New computer, yayness. You shall ph34r, or something.

Flippy_D · Fri 11/06/2004 23:30:45

Basically, I'm really, really fed up with this terribly archaic PC (128 RAM, 1009 mHz, etc), which is starting to show it's age, so I'm going to be getting a new computer - or to be more precise, building one.

Here are specs and pics of what it'll consist of (in no particular order), for those who are interested.

Case:

Benz Black Super Midi

CPU cooler:

Scythe Samurai P4/AMD XP/AMD 64 CPU Cooler

Graphics card:

Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb

Motherboard:

Asrock K8S8X
Socket 754
DDR1 up to DDR 400
AGP 8x
5 PCI slots

RAM:
2x 512Mb PC3200 (PC400) DDR Memory (Elixir Major) Retail, making 1.24 gigs of the stuff.

CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3000

Sound:
AC97 5:1 onboard sound, but with a 2:1 system.

Power supply:
480W with passive PFC and 120mm fan.

Total Cost: Â£540 without adding the speakers (I need to find the link to the speakers again).

All in all, good stuff! I'll be able to run anything for several years to come with ease, and my PC will actually be able to do stuff competently! Yay!

shbaz · Fri 11/06/2004 23:36:55

Just out of curiosity, why the Radeon? I've heard the newer Nvidia cards were getting better reviews.

Privateer Puddin' · Fri 11/06/2004 23:38:52

perhaps because they're newer?

should of got the 9800 in well, 2003

but i guess they're cheaper now

Ghormak · Fri 11/06/2004 23:47:17

The new generation of Radeons and GeForces was released not too long ago, so I assume the 9800 cards must be quite cheap today.

I wouldn't mind getting a X800.

kl4Uz · Fri 11/06/2004 23:48:08

I've got a Sapphire Radeon 9600 and I really love that card... I had a Nvidia Riva, TNT2 pro, Geforce 2MX and a Geforce 3 ti before, and they all sucked hard compared to my Radeon.

Personally, I never buy the latest graphic cards, simply because I can't afford them... But be sure, a Radeon 9800 is a good choice

Flippy_D · Sat 12/06/2004 01:00:55

Yeah, I wasn't aiming for top of the range... I also had a budget to stick to. I just want something that'll work well enough to run HL2 and possibly Call of Duty, so I should have no worries.

BOYD1981 · Sat 12/06/2004 01:03:34

i have a Sapphire Radeon 9800XT and boy does it get hot, plus i had to set my AGP speed to 4x instead of 8x because my games kept randomly crashing, which a lot of people seem to have with the same card, so you might also want to invest in some extra fans, and remember that the graphics card will want power directly from your PSU, so if you are gonna add lots of fans you might want a better power supply...
having recently got a new pc myself i would just like to say WOO!

kl4Uz · Sat 12/06/2004 01:09:14

Hey guys here's the 411... hey I just learned that idiom from some weird "get to know what your kid's talking about" page... and I just wanted to use ist, no matter what topic it is

it rock's

shbaz · Sat 12/06/2004 01:20:23

Quote from: kl4Uz on Sat 12/06/2004 01:09:14
Hey guys here's the 411... hey I just learned that idiom from some weird "get to know what your kid's talking about" page... and I just wanted to use ist, no matter what topic it is

it rock's

Uh.. that's kind of an old idiom really. It's from the telephone companies, if you need a number and have no phone book then you dial "411" or "1411" and an operator will get you the number and connect you for a small fee. Because of that, it's become synonymous with information.

Flippy_D · Sat 12/06/2004 01:31:16

Oh, btw BOYD, did you notice the smeg-off 12 cm fan on the PSU? That combined with the heaksink and Scythe Samurai cooler should make sub-zero temperatures

If not, I can just break out the liquid nitrogen.

strazer · Sat 12/06/2004 02:19:18

QuoteSapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128mb

Be sure to get the 256-bit memory bus version. As I understand it, there is also a version with 128 bit that is a lot slower.

BOYD1981 · Sat 12/06/2004 02:25:07

Quote from: Flippy_D on Sat 12/06/2004 01:31:16
Oh, btw BOYD, did you notice the smeg-off 12 cm fan on the PSU? That combined with the heaksink and Scythe Samurai cooler should make sub-zero temperatures

If not, I can just break out the liquid nitrogen.

my PSU has exactly the same thing (plus blue lights) and the pc still gets hot, right now i'm having to take the sidepanel off and aim a fan inside the case, CPU temp is 44Â°C/111Â°F, motherboard is 30Â°C/86Â°F and my graphics card is 68Â°C, i thought the CPU would be the hottest thing inside the pc (what with it being an Athlon64 3400+) but it was pleasently surprised, plus it has a big fan glued to it..

shbaz · Sat 12/06/2004 03:28:28

So perhaps they overclocked it to boost performance?

How expensive are water cooling systems?

Chicky · Sat 12/06/2004 10:59:04

i just got my new pc yesterday, had been running a 600mhz packardbell for the last 5 years. You really can feel the difference, its great!

i need more ram though...

Flippy_D · Sat 12/06/2004 12:55:38

btw, speakers:

Logitech Z-3 2.1 Speaker System

kl4Uz · Sat 12/06/2004 12:59:02

Quote from: shbazjinkens on Sat 12/06/2004 01:20:23
Uh.. that's kind of an old idiom really. It's from the telephone companies, if you need a number and have no phone book then you dial "411" or "1411" and an operator will get you the number and connect you for a small fee. Because of that, it's become synonymous with information.

i already thought that it's something like this

Daz · Sat 12/06/2004 14:21:16

like the mercades case it is shaped like the s-class hehe, cool

kl4Uz · Sun 13/06/2004 22:51:47

Quote from: Daz on Sat 12/06/2004 14:21:16
like the mercades case it is shaped like the s-class hehe, cool

i don't really like it that much.. I think premodded cases suck hard - where has the d.i.y. spirit gone?

Hinders · Sun 13/06/2004 22:58:04

why not get a 256mb radeon 9800?
you will get more for the money.

btw, i will get my new pc this week:D
*hindersh kicks his old p2 400mhz