should get the Corsair 512MB PC2700 Value Select DDR RAM 333MHz, comparisons indicate that this is one of the fastest DDR modules available in the world and will sync with my overall system, $134.99. But for $149.99 I can get the Corsair XMS Extreme Memory 512MB PC2700 DDR 333MHz, do I want to Overclock the System ? UMMMM !
2/11/03 OK, Ordered the AMD Athlon XP 2700+ 2.167GHz 333FSB processor, Retail with Heatsink and Fan. The Memory ( Bill I'm not going to say it is the lastest greatest ) I finally decided on the Cosair DDR400 TWINX512-3200LLPT a little pricey, but it was only a few dollars more then a single stick of 512, plus, this memory kit consists of two CMX256A-3200LL 400MHz ultra-low-latency memory modules that have been tested together on an Nforce2-based dual-channel motherboard, to be exact the A7N8X Deluxe, the board I bought, that is why I went with the PC3200 versus the PC2700. So everything is ordered, I recieved the ATI 9700 Pro today and should get everything but the Athlon and Memory tomorrow. Hopefully I get these by Friday ( : ( Just a Note # I did a custom computer on Gateways site, it had a 200gig harddrive, Ti 4600 Nvidia graphics card, regular 512 Ram, 3GHz Pentium, 17" monitor, XP Home, speakers and a small case $3788.00 )
After all the parts are here, I will give a review of the Sellers and post Pictures of all the parts. That will be Part 2, Part 3, is when we will start putting it all together and will take pictures of the steps.
Review of Retailers and Pictures of Parts Part 2