| User | Post |
kitty
Posts: 2115/2449 |
AMD Athlon processors run a fuckton cooler than the Intel P4 ones, especially dual-cores (AMD dual core uses about 50% the power an Intel P4 dual core does).
As for why nVidia is better, the chipsets are just better. More stable, better hardware support, etc. And no, neither VIA NOR nVidia have their chipsets fully supported by the "Core" of an OS. You really need drivers to take full advantage of them.
Yes, there are many things that can load a CPU and RAM without loading video. However, there is nothing out there that really would benefit from 2GB of RAM as opposed to 1GB that will NOT load your video card. You're better off (FAR better off) buying a better video card instead of an extra gig of RAM.
Your total system cost is 1186.94. I notice you don't have a CD-ROM or a DVD burner. Any reason?
Priced out a list on newegg, even found that same generic black case you wanted (yuck, but... for comparison's sake, that's what I used)
Chucked out the Maxtor HD for a WD since I would never buy a non-WD hard drive...
Substituted a better video card with what I saved in the CPU and RAM (and other stuff that newegg is cheaper on since newegg is the best)... note that this card is NOT top-of-the-line, just something you COULD use to game a little if you wanted.
JUST PC JPC747P4 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: JPC747P4-BLACK
$39.99 -$10.00 Instant
$29.99
SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM
Model #: SFD321B/LBL1
$7.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD2000JS 200GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD2000JS
$99.00
MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4-4X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: K8N Neo4-F
$79.99
SAPPHIRE 100126 Radeon X800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM
Model #: 100126
$159.00
Gifts
1 Digital Jesters Bet on Soldier: Blood Sport - OEM
Model #: BET ON SOLDIER
** This item may only be returned for a replacement of the same make/model. what's this? $40.00 -$40.00 Sale $0.00
Combo
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3800BVBOX
$476.01 -$5.00 Combo
$471.01
CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2 - Retail
Model #: TWINX1024-3200C2
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
Subtotal: $846.98
Shipping: $25.97
Total: $872.95
Free game too with the order I guess. The RAM and CPU were a combo (meaning I saved $5 buying them together. Big whoop, but the $471.01 price is for both, not just the CPU). A lot cheaper overall, and you could still buy that more expensive CPU or RAM and come out cheaper! 313.99 less.
Edit: I also highly suggest this for $39.75 more. It's the model I have and I LOVE the damn thing! |
HyperLamer
Posts: 7252/8210 |
Any halfway decent board will shut itself down before the CPU has a chance to heat up that much.  |
Cellar Dweller
Posts: 253/269 |
ww: Back when the first Athlons were around I heard that they would overheat and destroy themselves if ran without a fan or if the heat sink got cloged up with dust. I\'ll make sure that the heat sink and fan are properly installed.
HH: I think that was temporary. A short while back I was shopping around their site and stuff was being put on notice of being removed. The selection seems to be stable now. |
HyperLamer
Posts: 7249/8210 |
By the time they got my order, they\'d already permenantly removed half the items from their inventory. I tried calling ahead and making sure the items would be available, and they said they weren\'t even though the website says otherwise. It\'s all very disorganized, and mail is just too slow, because they just keep shifting their inventory around, adding and removing items without notice. |
windwaker
Posts: 1786/1797 |
The 64-bit althlons are supposed to heat up like hell, so watch out. |
Cellar Dweller
Posts: 252/269 |
Tomguy: I may end up getting a PCIe motherboard and a better video card. So far I have avoided any games with demanding hardware requirements because I did not have the hardware to run them. I also did not have them for the same reason that I didn\\\'t have the hardware to run them.(hint: the computer I am replacing was a discard from a school)
What is better about an nForce chipset? I know that nVidia provides binary drivers for the nForce on board devices, but the Via on board devices are already supported by the kernel.
I did intend to get a lot of RAM and CPU power from the start. To poke a hole in your logic, but not necessarily your conclusion, there are a lot of things that can really load a CPU and RAM but do not require much of the video hardware.
HyperHacker: What was painful about it? I doubt that local stores will have the selection of an online/mail order source. |
Crim~
Posts: 37/46 |
Switch off the 4200+ X2 for a 3800+ X2(200 Mhz difference) mobo/proccessor combo, then mail me FryCry; http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1578627&CatId=1619] -$ 550
Get a PCI express graphics card.
1 Gig of RAM should be fine if you\\\'re not a much of a gamer, like Tom said earlier. |
SamuraiX
Posts: 44/140 |
geeks.com is good too. |
HyperLamer
Posts: 7105/8210 |
Ordering from TD by mail is a huge pain. Save yourself the trouble and find computer stores. |
SamuraiX
Posts: 42/140 |
At least you got Linux, which works with the AMD Athelon 64 very well I heard. |
Tarale
Posts: 2586/2720 |
Originally posted by SamuraiX
You have too much monies
You can't have too much money! 
</off topic> |
kitty
Posts: 2068/2449 |
SamuraiX, any reason you say that, or are you just being yourself?
The only thing I don't get is why he's spending so much on a CPU and getting a shitty GFX card, but he's obviously not a gamer if he's a Linux user... |
SamuraiX
Posts: 36/140 |
You have too much monies and are paying far too much. |
kitty
Posts: 2066/2449 |
You do NOT want to buy a BRAND NEW Socket 939 mobo with an AGP slot (and an AGP card) unless you want to be already obsolete off the bat. Buy a PCI-E x16 board and card. AGP cards are being phased out rapidly, and will be incompatible with next-gen motherboards (AGP motherboards have mostly been discontinued already). An nForce4 chipset is far superior to a VIA one as well.
And why 2GB of RAM? You're obviously not a gamer using Linux, probably not a video editor either, 1GB is more than enough for you.  |
Cellar Dweller
Posts: 249/269 |
The following list is what I have picked out so far(all from TigerDirect). I plan on using GNU/Linux(most likely Debian) as my primary, if not only, OS. Can anyone tell me if any of the following products/brands have a bad reputation or are known to work poorly with Linux? Suggestions for changes are welcome, but payment via snail mail must be available.
A458-2102 :: Abit AV8 VIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard / AGP 8X/4X / Audio / Gigabit LAN / USB 2.0 / Firewire / Serial ATA / RAID
$109.99
CP1-A64-4200 E :: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ / 1MB Cache / 2000MHz FSB / Socket 939 / Dual-Core / Processor with Fan
$499.99
B452-1124 :: Just4PC 747 ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Front USB and 425Watt Power Supply - Black
$39.99
TC1-6000 BL :: 1.44MB Floppy Disk Drive (Black)
$19.99
TSD-200M2 :: Maxtor / 200GB / 7200 / 8MB / SATA-150 / OEM / Hard Drive with NCQ
$109.99
P56-3912 :: PNY 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
$124.99 * 2 = $249.98
P450-8536 :: XFX GeForce FX 5500 / 256MB DDR / AGP 8X / VGA / DVI / TV Out / Video Card
$59.99 |
