Advice on [H]itMan's new system...

H

HitMan-sC

Gawd
Joined
Feb 19, 2003
Messages
987
Well, for the most part I have a general idea of what this computer will end up as. I plan to use this mainly as a gaming and media/entertainment rig. I do plan to orient myself with overclocking. I just need some opinions on what I can change with this. Anyways, here's what I have picked out so far:

Case: Cooler Master ATC-201B-BXT - $160.00 + $10.00 Shipping

Power Supply: Antec True430 - $66.00 + $6.00 Shipping

Motherboard: Abit IC7 - $113.99 + Free Shipping

Processor: Pentium 4 2.8C - $187.00 + Free Shipping

Memory: 1GB (512 x 2) Mushkin PC-3200 Level II - $275.00 + Free Shipping

Video Card: Saphire ATI Radeon 9800Pro 128MB - $229.00 + Free Shipping

Hard Drive 1: Western Digital Raptor 36GB - $119.00 + Free Shipping

Hard Drive 2: Seagate 200GB 7200RPM - $166.00 + Free Shipping

CD Burner: Lite-On 52x32x52x16 Combo - $58.00 + Free Shipping

DVD-Burner: Lite-On 8x DVD-RW/+RW - $127.00 + Free Shipping

Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS - $88.00 + Free Shipping

Speakers: Logitech Z-5300 - $146.00 + Free Shipping

Keyboard: Logitech Elite - $35.00 + Free Shipping

Mouse: Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer 2.0 - $49.00 + Free Shipping

Heatsink: Thermalright SLK-947U - $39.99 + Free Shipping

Wireless Router: Netgear Cable/DSL 54Mbps Wireless Router - $79.99 + Free Shipping

Wireless Adapter: Netgear 54Mbps Wireless PCI Ethernet Adapter - $64.00 + Free Shipping

Total: $2023.97

All prices were obtained from newegg. My two biggest concerns with this system are the networking and the monitor. I'm worried that my bandwidth won't be as good, as my brother will take this computer, and he will be connected directly to the modem. Does anyone know how my bandwidth will be affected if he is, say, playing a game or downloading something? As for the monitor, I'm worried about ghosting. I'm leaning towards the Dell 1800FP, since people here seem to love it and I haven't heard any complaints about it concerning games. Your input is greatly appreciated guys! I want to make this a hell of a system!
 
Very nice system, I also have a thread going on right now regarding a future upgrade, and it looks very similar to yours.

Right now the system on my sig is attached to a Netgear G network. Using basically the same setup that you are using. I must say that I am completely satisfied with it. As for networking, are you going to be using Cable or DSL?

As for the parts, I say that you drop down the Combo Drive to the Lite-On 48x24x48x16x. Saves you money and also, you probably will not be burning at 52x. I have a 52x Lite-On but I only burn at 24x.

That Lite-On 811S is bad ass tho, I have it and I love it. No problem with it yet. I flashed the firmware to the latest one and it is working like a champ!

The Mouse, I would suggest you go for a Logitech one, but that is really up to you. I prefer Logitech over MSoft anyday.

Everything else is cool. You are installing the OS on the Raptor?
 
Right now I'm on cable. As for the mouse, I tried out both and the MX series is just too uncomfortable for me. The MS fits like a dream. And yes, I am installing my OS and all of my programs on the Raptor.
 
It looks like you don't have a fan to go with the SLK947U. I'd recommend the 92mm Panaflo Medium.
 
looks like a great system !

don't think i'd change anything on it, so good luck building it.
 
While all those components do in fact make a very nice system, I think doing a wholesale upgrade at this time is a mistake. There are too many technology advances taking place to justify spending all that hard earned cash. I'm not talking speed bumped CPUs and VGAs either. You have the whole BTX thing happening, plus more importantly PCI express, which from what I hear and read, will not be a slow intergration like SATA, but a complete flood. Thus that nice AGP Radeon would not be compatible come another upgrade from now. Nor would the Coolermaster (a little drilling would be in order). I'm waiting for a PCI express board til this summer and maybe a Newcastle core around the same time. Just my opinion, however. ;)
 
Originally posted by Wetworks
While all those components do in fact make a very nice system, I think doing a wholesale upgrade at this time is a mistake. There are too many technology advances taking place to justify spending all that hard earned cash. I'm not talking speed bumped CPUs and VGAs either. You have the whole BTX thing happening, plus more importantly PCI express, which from what I hear and read, will not be a slow intergration like SATA, but a complete flood. Thus that nice AGP Radeon would not be compatible come another upgrade from now. Nor would the Coolermaster (a little drilling would be in order). I'm waiting for a PCI express board til this summer and maybe a Newcastle core around the same time. Just my opinion, however. ;)
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I see where you're coming from, but with any revolutionary new technology such as the upcoming ones, it will take a while for them to become mainstream. Sure, they will be released in a few months, but until compatibility is ensured and the market has switched over to the new standards, that could take a couple of years. Besides, BTX isn't expected to completely take over until 2006. The new sockets from AMD and Intel will also take a while to adapt. If I do wait, I'll be waiting forever. If I waited until all of the bugs were ironed out and new revisions were released, there would be another breaking new technology right around the corner. I chose this time to buy because the technology is mature, fast, and getting cheaper. I'm sure this rig will serve me well until it's time for another upgrade.
 
I agree regarding the massive facelift that the hardware are going to receive soon. But instead of purchasing of all of those new stuff coming out. I would purchase all of the old stuff when the new stuff comes out. That is basically what I am doing. I think is time to retire my 1.6A. Wish all these new crap comes out faster so all of the stuff I want now will take a price drop, well, that is the idea anyway.
 
I was wondering the same thing, should I buy now or wait 6 months and get the next gen stuff...well if I waited 6 months, I'd be waiting for prices to drop, and see that another generation of stuff would be announced for 6 months down the line. There's really never an end to the cycle, so it's best to buy what will last.

I think HitMan's system should last at least 2 years solid. I'm building a very similar system and expect it to hold me over for quite some time. I don't know how many games will utilize the full power of a 9800pro, or other high end parts in the next 2-3 years, but I don't think it'll be too many. Most games you 'want' to play tend to have longevity, so if you find a good game, it might be 3-4 years before you need to upgrade again.
 
the z-5300's are OK for music. movies they're awesome. but music and games i thought they sounded sorta muffled. that was just me and my set up though. i wish i had gotten the z-680's but that's just me.
 
Originally posted by HRslammR
the z-5300's are OK for music. movies they're awesome. but music and games i thought they sounded sorta muffled. that was just me and my set up though. i wish i had gotten the z-680's but that's just me.
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Reviews say that they pretty much rock. Coupled an Audigy 2 ZS, I think I should be satifised. Besides, it should be better than my current SBLive! 5.1 and crappy Boston 2.1 speakers. If newegg still carried the Z-560's, I would have gotten those instead. Why do you say that they sound "muffled"?
 
my opinion:

audigy is a piece of crap, dont

you have a very good OCing system but the RAM is going to hold you back if anything

dont bother with wireless if youre going to be right next to the router, its slower and completly unsecure when compared to someone having to physically plug in (might not be a concern)

get the logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, the bluetooth one with the MX900. at the very least, get a MX700 mouse, its quite awesome.

2x36 raptors would be better (RAID anyone?)

250 gig harddrive would be huger :p

get the Built by ATi Radeon 9800XT if at all possible
 
Originally posted by Wetworks
While all those components do in fact make a very nice system, I think doing a wholesale upgrade at this time is a mistake. There are too many technology advances taking place to justify spending all that hard earned cash. I'm not talking speed bumped CPUs and VGAs either. You have the whole BTX thing happening, plus more importantly PCI express, which from what I hear and read, will not be a slow intergration like SATA, but a complete flood. Thus that nice AGP Radeon would not be compatible come another upgrade from now. Nor would the Coolermaster (a little drilling would be in order). I'm waiting for a PCI express board til this summer and maybe a Newcastle core around the same time. Just my opinion, however. ;)
Click to expand...


PCI express as a de facto port is a long ways off. Look how long ISA stayed around.
 
Originally posted by kronchev
my opinion:

audigy is a piece of crap, dont

you have a very good OCing system but the RAM is going to hold you back if anything

dont bother with wireless if youre going to be right next to the router, its slower and completly unsecure when compared to someone having to physically plug in (might not be a concern)

get the logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, the bluetooth one with the MX900. at the very least, get a MX700 mouse, its quite awesome.

2x36 raptors would be better (RAID anyone?)

250 gig harddrive would be huger :p

get the Built by ATi Radeon 9800XT if at all possible
Click to expand...

- I doubt the Audigy is a piece of crap.

- How is the RAM going to hold me back? The timings are tighter than most Corsair XMS, and I've heard a lot of good things about Mushkin Level II.

- I'm going to be too far way from the router to go for a wired network. Why do you say a wireless network is completely unsecure? A lot of the newer ones have stronger encryption and firewalls, don't they?

- The MX500/MX700 line is just too uncomfortable for me. I love the feel of the Microsoft Intellimouse line, though.

- I'm going to stay away from RAID for now. I think a single raptor will be fine for now, as I'm trying to stay with budget. There's no way I'd fill up 250GB either.
 
Originally posted by HitMan-sC
Reviews say that they pretty much rock. Coupled an Audigy 2 ZS, I think I should be satifised. Besides, it should be better than my current SBLive! 5.1 and crappy Boston 2.1 speakers. If newegg still carried the Z-560's, I would have gotten those instead. Why do you say that they sound "muffled"?
Click to expand...

they just sounded like the high's and mid's were... muffled... i took of the covers for the speakers and they just soudnedl ike they were being played with a blanket on top of them. but that's just me.
 
Originally posted by HitMan-sC
- I doubt the Audigy is a piece of crap.

- How is the RAM going to hold me back? The timings are tighter than most Corsair XMS, and I've heard a lot of good things about Mushkin Level II.

- I'm going to be too far way from the router to go for a wired network. Why do you say a wireless network is completely unsecure? A lot of the newer ones have stronger encryption and firewalls, don't they?

- The MX500/MX700 line is just too uncomfortable for me. I love the feel of the Microsoft Intellimouse line, though.

- I'm going to stay away from RAID for now. I think a single raptor will be fine for now, as I'm trying to stay with budget. There's no way I'd fill up 250GB either.
Click to expand...

- Yes, audigy is crap. Hell the onboard audio on an nforce2 board beats out audigy from both peoples opinons and my own two ears. fortissimo III is prob the best non pro card to get.

- Personally I'd always get the highest that exists and not trust it to OC, but that's just me

- Its not completly unsecure at all, breaking a 128 bit encryption key with normal means is damn near impossible. its just random paranoia. necessity wins however.

- your call there, I use an intellimouse 2.0 and I prefer the mx700, alas I cannot afford one

- You have a budget? Couldve fooled me :D seriously, the dual raptors would speed your system up a LOT in disk access. the 200 or 250 is of course your call as you know your needs best.
 
i've also read that the mushkin level II black were the best stock RAM they had reviewed.

that review coming from the PC modder mag from CPU.
 
First off, PCI express is NOT a long way off, and it will not be a like ISA with regards to support. Many chip manufacturers, first and foremost SIS, have already given dual support for the AGP/PCI express a thumbs down. The PCI express interface throughput is just too much faster to to make supporting AGP justifiable. You should see boards out by mid-summer.
Second, Audigy 2ZS is an excellent selection with regards to bang for the buck. It can be had for less than $80 now, and it's specs are the same as the Platinum version, without the breakout box. I have the card paired with Z640s and I hear the difference! I previously had the Fortissimo III 7.1 and it was horrible. Reference drivers were often very buggy, and as for Hercules site and support...well I leave that alone. I did a review for the Audigy on my forum, if you want to see.http://raptorstudios.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5
 
I'm kind of iffy when it comes to file integrity and RAID. What have some of your experiences been like? Or with this RAM? I still don't understand how it will "hold me back", it's been getting great reviews all over this forum. On a different note, the performance difference between the Radeon 9800 Pro and the 9800XT is just too small to justify the significant price increase, so I'll stick with the Pro. And I am still surprised to hear people calling the Audigy a "piece of crap." Why?

EDIT: Quick question. How exactly am I supposed to configure the hard drives? If i want the Raptor to be my main drive, how should the jumper and cable be set on the slave? As they are using different channels...
 
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