01-07-2012, 07:06 PM
(08-18-2005, 12:01 AM)--Pete Wrote: Hi,
Well, it's in the mail (or, more likely, in UPS or FedEx). What I ended up ordering is somewhat different from the first cut choices I posted last week. Most of those changes were made because of your comments and suggestions. And for that I thank you all very much, these will be much better computers for your input. So, here's the parts list, comments follow:
OS:
Windows XP Home w/SP2
2 at $81.00 Total: $162.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...tegory=230
Case:
Skyhawk AL-ATX4377DT-BK All Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case, Black
2 at $34.99 Total: $69.98
http://www.dealsonic.com/sk43allalatx.html
PS:
Thermaltake Silent PurePower ATX 12V 2.0 Plus EPS (W0049)
2 at $140.00 Total: $280.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-W0049&c=pw
Mobo:
ASUS A8N-E
2 at $112.00 Total: $224.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDet...pricewatch
CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
2 at $218.00 Total: $436.00
http://store.yahoo.com/pcmemory-stores/c...64939.html
CPU cooler:
ThermalTake CL-P0075 AMD Athlon 64 FX55 939pin CPU Cooler W/Heatpipe
2 at $34.00 Total: $68.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=FAN-CLP075&c=pw
Memory:
Kingston KIN-KVR400X64C3A/512 400MHz DDR (2 sticks for 1 GB)
4 at $47.49 Total: $189.96
http://www.3gplaza.com/estore/control/Co...s?id=31822
Video:
AOpen Geforce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
2 at $299.00 Total: $598.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...rds#DetailSpecs
HD:
Western Digital 160GB SATA 7200rpm 8MB OEM WD1600JD
4 at $69.00 Total: $276.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...=GO&Page=1
DVD-RW:
NEC ND-3520A
2 at $47.00 Total: $94.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?Pag...ROD&ProdID=2928
Floppy:
Sony 1.44 FLOPPY W/BLACK BAZEL
2 at $8.50 Total: $17.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...rodID=1479
S&H from Best Bargin PC: $4.90
S&H from Deal sonic: $23.29
Total spent: $2,443.13
Surplus from $2500: $56.87 (Just enough for some Scotch to lubricate the assembly process
OS: I could have done better here if I'd bought one without the 'Certificate of Authenticity', but I figure the software pirating countries are doing well enough without my infinitesimal aid.
PS: Following the good advice of Roland, and after looking at the abysmal performance of many power supplies tested at THG, I bit the bullet and paid almost 50% more for a PS that will (I hope) do the job.
Mobo: After waffling back and fourth between SLI and non-SLI motherboards, I went for the non-SLI after deciding to go with a single video card (more under 'Video' below). Because I tend not to mess with stable systems, the potential for expansion just wasn't really worth it.
CPU: Dropping from the 3800+ to the 3500+ freed up almost $90 which I used to beef up the PS and video. The performance hit was minimal (thanks to Dozer, Quark, and Concillian for that discussion).
CPU cooler: Minor change that saved a couple of bucks. Besides, I couldn't find the CL-P0200 again when I went to buy it. Necessity's a mother
Memory: This may eventually get upgraded, in spite of what I said above.
Video: Going from the 6600 to the 6800 was quite a hit in the wallet and soaked up he savings on the CPU. Thanks to the input from Concillian, I revisited the video card game data on THG. I was ready to go the 2x6600 SLI mode, but closer examination makes me think that the single 6800 route is better for the games I play.
HD: Decided to go the RAID 0 route after all. Two of these drives give me about 20GB more than the single Seagate for $15 per system less. While RAID 0 does not seem to improve game performance, neither should it hurt it. Sorry, Concillian. I guess this is one time when I'll have to get bitten before I become shy.
As always, comments, etc., appreciated. But remember, these decisions have now been cast in the stone of shipping and restocking fees. After everything gets here, I'll make one or more posts about how things have gone and are going.
--Pete
Hello Computer Helping Lurkers!
I was glad to find this post and thread. Way back when, --Pete actually ordered parts for these two computers. He only got one completely assembled. That one became my gaming machine and I have been very happy with it.
However the raid drives now seem to have a problem. I have two drives and on start up (Pete thoughtfully set it up so that I can see all those message instead of just a blank screen) I see red text indicating that there are problems with the raid drives. One says error and the other says degraded. WoW still runs and the only symptom I have is that my computer starts and shuts down slowly. It may impact my game as well, as I seem to be taking a long time going through portals. I fear though that if I don't do something, one day I will hit the power button and the computer won't boot up.
--Pete was my computer guy, happily (usually) doing all the actual work on building and maintaining our computers. Since he is no longer here, I am coming to you all with a request for advice as to my best course of action.
Can these drives be repaired or do they need to be replaced?
I bet I can find the other two identical drives he ordered. If I can and the solution is to swap out the old drives with the new ones is this something I can do myself - or would I need to take it to a shop?
I have been happy with this machine, and have not been thinking about getting it replaced - but all the parts were ordered in 2005. Would I be better off replacing the machine for gaming? There are some new games coming that I think I will be interested in, and I wonder if the old machine will be good enough for them.
Thank you for your assistance!
-Magi