Topic: lil help? (Read 6085 times)

mc_cloud · « **on:** August 17, 2005, 08:59:18 am »

im building a new comp, was wondering if you guys could give input...

mb
which one? 40$ price diff

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135177
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127197
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cpu

http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103533
ram

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145440
Video
6600gt/pci..........couldnt find cheapish 6800
(i actually did find a 6800gt for 269.....if anyone knows a cheaper prices, let me know

)

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1118492&CatId=0
case + psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144076

should i grab the 500w psu instead?
what do you guys think so far?
suggestions?

Bonk · « **Reply #1 on:** August 17, 2005, 09:07:49 am »

I'd go for the ECS over ABIT based on name alone, but they're both kind of cheapies.

mc_cloud · « **Reply #2 on:** August 17, 2005, 09:12:20 am »

yeah, im trying to cut cost a little bit, and still get an overall strong-ish gaming computer..

which i belive this is suting my needs so far..

do you guys think i should opt for a better psu?

i've heard that the combos often come with crap psu's, and that can severly affect system perfomance.

toasty0 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2005, 09:18:05 am »

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135177

That's the board I'd go with because you get more bang per dollar spent than with the other board.

Though these folks are not as cheap as newegg you still should check them out:
http://www.pcclub.com/product_browse.cfm?cat=Motherboards

Elvis · « **Reply #4 on:** August 17, 2005, 02:37:14 pm »

I'm going to be the dissenter in the group, but ECS motherboards that are made for the enthusiast crowd are junk. While I know ECS is the largest manufacturer of motherboards, and their boards are used in more OEM builds than anyones I would still not put one in my computer. ABIT on the othe hand is a different story. I probably would use an Abit board in one of my builds.

Can this board be an option:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130491

In between the two you listed and it also is from a good manufacturer that keeps things like bioses and drivers easily found and frequently updated.

As far as power supplies concerned, the more reputable brands out there are Fortron, Sparkle, Enermax, Enlight, Antec, PC Power and Cooling, and Thermaltake. Find something with a healthy 12V line or one that has dual rails for the 12V line, like the Enermax Noisetaker. I would personally choose a case and PSU seperately but your mileage may vary.

E_Look · « **Reply #5 on:** August 17, 2005, 05:09:38 pm »

I'll go along with Elvis' suggestions. MSI is most often a high quality board (I'm typing on the a system built on one with an Athlon 64 3000+).

Get a good PSU because the cheapies self destruct and then take out some other system components with it, most often the mobo. Power level wise, I'd be sure to be at least 400 W.

But if you must choose between ECS and Abit, my instinct too is to go with Abit (even though I think they might have been the ones nailed using substandard board components).

Let us know how you make out with your system!

Nemesis · « **Reply #6 on:** August 17, 2005, 05:34:59 pm »

I would suggest using Google to search for user comments on Usenet to see what problems people encountered with any hardware you are buying.

ECS has a bad reputation so barring an exceptional reason to choose them I would avoid the ECS board.

ABit and MSI have good reputations. Myself I use ASUS boards.

As E_Look said get a quality power supply. A study done (years ago now) indicated that 85% of all computer problems were in fact power problems though they often appear to be software or hardware issues. I would recommend getting a battery backup (UPS) as well if you can fit it in the budget. When I added a UPS to my system Windows stability increased significantly.

If E_Look was referring to what I think with the "substandard components" on ABit board comment I think that was a case of getting burned by a manufacturer who used a stolen formula to make the electrolytes for capacitors. The formula was incomplete and lacked a stabilizer component. The result was capacitors that exploded - eventually. Many companies were caught by that little surprise, including IBM.

Once you get the system built and are installing your software I suggest giving real though to how you partition your hard disk. Myself I give the OS its own partition and allow NOTHING else on it that can be put elsewhere. I also give a partition to the swap file (also called virtual memory), allow nothing else on that partition. Both of these enhanced the stability of my Windows machines when I began doing them.

Bonk · « **Reply #7 on:** August 17, 2005, 05:56:17 pm »

Funny... Cuz I've had bad experiences with ABit boards and good experiences with ECS boards in professional data acquisition environments. Sorry to be contradictory...

But, like Nemesis, I purchase ASUS boards for personal use. (excellent quality)

Mr_Tricorder · « **Reply #8 on:** August 17, 2005, 06:35:34 pm »

Since my old motherboard turned to crap on me 2 1/2 years ago, I will only buy ASUS boards now. I learned my lesson about buying boards from a company that is not known for making the best quality motherboards.

mc_cloud · « **Reply #9 on:** August 17, 2005, 07:01:41 pm »

yeah, i would much rather buy a mb from a more reputible company, im just trying to watch cost on this build.....sigh $:-\$

Mr_Tricorder · « **Reply #10 on:** August 17, 2005, 07:07:12 pm »

It's better to spend a little bit more for better quality parts than to replace failing components later on. I had to replace my power supply and motherboard because they were poor quality. It's a miracle that my other hardware components weren't damaged by those two failing.

mc_cloud · « **Reply #11 on:** August 17, 2005, 07:28:23 pm »

yeah i completly understand...

i dunno, i've read decent reveiws on the board......but i head all your warnings also

Sirgod · « **Reply #12 on:** August 17, 2005, 07:37:11 pm »

I like ASUS and MSI boards both.

On the PS thing, I'd invest in the largest wattage you can afford. I'm running a 550 watt system, and If I could have found a better one localy, I would have snagged It.

Stephen

mc_cloud · « **Reply #13 on:** August 17, 2005, 07:46:59 pm »

i was thinking abouat getting this psu
http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-x-connect-500-watt.html

good wattage on the rails, also my friend owns this psu, and says he has had no problems with it..........

hm

Elvis · « **Reply #14 on:** August 17, 2005, 10:01:32 pm »

For nearly every component out there there seems to be someone who has had a good experience and someone who has a bad experience. I would go to the mainboards website and do a little exploring, how hard is it to find info quickly like drivers or bioses for your particular board, also look to see if they have message boards; sometimes that can be invaluable when trying to track down a problem. I've dealt with Iwill and Chaintech where the info was hard to find; MSI website on the other hand is easy to navigate.

As far as the capacitor issue every Tawainese motherboard manufacturer was affected, and its a thing of the past. I have heard of no issues with blown caps and AMD64 boards.

AS far as the Ultra is concerned it is a mixed bag if you ask in a dedicated hardware forum like Anandtech.com and Hardocp.com the psu zealots will tell you its buyer beware and its one to be avoided. I bought an Ultra 500W supply for my current machine it it was not stable, with random reboots and crashes. Problem was solved by switching to an Enermax Noisetaker rated at 425watts. It should also be noted that my Ultra was not the x connect.

Elvis · « **Reply #15 on:** August 17, 2005, 10:45:29 pm »

One more thing, take a look at this PSU calculator.

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp

BUt its also about the amps on the rails. That calculator recommends finding a psu with at least 24amps on the 12V rail. Also figure a buffer into your needs to compensate for PSU output variation due to heat and construction. IF the calculator shows you need 300W figure a 20 to 25% buffer so find a PSU with at least 400W, Your 6600 doesn't require an additional power connection so you could probably go lower on the 12V rail but you'll limit your room for expansion. The PSU manufacturers listed in my first first post are generally recognized as quality but its not all inclusive, OCZ makes some good supplies so if your looking for something modular look at the OCZ Modstreams.

E_Look · « **Reply #16 on:** August 17, 2005, 11:44:20 pm »

Holy McCow, Batman!!

I think my Antec 430 W only gives, I think 18 A max on the 12 V rail! What are people hooking into their PCs these days, phasers and deflector shields??

SkyFlyer · « **Reply #17 on:** August 18, 2005, 05:57:37 am »

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135177 If you have a sound card.

The Abit if you don't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820236112

I would go with this ram instead... Only a few bucks more, and it frees up a ram slot.

Thats a nice case... Although you might look at something with more front USB ports. The power supply is fine. Imho.

mc_cloud · « **Reply #18 on:** August 18, 2005, 06:22:31 am »

yeah, im actually going to get a 6800gt now, so i guess i will need the higher capacity anyways... so i will prolly give that x whatever psu a try.....

im all stressed out over all this crap....building computers back in the day wasnt so tedious lol...

i just want to make sure i have enough voltage/amperage/wattage to power everything correctly, imabout to look at that calculator..

and sadly i dont have a sound card, i usually just use onboard audio..

I think i might stick with the corsair ram, it isnt too bad...yeah its value ram, but it is compatible with the mb, i checked out corsairs site and made sure... i can go up to 4 gigs on this mobo, so im not really worried about taking up space, seeing as how i can add another 2, 1gig sticks if i ever need too....plus i can dual channel them

SkyFlyer · « **Reply #19 on:** August 18, 2005, 06:54:33 pm »

Me personally... I like to keep my options open. If I had that mobo I would say 1gb per slot.

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Topic: lil help? (Read 6085 times)