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View Full Version : Review my list of upgrades!


phyrefly
Jul 27th, 2005, 01:25 PM
Current specs:

1.2Ghz Athlon TB
Asus A7A266-E
2x 256mb PC2100 RAM at 2.5-3-3-7
Radeon 9600 NP [Move to new system]
1x 40GB WD HD, 1x 80GB WD HD [Move the 80gig to new system]
SB Live Value [Move to new system] How's the ALC850 onboard sound compared to this?
16X Toshiba DVD-ROM [Move to new system]
12x8x32 Plextor CD-RW
350W Generic PSU
Standard Aopen chassis
10/100 NIC
Floppy (worth moving? hmm.gif)

Planned Upgrades (Tell me if you there's something that doesn't look right!):

>>>Athlon 64 3000+ (Venice) $180
-I Plan to O/C this to ~3500+ speed (2.2GHz) using the stock HSF.

>>>ASUS A8V VIA K8T800 PRO SOCKET 939 5PCI/0ISA/0AMR 4D.DDR 1AGP8X $115
-I'm sticking with VIA because I want to keep my 9600 NP.
-There's one thing that has left me baffled. Are there any major differences between the A8V and the A8V Deluxe? The Deluxe has some extra features which I don't need and wifi capability. Is there anything else?
-Is the PCI/AGP lock fixed on this mobo?

>>>Antec Sonata II /w 450W Smartpower PSU $135
-I want to keep my system's noise level down. The ambient noise of my current system is driving me nuts.
-Although 450W is overkill, it'll serve me well if I plan to upgrade.

>>>GEIL 2x512MB PC3200 Dual Channel Value Kit
-Runs at CAS2.5, I've read that it can be o/ced to 250MHz, although I don't plan to o/c the ram.
-Any other recommendations?

>>>Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160GB SATA150 - $113
-Again, I want to minimize ambient noise.
-The Samsung Spinpoint P series isn't available in local stores hmm.gif

>>>NEC 3520A (Benq DW1640) - $60
-I'm trying to find the Benq in local stores, but no luck so far. Ordering online/shipping is out of the question.

>>>Antec Tricool 120MM (will act as a front intake fan, located near HD cage). - $15
-From what I understand, this is a relatively quiet fan. It has 3 steps if I ever want to sacrifice silence for more CFM.
-I don't think my system will have any heat issues.
-Can't find the panaflo in local stores hmm.gif

Total /w Tax: $865 CAD. I hope this will last me two years, as I will upgrade my video card later on.

Critique. Comments. Suggetions!

willy
Jul 27th, 2005, 01:33 PM
Why not NEC ND-3540 for the same price ?

goofball
Jul 27th, 2005, 04:56 PM
don't go for a seagate SATA. Go for a Seagate IDE if you want seagate and quiet. the SATA drives are not quiet.

why do you think you have to go with VIA for an ATI video card? Go with an Nforce3, like the MSI Neo2 Platinum. VIA is using pretty old technology and isn't that great anymore, they've fallen behind in many aspects. And to be honest, VIA chipsets don't always play nice with ATI cards.

felix
Jul 27th, 2005, 07:35 PM
If you're trying to reduce system noise be sure to go fanless for the video card (I have the Aerocool VM-101 heatpipe on my 6600GT). And replace the noisy stock CPU HSF with something else (like XP-120, XP-90C, etc.). The AMD stock fan that came with my 3000+ winchester was VERY noisy at stock speeds. And Antec fans are not quiet.

phyrefly
Jul 27th, 2005, 07:37 PM
Why not NEC ND-3540 for the same price ?

Woops, I didn't notice the new arrivals. Thanks.

As for Seagate's SATA drives, according to Silent PC Review, they're barely audible. I think I'll stick with the SATA drive, since it allows better airflow and sucks less power.

I thought the VIA K8T800 Pro was more recent than the Nforce 3? The Neo2 Platinum costs $60 more, does its features justify the steep price increase?

Thanks for the help guys :)