Computer Upgrade.
 

I've peiced together some new bits for a PC upgrade. Now i've built my own systems before and typically i get someone else with experiance to review and check my list to be sure i didnt fuck up. So i figured i'd post my list here and have some of you who have built systems check it over. Mostly for compatibility since i havnt built an AMD system before.


ENERMAX Silver 10-Bay ATX Mid-Tower Case with Side open window, Model "CS-31881TA-S3A" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Case Type: ATX Mid-Tower Case
Color: Silver
Material: SGCC 0.7mm
Drive Bays: 5.25" x 4/0, 3.5" x 2/4 (external/internal)
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: USB2.0x2, Audio in/out
Power Supply: 350W
Cooling System: 4 x 80mm
Motherboard Compatibility: Standard P4 ATX 12"x9.6", Micro ATX 9.6"x9.6"
Dimensions: 19" x 8" x 16.5" Inches


MSI K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU, Model "K8T Neo-FIS2R" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket 754 Next Generation AMD Athlon 64-bit CPU
Chipset: VIA K8T800 + VIA VT8237
RAM: 3x DIMM for DDR400/333/266 Max 2GB
IDE: 3x UltraDMA 66/100/133 up to 6 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X, 5x PCI 2.2(32-bit,3.3V/5V)
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,1xLAN,8xUSB2.0(Rear 4),5xAudio,1xSPDIF,2xIEEE1394
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC655 6-Channel Audio Codec
Onboard LAN: Realtek 8110S Gigabit Ethernet
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x Serial ATA, Ultra ATA/Serial ATA RAID 0,1 or 0+1
Form Factor: ATX


AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 1MB L2 Cache, The Only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor - Retail
Specification
Model: AMD Athlon 64 3200+
Core: ClawHammer
Operating Frequency: 2.0GHz
FSB: Integrated int chip
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/1024K
Voltage: 1.5V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 754
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included)


Leadtek nVIDIA GeForce FX5950 ULTRA Video Card, 256MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "WinFast A380 Ultra TDH MyVIVO" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce FX5950ULTRA/475MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/950MHz
BUS: AGP 1X/2X/4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+VIVO+DVI Connector
Support 3D API: DirectX®9.0, OpenGL®1.5
Cable/Accessories: 4 Cables, VGA via DVI Adapter, 5 CD, Manual
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
Retail Box (See pics for details)


Seagate 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model ST3120026A, OEM
Specifications:
Capacity: 120GB
Average Seek Time: 8.5 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Features: 350 Gs non-op shock, 3D Defense System
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Remark: OEM


Arctic Silver's NEW Premium Silver Polysynthetic Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5. 3.5-gram( 1 cc. ) tube.
Specifications:
Thermal Conductance: >350,000W/m2 °C (0.001 inch layer)
Thermal Resistance: <0.0045°C-in2/Watt (0.001 inch layer)
Average Particle Size: <0.49 microns <0.000020 inch
Extended Temperature Limits: Peak: –50°C to >180°C Long-Term: –50°C to 130°C
Performance: 3 to 12 degrees centigrade lower CPU full load core temperatures than standard thermal compounds or thermal pads when measured with a calibrated thermal diode imbedded in the CPU core
Coverage Area: The 3.5 gram tube contains enough compound to cover at least 15 to 25 small CPU cores, or 6 to 10 large CPU cores, or 2 to 5 heat plates.

Dont bother trying to sway my mind on the parts themselves. Im just looking for compatibility. Remember its an upgrade, not a whole new system, hense why you dotn see ram and so forth.

Miscguy, I wouldn't really worry about compatibility issues. Once you choose your motherboard just get a CPU that fits that slot and you're set. But I would do the same thing as you can post my list here just incase, which makes my reply useless, but ya know oOo:

"OMFG WHY ARE YOU GETTING NIVIDIA GET ATI!!!!!!!!!!oneone"

Yeah i know. Im hoping someone might see something like "Oh the mobo doesnt do (insert complex things here), and you need that for that Vid card". That kinda thing that i sometimes dont notice. The small things people tend to overlook untill someone say "hey look", then you smack your forehead and say "ahhh fuck".

GG trips... GG indeed.

Not a bad set up. I don't see anything wrong with it.

you dont need artic silver if your buying a retail CPU. retail CPUs already come with a thermal pad underneath the heatsink.

i made the same mistake and bought a tube of artic silver 5 and found ou t i didnt need the damn thing...

Yeah, but the thermal pad isnt as effective as the Artic Silver. It can be a matter of 10 degrees differance.

HOLY SHIT


*savagely looks for tiny tube amongst towering stacks of empty pringles cans and cheez-it boxes*

get liquid cooling biggrin:

why are you going IDE??

Sata > IDE

whats sata?

Liquid cooling is alright, I have it. Nothing special and can cause problems. But I haven't run into any so far.

I don't have it avaiable on my MB, but they are faster

[img]http://www.lostcircuits.com/motherboard/shuttle_ak37/sata.jpg[/img]


that's the connectors for them, it's for hard drives, you would have to buy a specific HD as well, $20 more, and it's SUPER FAST...

also the ribbon for a SATA hd is like

[img]http://www.ixbt.com/cpu/intel/pentium4-28/a7v8x-sata-cables.jpg[/img]

very nice if your into keeping your system cool, no need to buy wrapped IDE cables..


SATA = 24-55MB/s

not sure how fast IDE is, but im sure it's slower...

i have it too, my cpu runs at 35°C and below all the time. i overclocked it once and the temperature didnt move at all. but i put it back to normal cuz moh kept crashin

I would recommend that you get a larger power supply 350 is gonna be cutting it kinda close. Your going to be drawing power from alot of different devices. I'd go with atleast 400, which will leave room for more upgrades in the future.

BTW, unless your doing video editing... IDE will suit you just fine. Otherwise go with atleast one SATA drive.

Seagate 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model ST3120026A, OEM
Specifications:
Capacity: 120GB
Average Seek Time: 8.5 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Features: 350 Gs non-op shock, 3D Defense System
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Remark: OEM

This is crap. Get yourself a Serial ATA HDD...
If you're going to cheap out on hardware, do
it elsewhere.

That sucks, mine stays at 24 -29c on average never above 30c

Because in my research i found that on average the SATA drives were only gaining negligable proformance increases. Also that seagate, the only compnay i will buy a HD from does not make a super high speed SATA drive. IE one that compairs to other companies proformance. It was a matter of company preferance and research. Having lived with this loud ass WD i was ready to try what 99% of seagate owners claim is a nearly silent drive. Proformance will not suffer that much with the 8meg buffer. I feel i struck a balence, but it was one that i was willing to comprimise on. If it proves not to suit my needs i can always use it as a slave to a new SATA.

You will not benchmark higher with SATA, but you will notice significant increases on load times, like when loading a map when the server rotates.

Thermal compound is vastly superior to thermal pads, but I have always had a hard time believing the claims of 3-12 degrees C. Maybe over no paste, but not over similar pastes. Just MHO. The concept behind paste is to fill in the microscopic irregularities in the surfaces of the cpu and the heatsink. You will get the best heat transfer on direct metal to metal contact, so use it sparingly to only fill the small air spaces.

Nice upgrade.

well i just recentlly built a new PC (thrus night&fri)
and i got a maxtor 120gb SATA drive and it is silent, can't hear it run, i've heard that seagate anymore is crap, don't know for sure, cause i've never had 1, here is my HD --[url:51881]http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-319&catalog=14&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0[/url:51881]

and ya want a bigger power supply, like said before, here is what i got [url:51881]http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-908&catalog=58&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0[/url:51881]

and if ya worried about things being loud, try this case [url:51881]http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-141&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=0[/url:51881] this is the case i got and it runs silent, the only way i know its on is cause of the temp display on top panel and the blue LED's on the intake, and i ordered a extra fan for the intake for great air-flow, thats 2 120mm fans and the CPU fan and vid card fan , and i still can't hear any of the fans running

and if ya do get a SATA drive, get a MB that has SATA connections on it, my MB even came with the SATA cables, and be sure your power supply has SATA connections too, all new Antec power supplies come with them
well hope all that helps some, if it don't, oh well rock:

The power supply in my current tower is 400. It will be being scalped to the new system. It does not have SATA power connectors to my knowledge. Though i have never really looked to intensely at it. I dont know where you heard Seagate was crap, all i hear is good things. Also test show that this is one of the fastest 120, 8m, 7200's.

Yes my new MOBO does have SATA connectors. As for now im willing to see what kind of proformance i get from this drive before upgrading it.

Dude, just stick with a Commadore 64, like me. Reliable, fast, er...uh I mean sturdy.

You've been misinformed. SATA completely owns ATA66/100/133. If you
want the information tables with comparisons between PATA, SATA& SCSI
let me know and I will post it. Trust me, IDE has nothing on serial ATA...

EDIT

Simply look at the 2004 HDD speeds for each:

ATA133 - 133MBps
SATA - 150MBps (generation 1)
SATA - 300MBps (generation 2)
SCSI - 320MBps

Keep something in mind: SATA drives almost always run at near theoretical
speed, whereas you will get about half to 3/4 of the theoretical speed for
an IDE interface. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain with
SATA. SATA drives (generation 2) will be available everywhere this summer:
this is why I'm holding off on building my new pc.

Another nice set up that I do not have.:(

Perhaps if it were generation 2, i would be like "HOLY SHIT". As is im not blown away.

I would really love to see your tables just for my own education. It seems interesting and i may end up using the 120 as a back up drive.

[quote="Duke_of_Ray":b036e]Another nice set up that I do not have.:([/quote:b036e]

same here

[quote="Pick Axe":9b8e6][quote="Duke_of_Ray":9b8e6]Another nice set up that I do not have.:([/quote:9b8e6]

same here[/quote:9b8e6]

Maybe if we combined our pcs we would have an awsome setup.

Humm.....uhhhhh.... Mabey I could hook up like a 1000 PS2's and have a killer suppercomputer. biggrin:

[quote="Pick Axe":8b0a8]Humm.....uhhhhh.... Mabey I could hook up like a 1000 PS2's and have a killer suppercomputer. biggrin:[/quote:8b0a8]

You would have something. oOo:

Better than my current, Commadore, it's got 64 kb of ram.