Price no object PC upgrade

[MIGhunter]

I am getting ready to build a new PC and I am up in the air on what to build. I am using most of the components from my current computer. I am going to upgrade to a Radeon 9700 and SB Audigy SC. Everything else comes from the old computer.

now the question is, should I go for the P4 or the AMD. I was thinking about the p4 2.8 but I can't find a MB that supports both 1066 rambus memory and that has an 8x AGP slot.

However if I use an AMD, I can get an 8x AGP and DDR 400 memory. I really want this to be a nice powerful computer that I won't want to upgrade again right away.

Thanks.

 

[mchammer187]

P4 will definitely be faster

and AGP 8x is pretty much worthless right now because even at 4x the bandwith is hardly saturated at all

 

[Wolfsraider]

if 8x agp is important to your upgrade then amd is the choice

however as a side note 8x agp video cards are backwards compatable with 4x agp video cards

either processor will fit the bill quite nicely and will take you far into the future

if you decide on the p4 rdram then yes it will have the speed advantage

as you are stating "so as not to have to upgrade right away" me thinks that either would last 2 to three years before upgrading becomes necessary. and i'd give the most longevity to the intel for speed reasons

the 2.8 is the fastest processor out there couple that with a 9700 and she'll smoke add 1066 rdram and you'll be feeding her just right as these northwoods starve in bandwith lol

the 2200+ as the others haven't been made available yet is fast reliable and ddr 400 fits the bill add a 9700 she'll smoke too but she lacks the speed of the p-4 2.8 considerably

in either case a good case power supply and better cooling is recommended for stability reasons
also don't skimp on the motherboard also (get feedback on user recommendations and reasearch
to avoid problems


hope this helps

 

[MIGhunter]

The AT ultimate p4 system uses the ASUS P4T533-C MB. I was thinking of using it also. Seems to have good features and a decent price. Asus has a good rep also.

For a P4 this is what I was thinking.

Case: Cooler Master ATC-210-AX1: $200
CPU: Intel P4 2.8 Ghz : $546
MB: Asus Tech P4t533-C : $160
Memory: 1066 RDRAM 256mb x4 : $110 x 4 = 440 (cheaper than the $400 512MB memory)
Video card: Radeon 9700 : $380
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Audigy : $78

DVD
ZIP Drive
5.25 floppy Currently have
monitor
keyboard
mouse

Grand total including shipping : $1804

Any flaws? Please point them out.

 

[Goi]

Sounds good. Make sure you get a good HSF if you wanna overclock. The Alpha PAL8942 seems to be the best P4 HSF around now.

 

[BD231]

Originally posted by: MIGhunter
The AT ultimate p4 system uses the ASUS P4T533-C MB. I was thinking of using it also. Seems to have good features and a decent price. Asus has a good rep also.

For a P4 this is what I was thinking.

Case: Cooler Master ATC-210-AX1: $200
CPU: Intel P4 2.8 Ghz : $546
MB: Asus Tech P4t533-C : $160
Memory: 1066 RDRAM 256mb x4 : $110 x 4 = 440 (cheaper than the $400 512MB memory)
Video card: Radeon 9700 : $380
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Audigy : $78

DVD
ZIP Drive
5.25 floppy Currently have
monitor
keyboard
mouse

Grand total including shipping : $1804

Any flaws? Please point them out.

Looks sweet, I would ditch the Audigy though.

 

[Wingznut]

Originally posted by: bdog231
Looks sweet, I would ditch the Audigy though.

I concur... I have both, and I like the Santa Cruz better. I can't really tell the difference in sound quality or performance, but Creative's drivers/software can be irritating at times.

 

[MIGhunter]

Originally posted by: Wingznut PEZ

Originally posted by: bdog231
Looks sweet, I would ditch the Audigy though.

I concur... I have both, and I like the Santa Cruz better. I can't really tell the difference in sound quality or performance, but Creative's drivers/software can be irritating at times.

The Asus MB has a built in 6.1 sound card. Should I just use that or get something else?

Also, the memory has to be put in pairs. So can I get 4 256mb cards to make 1gb? Or do you have to do it with the 512 and the fake rimm plates?

Thanks.

 

[Wingznut]

The onboard sound is actually pretty impressive... for onboard sound. A Santa Cruz will sound better, especially in gaming.

4x256mb will work just fine.

 

[MIGhunter]

Thanks.

What kind of memory should I get. Is generic ok or should I get samsung or kingston?

 

[mchammer187]

Originally posted by: MIGhunter

Originally posted by: Wingznut PEZ

Originally posted by: bdog231
Looks sweet, I would ditch the Audigy though.

I concur... I have both, and I like the Santa Cruz better. I can't really tell the difference in sound quality or performance, but Creative's drivers/software can be irritating at times.

The Asus MB has a built in 6.1 sound card. Should I just use that or get something else?

Also, the memory has to be put in pairs. So can I get 4 256mb cards to make 1gb? Or do you have to do it with the 512 and the fake rimm plates?

Thanks.

The Asus board use 32 bit RIMM 4200 so it does not need to be installed in pairs

 

[PlatinumGold]

is it me or is a price no object upgrade kind of ludicrous???

if price is no object, just build a new pc.

 

[MIGhunter]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
is it me or is a price no object upgrade kind of ludicrous???

if price is no object, just build a new pc.

That is what I am doing. Except I am going to use the DVD drive and zip drive that I have. If you look above, there is a list of the stuff I am getting. I guess that the title is misleading but the actual thread states that I am building a new PC.

 

[MIGhunter]

Originally posted by: mchammer187

Originally posted by: MIGhunter

Originally posted by: Wingznut PEZ

Originally posted by: bdog231
Looks sweet, I would ditch the Audigy though.

I concur... I have both, and I like the Santa Cruz better. I can't really tell the difference in sound quality or performance, but Creative's drivers/software can be irritating at times.

The Asus MB has a built in 6.1 sound card. Should I just use that or get something else?

Also, the memory has to be put in pairs. So can I get 4 256mb cards to make 1gb? Or do you have to do it with the 512 and the fake rimm plates?

Thanks.

The Asus board use 32 bit RIMM 4200 so it does not need to be installed in pairs

When does it have to be installed in pairs?

Here is what the AT review said

Remember that RDRAM has to be installed in pairs, so the only other solution that would work and total 1GB of memory would be two 512MB sticks. We didn't go with the two stick solution just because we couldn't find any 512MB sticks of PC1066 RDRAM for sale at a reasonable price.

 

[Wolfsraider]

16 bit = install in pairs =any rdram board
32 bit= single sticks=motherboard that specificly supports 32 bit rdram 1066

hope this helps

 

[peter7921]

Originally posted by: MIGhunter
The AT ultimate p4 system uses the ASUS P4T533-C MB. I was thinking of using it also. Seems to have good features and a decent price. Asus has a good rep also.

For a P4 this is what I was thinking.

Case: Cooler Master ATC-210-AX1: $200
CPU: Intel P4 2.8 Ghz : $546
MB: Asus Tech P4t533-C : $160
Memory: 1066 RDRAM 256mb x4 : $110 x 4 = 440 (cheaper than the $400 512MB memory)
Video card: Radeon 9700 : $380
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Audigy : $78

DVD
ZIP Drive
5.25 floppy Currently have
monitor
keyboard
mouse

Grand total including shipping : $1804

Any flaws? Please point them out.

Why not go with the SIS 648 chipset it has AGP 8X and the performance is so close to 1066 RDRAM that you wouldn't notise it. Plus it is cheaper.

heres a couple of articles that might help:

http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/02q3/020720/index.html

http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1667

 

[shathal]

A small note on DDR-400 => Stay away from it. I've only had bad experiences with it, unstable systems all-round. I might revist it once JEDEC certifies it, but until then I've definately burnt my fingers as it were with it.

Other than that => P4 2.8 GHz, Radeon 9700 ... *slurp*. Nice system .

Me want one too .

- Shathal.

 

[Bovinicus]

The Penitum 4 platform holds the current performance crown. Intel is simply too far ahead in clockspeed. However, the flagship processor always commands a heft premium. I would suggest buying the next fastest down the line, or the one after that. Get an i845G based board for RDRAM performance at a lower price.

I would suggest getting the Phillips Acoustic Edge instead of the Audigy. I own one, and I love it. The drivers are excellent. The sound quality is excellent. The positional audio is excellent. I have not heard the Audigy, though I have heard a lot of people say it doesn't compare. Also, the Audigy is more expensive.

 

[MIGhunter]

Thanks guys.

As for DDR400. Even AT doesn't like it yet. Maybe when certified it will be better. I just can't see buying something hoping that in 3 months it will work.

As for the sound card. I wish there was a way to test them. Like going into a store and listening to HT speakers. I think that at first I will just use the onboard audio until I decide.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Goi]

Good call on the DDR400. By the time its JEDEC approved, it will probably be a whole different creature altogether, so its probably advisable to wait for the dust to settle. As for sound cards, there's no easy way to audition it, but unless you're a die heard audiophile with really great hifi speakers, you'd probably do just fine with any of the recommendations listed above. Just focus on compatibility, stability, reliability, price and features rather than just sound quality.

 

[FishTankX]

Heh.. if you really want to build a be all end all anihilate all system.. you could put this together.

P4T-533C
256X4 PC1066
Vapochill case 600$ (Uses special cooling element to cool down the CPU below zero)
P4 2.4 100MHZ FSB 200$ (It will most likley make it up to 3.2GHZ, get the 2.5 if you're feeling lucky. That might clock up to 3325 easy)
Basically with Vapochill you're going to get a shot at hitting 3.3GHZ+
All of the rest of the stuff, well, it goes fine. As for my suggestion, get the Santa Cruz. Or get the audigy platinum.

That CPU/Memory/MOBO combo will anihilate, like, everything.

 

[Goi]

Well, not in EVERYTHING, but in gaming and office usage, yeah prolly almost everything imaginable, except those crazy japanese with their 4000MHz overclocks

 

[FishTankX]

Yeah, Vapo chill kicks. Oh by the way, AGP8X won't matter for the near future. Heck, i'm still running my Radeon8500 on AGP2X and that plays all games fine. So go for the P4T-533C and a vapochill and hit 3.3GHZ and laugh at all of your friends!

 

[kherman]

ONE GOOD IDEA

OK, my only comment.
Get the 2.53 GHz processor($249) and save yourself about $300. You loose a little power, but consider this:

You want a rig to last 2-3 years or so. If you save the $300 now and wait one year, you could drop in 3.5 GHz P4 for $300. Do you REALLY need the extra power now?

So, this will give you a slightly slower system right now, but a year from now, the benefit will be obvious. Maybe when Doom 3 comes out, you could drop in a new processor!

That's my recomendation!

karl

 

[babah]

where you will buy all the components?? i mean $109 for the 256 pc1066 kinda cheap for me as long it's come from a good rep seller
and do you have to use non ecc memory or ecc memory for asus p4t533-c and ga-81hxp??

Thanks