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rate my friends computer

J

jamestime88

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
1,209
my friends computer is currently unable to run ut2004 so he wants to upgrade ASAP.

here are the specs he chose:
CPU: 3.0E - $244
motherboard: ASUS 875P P4c800 deluxe - $169
hard drive - WD1200JD western digital 120gb SATA - (x2) $214
Crucial 512mb PC-3200 ECC - (x2) $240
PS: antec 550w true550 - $94
vid card: ATi radeon 980pro - $228


he said that he doesnt want to OC. so dont recommend him a 2500+ mobile on a dfi infinity with pc4000 ram or whatever YOU would like best. i think his main priority is gaming but i expect he will be doing multitasking and all the other normal computer stuff.

my first impressions were :
1. get different ram cuz ECC is crap for gaming. maybe get some mushkin 222 special or kingston hyperx pc3700 and run it at 2-2-2
2. get an abit max-3 motherboard if he sticks with prescott.
3. get a 36gb raptor for boot drive and a 200gb sata for any media.
4. get the sapphire radeon 9800pro, just because its $212.
5. get an antec true480w, 550 is an overkill.
6. he says he can buy heatsink locally but i say get a thermalright slk-900 or whatever the good p4 heatsink is.
7. trade in the prescott for a A64 3200+.
all prices are from newegg

what do you guys think?
 
My impressions of your impressions:

1.) Timings don't matter as much in Pentium 4 systems, and does he even know what ECC does? It's not needed unless he's running servers.
Get regular Crucial PC3200, or if you really care, Mushkin Level I PC3200. He's not gonna overclock anyway.

2.) Chaintech 9CJS Zenith would be my choice for a nice system. IC7-Max3 might be top performer, but Chaintech's no slouch.

3.) I don't get what's the deal with everyone and Raptors, maybe it's just me. And is he gonna RAID? I wouldn't encourage that either. For SATA drives, I'd recommend the new Hitachi 7KS or Seagate SATA drives. I don't know if WDs still use a PATA - SATA bridge or not in their designs in the JD series.

4.) Sapphire 9800 Pro for $114??? Where is this? And how is he getting the ATi version for $228?

5.) 480 is overkill, get a 380 or 430.

6.) If he's running stock clock, use stock heatsink.

7.) I'd say get a Northwood 3.0 or 3.2. Prescotts aren't that hot (well, literally they are, but performance-wise, eh).
Prescotts I rule out for anyone wanting a new system now because it doesn't have any real features to merit a purchase over the more mature Northwood C. SSE3? Will he need it? Probably not now. And that whole 31 pipeline with current speeds thing = subpar performance.

There's my opinions, make of it what you will.
 
Why would someone that doesn't want to overclock get a 3.0E? Makes NO sense at all... If he wants to upgrade, then overclock it. That 3.0E should go pretty far. There's not much to upgrade from there if you don't want to overclock it. Maybe get a 3.2C or something, since prescotts are slower under 3.6 ghZ. I'd say overclock his graphic card, but you said he won't overclock, so... He's pretty much screwed.

Talk him into overclocking if he wants an upgrade. If not, then go buy a 3400+ or something...
 
Hey RS3RS, we don't even know his friend's comp's current specs. What are you nitpicking at? :confused:
 
Don't get the E because they are actually slower and run hotter. Get a C class. Also, if you want a better board for less, get the Abit AI7.
 
Sapphire 9800 Pro for $114??? Where is this? And how is he getting the ATi version for $228?
Click to expand...
sorry that was a mis-type. i meant to say $212.

I don't get what's the deal with everyone and Raptors, maybe it's just me. And is he gonna RAID? I wouldn't encourage that either. For SATA drives, I'd recommend the new Hitachi 7KS or Seagate SATA drives. I don't know if WDs still use a PATA - SATA bridge or not in their designs in the JD series.
Click to expand...
yea, i wasnt thinking western digital were the best either. he should get the seagate if hes getting the 120gb sata drives. he plans on raid 0.

If he's running stock clock, use stock heatsink.
Click to expand...
good point. but i just always like leaving overclocking options open

Don't get the E because they are actually slower and run hotter. Get a C class. Also, if you want a better board for less, get the Abit AI7.
Click to expand...
i think both points u made are good. i just never suggested 3.0c because i wanted someone to try out a 3.0E and see how well they work. plus newer technology, even if its worse, is still funner.
and yea i may tell him to get the AI7 if he still decides to go P4.
 
I would stick with Western Digital. They make the highest quality drives and offer the longest warranties...often longer than stated. They are quite and rock solid, and consistently are rated as the most reliable.
 
no no, I love Western Digital. I'm just not sure about their SATA drives. However, the performance even if they still use PATA-SATA bridges are still good. If you want native SATA drives (that I know are native SATA), get Seagates or Hitachis. Western Digitals though, they are winners and 3 year warranty? That rocks.

If he can get an ATI Radeon for $228, let him. It's only $16 between that and the Sapphire, and you're getting the ATi name and the RAM chips (sammys).

For heatsink, Zalman CNPS7000-AlCu or Thermalrights would be good if you want.

And I'll just reiterate not considering the Prescott. New tech might be fun, but where's the fun when it's baking at 70 degrees C.
 
Originally posted by BillLeeLee
Hey RS3RS, we don't even know his friend's comp's current specs. What are you nitpicking at? :confused:
Click to expand...

Eh, sorry. Misread that. I thought he was wanting to upgrade FROM that system.

Me sowwie.
 
Hey guys, just registered. Jamestime posted this for me I see.

Anyways, I have taken into consideration what all of you have
said and have a reformatted list.

ABIT IC7 120.00
Radeon 9800pro 228.00
Antec 480w 81.00
P4 3.2C 287.00
Mushkin Level One 1gb(512 x 2) non-ECC 213.00
Western Digital 2x 120 gb SATA 214.00


The A17 that someone suggested, I dont think supports
dual channel RAM. If it does, lmk.
I can use the stock heatsink as someone stated. I plan
to buy the Antec Smartcools for this, and the case I'll decide
on later, since it has to be <= 16.5" high. If anyone knows
a nice looking case that fits that, lmk.
Help me revise this list if necessary, and tanks to all who
have helped me so far.
 
The AI7 does support dual channel. The i865 and i875 chipsets both have support for it.

The Abit IC7 is a very good mobo, but it does not come with onboard LAN, which I find really dumb.

Other than that, I still think you're choosing too large a PSU, but it's only $11 more than the true 430, so if you want it, go for it.

I like everything else about the system, but you don't need SATA 0. If you think it helps with game performance, that's not really true, and you run 2x the risk of losing your data.

Maybe someone can provide a link to the site that showed RAID performance vs. single drive performance in normal use.
 
Originally posted by BillLeeLee
The Abit IC7 is a very good mobo, but it does not come with onboard LAN, which I find really dumb.B]
Click to expand...


That was one of the factors that led me to move from my IC7 to the AI7.
 
I think everything looks good except for the mobo. The IC7-MAX3 would be a much better choice but will cost you a bit more, but I'd rather get a slower cpu and then put that extra money towards a better motherboard. Oh and stick with that psu always try to get the best psu you can afford.
 
Just get rid of the ECC ram, he should be fine after that. Just get like CL2.5 DDR400. Corsair Value Select is a good buy.
 
Thanks for the insight on the mobo.

As for the memory that mojo entered, I believe that the
Mushkin level One I chose is Non-ECC.

I will look into the RAID.
 
About the processor, does the c series really perform better than the equivalent E processor even though the cache is smaller??
 
Originally posted by stumpy
About the processor, does the c series really perform better than the equivalent E processor even though the cache is smaller??
Click to expand...

http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=NTgzLDM=

There's HardOCP's benchmarks, there's more out there.

But yes, the Prescott's performance does not blow the Northwood out of the water.

It has a 31 stage pipeline, the Northwood has 20 stages. However, the Prescott also operates at the same speeds as today's Northwoods, while having a longer pipeline. This hurts performance because you need higher clock speeds to take advantage of the longer pipeline.

Also, they run sizzling hot.
 
i actually agree with not using raid 0. and if hes not going to use raid 0 he would only need 1 hard drive.

you can get a 200gb sata drive for $165 and a 160gb for $125.

and the prescott is slower basically just cuz of that damn 31 stage pipeline. thats how amd gets such good performance at lower clock speeds, they use a much shorter pipeline.
 
I love how people make knee-jerk statements about stuff they know nothing about.

Turning ECC on is like going from CAS2 to CAS2.5 (we've done benchmarks here in our testing of new products).

I agree it's not necessary, but it's not 'crap'.
 
Ok, my last decision is at hand. To RAID or not to RAID... that is
the question.

If RAID, which do you recommend, 0 or 1??

I plan to stick w my WD 120gb SATA if possible. If no RAID, just
1 drive, or what? lmk
 
I'd say you don't need RAID for normal usage. RAID 0 doubles the risk of data loss if a hard drive in the array fails. RAID 1 mirrors your data and reduces threat of data loss.

I'd say use one drive. Most people do not need RAID.
 
Data backup was my big concern. I run a 40 gb slave now for
my important stuff. Granted, a big surge could destroy it all,
but likelyhood is low.

My originaly hard drive died on me after 361 days of use ( no joke)
and I have been leery ever since.

Would you still suggest the 120 gb primary sata, and another
cheaper, smaller sata, or something similar?
 
just cuz u have sata doesnt mean u have to use it. this is just my opinion, but i would actually say IDE drives are more stable than SATA drives. i would just use ur current 40gb hard drive as backup in your new computer.

but as for buying a second hard drive, they will always be available. one of the biggest mistakes people can make when building a computer IMHO is buying too large of hard drive space. i see people buying 2 250gb hard them a year just to fill the first one.

just wait till your 120gb sata drive isnt big enough for you and go out and buy another. by the time u buy second one will easily have saved $20-$30 off the price of the hard drive now.
 
well since you said HE DOESN"T wanna overclock, you can do the overclocking for him.

get a 2400mobile on a dfi landparty or infinity with 2x512mb cas2 pc3500 or 3200 if u must.

get a zalman al-cu for noise and you should run that puppy easily at 2.3ghz (3500P4 or so) at lower temps then any of your P4's.

ho, did I forget to mention that would save him a couple hundred $$?

hell if he dones't wanan overclock get a amd 64 3000 or 3200 system, it'll get higher gaming scores than the 3.2 P4
 
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