My *Theoritical*System, Suggestions?

[Prince of Persia]

Here's what I want to get at the end of the summer with my money from my job. Keep in mind this is a complete system that I will keep for about 3 MAYBE 4 years (College). Please let me know of any recommendations or adjustments you would advise me to do. Thank you. Drum Roll please....

AMD Athlon 1.4 ghz
MSI K7 Master
512 pc2100 DDR-SDRAM from Crucial
Case - 150 (I'm not sure thats just my budget, I need one that will fit conveniantly in my dorm)
Maxtor DiamondPlus 40gb Ata-100 7200rpm
Gainward Gforce 3 64mb
TurtleBeach Sound
Klipsh 2.1 Speakers
19' Monitor (the one in the value system) Might get 17 for the sake of space
16x Toshiba DVD
16/10/40 Plextor CDRW

All of this adds up to about 1850.

Now...tear it to pieces and let me know what I should do.

I want this system to be VERY stable, because I don't want to troubleshoot this PC while in college.

***Oh by the way I need a network card. I know they are cheap, but whats a good reliable one in terms of compatiblity with my system.

 

[VBboy]

Buy the Maximum PC magazine and look in the back.
Go to AlienWare.com for similar info.

 

[Quad]

i'm other people will make better suggestions.

i don't think you'll ned $150 for a case. but get something with lots of intake and exhaust vents. as for the network card, anything *should* do fine. i remember reading that article where they tested a whole bunch of nics. and i believe it was the ones from netgear and linksys that always performed up to their potential. for instance, the 10 mb netgear nic had a throughput of something like 9.6mb. where as the dlink nic had only 5 or 6 mb.
http://www.dslwebserver.com/main/nictest.html

good luck
looks good

 

[Shmorq]

Everything looks very nice! I would personally get a 19" monitor. Much simpler to work on a computer without having to constantly minimize and restore due to a lack of desktop space.

Also, have you factored in the cost of keyboard and mouse?

 

[Prince of Persia]

Gee wiz I was too busy thinking about the fancy stuff to think about the simple stuff. I was thinking of using the new ball-less intellimouse, but there was one here at work. ITS SUPER sensitive, which bugs me. So I don't know if its the lady's settings or if its the mouse.

I didn't really think about a keyboard, what would you guys recommend. I currently have a Microsoft Internet Keyboard and your standard two button microsoft mouse.

VBBoy, what should I be looking for?

 

[NelsonMuntz]

It does look like you have done your homework, because that is a nice system. As far as a network card, IMO you should avoid Netgear. I do have reasons for this, so don't blow me off yet. I just put together a puter with an Epox EP-8K7A mobo and a Netgear card and it wouldn't reboot properly until I replaced that card with another brand (Linksys I think) and it works fine now. Also, a friend of mine bought a Netgear Network in a box and whenever he has the NICs installed in his computer they have issues going into standby. I bought Sohoware network in a box and am not having those problems with my machines. Just personal experience.

 

[MrBond]

I use netgear stuff at home, its all we use/sell at my second job, and one of my cow-orkers uses it in his (extensive) home network. The only problem I've had with them is when going to a netgear switch. Other then that, they're solid cards.

Have you seen the desk you'll have at college in your dorm (if you're living in one). It may not take a 19" monitor. Mine will barly fit a 17". I'm going to miss my 21"er a lot come this fall.

That Toshiba DVD has some problems with ripping speeds, check the forum for more info at that. Some people can only get 2x rip out of it.

At the very least, get a microsoft intellimouse with the wheel. They're like $15 and handy as hell. Once you go wheel, you'll never go back.

 

[Shmorq]

I would personally stick with your current keyboard and go for an optical mouse. They are much more responive and don't ever need to be cleaned. If you have the cash, the wireless, optical mouse from Logitech would be the one I would get.

About the Netgear Card, the FA311 are the ones to avoid. Many incompatibility problems. I would personally go with a Linksys which is what Anandtech themselves use on some of their servers (I think). Or just get the 3COM which will cost you an extra $20 over the other lower priced ones.

 

[spanner]

I would get an epox 8K7A instead. MSI board are known to be stable but they die early and they are expensive(I know of 3 MSI boards that died pre-maturely). Get an IBM 60GXP/75GXP hard drive, you will not regret it. $150 for a case is overkill(just make sure you get an AMD approved Power supply). If you ask me I would get a 1.2 ghz athlon as it has a better price performance ratio and 512mb of ram is overkill but if you have the cash then it won't hurt you. Make sure you get a VERY good heatsink for that thing, atleast something with a copper base. You are getting the turtle beach santa Cruz right? thats a good choice, I have a livemp3 5.1 which rocks, I had the SC but at the time it had bad bass management for my speakers(issue was recently solved via driver update). If you are planning on a killer system then consider 4.1/5.1 analog speakers. About the monitor, I would concentrate on refresh rates and dot pitch and stuff, A good 17" is better then a cheap crappy 19" and in a Dorm room, desk space will be a problem (which is why I am buying a second desk). Again for value consideration I would go with a Lite-on CD writer, but if you have the cash! As for the G-force3. I would buy one if I hadn't spent the money on an epox 8K7A 1.2ghz athlon+256mb of PC2100, it will last a while, nothing comes close and you will have bragging rights!!

 

[Prince of Persia]

In regards to the harddrive, the IBM's, the biggest size they have is around 20gigs for like a 110 bucks! It just seems kind of small, and I heard they cut out rather quickly (any truth to that?)

Secondly about the mobo, how good is the epox and how stable is it?

What about alternate Monitors, all I know of is the one on anandtechs value system. What would you guys recommend? Make it something that won't kill my eyes.

Speaking of HS/F can you guys recommend any? I want a QUIET one please, nothing like a jet engine.

 

[Nack]

1. $150 is way too much to pay for a case, unless you are looking for liquid cooling, or something like that (in which case it probably isn't enough). You would be suprised how much case you can get for $80 on Sunday at 3:30PM at a local computer show.

2. The 40GB hard drive is probably big enough. Just be sure to get the Plus 60 series, NOT the slower Plus 40. You can tell the Plus 60 from the Plus 40 in the retail box by the seek time printed on the side label. The Plus 60s say <8.7ms. If it says 5 GB free, stay away from that one too. It is a Plus 45. I have a DiamondMax Plus 60 40GB drive, and have been very pleased with it so far. It is unusually quiet, and fast, and can be found for as little as $100 (I think there is a Best Buy/Staples pricematch deal for that price going on now).

3. Go for the 19&quot; monitor. You can pick them up for as little as $140 if you work the deals in the &quot;hot deals&quot; section of this forum properly. As for the space limitation, I would NOT let that be a factor if I were doing it. Bring a hacksaw to the dorm and make some &quot;modifications&quot; if necessary (with the school's permission, of course). 17&quot; just isn't big enough. Better yet, get a flat panel! (more $$$, but VERY nice - once you try it, you will never go back).

Good luck with your system.

Nack

 

[LXi]

<<MSI board are known to be stable but they die early and they are expensive(I know of 3 MSI boards that died pre-maturely)>>

MSI boards are known to have some of the lowest failure rates, because they're made with high quality components. And they've always priced their motherboards competitively, the K7 Master is expensive because its a server board. 8K7A would've been a nicer option if overclocking is needed.

 

[MrHelpful]

From Newegg.com

AMD Athlon Palomino 1.2GHz - $229 + $10 shipping
EPoX EP-8K7A - $125 + $10 shipping
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus60 60GB - $166 + $9 shipping
CardExpert/Gainward Geforce3 64MB - $342 + $5 shipping
Enlight 7237 /w 300W PSU - $45 + $15 shipping
Lite-On 16x10x40 CD-RW - $120 + $10 shipping
AOpen 12x40 DVD-ROM - $41 + $10 shipping

From Crucial.com/webpromo

256MB PC2100 DDR-SDRAM - $56 + free 2nd day shipping

From mwave.com

Turtle Beach Santa Cruz - $70 + ~$5 shipping

From Plycon.com

Taisol CGK760 /w Sunon 26CFM fan - $42 + ~$5 shipping

From EMSComputing.com

Boston Acoustics BA4800 4.1 - $115 + $15 shipping
Samsung 900NF 19&quot; - $390 + $39 shipping


Total - up to $1876

 

[razordog]

everything look good but i would also get the epox 8k7a, as mentioned earlier, i just got mine like 3 weeks ago and it works great and is stable, but i'm not overclocking..

also, the klipsch speakers may be overkill because if you live in a dorm or w/roomates, you probably won't be able to crank those up...

also, use american express blue (for students or regular) so you can get the difference back when the prices of your components drop, or for places that don't take american express, get the click citi card which offers the same price protection

 

[ProviaFan]

ITS SUPER sensitive, which bugs me. So I don't know if its the lady's settings or if its the mouse.

It's probably her settings (I've set mine to be super responsive, too, since I don't like to move my hand around a lot when using the mouse). You can change the settings to make it less responsive in the standard mouse control panel. Also, if you have big hands, go for something like the Intellimouse Explorer, which is rather large, but if you don't want such a giant beast, get the smaller (and also considerably cheaper) Wheel Mouse Optical. (I have one of the latter, and like it very much).

 

[Prince of Persia]

Sorry to bump this up for a simple question, but...

Does anyone know where Newegg is located, because I don't want to checkout yet. I can't figure out if their from CA or not, because that'll boost the cost by about 100.

I'm buying a lot of parts from them like practically everything, would you guys recommend I stick with them or go elsewhere to buy my parts, if I'm charged sales tax?

 

[Courtland]

Yes Newegg is from CA. So yes, you would have to pay tax
I feel sorry for you CA people, a lot of good retailers are there (

 

[Prince of Persia]

Should I look elsewhere, because about 8 of my items are planned on coming from newegg which I *think* would save me a lot of money of shipping and handling.

Any comments guys? I know this is in the general hardware forum, but I appreciate all your guys help.

 

[Silver222]

Quick question...why the GF3? Why not get a GF2 GTS or Pro and spend the rest on beer....trust me, even though you're underage (probably) you're going to need that beer money on campus Then, when the prices for the GF3 come down because of NVidia's next great wondercard, upgrade.

I try to not buy bleeding edge stuff, because the price premium doesn't usually justify the performance increase.

 

[JorgeElPrimero]

Hey all,

System looks great but go with the big monitor. Could you really sacrifice? I just bought a new monitor a 21&quot; sony the f500r. It is worth it if you need the large monitor for applications. I am going to be using heavy CAD and graphic design stuff. Hey I will love the screen and who cares about the room. You are a guy right?

Jorge OUT

 

[Prince of Persia]

yea I'm a guy, but I'm thinking in terms of the 19&quot; is too big so the desk will crack! I went to UC berks campus and the desks don't seem too sturdy.

As for the video card...maybe I might get a lower one, but which would you guys recommend? Ultra or Pro?