Rate My Build

[imported_Demos]

I'm finally getting around to replacing my home PC (I've been too lazy since my work laptops have been fairly up-to-date). Since it is old (Pentium 1!), all the drives I was thinking about using are IDE so I'm a couple of generations behind. Will those parts still work with the new motherboard or am I out of luck and need to pick up new drives? Also, how do you think my parts mix will work together? Are there any "bad" combinations that I've picked? Thanks in advance!

1. Usage
Work - MS Excel and Access poweruser; SAS/Sudan/SPSS statistical packages
Games - RPG types (Neverwinter Nights 1&2, Diablo, Warcraft)

2. Budget
~ $750

3. Country
USA

4. Preferences
Only preference is Intel.

5. Current Parts
Current parts - 3.5" floppy, DVD burner, CD-ROM player (maybe), 17" LCD monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Hard drive and possible sound card. These are all parts I'm scavenging from an old Dell Inspiron.

6. Read & Searched
Most of my parts are picked from modoheo's 'Attention System Builder' sticky. I've also been browsing around for a bit.

7. Overclocking
My plan to run at default since I've never overclocked before. I can see myself overclocking once I get everything running.

8. Timeframe
I'm planning on buying parts in the next 2 weeks.

Build:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail

GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N801-AR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Case + Power: Antec Sonata Plus 550 Black/ Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 550W Power Supply - Retail

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM + the hard drive from the Dell (original OEM)

DVD: DVD burner (Samsung I think) + CD-ROM (maybe) from the Dell

CPU Cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail

Monitor: 17" LCD from the Dell (Dell brand)

OS: The reason I want to use my old hard drive is because it is loaded with Windows 2000. I know, this is archaic but it works and all of my programs/drivers are intact. Will this be a problem with this setup? Otherwise, I'll have to splash some cash for a new OS (XP?).

Other Parts: Antec 75012 120mm Case Fan - Retail, Antec 761345-75092-9 92mm Case Fan - Retail, Card Reader (haven't picked one yet)

I put together the build on Newegg. Here is the link: Custom Build Wish List

 

[DSF]

Any reason you can't load 2000 onto your new machine? Do you not have the disc?

 

[imported_Demos]

I haven't found the disc yet. However, I thought it would be easier this way if I just "transplanted" the old hard drive.

 

[DSF]

Well if the hard drive is as old as the rest of the PC, I don't know that I'd trust it any longer.

 

[imported_Demos]

Fair enough. It is pretty old! I think I can "come up" with a disc.

Assuming that the drive is still OK, will this setup work (with my old drive as the Master and the WD as the slave)?

 

[z1ggy]

It shud be fine as long as you wipe it clean. and Secondly..How are you getting all that sweet stuff for $750? That is a fine build.. similar to mine except your chipset is more updated but I paid around $800 for mine after rebates and you getting 2gb more ram and a better cpu. Just be careful of OEM stuff..they tend to come not working more often than the regular items.

 

[Roguestar]

OEM items are not intrinsically more likely to be DOA than other items, that is misleading anecdotal evidence.

 

[floogy]

Windows 2000 is a bit dated for a newer system, especially for new games. It's fine for whatever but i'm sure you're going to run in to problems if you want to play some newer games. Plus keep in mind that the old drive is no faster than 5400 rpm ide 133 drive (i'm guessing) meaning you're are going to get little benefit from having a new hdd besides more space. You will really be cheating yourself out of some speed. If you are really bent on using windows 2k from the old hdd at least ghost the old hard drive to the new one and then expand the partition to the full size (if necessary). Then wipe the old drive and use it to store music or whatever doesn't need to be accessed with speed. Also, windows 2000 can't utilize 4gb of ram (i think, been a while since i used 2K, maybe someone else can tell you for sure). One more thing, not sure about this either but does win 2k support 48 bit LBA? I ran into some issues with my older Dell laptop with a hdd larger than 127gb where XP recognized my 152 GB partition when i resized it in partition magic but my mobo did not = no boot. You may have the same problem in reverse with win2k, your mobo will support a 640 gb partition but your OS may not. Sorry i dont know off the top of my head about large partitions in win2k but I might save you some of the headaches i've had with older rigs. In short, going to XP or Vista would be a good idea even if you have to plunk down some more cash. Your system will be able to handle some pretty nice games and it would be a shame to install the latest and greatest just to discover it wont run on 2k.

 

[ihyagp]

8800gt on win2k = no drivers

Otherwise the #1 issue will be first boot from the jmicron IDE controller.

If you really want to try booting the new system from your old drive, be sure to dump any manufacturer supplied drivers for your old southbridge's ide controller before hooking it up to the jmicron on the new board. Make sure you're booting from the plain MS IDE drivers.

It may even be worth getting ahold of a jmicron card in advance to get the drivers loaded into your existing OS installation. (someone on this board will likely know how to do this without having an actual card)

The WD won't be a slave. Its SATA, which should work in win2k as long as you run the new southbridge in plain IDE mode. No AHCI on win2k.

You'll need a registry patch for 48 bit LBA. Also be sure to have sp4.

The onboard sound and network should work.

You also won't get all 4 gigs of your ram in win2k.

Unless you absolutely need 3d acceleration in the programs that can only run on win2k, I'd get ahold of vista x64 and run win2k under virtual pc (free).

No AT keyboard port on the GA-EP45-DS3L. You'll need a USB or PS2 keyboard.

Other than that it should be doable. You'd be happier with an OS released this millennium though.

 

[DSF]

Just as an FYI, ZipZoomFly does a better job packaging OEM hard drives than Newegg, and the prices are similar.

I really don't recommend using your old hard drive as anything more than storage for backups.

1) It's entering that part of its lifespan where the chance of failure is becoming more real. I've seen hard drives last a long time, so I think imminent is too strong a word, but real.

2) It's going to be quite slow compared to your WD Caviar. Newer 7200 RPM drives are as fast or almost as fast as the previous generation of 10000 RPM Raptors.

 

[imported_Demos]

It sounds like the right thing to do is to get a copy of XP (I'll pass on Vista for the time being). I'll put that on the WD drive and set it as the primary and the old one as the secondary. Once I get it running, I'll pull out the files I want from the old one, wipe the old one and just use it as a backup as you guys have said.

My keyboard is the PS2 type so it should be fine.

I guess my question now is to whether get the OEM version of XP or the retail version. I see there is a significant price difference so is there a real benefit of getting the retail?

Thanks for everyone's feedback. Keep it coming!

 

[z1ggy]

I don't think there would be much of a difference.. Its really just a CD and some papers and what not. As long as the Cd doesn't come damaged or something I don't see why it should matter. But maybe I am wrong and somebody else can shed some light on that question.

 

[DSF]

Here's the scoop on OEM vs. Retail as far as Vista is concerned:
http://www.tomshardware.com/fo...e-vista-retail-license

I believe XP works more or less the same way.

For what it's worth Demos, most of the concerns about Vista are gone at this point. With a modern processor and hard drive, and 4GB of RAM, slowdowns shouldn't be an issue. Not that there's anything wrong with XP, but 64-bit Vista would let you see all of your memory. The only reason I went with XP is because I already had a disc laying around.

 

[ihyagp]

Originally posted by: Demos
It sounds like the right thing to do is to get a copy of XP (I'll pass on Vista for the time being).

Vista is effectively fixed at this point. Keep in mind it was released almost 2 years ago. You'll also need a 64 bit OS to get at all 4 gigs of memory. There is a 64 bit XP - it is wicked fast but has a whole slew of problems. If you go with xp64 and can't find drivers for a given piece of hardware, try the server2003 drivers.

I'll put that on the WD drive and set it as the primary and the old one as the secondary.

No master/slave w/ SATA. The old one will be a master/single on its own controller.

Once I get it running, I'll pull out the files I want from the old one, wipe the old one and just use it as a backup as you guys have said.

Wouldn't trust a drive that old w/ backups. At least not as the sole location of backups.

I guess my question now is to whether get the OEM version of XP or the retail version. I see there is a significant price difference so is there a real benefit of getting the retail?

OEM. I've never seen the 1-motherboard restriction on Vista OEM actually get enforced. Its hundreds of dollars difference.