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Opinions on new system config?



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 21st 04, 08:13 PM
Mystic
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Default Opinions on new system config?

I'm planning to purchase a new computer later this week (at last!),
but first I would very much like some 2nd opinions from some of the
many knowledgeable folk in this group to hopefully spot any egregious
errors I may have made before I begin plunking my money down. I'll be
getting the core of the system as a barebone from mwave.com, and then
adding the hard drive and videocard myself. (I'm not quite confident
enough of my hardware abilities to do CPU and MB installation just
yet.)

Here is the system spec I'm planning on as of today:

CPU: AMD Athlon64 3000+ (socket 754)
MB: MSI K8N Neo Platinum (socket 754, NForce 3-250Gb chipset)
Case: Antec Sonata (w/TruePower 380 PSU, if I understand correctly)
Video: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR 8X AGP
HD: Samsung SP1614C 160GB, SATA, 8MB buffer, 7200rpm
DVD burner: Pioneer DVR-107BK 8x8 DVD-RW
RAM: Kingston 512MB DDR400 PC3200 KVR400X75C3A/512 (one stick for now)
FDD: Mitsumi 1.44MB
OS: MS Windows XP Pro w/SP1 (DSP/OEM)

All told, the entire system above looks like it will run me around
$1175-1200, which is just about the upper limit of my budget.

Here are the things I plan to use this machine for (sorted roughly in
the order of their importance to me):

- Software Development (for Direct3D, Windows, and web)
- Games (flight sims being the most power hungry examples)
- 3D graphics rendering (in Bryce, trueSpace, etc)
- 2D graphics editing (in Paint Shop Pro)
- Multitrack digital audio recording and editing (Sonar, Wavelab)
- DVD viewing (using PowerDVD, probably)
- Video editing (only infrequently, performance is not a major
concern)

Allow me to also ask a few pointed questions, and pre-respond to the
most obvious issues:

Q) Should I put in a separate DVD reader to avoid wear and tear on the
burner? In the past I thought it was better not to use a burner for a
primary drive, but perhaps that is not the same sort of issue anymore?
(I don't have any need to rip and burn simultaneously.)

Q) Is the Radeon 9800 Pro a good match for this system, or will some
of its power be wasted? Should I step down to a 9700 or something? I
do very much want good Direct3D9 performance that will last me for a
while.

Q) Will this model # of Kingston RAM do the trick? I don't know as
much as I ought to about various types of RAM.

A) I've read that the latest Audigy2 cards don't get along with this
MSI motherboard and/or the Athlon 64's (e.g., BSODs), so for the
moment I am just planning to see how well the onboard Realtek audio
works for purposes of gaming and DVD playback. I already have a Gina
2496 that I will be putting into the system for purposes of digital
audio recording. (If anyone can confirm or contradict the reports of
problems with the Audigy2 with this other hardware, I'd very much like
to hear it!)

A) I don't want to wait around for socket 939 MBs. For business
reasons I need to have a machine running XP Pro in a matter of weeks,
not months. (I also dislike being an early adopter of just-released
gear, MBs in particular ... been bitten by that before)

A) I expect to be using this as my primary machine for at least a few
years. Let's put it this way: my current machine is a P3-550 that I've
been nursing along for about 4 years now, and I'm still not TOO upset
with it yet (except when it comes to flight simming and 3D rendering,
where it just isn't pulling its weight anymore).

Any opinions would be appreciated!

- David
  #2  
Old June 21st 04, 08:27 PM
David Besack
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Default

- Software Development (for Direct3D, Windows, and web)
- Games (flight sims being the most power hungry examples)
- 3D graphics rendering (in Bryce, trueSpace, etc)
- 2D graphics editing (in Paint Shop Pro)
- Multitrack digital audio recording and editing (Sonar, Wavelab)
- DVD viewing (using PowerDVD, probably)
- Video editing (only infrequently, performance is not a major
concern)


Sounds like you will get a big performance enhancement if you just start
with 2 sticks of 512MB RAM instead of one.

Q) Should I put in a separate DVD reader to avoid wear and tear on the
burner? In the past I thought it was better not to use a burner for a
primary drive, but perhaps that is not the same sort of issue anymore?
(I don't have any need to rip and burn simultaneously.)


You could add a CD-RW as a primary drive for $30-40. Or you could get a
used CD-ROM drive on eBay for peanuts until you get some more money.

Q) Is the Radeon 9800 Pro a good match for this system, or will some
of its power be wasted? Should I step down to a 9700 or something? I
do very much want good Direct3D9 performance that will last me for a
while.


It honestly depends on your video resolution. A 15-inch monitor with a
max1024x768 resolution may never need to harness the power of a 9800pro.

I have a $70 Geforce 5200 ultra in my gaming system and I haven't seen a
real need to upgrade yet. If I were buying today I'd probably get a
9800pro, but if you're strapped for cash you could certainly get a 9600pro
or something similar and still play new games.


  #3  
Old June 21st 04, 09:41 PM
Dave C.
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Mystic" wrote in message
om...
I'm planning to purchase a new computer later this week (at last!),
but first I would very much like some 2nd opinions from some of the
many knowledgeable folk in this group to hopefully spot any egregious
errors I may have made before I begin plunking my money down. I'll be
getting the core of the system as a barebone from mwave.com, and then
adding the hard drive and videocard myself. (I'm not quite confident
enough of my hardware abilities to do CPU and MB installation just
yet.)

Here is the system spec I'm planning on as of today:

CPU: AMD Athlon64 3000+ (socket 754)
MB: MSI K8N Neo Platinum (socket 754, NForce 3-250Gb chipset)
Case: Antec Sonata (w/TruePower 380 PSU, if I understand correctly)
Video: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR 8X AGP
HD: Samsung SP1614C 160GB, SATA, 8MB buffer, 7200rpm
DVD burner: Pioneer DVR-107BK 8x8 DVD-RW



OK, dual layer DVD burners are out, and the same price as the single layer
burners. This seems to be something that many builders aren't aware
f. -Dave


  #4  
Old June 21st 04, 10:25 PM
wooducoodu
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Default

i'd go with the nec nd-2510a or lite on sohw-832s dual layer dvd burner
instead of the pioneer.


  #5  
Old June 21st 04, 11:48 PM
Fitz
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Default

I would consider PC3500 RAM vs PC3200. I suffered from constant crashes with
Kingston HyperX PC3200
on my AMD64 3200+ system. After reading the forums at AMD (
http://forums.amd.com/index.php? ) I installed
Mushkin Level 1 PC3500. I have had no problems since. With the PC3500, I can
use the "Performance" setting in
the BIOS (which provides a mild O/C of 416MHZ [processor at 2048 instead of
2000] ).

If you find you are not happy with the onboard sound, check out the M-Audio
Revolution 7.1. Works flawlessly,
very simple but effective software interface. 64 bit drivers are available.

Since you plan on during photo/video work, I would go with the ATI 9800 Pro
128 MB version, and put the
savings toward 1 GB of RAM instead of 512 MB.

Good Luck,
Fitz



  #6  
Old June 22nd 04, 01:09 AM
Larc
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 16:41:03 -0400, "Dave C." wrote:

| OK, dual layer DVD burners are out, and the same price as the single layer
| burners. This seems to be something that many builders aren't aware
| f. -Dave

True, but they don't seem to be widely available yet. Last time I
checked Newegg only had one NEC model. There is a persistent rumor
(Ssshhh! Don't tell anybody!) that the Lite-On 812S can be converted
to an 832S (dual layer) merely by flashing it with the latest 832S
firmware. The fact that Lite-On has recently added a statement to
their firmware page saying any model flashed with the firmware of a
different model is no longer under warranty only adds credence to the
rumor.

This is no big deal yet, though, since dual layer media is scarce now
and reportedly will be very expensive when it first becomes generally
available.

I imagine the big money-grubbing studios are unhappy about in-home
dual layer burners since they'll no longer be able to thwart copying
by padding data to make a two hour or less movie extend onto the
second layer of commercial DVDs.

Larc



§§§ - Change planet to earth to reply by email - §§§
  #7  
Old June 22nd 04, 02:56 AM
Kill Bill
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Mystic" wrote in message
om...
I'm planning to purchase a new computer later this week (at last!),
but first I would very much like some 2nd opinions from some of the
many knowledgeable folk in this group to hopefully spot any egregious
errors I may have made before I begin plunking my money down. I'll be
getting the core of the system as a barebone from mwave.com, and then
adding the hard drive and videocard myself. (I'm not quite confident
enough of my hardware abilities to do CPU and MB installation just
yet.)

Here is the system spec I'm planning on as of today:

CPU: AMD Athlon64 3000+ (socket 754)
MB: MSI K8N Neo Platinum (socket 754, NForce 3-250Gb chipset)
Case: Antec Sonata (w/TruePower 380 PSU, if I understand correctly)
Video: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR 8X AGP
HD: Samsung SP1614C 160GB, SATA, 8MB buffer, 7200rpm
DVD burner: Pioneer DVR-107BK 8x8 DVD-RW
RAM: Kingston 512MB DDR400 PC3200 KVR400X75C3A/512 (one stick for now)
FDD: Mitsumi 1.44MB
OS: MS Windows XP Pro w/SP1 (DSP/OEM)

All told, the entire system above looks like it will run me around
$1175-1200, which is just about the upper limit of my budget.

Here are the things I plan to use this machine for (sorted roughly in
the order of their importance to me):

- Software Development (for Direct3D, Windows, and web)
- Games (flight sims being the most power hungry examples)
- 3D graphics rendering (in Bryce, trueSpace, etc)
- 2D graphics editing (in Paint Shop Pro)
- Multitrack digital audio recording and editing (Sonar, Wavelab)
- DVD viewing (using PowerDVD, probably)
- Video editing (only infrequently, performance is not a major
concern)

Allow me to also ask a few pointed questions, and pre-respond to the
most obvious issues:

Q) Should I put in a separate DVD reader to avoid wear and tear on the
burner? In the past I thought it was better not to use a burner for a
primary drive, but perhaps that is not the same sort of issue anymore?
(I don't have any need to rip and burn simultaneously.)


Yes, I like the Lite-on DVD-ROM/CR-RW combo drive. Mostly because DVD
burners as "readers" are often very slow.

Q) Is the Radeon 9800 Pro a good match for this system, or will some
of its power be wasted? Should I step down to a 9700 or something? I
do very much want good Direct3D9 performance that will last me for a
while.


The way the 9800 Pro are sub $200 now, I'd go for it. Another few months
(at least) of future proofing.

Q) Will this model # of Kingston RAM do the trick? I don't know as
much as I ought to about various types of RAM.


Sure.

A) I've read that the latest Audigy2 cards don't get along with this
MSI motherboard and/or the Athlon 64's (e.g., BSODs), so for the
moment I am just planning to see how well the onboard Realtek audio
works for purposes of gaming and DVD playback. I already have a Gina
2496 that I will be putting into the system for purposes of digital
audio recording. (If anyone can confirm or contradict the reports of
problems with the Audigy2 with this other hardware, I'd very much like
to hear it!)


I have an MSI mobo and swapped out an original Audigy, for an Audigy 2ZS
platinum. No problems!

A) I don't want to wait around for socket 939 MBs. For business
reasons I need to have a machine running XP Pro in a matter of weeks,
not months. (I also dislike being an early adopter of just-released
gear, MBs in particular ... been bitten by that before)

A) I expect to be using this as my primary machine for at least a few
years. Let's put it this way: my current machine is a P3-550 that I've
been nursing along for about 4 years now, and I'm still not TOO upset
with it yet (except when it comes to flight simming and 3D rendering,
where it just isn't pulling its weight anymore).

Any opinions would be appreciated!

- David


Looks like a great combo to me. And the price is right on, too.


  #8  
Old June 22nd 04, 06:07 AM
Louise
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
says...
I would consider PC3500 RAM vs PC3200. I suffered from constant crashes with
Kingston HyperX PC3200
on my AMD64 3200+ system. After reading the forums at AMD (
http://forums.amd.com/index.php? ) I installed
Mushkin Level 1 PC3500. I have had no problems since. With the PC3500, I can
use the "Performance" setting in
the BIOS (which provides a mild O/C of 416MHZ [processor at 2048 instead of
2000] ).

If you find you are not happy with the onboard sound, check out the M-Audio
Revolution 7.1. Works flawlessly,
very simple but effective software interface. 64 bit drivers are available.

Since you plan on during photo/video work, I would go with the ATI 9800 Pro
128 MB version, and put the
savings toward 1 GB of RAM instead of 512 MB.

Good Luck,
Fitz




I don't know whether it was bad luck, but I tried to replace an Audigy
2ZS with the Revolution card. I was careful to uninstall all drivers,
software etc.

Nevertheless, no sooner did I install the Revolution thatn I got the
BSODs. And it didn't stop there - it wouldn't boot - it wanted to
change the settings in my bios (I didn't want to change the settings in
my bios).

Tech support at M Audio was helpful but was all ready to rearrange the
bios settins and who knows what else on my previously very well running
system. I declined their offer and returned the card :-)

This occurred on a system no more than two months old: Asus P4C800E,
P4, 3.2, 1024 Kingston PC 400 ram, Seagate SATA drive, ATI 9600 Pro etc.

After removing all traces of the card and resinstalling my Audigy 2ZS, I
still had to call the manufactuer (I had it built for me), to help me
get the cmos setting correct again.

I had the impression that this card might not be ready for prime time
with the new machines and newest upgrades of Windows. But I don't
really know what was the matter.

Louise

  #9  
Old June 22nd 04, 05:06 PM
jaster
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Posts: n/a
Default

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:13:31 -0700, Mystic while doing time wrote:

I'm planning to purchase a new computer later this week (at last!), but
first I would very much like some 2nd opinions from some of the many
knowledgeable folk in this group to hopefully spot any egregious errors
I may have made before I begin plunking my money down. I'll be getting
the core of the system as a barebone from mwave.com, and then adding the
hard drive and videocard myself. (I'm not quite confident enough of my
hardware abilities to do CPU and MB installation just yet.)

Here is the system spec I'm planning on as of today:

CPU: AMD Athlon64 3000+ (socket 754)
MB: MSI K8N Neo Platinum (socket 754, NForce 3-250Gb chipset) Case:
Antec Sonata (w/TruePower 380 PSU, if I understand correctly) Video: ATI
Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB DDR 8X AGP HD: Samsung SP1614C 160GB, SATA, 8MB
buffer, 7200rpm DVD burner: Pioneer DVR-107BK 8x8 DVD-RW RAM: Kingston
512MB DDR400 PC3200 KVR400X75C3A/512 (one stick for now) FDD: Mitsumi
1.44MB
OS: MS Windows XP Pro w/SP1 (DSP/OEM)

All told, the entire system above looks like it will run me around
$1175-1200, which is just about the upper limit of my budget.

Here are the things I plan to use this machine for (sorted roughly in
the order of their importance to me):

- Software Development (for Direct3D, Windows, and web) - Games (flight
sims being the most power hungry examples) - 3D graphics rendering (in
Bryce, trueSpace, etc) - 2D graphics editing (in Paint Shop Pro) -
Multitrack digital audio recording and editing (Sonar, Wavelab) - DVD
viewing (using PowerDVD, probably) - Video editing (only infrequently,
performance is not a major concern)



The onboard audio is 7.1 Realtek alc850 which will perform a lot better
than an M-Audio and only slightly slower than an Audigy 2 ZS. It should
be more than adequate for your needs.

The same is true of the Pioneer 107 top 5 performance. If you're lucky
when the DVD/RW burns out there will be 12x dual layer multi-format
burners under $80. LG, LiteOn, Pioneer are all solid choices but I think
the LG-4082 can read DVD-RAM.
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters.php

I've got burnt with a Kingston PC133-256 but after several returns I got a
stick that worked. When I add up the memory cost, not getting the
rebate (not Kingston's fault) and the (2) RMA shipping costs that
is some expensive memory. Mushkin would be better.


  #10  
Old June 22nd 04, 05:39 PM
Fitz
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Default

If you installed the original driver package that was on the CD, that was
probably the problem....they had a problem with it and promptly released a
revised version via the website. Subsequent updates have performed without
problems ("not ready for prime time" was right on, but it was software, not
hardware). I was lucky enough to find that info via a couple of reviews
prior to buying the card.

That was the driver package included with the original release of the
card...I would imagine by now they have updated the included CD with viable
drivers. I rarely install drivers included with hardware, but use the latest
release from manufacture websites.

Fitz


 




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