Need help choosing a partial-build

[bunnahnah]

Hello all,

I have looking through some of the threads, hoping for some inspiration. But I cannot seem to find a similar thread to what I need. Basically, I am planning to keep some of the parts from my current machine:
a) Power supply (Antec SP350) + Case (Antec SLK3700BQE)
b) CD-Writer
c) 2 large capacity PATA HDDs

I would like to upgrade to new-ish technology, but not the latest tech. My budget is around £200, but I can stretch if only to get value-for-money. My usual PC habits are: web-surfing, watching movies, occasional strategy games.

I don't really have a preference either AMD or Intel. However, I think if I want to keep the cost low, I guess I will go with something like AMD Skt939? I have variously read that AM2 is the way to go for future-proofing (not too fussed about this), and that older Intel is dropping in price (but pre-C2D is inferior to AMD).

The CPU will dictate the mobo that I can get, but I think my requirements for the mobo is, likewise, fairly flexible. I was hoping for an integrated video solution, and then upgrade to a better graphics card when I want to play newer games down the road. I do want to keep my PATA HDDs coz they are pretty new and have large capacities. I am hoping that I can put off buying a SATA HDD, but I guess most mobo nowadays must boot off a SATA HDD?


In terms of future upgradability, I guess I am not really fussed. Currently, besides upgrading the video card and adding HDD space, I am still using an old Pentium III PC. But it's getting very sluggish whilst playing movies, newer games, and when running multiple applications - so, I guess it is time to upgrade. :o

I do have an additional requirement - I am planning to get a 32" LCD TV and hook my new machine up to it. The TV does support the standard VGA connector - and HDMI as well. I have no idea whether I will ever need to hook my PC to the TV via HDMI, but I am guessing 'no'. Will the TV be a constraint on what sort of graphics card I should be getting?

I know there are no example of hardware here, but I don't really want to start hunting for hardware when I don't even know which camp (AMD/Intel) I am going to be in. Thanks for understanding. Any advice is appreciated. :D

Bun

[gtucker329]

Welcome to the forum. Looking at your initial questions the first thing to start off with is your MB selection. I noticed your interested in integrated graphics at first. This limits your choices to M-ATX form factor MB's which usually don't have all the performance goodies of full ATX MB's. Also some boards have only 1 IDE channel so those dual PATA drives will cause a problem. You might want to look at switching to SATA HD's.

Intel or AMD - Question of the century. For your requirements either is fine. I currently use an AMD 3200 processor that works fine for most games out there and currently is under $100. Intel Pentium D 805 is another good choice under $100.00 and you get the benefit of dual cores. My wife's computer has this processor and it easily outperforms my AMD.

Video card - Most newer video cards will offer either S-video out for large monitors or VGA to component adaptor. To my knowledge there is no card offering HDMI yet. I would say this is due to HDMI also carrying the audio signal which is not produced on the video card.

Looking at your budget I am sure you can find reasonable prices on quality components to meet your requirements.

Also you should look at your current power supply. If it is a 20 pin main connector you should upgrade. Most current LGA 775 and 939 sockets have 24 pin main power connections.

[bunnahnah]

Thanks gtucker for the quick reply.

First off, I hadn't realised that I may not be able to keep my Antec power supply. Not that I have any particular attachment to it :) , but it was fairly new (replaced on warranty). Oh well...
I had a look at its specs:
"The Antec Solution Series SmartPower power supply is an ATX12V form factor
power supply. An ATX12V power supply has a single 20-pin Main Power
Connector, a 6-pin AUX Power Connector, and a 4-pin +12V Power Connector
for the motherboard. It also includes five to seven 4-pin Peripheral Power
Connectors and one to two 4-pin Floppy Drive Power Connectors for your
drives."
So, I guess you are right - I may need a new power supply with 24-pin Mains Power Connector.

I will get right on choosing a mobo now.

[glc]

There is nothing wrong with micro ATX motherboards with onboard video, as long as they DO have an AGP or PCI-Ex16 (preferred) slot for a card upgrade. With almost everything else being onboard these days, the lack of extra slots won't hurt you.

Best bargain boards:

775: Asus P5L-MX
939: Asus A8N-VM
AM2: Asus M2N-MX

[bunnahnah]

P5L-MX looks quite good, price-wise (£55):
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=467395

Is it worth getting a board without onboard VGA, and getting an el-cheapo graphics card to go with it?

I am probably going to get the Pentium D 805 (£64):
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/107617

and probably need one of these (PCI IDE card as well):
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=17433

So, the PCI IDE card is going to take up 1 of the PCI slots. I guess there isn't anything to worry about that I only have 1 other free PCI slot left (if getting the micro-ATX board)?

[flanzig1]

It would be best to get a board with on-board video and upgrade to a good video card when money allows. A low end video card isn't going to be much better that on-board.

[gtucker329]

P5L-MX looks quite good, price-wise (£55):

I will second the P5L-MX. I used the exact board for my wife's system. Easy setup and very stable.

[bunnahnah]

Currently, my proposed build looks like this:

Asus P5L-MX (£55):
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=467395
Although I did have a look at the newegg reviews, and there were 1 or 2 complaints on the audio being susceptible to popping noises. :(
If I want to get an alternative mobo, such as the Asus P5LD2-VM (£73), is it a better choice? I like the fact that it has 2 IDE ports, meaning I can re-use my older HDD without buying PCI IDE card.
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/112229

Pentium D 805 CPU (£64):
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/107617

PCI IDE card:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...roductID=17433

I'm looking for suggestions on memory and power supply.

In terms of memory, I am looking towards 1Gb in a single stick, so that I can upgrade to another stick at a later stage. I have read that some chipsets (am I even using the right words?) do not like un-matched memory sticks. Is this true? Will I be able to get more memory, say, 1 year down the road?

In terms of power supply, I do not want to go over-the-top. So, I think I will be looking at a Antec 400W PSU (£41). Just realised that they can get fairly expensive, esp. on a good brand.
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/90613
Question is: Will this be a good choice? Using a PSU calculator, I think this is way more than enough power. Should I be going for more power or less?

[glc]

In that case, go for the P5LD2-VM. It also has 4 ram slots so you can use a dual channel pair right now without knocking out the upgradability. You definitely want to use a pair - I'd go for something like Corsair Value Select DDR2-667.

Excellent power supply choice.

If you do get the P5LD2-VM, make sure it's the version 2.0 for future Core 2 Duo compatibility. No sense dead ending yourself into nothing stronger than a Pentium-D.

[bunnahnah]

Right. I think I am getting really close now. My current build:

Pentium D 805 CPU (£64):
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/107617

Asus P5LD2-VM (£74)
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/112229

Corsair Value Select, 1Gb (2X512Mb), (£76)
DDR2 PC5300 (667), 240 Pin, Non-ECC Unbuffered, CAS 5-5-5-15
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=202604

Antec SmartPower 2.0 400W PSU (£42)
Atx 2.01 Dual Rails
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/90613

Comments are welcomed!

[flanzig1]

Do you have an OS to reuse? If not, XP Home OEM would be cheapest.

[bunnahnah]

Yeah. I have a Win XP Pro that I am going to re-use.

[bunnahnah]

This is not a bump! :)

Anyway, I was shopping around to get the best price for my proposed build, and I came across a deal for the Pentium D 820 (Intel Pentium D 820 Socket775 , Smithfield Core, 2x2.8 GHz , 2MB Cache, Retail) at:
http://www.scan.co.uk/todayonly/

Since I was going to buy a Pentium D 805, and now I can get the 820 for almost the same price, I should go for the 820, right?
Logic says yes, but I would like to know what you guys think.

Also, I was thinking of getting the P5LD2-VM DH (Digital Home) from Asus, as it is the same spec as P5LD2-VM, but with:
1) SATA RAID
2) Intel Viiv
Just wondering if I should be shelling an extra £5 for the DH board over the 'normal' one.

I'd appreciate a quick reply since there seems to be a discount going on at:
http://www.scan.co.uk/todayonly
for all my items.

[flanzig1]

If you need/want the extra options on the new mobo, go for it.
As for the CPU, the 820 can use faster ram, so for the same price go for the better specs(faster FSB/faster clock).

[piasabird]

I have had 2 AMD XP processors die from what I guess is overheating. I dont think I will buy any more AMD Products. I have an old Intel Celeron 2.2 gig Tulatin Core processor and it just never dies. So I recommend Intel Core 2 Duo.

[bunnahnah]

You know, the previous post is pretty coincidental to what I am thinking.
Before I ordered my setup, I found an article that describes the power consumption of the Pentium D 805. Now, I had take that to mean that the power consumption will result in more heat produced. Now, I don't really want to have a power guzzler sitting under my desk, and sound like a plane taking off.

I read that the Energy Efficient AM2 consume much less power than a Pentium D 805, but not that much less than a E6300. So, just wondering, is it worth moving to an E6300 or rather, an AM2 X2 3800+ ?

Unfortunately, I think if I move to those CPUs, my budget will sort of go out the window, right?
Hopefully, I may be able to re-coup the extra cost (from energy saving) after 1-2 years of use.

Sorry for being a flip-flop here.

[blue60007]

I believe those AMD X2's put out 65W of energy? The E6300 puts out 66W, so it's about the same. The Intel 805 puts out around 90W.

Keep in mind these numbers are only when the CPU is at full tilt. Sitting idle, I bet the power consumption difference is much less. I don't think the CPU you use will make *that* big of a difference in energy costs (a dollar or two?), unless you're running several at full tilt 24/7.

[bunnahnah]

I agree with your point that the CPU will probably sit idle most of the time, but still; at idle the power consumption is significant, especially comparing pentium D 805 and E6300.

So, if I jump straight to a E6300 with my setup above, is there any point?
Will there be any gotchas?

If I do get an E6300, I think I will get an OEM one and get an aftermarket cooler. I am probably going to go for the Scythe Ninja Plus Fanless. My case will probably fit it, question is: will the mobo be able to fit it in?
Fan : http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=296802
Mobo: http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/112229

Thanks again. You guys have no idea how much I appreciate this.