The Cellar - View Single Post

08-21-2002, 11:38 AM

I do these write-ups for a few reasons. One is so I can receive constructive criticism and comments that may help me make a better choice. The second is that I know a number of people enjoy reading them - myself included. The third, and most important, is that I hope it will help someone else out who's looking to build a computer or possibly give them ideas when the upgrade time comes around.

With that last reason in mind, it is important to recognize the fact that not everyone needs what I need. BrianR, for example, probably doesn't want a gaming box - but he might want a decent all-around system that he could store lots of MP3's on. Maybe juju wants to build a LAN gaming box - portable yet powerful. Perhaps Tony would like to have a powerful multi-media machine but he's not sure where to start.

The goal of this write-up is to expand on the original system design to show how it can be adjusted to fit most anyone's needs.

What would I need to change if I wanted a...

good all-around computer?
<blockquote>Since you're not likely to be doing as much heavy gaming, a cheaper video card (with less power) will do. Crucial makes a Radeon 8500 LE which will be more than adequate for most tasks a normal person will be involved in. They sell for about $130 at http://www.crucial.com

You also don't need to have such a fast processor. 2.26GHz is great for the gamer but unnecessary for the casual user (or gamer). A 1.8GHz Socket478 Pentium 4 is more than adequate and will cost approximately $100 less ($162 at NewEgg.com).

You may, however, want to have a larger hard drive. For $21 extra ($92 total), you can have an 80GB 120GXP hard drive from IBM. That should be plenty of space for the casual user.

You definitely want to have a CD-RW drive in addition to your DVD-ROM. The Plextor PX-W4012TA/SW burns CD-R's at 40x, ReWritables at 12x and reads CDs at 40x. That's plenty fast. And it's only $129 in the retail box.

For exactly $1,000 you could build your own 1.8GHz Pentium 4 with 512MB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM, 80GB hard drive, a 128MB Radeon LE video card, a nice mid-tower case, DVD drive (for watching movies) an a 40x CD burner.</blockquote>
portable gaming computer?
<blockquote>Not much at all, actually. First, we'll be eliminating the huge tower that my computer is being built into, as well as the motherboard. Everything else will remain the same.

Now, let's add a Shuttle SS51G barebones system (review at Tom's Hardware here ). This will support your AGP card, the 533MHz FSB of the fast Pentium 4, your comfortable 40GB hard drive... everything. It can be found at NewEgg for about $329, or approximately $77 more (total) than my original base system. The portability afforded by this system is amazing, and it has FireWire and USB built in, as well as all of the standard legacy ports. My friend Matt will be building one of these systems when I build my gaming box; I'll let you all know how it goes.</blockquote>
multimedia super computer?
<blockquote>First things first, you need to decide whether or not you'll be playing games on this system. If you are, stick with the Radeon 9700 PRO. If you're not, then you'll do fine with a Crucial Radeon 8500 LE. $400 or $130. Take your pick. Subtract $0 or $270, depending.

While the processor should still be plenty fast, you will definitely want more hard drive space. 120GB 120GXP's are selling for $134 and two of them will allow you to do whatever you want to do. Subtract $71, add $268.

512MB of memory is probably adequate, but 1GB is even better. Double the memory cost to $354 and add $177 to the total.

No multimedia box would be complete without a CD burner, so we'll want the aforementioned CD-RW drive. $129 added to the total.

We'll also want a DVD burner.

You don't want to use the DVD burner for CD's because a) it's slow and b) you don't want to wear it out. Besides, 3 optical drives is good fun! The Pioneer DVR-A04SPK3 is $299 in the retail box and records DVD-R/RW media. It's pathetically slow at burning CD's, but you'll be able to record movies for the loved ones (or back up all your MP3's to 2 or 3 or 4 discs, which are 4.7GB each). Keep in mind that media is about $2.50 each. Add $299 to the overall price.

You're going to need some surround sound, and what better than the Creative Labs Audigy? $60 for the OEM package gets you the card and drivers.

You'll want some serious speakers to take advantage of that card and the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 setup is just right. Hey, it's only $360 and you're getting 500 RMS watts of sonic glory. Klipsch is a trusted name in speakers and for good reason - their products are exceptional. This is no different. Add $360 to the total.

So there we have it. A stupendously good multimedia system, sans monitor and mouse. What's the total? A measly $2,448. You will be the envy of your neighborhood.</blockquote>

So there you have it. Three types of systems that are in common demand these days. Using the same basic system that I started with yesterday, we can easily adapt it to fit all three - and end up with three great computers.

Comments? Suggestions?

08-21-2002, 11:38 AM	#7
dave Guest Posts: n/a	How this design can work for you I do these write-ups for a few reasons. One is so I can receive constructive criticism and comments that may help me make a better choice. The second is that I know a number of people enjoy reading them - myself included. The third, and most important, is that I hope it will help someone else out who's looking to build a computer or possibly give them ideas when the upgrade time comes around. With that last reason in mind, it is important to recognize the fact that not everyone needs what I need. BrianR, for example, probably doesn't want a gaming box - but he might want a decent all-around system that he could store lots of MP3's on. Maybe juju wants to build a LAN gaming box - portable yet powerful. Perhaps Tony would like to have a powerful multi-media machine but he's not sure where to start. The goal of this write-up is to expand on the original system design to show how it can be adjusted to fit most anyone's needs. <i>What would I need to change if I wanted a...</i> <b>good all-around computer?</b> <blockquote>Since you're not likely to be doing as much heavy gaming, a cheaper video card (with less power) will do. Crucial makes a Radeon 8500 LE which will be more than adequate for most tasks a normal person will be involved in. They sell for about $130 at http://www.crucial.com You also don't need to have such a fast processor. 2.26GHz is great for the gamer but unnecessary for the casual user (or gamer). A 1.8GHz Socket478 Pentium 4 is more than adequate and will cost approximately $100 less ($162 at NewEgg.com). You may, however, want to have a larger hard drive. For $21 extra ($92 total), you can have an 80GB 120GXP hard drive from IBM. That should be plenty of space for the casual user. You definitely want to have a CD-RW drive in addition to your DVD-ROM. The Plextor PX-W4012TA/SW burns CD-R's at 40x, ReWritables at 12x and reads CDs at 40x. That's plenty fast. And it's only $129 in the retail box. For exactly $1,000 you could build your own 1.8GHz Pentium 4 with 512MB of PC2700 DDR SDRAM, 80GB hard drive, a 128MB Radeon LE video card, a nice mid-tower case, DVD drive (for watching movies) an a 40x CD burner.</blockquote> <b>portable gaming computer?</b> <blockquote>Not much at all, actually. First, we'll be eliminating the huge tower that my computer is being built into, as well as the motherboard. Everything else will remain the same. Now, let's add a Shuttle SS51G barebones system (review at Tom's Hardware here ). This will support your AGP card, the 533MHz FSB of the fast Pentium 4, your comfortable 40GB hard drive... everything. It can be found at NewEgg for about $329, or approximately $77 more (total) than my original base system. The portability afforded by this system is amazing, and it has FireWire and USB built in, as well as all of the standard legacy ports. My friend Matt will be building one of these systems when I build my gaming box; I'll let you all know how it goes.</blockquote> <b>multimedia super computer?</b> <blockquote>First things first, you need to decide whether or not you'll be playing games on this system. If you are, stick with the Radeon 9700 PRO. If you're not, then you'll do fine with a Crucial Radeon 8500 LE. $400 or $130. Take your pick. Subtract $0 or $270, depending. While the processor should still be plenty fast, you will definitely want more hard drive space. 120GB 120GXP's are selling for $134 and two of them will allow you to do whatever you want to do. Subtract $71, add $268. 512MB of memory is probably adequate, but 1GB is even better. Double the memory cost to $354 and add $177 to the total. No multimedia box would be complete without a CD burner, so we'll want the aforementioned CD-RW drive. $129 added to the total. We'll also want a DVD burner. You don't want to use the DVD burner for CD's because a) it's slow and b) you don't want to wear it out. Besides, 3 optical drives is good fun! The Pioneer DVR-A04SPK3 is $299 in the retail box and records DVD-R/RW media. It's pathetically slow at burning CD's, but you'll be able to record movies for the loved ones (or back up all your MP3's to 2 or 3 or 4 discs, which are 4.7GB each). Keep in mind that media is about $2.50 each. Add $299 to the overall price. You're going to need some surround sound, and what better than the Creative Labs Audigy? $60 for the OEM package gets you the card and drivers. You'll want some serious speakers to take advantage of that card and the Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 setup is just right. Hey, it's only $360 and you're getting 500 RMS watts of sonic glory. Klipsch is a trusted name in speakers and for good reason - their products are exceptional. This is no different. Add $360 to the total. So there we have it. A stupendously good multimedia system, sans monitor and mouse. What's the total? A measly $2,448. You will be the envy of your neighborhood.</blockquote> So there you have it. Three types of systems that are in common demand these days. Using the same basic system that I started with yesterday, we can easily adapt it to fit all three - and end up with three great computers. Comments? Suggestions?