Building new AMD64 system - some general questions

[sakumar79]

Hi,
I am building a sub 35k AMD64 2800+ system and have a few doubts
1. I am planning to get ASUS or Gigabyte motherboard. Which model of which brand would you recommend (preferabbly, the cheaper variety) and please let me know the current price (pref. 4-6k)
2. I use the game for occasional gaming. Will be buying POP: Sands of Time soon and that will prob. be the only big recent game that I will be playing (possibly POP: Warrior Within instead if I am lucky and price falls in a couple of months), so as low-end as possible is prefered for graphics card - Looking for 128MB card - please suggest GeForce model and ATI Radeon model.
3. Other than gaming, I use the system mainly for intensive browsing only. Is 512 MB RAM necessary or should I settle for 256?
4. For Hard Disk, I am planning for 80GB HDD, but on PATA models, Samsung and Seagate are not offering 8MB Buffer. Will the performance boost from 2 to 8 MB be significant? If so, I am thinking of either WD or Maxtor PATA or Samsung/Seagate SATA. Please advise...

My basic config will be as below:
AMD Athlon64 2800+ with Motherboard
256 or 512 MB DDR400 RAM
80 GB HDD
Sony or Samsung 52X CD-Writer
Samsung 17" Monitor
Logitech Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Onboard Sound
128MB Video Card
Creative Inspire 4.1 speakers.
ATX Cabinet with 350W SMPS

Thanks in advance for any help...
Arun

 

[blade_runner]

Hi,
I am building a sub 35k AMD64 2800+ system and have a few doubts
1. I am planning to get ASUS or Gigabyte motherboard. Which model of which brand would you recommend (preferabbly, the cheaper variety) and please let me know the current price (pref. 4-6k)
2. I use the game for occasional gaming. Will be buying POP: Sands of Time soon and that will prob. be the only big recent game that I will be playing (possibly POP: Warrior Within instead if I am lucky and price falls in a couple of months), so as low-end as possible is prefered for graphics card - Looking for 128MB card - please suggest GeForce model and ATI Radeon model.
3. Other than gaming, I use the system mainly for intensive browsing only. Is 512 MB RAM necessary or should I settle for 256?
4. For Hard Disk, I am planning for 80GB HDD, but on PATA models, Samsung and Seagate are not offering 8MB Buffer. Will the performance boost from 2 to 8 MB be significant? If so, I am thinking of either WD or Maxtor PATA or Samsung/Seagate SATA. Please advise...

My basic config will be as below:
AMD Athlon64 2800+ with Motherboard
256 or 512 MB DDR400 RAM
80 GB HDD
Sony or Samsung 52X CD-Writer
Samsung 17" Monitor
Logitech Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Onboard Sound
128MB Video Card
Creative Inspire 4.1 speakers.
ATX Cabinet with 350W SMPS

Thanks in advance for any help...
Arun

Hi arun
I'll try to answer ur questions but if u had searched arnd i m sure u will find most the qestions answered.
1. Get the Asus k8v-x for arnd 5.5-6k.Good board, no ocing although.
2. For your graphics query, get a Ati 9550 or a 9600 non pro for arnd 5k and 6.5k respectively. These should suit your gaming needs well.
3. Well wotever you do, dont settle for less memory; Even XP requires 256Mb memory so you will better off with 512 atleast for a smooth computing experience.
4. well having more cache boost performance although i dont have figues to prove by how much time, but moving files/data should be quicker with more cache. Go with Seagates SATA drives since they offer 5 yr warranty.

 

[sakumar79]

Hi Blade runner,
Thanx for your reply... Truth be told, I was not very clear in what exactly I wanted to know. I was running on dial up at that time and was trying to shorten my query...
Anyway, based on your reply, I shall reword/rehash my queries to be a bit more specific...
1. The Asus K8VX specs look nice, but I am not sure I need 3 memory slots. Please tell me how the Sis chipset, nVidia chipset, VIA KT800 chipset and VIA KM800 chipset compare in terms of price and performance. Since I am unable to find Gigabyte prices (or even AMD system ASUS mobos) in Nehru Place, I am unable to do a price comparison. Please let me know where I can find current prices of these motherboards...
2. Since I am on a tight budget, I am looking for as cheap a graphics card as I can which will be able to play Prince of Persia: Warrior Within decently. I do not play Quake/Doom and most FPS games because I cannot control the mouse very accurately and get seasickness just playing for 5 minutes. How does ATI Radeon 9200SE perform? And is it available readily these days? I saw that Nehru place listed it at less than 3K...
3. I know most people say 512 MB is good. But I am not so sure. I recently installed WinXP on a P4 2 GHz system with 196 MB PC133 SDRAM. It is running very smoothly. My main confusion is that if I were to use 512 MB RAM on a system without graphics card, I would probably allocate 64MB or 128MB for graphics, so I would have less than 512 available. Now, with a dedicated graphics card, I will have the full resources of the memory. I was just wondering if that being the case, 256MB RAM might be enough....
4. I am sensing from some websites that for large capacities like 160-200 GB, the performance boost is significant from 2MB buffer to 8MB buffer. But if I am going for 80 GB hard disk, I am wondering if the performance boost will justify the cost difference... (since transfer speed boost is not very significant...)

Thanks again for your time and comments...
Arun

 

[blade_runner]

Hi Blade runner,
Thanx for your reply... Truth be told, I was not very clear in what exactly I wanted to know. I was running on dial up at that time and was trying to shorten my query...
Anyway, based on your reply, I shall reword/rehash my queries to be a bit more specific...
1. The Asus K8VX specs look nice, but I am not sure I need 3 memory slots. Please tell me how the Sis chipset, nVidia chipset, VIA KT800 chipset and VIA KM800 chipset compare in terms of price and performance. Since I am unable to find Gigabyte prices (or even AMD system ASUS mobos) in Nehru Place, I am unable to do a price comparison. Please let me know where I can find current prices of these motherboards...
2. Since I am on a tight budget, I am looking for as cheap a graphics card as I can which will be able to play Prince of Persia: Warrior Within decently. I do not play Quake/Doom and most FPS games because I cannot control the mouse very accurately and get seasickness just playing for 5 minutes. How does ATI Radeon 9200SE perform? And is it available readily these days? I saw that Nehru place listed it at less than 3K...
3. I know most people say 512 MB is good. But I am not so sure. I recently installed WinXP on a P4 2 GHz system with 196 MB PC133 SDRAM. It is running very smoothly. My main confusion is that if I were to use 512 MB RAM on a system without graphics card, I would probably allocate 64MB or 128MB for graphics, so I would have less than 512 available. Now, with a dedicated graphics card, I will have the full resources of the memory. I was just wondering if that being the case, 256MB RAM might be enough....
4. I am sensing from some websites that for large capacities like 160-200 GB, the performance boost is significant from 2MB buffer to 8MB buffer. But if I am going for 80 GB hard disk, I am wondering if the performance boost will justify the cost difference... (since transfer speed boost is not very significant...)

Thanks again for your time and comments...
Arun

No dude, never shorten your query for wotever reason ! Provide as much details as possible so that those who can help you will do so without making guesses. Also 3 slots are common for most mid budget boards these days, nuthing new in it.

1. Nvidia chipsets for amd 64 platforms are nforce3 and nforce4, there are lotsa hot selling mobos based on these chipsets. The Via k8t800 and K8t800pro chipset is also gr8. The K8m800 chipset is for budget ppl, has onboard video i think and oc'ing isn't all that gr8. Also since you are going for the socket 754 i think K8V or K8N (cost arnd 6k) shud do well for your needs. Try www.npithub.com for prices. Also chk out various mags and stuff for distri info and prices.

2. If u need a budget solution 9200 is gr8 but don't go for the 9200SE since it has a 64 bit memory controller which will significantly affect performance. Even though the 9200 is selling in numbers it should be readily available. If you dont mind second hand deals you can chk some cards out @ www.tech-arena.com in the buy sell section.

3. Well memory for me is like oxygen, if u are planning to skimp on it due to budget constraints do so by all means. One more thing you can do is buy only 256Mb of memory first and then if you dont find the performance upto the mark go for another 256Mb of it. All in all i think memory should never be skimped on .........

4. The cost difference is minimal arnd 1k or so between Hdd's of different capacities, but the main factor here would be how much space would you require. If say u require arnd 80Gbs of it and 160Gb would be way too much you then you could settle down for 120 gigs....since there would always be room for more storage incase u need it.

 

[sakumar79]

Hi Blade Runner,
Thanks for the continued interaction.
1. I have been through npithub website. There are no entries in ASUS or Gigabyte for AMD based mobos... NPITHUB is a great starting place for Indians, but it is no MYSIMON or PRICEWATCH... Which brings me to the next point - I found Gigabyte AMD64 Mobos for about 75-100 USDs. This comes to about 1-1.5K cheaper than ASUS boards u said were 5.5-6K. Any idea if the price is comparable to rates in India?
2. That is a good point - just out of curiosity, any idea how Radeon 9200 (non-SE) compares to Radeon 9550SE in price and performance?
3. Point taken
4. Well, I said 80 GB because it was most commonly selling at this time. I have a 40GB HDD now and that is JUST sufficient. 80 GB will be more than enough for me. (I regularly remove old data and archive needed ones on multiple drives)

Thanks again for your time,
Arun

 

[blade_runner]

Hi Blade Runner,
Thanks for the continued interaction.
1. I have been through npithub website. There are no entries in ASUS or Gigabyte for AMD based mobos... NPITHUB is a great starting place for Indians, but it is no MYSIMON or PRICEWATCH... Which brings me to the next point - I found Gigabyte AMD64 Mobos for about 75-100 USDs. This comes to about 1-1.5K cheaper than ASUS boards u said were 5.5-6K. Any idea if the price is comparable to rates in India?
2. That is a good point - just out of curiosity, any idea how Radeon 9200 (non-SE) compares to Radeon 9550SE in price and performance?
3. Point taken
4. Well, I said 80 GB because it was most commonly selling at this time. I have a 40GB HDD now and that is JUST sufficient. 80 GB will be more than enough for me. (I regularly remove old data and archive needed ones on multiple drives)

Thanks again for your time,
Arun

1. Well arun after duties and stuff the prices inflate to the same level. Also the availability of products listed on international sites is not always present. So u might have 2 order the products through the distributors themselves. And yes India needs a newegg of its own Also be sure to chk out the gigabyte mobos specs against other that are shortlisted.
2. 9200 is a dx 8.1 based card while the 9550 is a toned down version of the 9600, but the 64 bit memory and lower clock speeds (almost equal to the 9200 non se) will bring the performance level of the 9550SE to the 9200(almost) still i will maintain wot i said for never go for a card with 64bit memory contoller.
4. If 80 Gbs is fine for you then go ahead with it. Seagate offers a 5 years warranty as well, even samsung has started offering it.

 

[sakumar79]

Hi Blade Runner,
Thanks for all your help....
1. I will be going mobo hunting at Chennai next weekend. I will check up the specs and if possible, post my choice later...
2. I guess I will go for Radeon 9200 (nonSE) or Geforce FX5200
3. 512MB RAM
4. 80 GB SATA

Thanx again
Arun

 

[fragileninja]

Hey blade.... Howz this config???

Plz suggest the required changes... I'm an occasional gamer, but passionate abt music and movies... Want to have the best experience in that terms....

Athlon 64 2800+
ASUS K8V-X mobo (is it good? onboard graphics????)
1 GB DDR400 RAM (Hynix or what???)
ATX Cabinet (300W or more??)
160GB 7200 RPM Seagate Barracuda
Creative Inspire 6600 6.1 Speakers
Samsung DVD Combo

What can be the approximate price....

Sorry pep, maybe i'm being verbose but need to finalize it quickly... And dont know much abt the technicalities....

 

[delhibhai1000]

1)fer the A64 2800+, the best mobo wud b the K8N, which is slightly more costlier than the K8V-X. but is a LOT better...
2)None of the A64 mobo,except those with the SIS chipsets;have Onboard video;u WILL have to get a seperate Video card...
3)1 Gb RAM is a Overkill if u are not a gamer!
512Mb DDR400 GENUINE Hynix is 4200/-
4)Get teh Ibox 350W cabinet-1250/- if u can spare the cash then get the Powersafe 400W (SMPS ONLY ) for 1750/-
5)Instead of a combo drive,get seperate Cd-writer & DVD,difference is hardly 500Bux....

 

[fragileninja]

1)fer the A64 2800+, the best mobo wud b the K8N, which is slightly more costlier than the K8V-X. but is a LOT better...

Plz can u tell me what features k8n offers over k8v-x ??? what abt k8v and k8v deluxe????

2)None of the A64 mobo,except those with the SIS chipsets;have Onboard video;u WILL have to get a seperate Video card...

thanx.... was very confused abt this!!!

3)1 Gb RAM is a Overkill if u are not a gamer!
512Mb DDR400 GENUINE Hynix is 4200/-

point taken... will go for 512 DDR400...

4)Get teh Ibox 350W cabinet-1250/- if u can spare the cash then get the Powersafe 400W (SMPS ONLY ) for 1750/-

Do you recommend some shop? I'm dealing with Computer Empire @nehru place as of now....

5)Instead of a combo drive,get seperate Cd-writer & DVD,difference is hardly 500Bux....

got it.....

plz suggest me a dealer!!!

Whats the difference b/w socket 754 and socket 939.... is latter available in del and is it worth the cost to buy....??? im too confused abt the mobo thing.... plz suggest me sumthing..... lot of questions alrdy, but dont want to shell out 50k just like tht....

right now my options for mobo are
1. K8N
2. K8NE Deluxe
both hav 8 channel audio, 8 usb support (how many ports will they give???), cool n quiet...
but deluxe has 6 sata ports against 2 in k8n. offers dual raid (does any1 need it???) and ieee 1394 (i need it for digicam, so does tht mean i cant buy k8n???)

3. K8V
4. K8V Deluxe
5. K8V-X
They offer sumthing called s/PDIF for high end entertainment, wherein i can plug high power speakers into the mobo.... (i like it... ) 6 channel audio, usb ready (have'nt specified how many ports and all)

Now delhibhai... why do u recommend k8n over k8v... the only difference to me appears to be nforce3 chipset vs via k8t800 chipset.... is it so important...???? pardon me plz if thts too silly...

guys plz.... suggest me the processor + mobo!!! and plz give me sum reasons which my dumb mind can understand!!!

otherwise, all u AMD fans.... i'll go for Intel!!!! 8)
Just joking!!!

thanx a lot for the help....

 

[delhibhai1000]

1) Dont even think twice b4 buying K8N..
Somethings that do come to mind are: Native Firewall support(integrated onto the chipset), Better SATA , Overclocking Capabilities....
And yeah, the MUCH better nForce3 Chipset!!
the K8V & k8v deluxe r not even an option, if u hav the money to spend,then go fer the K8N-Deluxe rather than K8V-Dlx...!
2) unfortunately, even the Ibox arent exactly wat i wud recommend...
The Powersafe 400W is not avlbl in Delhi, but can b bought by Mail Order from B'bay... i.e, u send a DD & they send the PSU by Courier...
i think its worth it...
3)diff. between 754 & 939 ?
939 r Dual-channel DDR capable... , i.e,u can use 2 sticks of 256Mb each rather than a single stick of 512Mb to get more performance;in short, they offer around 7-8% higher performance for equally rated CPUs...
But they ARE costlier than the 754s...
The other thing is this: u have to go fer a 939 compatible mobo, & As far as i know,the only 939 mobos avlbl in Delhi r the SLI mobos, that cost a whopping 15k...!
4) Lastly, if u have to have IEEE1394,then u hav 2 options; either get a MSI board(which has Onboard Firewire) or get a seperate IEEE1394 PCI card , if u go fer the K8N...
5)a reliable Dealer in Delhi? good luck finding one!!