ok

[Mr-e-Man]

I traded my old, broken-down computer with my friend from school for a nice, almost new AMD Athlon 2800+.

Now, I need to know what cooling to get for it, since I only got the chip itself. Not to mention mobo, my only caveats being that it has the nForce2 chipset for some yummy dual-DDR 333 action.

[Ash]

if you are planning to overclock, this (http://www.xoxide.com/amdsoc462coo.html) might help

otherwise, go to your Local Computer Place and pick up a good CPU fan (make sure its rated for your processor)

be very careful with your thermal paste

[HunterX]

http://www.coolerguys.com

Got all kinds of fans and stuff (Don't go too crazy)

I highly recommend if you are doing air cooling that you:

1)Use an all copper heatsink
2)Have some exhaust/intake fans in your box to move the air around
3)Use rounded cables and sleeve power supply cables. They not only become a little more manageable that way, but increase air flow as well.

[FallenSoloSLS]

Mr-e-Man - congrats on you purchase. The 2800+ is not supposed to be around and easily available for a few more weeks. I envy you!

I suggest you pick up the latest issue of CPU (Computer Power User). They had a few pages dedicated to building a system around the 2800+ XP processor. You should be able to find the article on-line here. http://www.computerpoweruser.com/ (http://)

It included all the parts you'll need as well as where you can get them.

Keep in mind that to take advantage of the dual DDR, you'll need at least TWO strips of memory. Don't get one 512MB stick and think it will take advantage of that capability.

[Mr-e-Man]

many thanks

[Mr-e-Man]

Alright.

I stole the specs from that CPU magazine and enhanced them to fit my needs:

Athlon 2800+ - Free
Heatsink - Thermalright SLK 800 - 18$
Mobo - Asus A7N8X nForce2 - 160$
Memory - 512 megs Corsair DDR-333 SDRAM - 100$ a 256 meg stick
Case - ~50$
Power Source - Enermax Whisper 430W - 100$
Graphics - Radeon 9700 pro - 400$
Sound - Audigy ex - 200$
Speakers - Logitech Z-560 4.1 - 200$
HD - Seagate Barracuda SATA 120GB - 180$
Optical Drive - PLextor 48/24/48 - 140$
DVD - 16x Lite-On - 50$
Display - ~700$
XP - 86

Grand total=~2486$

This is actually less than I had anticipated. If anyone's wondering, the money is coming from what's left of selling two acres of undeveloped property after bills and taxes.

Suggestions?

[Tbird]

suggestion = congrats, nothing to add really, very kick a$$ system imho


- well, maybe 2x 256Mb DDR400 , if the board is dual channel DDR, but that`s about it.

[Mr-e-Man]

PC 3200 is a waste of money. High CAS latency.

[Mr-e-Man]

I went to Newegg and put together the theoretical system, and it comes out to $2000 dollars with a 700 dollar monitor and Sound Blaster Audigy 2 and a 5.1 system and a 120 GB WD HD. I was impressed.

Now I'm faced with the immortal question: 22-inch CRT or 17-inch LCD.

[Tbird]

2 words: DEAD PIXELS .... = no warranty :mad:
(there are brands that give pixel perfect warranty, but they are getting sparse)

& how can pc3200 be worse than pc2700?

[Mr-e-Man]

Like this (http://www6.tomshardware.com/mainboard/20021007/kt400-15.html).

But nevertheless, I'm leaning towards CRT @ 22", because I prefer bigger to better.

-edit-

Here's the updated specs. Please mention any possible hardware issues:

Case: MAXTOP CSF-910 10 x 5.25"

CD Burner: Plextor 48/24/48 CD-RW

DVD-ROM: Lite-On 16x DVD

HD Fan: Enermax Cooling Device for HD Bays

CPU Fan: Zalman CNPS6000-Cu Pure Copper CPU Cooler

HD: WD 120GB 7200RPM EIDE Ultra ATA100

Memory: 2x Corsair XMS PC-2700 256 meg sticks CAS 2.

Mobo: ABIT NF7 nForce2

Power Supply: Enermax 430W

Windows XP

Sound: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2

Video: ATI Radeon 9700 pro.

Speakers: Logitech Z640 5.1 Speakers

Monitor: Viewsonic P225FB 22" Perfect Flat

Grand Total, including 91$ shipping and handling: $2157.98.

Will I need case fans?

[Tbird]

you can add a second 92mm (zalman) to the HSF assembly, maybe for cooling the 9700 pro? at least 1 sys-fan blowing air out would be nice (most cases nowadays come with one already built in)

btw: what`s the price on that 910-File Server Case?, which is ... i`m sorry to say this .... not very nice looking. :nyah:

[Lone]

Only thing I would suggest is to drop the sound card. The nForce2 boards have there own 5.1 sound and they are very good.
I have the old nForce1 mobo with the Logitech Z-560 speakers and it sounds great. Save the money and get the Logitech Z-680 speakers.
If you do alot of recording/editing of wave files or mp3's you can add the Sound card later (imo).

[Mr-e-Man]

@ T-bird: 59$. I'm not really going for looks at the moment, but I'm not set on anything except the video card, speakers, sound card, and OS.

@ Lone: The real reason I'm getting the Audigy is my band. I plan on recording music into it from our instruments and playing with it. Therefore I want the best sound hardware.

And finally, I don't know how this got left out. The Logitech Z640 5.1 Speakers have actually been factored into the price all along. I must have forgotten to type them in the updated specs. Editing specs now.