rebuilding computer, need help please

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tomgasgas

ok im rebuilding my computer, ive been saving for ages and ive got
£120 i plan to buy a barebones and a new cpu, i have managed to
salvage some kingston value ram (ddr2 512mb 533mhz) i also have an ide
hard drive to temporarily use untill i can afford a decent sata. (also
a cd drive)

anyway i intend to buy these components from ebuyer:

(please follow links)

barebones:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/124906

cpu:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...m9kdWN0X3NwZWNpZmljYXRpb25z&product_uid=87129

basically i want to know if i am getting a good deal for my money?
im pretty sure the two are compatible but if they are not could
somebody please tell me?


any help would be apreciated

many thanks
 
ok im rebuilding my computer, ive been saving for ages and ive got
£120 i plan to buy a barebones and a new cpu, i have managed to
salvage some kingston value ram (ddr2 512mb 533mhz) i also have an ide
hard drive to temporarily use untill i can afford a decent sata. (also
a cd drive)The PSU @ 250 is very poor.
 
tomgasgas said:
ok im rebuilding my computer, ive been saving for ages and ive got
£120 i plan to buy a barebones and a new cpu, i have managed to
salvage some kingston value ram (ddr2 512mb 533mhz) i also have an ide
hard drive to temporarily use untill i can afford a decent sata. (also
a cd drive)

anyway i intend to buy these components from ebuyer:

(please follow links)

barebones:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/124906

cpu:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/prod...m9kdWN0X3NwZWNpZmljYXRpb25z&product_uid=87129

basically i want to know if i am getting a good deal for my money?
im pretty sure the two are compatible but if they are not could
somebody please tell me?


any help would be apreciated

many thanks
Click to expand...

There are plenty of processors listed as compatible, but it all boils
down to how much power is available.

http://support.asus.com.tw/cpusuppo...type=1&name=V3-P5V900&SLanguage=en-us&cache=1

The Asus site has no info on the power supply provided. The downloadable
"document" for the V3-P5V900 is a quick install guide, a hefty download,
but basically the same skimpy information repeated in 10 different languages.
So it doesn't come with a real manual.

To estimate the power, I'm using a picture of the power supply in
another similar Asus product

(Case view of Asus V3-M2NC61S is similar to the V3-P5V900)
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/56-110-073-02.jpg

(Power supply in V3-M2NC61S is a 250W unit from Delta.)
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/56-110-073-14.jpg

12V1 @ 10A, 12V2 @ 14A, 5V @ 18A, +5VSB @ 2.5A, 3.3V @ 16A, -12V @ 0.3A
3.3 & 5V total power less than 115W
3.3 & 5V & 12V1 & 12V2 total power less than 235W
12V1 & 12V2 total current less than 19A

The processor you've selected, is one of these at 84 watts. Processor power
comes from the 12V2 rail.

http://processorfinder.intel.com/List.aspx?ProcFam=0&sSpec=&OrdCode=BX80547PG3400F

84W / 12V * (1 / 0.90) = 7.78A on 12V2 (the 0.90 stands for 90% Vcore efficiency)

The rest of the 12V load, would be your one CDROM drive (say 12V @ 1.5A),
your one hard drive (12V @ 0.6A), and some cooling fans (12V @ 0.5A). Those
would load up the 12V1 rail.

The total current so far, of 12V2 and 12V1 is 7.78A + 1.5A + 0.6A + 0.5A = 10.38A

and that is less than the 19A combined limit. The power in watts drawn from the
12V rail is about 125 watts. That leaves 235W - 125W = 110W for the 3.3V and 5V
rails. Typically, the additional loads on the motherboard might draw about
50W or so (and I have no way to calculate them, so that is only a guess).

So it looks like you have enough power in the box, for a minimal system.

Now, at some future time, you might want to add a graphics card. Those draw
from the 12V rail. When it comes time to select a card, see an article
like this, because it will show you how much of the remaining 60W or
perhaps 12V @ 5A you might end up using. The 7600GT uses 27W, and I wouldn't
use a stronger card than that. Other pages in this article, give the power numbers
for some weaker cards. And initially at least, you'll be using the built-in
graphics.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/power-noise_5.html

A 7300GS, for example, draws 16.1 watts.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/power-noise_7.html

In the Asus manual, there appears to be room for an optional
fan in the front of the system. You may want to pick up a fan
to install in there, to aid in cooling the box. One problem
with small systems like this, is the environment inside
the box can get pretty hot, due to the way they are cooled.

Another thing to note - in terms of maintenance. If you have a
motherboard failure, or a power supply failure, the motherboard
is probably not a standard size. Only Asus would be able to
supply a replacement that would fit. The power supply might also
present a problem if you need another one. I don't really know
what the warranty period is for the product from Asus. If either the
motherboard or the power supply fails outside of the warranty,
then you may end up replacing the whole barebones box.

Otherwise, enjoy your new project :-)

The built-in graphics should be fine for web surfing, email, and
office applications. I would not recommend your hardware configuration
for an OS like Vista, but aim for some older OS. And if you find 512MB
of memory is too restrictive, you can always add another 512MB stick
later. If you want to play 3D games, I'd consider a separate
graphics card for that.

Paul
 
tomgasgas said:
does the psu affect speed? does anybody out there know of a beter deal?
Click to expand...
The PSU doesn't affect speed directly. However, you want to make sure you
have enough power to run your computer properly. 250 W could be fine,
depending on how much power the computer draws.

For comparison, I just built a system with an amd64 dual-core cpu. The
peak power I measured was 133 W, which was with both processors running
full out. (The peak during booting was 121 W.) So for my system, a 250 W
psu would have been fine, but it would have been pretty hard for me to
calculate that accurately enough to feel safe building it that way.

One thing you have to realize is that a lot of the more recent dual-core
cpu's are actually *more* energy-efficient than their predecessors,
even though they're faster, and have two cores. This is one way in which
you may not be doing yourself a favor with the plan of using an older
processor. You're not necessarily saving much (any?) money by buying the
pentium 4, as opposed to something newer. The dual-core AMD I bought
was $110, which is not much more than you were planning to spend on the
pentium 4.

If you just want a system at a reasonable price, it's not obvious to me
that building your own makes sense. It probably depends a lot on how
many parts you can reuse. Here in the U.S., when I've needed a cheap
computer, I've been buying Great Quality brand PCs for $200, which is
probably less than you'd end up spending on your projected system, if
you include shipping, VAT, etc. On the other hand, if you just think
it will be fun to build your own system, then go ahead and have fun!
One thing to think about, though, if your budget is very tight, is
that the first time you build a system, you may make mistakes, and
those mistakes may end up costing you money -- money you don't have.
The first time I built a system, I got the motherboard misaligned,
shorted it out, and had to buy a new mobo.
 
i may consider looking at an amd dual core, what are they like in
comparison to a p4?

i do also have a 300w psu in my old computer, maybe i could use that
case with a new motherboard? but it is an old case.
 
tomgasgas said:
i may consider looking at an amd dual core, what are they like in
comparison to a p4?
Click to expand...

WHICH P4? The core 2 duo processors (technically still P4 processors) kick
the ASS of any AMD processor (single or dual core), performance wise. In
fact, the core 2 duo line is tops in both speed AND bang/buck, at the
moment. So if that's the P4 processor you are asking about, AMD dual core
won't gain you anything.

If you are comparing AMD dual core anything to socket 478, or earlier LGA775
P4 processors, then you might as well flip a coin.
i do also have a 300w psu in my old computer, maybe i could use that
case with a new motherboard? but it is an old case.
Click to expand...

Terrible idea. First, your PSU probably won't support your new mainboard.
Even if it could (which is highly unlikely), it's still a bad idea. Always
start with a new power supply. Skimp on any other component (if you must),
but NOT the power supply. Starting a new build with an old power supply is
like building a skyscraper on a foundation of wet sand. You are engineering
disaster, by design. -Dave
 
its a 3.4ghz lga 775 p4 im chosing between that and an amd dual core.
because its cheaper to get a decent amd barebones than a p4 one
 
tomgasgas said:
its a 3.4ghz lga 775 p4 im chosing between that and an amd dual core.
because its cheaper to get a decent amd barebones than a p4 one
Click to expand...

If the price is lower, go AMD dual core. Depending on what apps. you run,
the performance will be about the same. -Dave
 
oh forgot to add the reason im confuzed about compatibility is because
it dosent say weather or not the motherboard supports hyper threading
technology.
 
tomgasgas said:
oh forgot to add the reason im confuzed about compatibility is because
it dosent say weather or not the motherboard supports hyper threading
technology.
Click to expand...

That processor you've picked is a prescott core, which is specifically
mentioned as a supported processor on the barebone description. BTW, ignore
the idiots (someone will pipe up, count on it) who try to steer you away
from prescott. Prescott got an undeserved bad rep. because when it was
released, it ran warmer than the older core (northwood?, something like that
from memory), that it was replacing, and benchmarked about the same. The
reason you shouldn't care is that all processors require a good cooling
solution, and the processor you chose comes with one included, straight from
Intel. (so a little extra heat is not something you'll need to worry about,
at all, as long as you follow the install instructions) I've built a couple
systems with that specific processor, and it's great, you've made a good
choice. -Dave
 
thanks now i know i can order it!

ill let you know when its up and running! this is my 1st build so any
advice? im getting a friend who has bult before to help me out so it
should all be ok. hes aslo giving me windows xp 64bit to install, how
does it compare to the normal win xp?
 
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