1st time bldg a machine: Case, Mobo, CPU, RAM OK?

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xxxBogusemail

This is the 1st time that I have built a machine, so I'm a bit queasy
bout it, but pumped over getting a lot of power for ~$1,000. I am
especially concerned about whether my tentative choices for the case,
mobo, cpu, and RAM look OK. Above-all, I want long-term reliability
with decent power. Will use the machine for a few years for gaming,
listening to music, and net browsing. Not interested in overclocking.
Here's my wish list so far, with those items listed first. Any word of
wisdom appreciated. Your thoughts plz!

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From NewEggg
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ANTEC Life Style Series Black Case With 380W Power Supply, Model
"Sonata"
»www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp..
Specifications:
Case Type: Full Tower
Color: Piano Black
Material: 1mm SECC Steel
Drive Bays: 3x5.25" & 6x3.5"
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: 2xUSB & 1xIEEE1394
Power Supply: 380W
Cooling System: 1x120mm Fans
Mainboard Compatibility: 12"x9.6"
Dimensions: 16.75"x18.25"x8.13" more info-> N82E16811129127 $92.00

Intel 875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU, Model
"D875PBZLK" -RETAIL
»www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp..
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket 478 Intel Pentium 4 Processors(Hyper-threading)
Chipset: Intel 875P
FSB: 800/533MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM support Dual Channel DDR333/400 Max 4GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 100 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,8xUSB2.0(Rear 6),1xLAN
Onboard LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet
Onboard SATA: 2x Serial ATA 150
Form Factor: ATX more info-> N82E16813121180 $144.00

Intel Pentium 4/ 3.0C GHz 800MHz FSB, 512KB Cache, Hyper Threading
Technology - Retail
»www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp..
Specification
Model: Intel Pentium 4 3.0C w/ Hyper Threading
Core: Northwood
Operating Frequency: 3.0GHz
FSB: 800MHz
Cache: L1/12K+8K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.525V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 478
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2
Warranty: 3-year MFG
Packaging: Retail box (with Heatsink and Fan) more info->
N82E16819116156 $229.00 $229.00

Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM
»www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp..
Manufacturer: Corsair
Speed: DDR333(PC2700)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 2.7GB/s
Organization: 64M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820145407 $75.00x2 $150.00

SAMSUNG SFD321B/LBL1 Black 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, OEM
Driver Only
$8.99

Plextor Black 52x24x52 CD-RW Drive, Model PX-W5224TA-BPS-BL, OEM Bulk
pack
Interface: E-IDE (ATAPI)
Buffer: 2 MB
$47.00

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS PCI Sound Card -RETAIL
$89.00

Subtotal » $759.99

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FROM CIRCUIT CITY
Video Card: ATI Radeon™ 9600 XT 128MB AGP Video Card
$149.99 after rebates

HD: Western Digital 7200RPM 120GB Internal Hard Drive WDC WD1200JBRTL
$69.99 after rebates

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Cannibalizing other hardware from a Dell I already own:
Plextor DVD burner
Trinitron 17" monitor
Speakers
 
URLs did not paste correctly into the original post, so substituted
correct ones.
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Seems like a good list.
Be prepared for little gotcha's:
The BIOS of your ASUS or ABIT intel based chipset MOBO [see this link:

http://www.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20030707/index.html ]

may not be happy with the way you connect old devices...

The simple act of plugging a keybord into the wrong port will prevent post
(or anything!) from showing.

The intel 875 platform is hard to beat but you might want to take a hard
look at the AMD 64 / 32 backward platforms that are emerging.

And do the MOBO's for intel you're considering support Prescott CPU's?

I would not buy one that doesn't....

HTH, duh
 
This is the 1st time that I have built a machine, so I'm a bit
queasy bout it, but pumped over getting a lot of power for
~$1,000. I am especially concerned about whether my tentative
choices for the case, mobo, cpu, and RAM look OK. Above-all, I
want long-term reliability with decent power. Will use the
Click to expand...

For reliability, make sure you get an ECC capable chipset and ECC
memory. Memory is subject to soft failures, which are not
repeatable, due to such events as cosmic rays. ECC corrects this,
and means your memory system will be something like 100 times more
reliable.
 
you got a good deal on your cpu. but i would have(because i just did)
go with the ASUS P4P-800 pro (deluxe) MB

also i got the radeon 9600 pro with 256 MB RAM for 160.

my cpu cost me 270 thou...bummer

also i got a 550 watt ps. i think that yours is a bit lacking and i
hope you are getting more than one case fan...

and what you buying a floppy for??
 
On 2 Feb 2004 23:48:27 -0500,
you got a good deal on your cpu. but i would have(because i just did)
go with the ASUS P4P-800 pro (deluxe) MB

also i got the radeon 9600 pro with 256 MB RAM for 160.

my cpu cost me 270 thou...bummer

also i got a 550 watt ps. i think that yours is a bit lacking and i
hope you are getting more than one case fan...

and what you buying a floppy for??
Click to expand...

380W is more than enough in a name-brand, quality unit, at least for
the OP's system, or any similar.
Anyone with a case that has a floppy bay, would have to be a masochist
to do without a floppy drive.
 
well 380 Watts is ok i suppose but it limits your upgrade potential

the reason i have a 550 supply is that i frequently connect another
video card to the system also you looking at the faster processor
will peak at over 120 watts, so it can be close.

most of the power output needed is during bootup when bios spins up
the drives and such. after the system is up and running its rare to
get over 250 watts unless you are running benchmarks or something.


and for the floppy thing, what do you mean???

are you talking about covering the hole in the case?

they have slot covers you can buy to cover the hole. mine cost 1.99 i
think
 
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