How's it Look?

[johan the olive]

Ok. For the most part, the upgrades are decided on:
http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishHis...VIEW&ID=280337

im re-using my drives and processor:
Athlon XP 1800+
Ti 4200 64MB DDR AGP 4x
52x CD-ROM
40x12x48 CD-RW
20gb 5400 RPM(?) HD1
40gb ATA 100(?) 7200 RPM HD2
And I have a 80mm antec case fan

what size fans fit in the front of this case (chieftec dragon)?

Plz. Rate!!!!!! Also, does new egg sell things to enclose the power cables? thanks!! all comments welcome and if anyone knows if the fans included are noisy lemme know. thx

it's in this forum cause it's mostly a computer for gaming and some development stuff

[cjh6386]

the chieftech dragon series has 2 80mm intake ports, and 2 80mm exhaust ports (2 80mm fans are included)

[jdavis]

Perhaps you should double your ram up to 512.

512 will smooth out games and applications quite noticably.

[_Durandal_]

Before I vote..., how long are you planning on having this upgrade? Also what OS are you running? Lastly, what heatsink/fan do you currently use?

[johan the olive]

how long to keep it? ill buy a new processor/memory in a year
OS - Win 2000 Pro as of now unless i get ahold of xp
heatsink/fan - dunno some cheap one i got when i first re-built (if you can call it that) a year ago. i broke the fan on it not long ago besides, what can beat $6?

forgot to mention it - i have a pny ti4200 64mb ddr 4x video card

also, the price of this has reached a bit more than i prefered. the price cannot go over $300 for now. I have $25 now - yes, i know. However, I am working as an assistant at a computer camp and to my knowledge they are not paying me - but the parents of counselor's give tips usually, not sure if it's to assistant as well. besides, if each kid gives me $7 an theirs 10 kids, theirs $70. If i don't receive tips, it will not be before august. **i just recalculated it and i was a month off! July is the expected month! YAY**

anyways, with the memory - is it worth sacrificing the 256mb pc2700 for dual 256mb pc2100? im not planing on overclocking, yet... or is their something else i can ditch that i dont need and throw in another one of those amazingly priced pc2700 sticks?

also, does that heatsink come with thermal stuff?

[_Durandal_]

Ok, to answer some of your questions:

is it worth sacrificing the 256mb pc2700 for dual 256mb pc2100? im not planing on overclocking, yet... or is their something else i can ditch that i dont need and throw in another one of those amazingly priced pc2700 sticks?

If you plan on buying a new processor/memory in a year then I'd definitely go with two sticks of PC2100 over one stick of PC2700. Your processor won't be able to utilize the extra bandwidth provided by the PC2700 and with only one stick you can't use "dual channel" mode.

So, get two sticks of PC2100.

Does that heatsink come with thermal stuff?

Doing a search in the "reviews" section of that heatsink a few people mentioned it came with thermal paste. Heatsinks packaged in a retail box usually do (at least to my knowledge )

So, to sum things up, more memory would definitely be better than a single stick of PC2700, especially if you end up upgrading to Windows XP. Even so, Windows 2000 will love the extra memory. Hope that helps? If not post back, otherwise enjoy the upgrade.

[johan the olive]

the pc2100 isnt cheaper than the pc2700! lol. so 2 sticks of that pc2700 go in any thing else? the price broke $300!

also, their are 6 votes for OK! WHAT'S WRONG?!

[Lerxst]

Get rid of the fluorescent lamp and save $15

[johan the olive]

WHY?

[_Durandal_]

It's all a matter of personal preference, but I agree with Lerxst. For right now you're upgrading for performance, not looks. As long as your PC functions properly (and faster hopefully ) then why would you need the cathode light? You could always purchase it when you upgrade next time, or whenever you earn a little more money.

In all seriousness I think the extra 256MB stick of RAM is more essential than the light. In this scenario looks should be secondary...anyone else agree/disagree?

[johan the olive]

point taken

[maademperor]

maybe a more reliable and reputable PSU too...Antec or Enermax for stability and piece of mind. I had a cheap PSU once....it failed the night before I had to turn in a term paper and I was in deep do-do. ever since, I dont want anything I cant put my faith in.

*edit*
also it seem that all you are really upgrading is the mobo and memory...a new case and PSU thrown in for kicks...what kind of memory are you running now? I ask cause you might be better served to just save your money over the summer and do a fuller, more impactful upgrade later. I just had to make this same decision myself, so I know how it is. You really want get something going, but I dont think you will see vast gains in performance. The mobo is good, but how far will it OC with that RAM? Why not wait, or at least get some good Twinmos PC3200 over here. .mine runs great and WscottCross is a good guy. $110 shipped for 512mb of the best PC3200 is a great deal...

I'm just saying why not strive for a little more quality?

[_Durandal_]

Originally posted by maademperor
maybe a more reliable and reputable PSU too...Antec or Enermax for stability and piece of mind. I had a cheap PSU once....it failed the night before I had to turn in a term paper and I was in deep do-do. ever since, I dont want anything I cant put my faith in.

Actually if you look at the one he's chosen not only is it on the "AMD Approved" list, but it's also got a combined +3.3 and +5v rating of 220W. The ratings look fairly decent to me, and I have heard of Allied before, but never used one of their PSUs. My personal opinion is he's fine with that selection.

[maademperor]

I didnt say that it wasnt approved (that is not a testament to quality), or that it had poor stats, but whats standing behind it? cheap stuff is cheap for a reason. If you insist on considering cheap stuff, know exactly what you are getting into....my experience with cheap components has proven why they are cheap...If you are going to spend $33 for a cheap brand, why not spend the extra $15 and get the equipment that is known to last and openly endorsed by overclockers, gamers and casual users alike?

[Lenny]

Antec power supplies are excellent. Their 300w will outperform some cheap brand's 400w+.