Parts List for My New PC - What Do You Think?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the selection and assembly of computer parts for building a new PC. Participants share their opinions on various components, including motherboards, CPUs, memory, and cooling solutions, while also considering the intended use of the computer, which primarily focuses on web browsing and general use.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant lists specific parts for their new PC build, including an ASUS motherboard and AMD Athlon CPU, but expresses uncertainty about additional components.
  • Another participant suggests prioritizing a DVI LCD for text-intensive tasks and mentions affordable options available online.
  • There is a correction regarding the spelling of "Athlon," highlighting the importance of accurate terminology in technical discussions.
  • Some participants propose alternative low-power systems, such as Via Epia boards, for web-centric computing, emphasizing energy efficiency and compact size.
  • One participant shares their experience with a Celeron deal, suggesting it as a cost-effective option for basic computing needs.
  • As the discussion progresses, participants provide advice on selecting a video card and a quiet case fan, with suggestions for specific models and suppliers.
  • Concerns about noise from fans are raised, with participants sharing preferences for quieter options.
  • Participants discuss the mounting methods for motherboards, noting variations in design and installation challenges.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no clear consensus on the best components for the build, as participants present multiple viewpoints and suggestions. Some express preferences for specific parts, while others propose alternative solutions, indicating a range of opinions on the optimal configuration.

Contextual Notes

Participants' suggestions depend on individual use cases, and there are unresolved questions regarding compatibility and performance of various components. The discussion reflects a mix of beginner inquiries and more experienced advice, with varying levels of technical knowledge among participants.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals interested in building their own PCs, particularly those seeking advice on component selection and assembly for general computing tasks.

wolram
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this is a list of parts i plan to use in my new pc what do you think?
asus a7n-8x-x n- vidia motherboard
amd anthlon xp2500 plus 333 fsb
akasa silver mountain heavy duty fan
2 sticks pc2100 ddr dimm memory
60 gb hitachi deskstar 7k250 7200rpm ide hdd
screwless midi tower 350 watt psu
i haven't decided on other bits yet.
 
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What are you planning on doing with it? If the use is going to be text intensive, I would make a DVI LCD a priority. FYI, recently I have seen Dell's 1600x1200 DVI LCD displays for sale brand new and refurbished on eBay for very low $$.
 
Wolram, not to pick on you, but it is Athlon, not anthlon as you keep on typing.

How much memory are you using? You only state 2 sticks of pc2100 ddr. Also, are you going to be using the on-board video and sound or are you going to get separate cards?
 
ohh my, i don't care about video and sound, i just want the ultimate
for web browsing,down loading, i am such a tyro, please forgive my
incompitence, i do try ,but the computer age has passed me bye.
 
wolram said:
ohh my, i don't care about video and sound, i just want the ultimate
for web browsing,down loading, i am such a tyro, please forgive my
incompitence, i do try ,but the computer age has passed me bye.

If your just cruising the net why don't you look at Via Epia boards? You can slap together a 1GHz system that doesn't need a cooling fan, uses almost no energy, and fits in a 7"x7"x2" enclosure. You can do this pretty cheaply too. Personally if I were to build a web-centric computer I'd go with an Epia 10000M system. Oh, these also have onboard S-video and composite video out if you're into that sort'a thing.

http://www.mini-itx.com/

My 2 cents.
 
If your just cruising the net why don't you look at Via Epia boards? You can slap together a 1GHz system that doesn't need a cooling fan, uses almost no energy, and fits in a 7"x7"x2" enclosure. You can do this pretty cheaply too. Personally if I were to build a web-centric computer I'd go with an Epia 10000M system. Oh, these also have onboard S-video and composite video out if you're into that sort'a thing.
thanks FAUST9 i will start again.
 
If all your going to do is web browse check out that T-Cube on the page. Imagine a beowulf cluster of those.
 
Hey, if all you plan to do is surf the web, type a letter now and then check out this deal:

tigerdirect Celeron 2.6 deal

I bought this deal and put it together for what I found to be an awesome system. You will still need the case, hard drive, CD rom drive, floppy drive (if you want one) and an operating system, but the audio is awesome and the 8x AGP will allow you to play some games. The 256 MB 266 DDR ram is enough to do the type of computing you mentioned (You can increase it if you want.) The motherboard is super and can handle future upgrades in memory and CPU. I put the whole thing together (I only had a CD ROM drive from an old computer, everything else was new) for about $300.00 (US) after rebates.
 
thanks for all the advice but-----------
well I'm going to build my own pc for the experience
if nothing else, i can always find uses for the facilities
i build in. so i have orded these parts to date.

asus a7n 8x n vidia 8x MB
amd k7 athlon xp 2500 pluss333fsb cpu
512mb pc2100 266 ddr dimm memory
120gb hitachi gxp180 8mb cache 7200rpm ide hdd
screwless midi tower 350w psu
akasa ak824 cub xp3000+app copper fan

i haven't decided on cd rom, floppy dd etc yet,
i hope i have a basis for everything i could ever
want of a pc, any advice about this build?
 
  • #10
wolram said:
thanks for all the advice but-----------
well I'm going to build my own pc for the experience
if nothing else, i can always find uses for the facilities
i build in. so i have orded these parts to date.

asus a7n 8x n vidia 8x MB
amd k7 athlon xp 2500 pluss333fsb cpu
512mb pc2100 266 ddr dimm memory
120gb hitachi gxp180 8mb cache 7200rpm ide hdd
screwless midi tower 350w psu
akasa ak824 cub xp3000+app copper fan

i haven't decided on cd rom, floppy dd etc yet,
i hope i have a basis for everything i could ever
want of a pc, any advice about this build?

Sounds like a great system. You should put in at least one case fan while you're at it. They are fairly cheap and will help keep your components cooler.

You will also need a video card of some sort. Your motherboard has an AGP slot but no onboard video (it does have onboard sound though).
 
  • #11
Artman
this is where i need help, what is a good video card
and can you suggest a good quiet case fan?
as i don't need a top range vido card, i was thinking
the 256mb galaxy fx5500xt 8x, or similar price range.
 
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  • #12
wolram said:
Artman
this is where i need help, what is a good video card
and can you suggest a good quiet case fan?

You can spend as much on your video card as you did on the rest of your system. But judging by the type of use you said you were planning to do, you may want to consider somthing like the one in the tigerdirect deal I listed above.
inexpensive 8xAGP card

It's not cutting edge, but it takes advantage of 8x AGP (which your motherboard is supposed to support) and it has 64MB of DDR Ram and dual RAMDAC. Great for the price (five people rated it five stars).

As for the fan, I found this one in the same site:

Quiet fan

It's rated at only 21 dBA as opposed to 32 dBA for most others.

I personally have an Antec it seems quiet to me but it is rated at 30 dBA so I guess the 21 dBA should be very quiet.

Someone else make some suggestions here, I'm fairly new to building my own computer (just finished mine last week), but I've been upgrading my own for several years.
 
  • #13
thanks for ideas Artman, oh a quite fan, its strange but
once you notice the noise from a fan it gets worse.
 
  • #14
wolram said:
Artman
... i was thinking
the 256mb galaxy fx5500xt 8x...

This seems like a good choice to me. More up to date than the PNY and not too bad a price. You could do most games with that.
 
  • #15
thanks artman, i have ordered one, the case fan is
a problem i can't find a uk supplier, i will keep looking.
 
  • #16
wolram said:
thanks artman, i have ordered one, the case fan is
a problem i can't find a uk supplier, i will keep looking.

Here is a quiet fan at a UK supplier.
http://www.rlsupplies.co.uk/products/product.asp?id=1197

Not sure about the supplier's reputation or anything, but the fan seems decent. (Kind of cool with the multicolor LED).
 
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  • #17
thanks Artman
the case ,MB, cpu, mem and cpu fan came today.
the MB mountings are weird, i have "keyholes" in
the mounting tray, and what they call, "sliding steel stands",
that seem to be a push fit into the MB mounting holes,
and just two pre mounted stand ofs with threads
to screw the MB onto.
 
  • #18
wolram said:
thanks Artman
the case ,MB, cpu, mem and cpu fan came today.
the MB mountings are weird, i have "keyholes" in
the mounting tray, and what they call, "sliding steel stands",
that seem to be a push fit into the MB mounting holes,
and just two pre mounted stand ofs with threads
to screw the MB onto.

Yeah, I had about 6 brass screw in standoffs and the rest were tose plastic push in things. Have fun with your cool stuff! :smile:
 
  • #19
  • #20
wolram said:
thanks for all the advice but-----------
well I'm going to build my own pc for the experience
if nothing else, i can always find uses for the facilities
i build in. so i have orded these parts to date.

asus a7n 8x n vidia 8x MB
amd k7 athlon xp 2500 pluss333fsb cpu
512mb pc2100 266 ddr dimm memory
120gb hitachi gxp180 8mb cache 7200rpm ide hdd
screwless midi tower 350w psu
akasa ak824 cub xp3000+app copper fan

i haven't decided on cd rom, floppy dd etc yet,
i hope i have a basis for everything i could ever
want of a pc, any advice about this build?
Wolram,
Why are you accepting a top fsb speed of 266MHz by going with PC2100 memory, is it because of motherboard limitations?
I'd recommend considering a move up to PC2700 so you can take full advantage of the fsb speed the 2500 is capable of operating at.
My 0.02