System Recommendations

[arynn]

I am looking in to building an inexpensive system for general use (i.e. mimimal, if any gaming).

I am currently leaning towards the MSI nForce motherboard and a Duron.

My questions are:

What is the minimal desired video card for good performance in general use (surfing the web, using MS Office etc.)? Would the nForce be overkill?


How does the stability of the nForce and Via KT266A motherboard compare? Are all of the KT266A motherboards really stable (I haven't seen many comparison reviews - those I have seen show little differentiation)?


Recommended hard drive less than $130 (I have been using two IBM 75GXPs with no trouble as of yet [one is over a year old the other about nine months] but from what I've been reading they don't sound too reliable])? Retail vs. OEM?


I'm also looking for a good inexpensive 17" monitor.

Thanks.

 

[mark339]

i would get an epox kt266a board(100 bucks), a 900mhz duron($40) and a geforce2 mx(50) if you are not gaming, that is all you need. The epox is a great board for only 100 bucks, and the others are all you need for surfing and office work. Also, get a quiet heatsink + fan combo too if your going for a good work machine. noisy fans are only good for Oc'ing and getting the highest 3dmark2001 score as possible, and not to type the fastest paper. i have also read a lot about 60gxp's being unreliable, but i've had my 75gxp for 2 years now with no problems, quiet as ever. my 60gxp is okay too. haven't noticed much difference(it's still new). juss my 2 cents. or for 60 more bucks you can get a tbird 1.4. not that much more for a HUGE improvement. i just downgraded from a 1.4 tbird to a 950 duron, and i wish i never did that. oh well, live an learn. enjoy your system.

 

[Duvie]

Nforce and inexpensive??? LOL

That aside the built on components can be a savings when you figure you do not have to buy those components...Reviews show the video both 2d and 3d is really quite excellent especially compared to the normal integrated video of the recent amd based mobos...Sound is supposed to be quite good as well...

 

[arynn]

Thanks for the info.

How is the integrated sound on the Epox board? (I've read in some reviews that the AC 97 sound is not too good.)

My reasoning for looking at the nForce for the system was that the integrated video was better than most inexpensive sound cards (I'm still not sure if it's better than inserting a GE Force 2 MX card into the AGP slot [I expect it would be]) and the sound was as good or better than all available sound cards.

The system will be for home use so the sound quality and CPU usage will be an issue as I expect it will be used for playing music and such.

Also, I am looking for a good mid-sized case. I have the Fong Kai 320 myself and love it, but it is a little big.

Thanks.

 

[Duvie]

I have sampled onboard audio on kt133,kt133a,kt266, and kt266a and it never got any better and IMO is really subpar...get an audigy or santa cruz.

I believe the nforce gives you 5.1 audio decoding...

 

[TripleJ]

Effectively, the nForce board is cheap. Have you seen the list of features it comes with?!!!
I just finished building my brothers computer and it is great!

The features of the MSI K7N420 Pro:
-Built-in GeForce2 MX GPU
-Built-in 10/100 ethernet
-Built in high high quality sound card(MCP-D) (It really is a very nice sound solution with realtime Dolby Digital encoding)
-SPDIF out
-6 USB ports
-D-Bracket(diagnostic lights)
-AGP slot
-5 PCI slots
-Live Driver and Bios

The only thing it doesn't have is a TV out, but you can get an optional card for that.
It even came with a small calender!


Here's the specs: (Prices are Aussie so halve them for US)

CPU: AMD Duron 1000 $155
Heat Sink/Fan: Coolermaster EP5-6I51 $40
Motherboard: MSI K7N420 Pro nForce $363
RAM: 256MB DDR SDRAM PC2100(CL2! ;D) $99
Video Card: GF2 MX onboard $-
Monitor: 17" ADI M700 $289
Hard Disk Drive: Maxto Viper 40GB, 7200rpm $229
Case: Aopen KF45 midi tower (PSU: 300W AMD and Intel approved) $115
CDRW: Ricoh MP7200A 20x10x40 2MB JustLink/Nero $239
DVD-ROM: Sony 16x $129
Sound Card: Onboard $-
Speakers: MS-697(Generic) $30
Keyboard: MS Internet keyboard $35
Mouse: MS IntelliMouse $35
Floppy Disk Drive: Mitsumi $30
Modem: Netcomm PCI internal 56k modem $40

Operating System: MS Windows XP Home Edition(OEM) $219
Basic Applications: MS Office XP SBE(Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher)(OEM) $399
Norton Antivirus 2002(OEM) $50

Total: $2496 (US$~1250)


This rig needed to have a minimum initial outlay but with good upgradability.

This has gone very smoothly indeed. Just put it all together, popped Win XP CD in and it did the rest. Once it finished the setup I installed the mothered chip drivers and the VGA drivers. Oh so much better than those 4-in-1's from VIA. Installed the programs I've listed above without a hitch. Sweet as. It takes about 50 seconds to boot.

Win XP sure is nice and interesting. The built quality of the mobo is top-notch as you'd expect from MSI. The signs are really good at the moment. I haven't had any problems at all. The rig could do with an AMD XP but we're gonna wait 'till the price is down further. Same with a GF3.

So there we go. I've done the hard yards, walked the walk, and really checked out the options. His needs appear exactly the same as yours so I would highly recommend a similar setup for you.

 

[arynn]

Thanks for the input.

What are the relative advantages/disadvantages of the following two hard drives:

MAXTOR EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # 6L040J2 40GB 7200RPM - OEM, BARE DRIVE DiamondMax PS D740X Plus ATA133/100, 2MB Cache Buffer, 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty

Seagate Barracuda IV ST340016A 40gb 7200rpm EIDE , 9ms Average Seek Time, Ultra ATA 100, OEM - 3 year manufacturer warranty 40.0 gb 7200 rpm

They both cost about $90 at Newegg.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Well I can't say how it compares to the maxtor but my seagate is real quite compared to my older 7200rpm ibm drive.

 

[TripleJ]

I'm not too knowledgeable about hdd's but I'd say there isn't much difference. My 20GB Quantum AS 7,200 is quiet and performs nicely. So I don't think you could go too wrong in that department.

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

The sound on the nforce should be great for you. I would get two sticks of ram if you are using the onboard video, and want abit more performance (so the onboard video can use the bandwith), but its not really that important.

As for cases, i would check out the antec sx630 or sx635 (300 watt or 350 watt is only difference), or the enlight 7237 with either the 300watt or the 340 watt.

i love my seagate III, and I built my little brother a comp with the 40gb seagate IV, same thing. Virtually silent, and no problems to date. That is personal preference though, you will find oft times that most hard drive choices are personal preference, due to someone having a problem (or having no problems) in the past with a particular brand.

Good luck on your build, let us know if you have any other questions.