Help me build a new PC

[tuvok3of11]

Hi,

My current PC is cobbled together from the following components:

Case: Silver with a slidey front
PSU: Cheap 400w one (i think)
Motherboard: Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe
CPU: AMD Athlon XP 2500+
RAM: 2x512mb Corsair DDR (one stick PC3200, one PC2700)
GFX Card: ATi Radeon 9600
HDDs: 1x 80gb & 3x 120gb (IDE)
Optical Drive: Pioneer DVR-105
Floppy Disk: Yes
Monitor:: LG L1710S 17" TFT (VGA only)
Network:: Basic LAN card
Other: PCI IDE Controller Card
Speakers: Creative P580? 5.1 Surround Sound (Cheapo)
Operating System: Windows XP Home (Genuine copy of it)

The above PC is a complete mess inside and has started making a hell of a noise, so i'm looking to build a new (better) PC. I'm thinking of maybe an Antec P180 as the case (funds permitting) but the rest of the components are up for discussion.

I'd appreciate it if you could provide me with a list of suitable components with prices / locations. I don't have much of a budget as of yet, but just assume as cheap as possible and don't go overboard with unnecessary(sp?) stuff. The PC is used for games, video playback, graphics/video editing etc.

Thanks alot,

tuvok3of11

PS: I'd like the PC to be able to handle upto 6 HDDs and i'd like to add at least one large capacity drive to the ones i have already. Also, if i have a GFX card with both vga and dvi out could i use 2 monitors or would i need 2 GFX cards for that?

[Combination]

One card will work for two monitors.

CPU
Athlon 64 3000+ Venice

Mainboard
ASUS A8N-E
* onboard Gigabit LAN
* onboard 8-channel realtek Audio (digital/coaxial SPDIF out)
* 4x SATA-II
* 2x UltraDMA 133

DDR-RAM
2x Corsair CMX512-3200XL

Video
ATI X800 series (PCI-Express)

If onboard Audio doesn't cut it...
M-Audio Revolution 5.1

[tuvok3of11]

All of my HDs aree IDE, so would that motherboard support them? Also, would i be able to use one of my exisiting corsair PC3200 RAM stick on that board and then buy an identical stick to accompany it? Finally, would that processor show much of an improvement over my current one?

[Combination]

You'll be able to fit upto 4 IDE disks in the setup I suggested but I think it might be a good idea to consolidate and replace with larger capacity SATA.

As for the memory I would expect your modules to have been taken out of production. The XL's are top spec and of very high quality, this isn't an area where you can save money as it's such a vital component these days.

Here's a review of the CPU with benchmarks, it's no slouch and certainly not if compared directly to an Athlon XP.

[tuvok3of11]

I'd rather keep my existing hard drives as i'd have to pay large amount for new ones if i replaced them. Also, the memory i already have isn't out of production so could i use that or would it let down the system (it is compatible)?

[Hohum]

Your RAM would work, but it'd run at DDR333 speed as one of the sticks is PC2700. So you'd lose a bit of performance, yes.

I'm assuming your current board has an IDE RAID controller? Otherwise I can't see how you have 4 IDE hard drives connected AND an IDE optical drive (unless it's a SATA optical drive?).

[tuvok3of11]

I have a PCI IDE Controller card in there so i have a further two IDE slots (upto four extra drives).

[tuvok3of11]

How does this specification look? I still don't have a budget yet, so this is just a preliminary specification:

Case
Antec SLK3000B
?34.02
Overclockers.co.uk

PSU
Seasonic S12 430W Silent
?58.69
Overclockers.co.uk

Motherboard
Abit AN8-V nForce 4 (Socket 939)
?67.27
Scan.co.uk

CPU
AMD Athlon64 3000 "Venice" Retail
?102.58
Scan.co.uk

Memory
Geil Value 1gb (2x512) PC3200
?70.44
Overclockers.co.uk

GFX Card
Sapphire 256mb X800GT PCI-E VGA/DVI/TV-Out
?111.53
Scan.co.uk

HDD
250gb Maxtor Diamondmax Plus10 Sata (7200,16mb)
?74.84
Scan.co.uk

DVD Writer
Pioneer DVR-110D Black
?35.24
Scan.co.uk

Current Total Price: ?554.61

Is there anything wrong with those component choices? Have i missed out something obvious? Is there anything else i will need with this? Can i get the components cheaper elsewhere?

Thanks alot,

tuvok3of11

[Combination]

Great call on the PSU, forgot about that, the S12 is an excellent choice.

Looks good actually, save for the motherboard. It doesn't support SATA-2 and probably not Native Command Queueing (NCQ) either.

To put it in simple terms, NCQ functioning is somewhat similar to an elevator. The elevator travels sequentially from floor to floor and lets people on and off. It does not follow the sequence in which users push the floor request buttons, because that would mean an excessive mechanical load and much longer times for waiting or riding.

The DiamondMax is NCQ ready and it would be a shame not to take advantage of it.

[*PrYzM*]

If u want a mobo that has support for more than 4 ide hdd's then i know that gigabyte make them.

I had one about 5 months ago its a nforce 3 based chipset and used the 754 socket for amd 64 cpu's.

I'm pretty sure i had 4 hard disks and 2 dvd writers attached. It also has dual bios which is a fantastic option on modern mobos. Why other manufacturers dont support dual bios is beyond me.