Asus versus Shuttle for mini barebones system

  • Thread starter Thread starter danieljohnhayes
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danieljohnhayes

Hi,

I am attempting to build my first PC. I want a small sized unit but
good speeds. I therefore plan to buy a 3.0ghz Pentium 4, 1mb ram and a
160gb hard disk. I will transfer the dvd writer from my old computer
over. I may also get a wireless internet receiver (these can come in
either USB or card forms I believe) and, in the future, a graphics card
and digital TV card. I am looking for the best barebones system for
around £120 and wonder if you guys know which of these would be best:

ASUS S-Presso Standard Intel i865G FSB800 Skt-478 MiniPC (S1-P112)
http://www.kikatek.com/product_info.php?products_id=454&source=froogle

or

Shuttle SS56G Socket 478 Aluminium Barebone System
http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=PCS-SS56G

Cheers
 
Hi,

I am attempting to build my first PC. I want a small sized unit but
good speeds.
Click to expand...

Pentium-M then. It is a bad idea to use a known-very-hot
running (& power hungry) CPU in a small chassis with lesser
airflow potential. That also limits PSU size and airflow
through it, too. It can work, but given same same attention
to design and cost, it will not be as long lived as a cooler
and less power hungry solution. Athlon64/Sempron would also
be better than P4 in this regard, and faster for most uses
too.


I therefore plan to buy a 3.0ghz Pentium 4, 1mb ram and a
160gb hard disk. I will transfer the dvd writer from my old computer
over. I may also get a wireless internet receiver (these can come in
either USB or card forms I believe) and, in the future, a graphics card
and digital TV card. I am looking for the best barebones system for
around £120 and wonder if you guys know which of these would be best:
Click to expand...

What exactly is the goal? HTPC? HTPC does not need high
performance CPU, merely a tuner/capture card with hardware
MPEG compression. Use of a hot running CPU in such a case
would have the issues mentioned previously, plus more noise
(in an optimized system) due to the inherant need to move
more air, which is also more fan wear and dust accumulation.

Avoid wireless if you can reasonably. It is well worth
stringing the network cable for performance and general
continuity of data exchange.
 
I am attempting to build my first PC. I want a small sized unit but
good speeds. I therefore plan to buy a 3.0ghz Pentium 4, 1mb ram and a
160gb hard disk. I will transfer the dvd writer from my old computer
over. I may also get a wireless internet receiver (these can come in
either USB or card forms I believe) and, in the future, a graphics card
and digital TV card. I am looking for the best barebones system for
around £120 and wonder if you guys know which of these would be best:

If you want to build a good machine, build it based on the AMD socket 939
chips. They're a lot cooler. The last good P4 chip was the Northwood variety
which are long gone these days. No matter which you choose, avoid anything
that uses a VIA chipset.

For the wireless adapter, get a USB model... PCI's are blocked by the
computer itself... although you can get an extender cable. Also, you'll be
limited to how many slots you have in such a small PC.
 
I agree, a P4 sucks, Via chip sets are pants, why? because I have one, worse
buy of my life. A friend has a Amd, with the nvidia nforce4 chipset, it
knocks the socks off of my one :-(
But I have a new system coming with an Amd :-))))
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I have reconsidered my purchase and now am looking for a small unit
with the socket 939 motherboard. Unfortunately the barebones from
Shuttle et al are very expensive. I have got the list below from
savastore.com, total price £368. Whatcha think????

Antec Aria Aluminium Media PC Case with 300 Watt PSU £56.99
http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10277803
Maxtor DiamondMax 9 160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache HDD OEM £44.49
Aries 1GB PC3200 DDR 400MHz DIMM Memory £50.95 £50.95
MSI RX480M2-IL Skt939 DDR PCI-E 16X MATX Motherboard £49.95
http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10280374
AMD Athlon64 3200+ 939pin Retail CPU (Winchester) £105.90

Total £308 plus £55 VAT and £5.70 postage

I have never built a computer before, how hard is it? How does the
motherboard look to you guys (I have been told with a small unit I will
need integrated sound and network options).

Thanks
 
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