New PC, any suggestions ?

sry i was mistaken, i was referring to the prescotts not the northwoods.

 

What's a good/cheap router/firewall on this page ?
http://www.mpl.be/products.aspx?id=37&sid=230

 

D-Link DI-604 . Excellent for the price . Customer service is top notch as well . 24X7 support . Very nice features . Excellent choice . Has firewall and easy to set up .

 

First of all, thanks to everybody in alphabetic order : Anthony1uk, AvianFlux, Blackspear, Bubba, Devinco, FastGame, hollywoodpc, iceni60, Mysterion, se7engreen, Yahoo and WSFuser.

I decided to buy a complete NEW tower, but I still have a question about SOUND.
Sound is NOT IMPORTANT for me, but I like to hear when Windows starts LOL.
Do you really need a soundcard and speakers to hear noice ?

 

ErikAlbert,

Some motherboards include an integrated sound card. Most of the recent enough integrated sound cards provide more than acceptable sound quality.
Some even have 5.1 dolby digital output. You will need speakers to convert the electrical audio signals the sound card produces into actual sound you can hear. The speaker that is inside the computer case is only for the beeps on start up.
If you had some amplified speakers from your old system, you may be able to use those. The speakers need to be able to accept the line level signal from the sound card. If you have a nice stereo amplifier, you could connect the line out from the sound card to the line in of the stereo system.

 

In case anyone is interested, AMD has decided to rename DEP (Data Execution Protection) to EVP (Enhanced Virus Protection). Clearly a marketing decision, but a smart one as people will be able to understand it better.
It would still be nice to know if EVP would have protected an unpatched OS from all the buffer overflow vulnerabilities we have seen this year.
Here is a link to AMD.

 

Netgear DG834FS - ADSL Firewall Router

I'm a Netgear fan, due to quality, reliability and support.

Cheers

 

Sound card no, on board is fine, speakers, ahhhh yes

Cheers

 

Since you are interested in the Athlon64 (3200+)
You should get at least PC3200 RAM.
According to your store site, the Athlon64 3200+ appears to support dual channel ram, so that means you could get 2 256MB DIMMs and tell them to set it up for dual channel memory. This will give an additional performance boost (How much boost is unclear).

 

For the case,

Get a mid tower. Those minis and home theater pcs are way too cramped and don't leave any space to expand. The cramped interior also makes air flow restricted and running cables more difficult.

 

Although I gave a website with hardware components, most members gave me
other hardware components, that weren't listed on that website.
This doesn't mean, I don't appreciate your help and I really used most of your advices to choose the hardware components for my new computer.

Because I don't know anything about hardware, I made THREE major mistakes in the past :
1. I bought a VideoCard "Asus V7700" and I can only install the drivers after installing win2000pro, but NOT after installing SP4, probably due to compatibility problems. (My win2000pro CD is more than 3 years old).
So I have to install win2000pro from CD first, than my Asus V7700 drivers and than SP4 from Windows Update and that works fine.
If I install win2000pro from CD, than SP4 from Windows Update and than my Asus V7700 drivers, my computer refuses to install them and I don't like to have that problem anymore with my new computer.
Did I choosed the right videocard this time That would really help me.

2. I bought one CD/DVD reader and one CD writer and that wasn't necessary, because I need only one CD/DVD writer and I can use my harddisk as intermediate station and that doesn't bother me.
I don't have a DVD recorder for my TV yet, but I will buy one in the future, because I'm a real movie fan.
My VCR works with tapes, those tapes don't last forever and that is a problem.
I know that you can play DVD-movies from your computer on TV, but I don't want to do this.

I have some plans with my CD/DVD writer, I will explain it and ask some questions.
My brother has a DVD player and he buys movies on DVD, but I noticed that some of these movie-DVD's don't start with the movie right away. They start with trailers of other movies or something else, that has nothing to do with the movie and I hate that.
Can I remove these trailers and create a new DVD that starts with the movie immediately
Can I also backup my movie DVD's on a new DVD and use that new DVD to play movies on TV

3. I bought only one harddisk in stead of two and that was also a major mistake.
So I will have two harddisks in the future and use Acronis True Image to backup my harddisk-1 on harddisk-2 and restore my harddisk-1 from harddisk-2.
Isn't that the fastest way to backup/restore your main harddisk in stead of working with CD's or DVD's
I had first an external harddrive in mind, but is that really necessary or safer
------
There seem to be some confusion about why I need a computer.
I don't need my computer for MUSIC or GAMES or GRAPHICS. I hate games and I play my music on other hardware. I'm not artistic so I don't work with images or graphics, whatever.
I do alot of thinking and when I have an idea I use my computer to write it down. In the past I used pencil and paper to do this, now I use a computer.
So I work alot with text, spreadsheets and sometimes databases. MS Office 2000 Pro is enough for me.
I surf and try alot of a things on the internet, but most of it has to do with my job.
------
So this is my provisional list of hardware components, based on the website
http://www.mpl.be/info_en.aspx :

Case........ : Antec Solution SLK3700BQE - Super Midi Tower Case
Motherboard. : Asus A8N-E / Socket 939 / nVidia nForce4 Ultra / ATX motherboard
RAM Memory.. : PC3200 DDR 512 MB - 184pins - PC400 - CAS3 Infineon Original - ECC
CPU......... : AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0 Ghz) - socket 939 - 512K L2 64Bit
DiskDrive... : 3,5'' 1.44 MB Floppy Diskdrive (Mitsumi, Samsung, NEC of Sony)
CD/DVD Drive : BenQ DW1620 Pro DVD+/-RD - 16x - Dual Layer - IDE - Bulk - Black
Harddisk-1.. : Maxtor 6L200P0 DiamondMax 10 200GB - 8192K/7200RPM/ATA133 - QuickView
Harddisk-2.. : Maxtor 6L200P0 DiamondMax 10 200GB - 8192K/7200RPM/ATA133 - QuickView
VideoCard... : Asus Extreme AX550 TD ATI Radeon X550 128DDR TV/Out DVI-I
InternetCard : 3Com Etherlink PCI 10/100 - Managed - Retail - 3C905CX-TX-M
Router...... : D-Link DI-604 Internet Gateway with Built-In 4-Port 10/100 Switch


Is this a good combination ?

 

I personally can`t see anything wrong with that setup if it`s what you like. I think you`d be happy with that IMO. I would be.

 

Hey guys,
If I buy an "AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.0 Ghz) - socket 939 - 512K L2 64Bit",
will I get in trouble with other softwares that don't work with this CPU ?

Do I have to buy Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition or is the normal Edition enough ?

My software catalog mentions often "win32" as a remark for the software, not "win64". Is that a problem or not ?

I was an early user of win2000pro and alot of softwares didn't even work under win2000pro in those days. I don't want these troubles again.

Thank you in advance to save this "User of a lesser God".

 

This may or may not influence your decision.

Early on in 2006 both Sony and Toshiba will be releasing some of their new

Blueray and HD-DVD drives. I still don't know which way I will go yet but I do own a Toshiba projector to the wall. The only main diff is the resolution of the projector as to weather it does HD or not. I am going to wait for the new HD drives to buy a new DVD burner.

Have you thought about building one yourself? Half the fun is either finding the best prices on components or bidding on them on Ebay

If you can afford it, get as much RAM as you can. One of my machines is a PIII 850 but has a gig a RAM and I do DVD stuff with it all the time. Course it takes longer using USB 1 but I just let it sit there while I use another computer to keep going.
I picked up a embedded XP computer at work last week. They were going to through it out for not having any paperwork attached to tie it to inventory.
It is a cute it has the 1 gig CPU, 512 meg ram all on a board behind the monitor.
I deleted the HD embedded XP and used Terabyte to get the rest of the partitions of the HD, then stuck XP pro on it.
The cool part is the 15 inch screen is a touch screen. Works nice for free.
This is my new test box.

controler

 

if u use looknstop, just dont enable watch thread injection. i think blackice may cause some BSODs and maybe any programs that "protect" against buffer overflows (e.g. stackdefender) may also cause BSODs, but im not entirely sure.

 

The best advice is to take your time and do all the research before you buy. Your current computer is still working so no pressure there.
You will not be wanting to upgrade your computer with every new video game release so it is better to take a longer time now to decide and be happy in the long run.

The problems you had previously were because Windows2000 had poor hardware driver support and its plug and play was not the best.
Windows XP Pro worked much better than 2000 compatibility wise and in many other ways.
I was actually able to run more of my old Win98 programs on XP than on 2000.

For the CPU/OS, you have basically 3 choices:

1. Athlon64 / 64bit Windows XP.
You will more than likely run into compatibility problems with older software and a lack of 64 bit drivers for hardware. It will be a while before the installed user base of 64 bit computers is large enough that software vendors will make 64bit optimized versions. They may make patches sooner that allow the programs to at least work in 64bit Windows XP(but not take advantage of 64bit).
Does anybody know of some sites where ErikAlbert can research other user's experience (compatibility issues) with WindowsXP 64bit? Maybe some reviews? Are you willing to accept the compatbility issues that may happen?

2. Athlon64/WindowsXP Pro.
Much better compatibility than 2000. Most all software will work.
With SP2, the EVP(Enhanced Virus Protection) of the Athlon64 will work.
But the OS is 32 bit, so you are basically paying for a 64 bit CPU and using it in 32bit. You can reinstall 64 bit Windows XP or Vista in the future once the software (programs and hardware drivers) catch up. Are you willing to invest in a CPU that you will not be able to fully utilize for another year or two?

3. Pentium4/WindowsXP Pro.
Same good compatability as 2. I think the price sweet spot is at 3.0 GHz now. By not buying on the bleeding edge, you can save a BUNDLE.
Your needs do not dictate a top of the line system like video gamers would want.

The case is nice. Here is a review. Very minor, but the only things I don't like about the case are the sideways internal drive bays (unecessary and more restrictive to air flow). The 350W Power Supply is sufficient for what you need, but I would prefer a 400-450W PS. The door covering the front drive bays are unecessary. You may want to remove the door if you do a lot of CD changes during a day.
I like the case and these small points are not enough to say no to the case.

 

Controler,
I'm not going to mix my computer with TV.
I have or will have a TV with a DVD RECORDER and a separate computer without any connection to TV.
I won't use my CD/DVD drive to play movie-DVD's on TV. I know it's possible but I won't do this.

I only will use my CD/DVD drive to copy movie-DVD's on new DVD's to save my original movie-DVD's and maybe I'm also able to extract the movie from the original DVD and remove all the stuff that doesn't belong to the movie.
That's all I want and I hope my DVD RECORDER of TV is able to play DVD's created on my computer.
I don't have any experience with DVD's, so I don't know what is possible or not.

Meanwhile I found a cheaper shop and my price limit is 1,250 euro for a NEW tower.

Case........ : ANTEC CASE SONATA 380W
http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/38989/art/antec/case-sonata-380w-mid-towe.html?rd=1#fichetechnique
Motherboard. : ABIT AN8
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/techspec.php?categories=1&model=259
CPU......... : AMD S939 Athlon64 3700 1MB San Diego BOX
RAM Memory.. : DDR APACER 1GB PC400 LFT CL3.0
DiskDrive... : Floppy Disk Drive 3.5 - 1.44 MB
CD/DVD Drive : BenQ DVDRW+ DW1640 White +R
http://www.benq.com/products/product.cfm?product=554&page=specifications
Harddisk-1.. : HDD 120GB 7200RPM U/ATA Seagate 8MB Cache 8.5ms
Harddisk-2.. : HDD 120GB 7200RPM U/ATA Seagate 8MB Cache 8.5ms
http://www.com1.be/product_info.php...=3377&osCsid=d9db178932f455434d89642e3aabf4cf
VGA Card.... : X27 XFX GeForce 6200 256Mb (card is not good for this CPU)
http://www.pcware.be/product_info.php?products_id=263348
InternetCard : 3Com Etherlink PCI 10/100 - Managed - Retail - 3C905CX-TX-M

I will ask the shop, if my provisional list of components is OK and then I buy it.
I don't have enough hardware knowledge to look for better/cheaper components.
Whatever my new computer will be, it will be alot better than my actual computer without the same three mistakes, I made in the past.

 

Devinco,
Thanks for your answer, I understand alot more now about the 64-issue.
I will use winXPpro. It's about time I replace win2000pro, but I will think about winXPproSP2 64-edition.
Cool man !!!

 

Oh dear no. I don't use my computer to play movies on the wall. I have a Toshiba home intertainment system to play the DVD's. I use my computer to burn a movie now and then though. I do however at times hook my laptop to the projector and surf Then I can see a 80 inch screen. Actualy if I were a gamer, I would go that route too with High Def.

I have built alot of computers over the years. Listened to both sides over and over again on AMD or Intel. I have tried them all. I never had good luck with Asus myself and found Intel MOBO & Intel CPU my best fit. I try to stay clear of
onboard video and sound. Nothing wrong with onboard network card though.
As mentioned, you do not need the latest and greatest if you don't game or do alot of video editing.

Can you add a faster CPU to your existing motherboard? Can you add more RAM?

Most of the time the answer is yes.

controler

 

Controler,
Sorry for misunderstanding. You probably noticed how poor my hardware knowledge is.
I'm sure you have much better TV/PC hardware/software for movies than me, but I don't go that far.
Most of the time I do text/spreadsheet/databases using MS Office 2000 Pro.
I don't do music, games and graphics on my computer, but I love movies.
I don't buy much movies either, but my brother does. So I hope I can copy his DVD's on my PC.

I will have alot of work with this new computer.
I have to learn winXPproSP2, Acronis True Image and Easy CD writer or Nero and ShadowUser.
I have to learn how to work with a partitioned harddisk.
My wife won't be happy

 

sure u can keep ur disk drive but you can replace your cd writer with a dvd witer. A new pc will definitely work with your current hardware.
The best dvd cd writrers are of the 16x write format, 20 gb is not enough, a 80 gb sata hard disk will future-proof your system.. besides 80 gb is best at sata speeds.. good luck to you..

 

I did change my harddisk capacity in 80 gb already. First I had 200 gb, then 120 gb and now 80 gb.
I don't need such a big harddisk. I only store MS Office Pro files (text, spreadsheet and data) and when something is finished I store my personal files on CD/DVD for security reason.
But THANKS for giving me another reason.

 

Devinco,
I decided NOT to buy a 64bit CPU and winXPpro 64bit.

Source: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/64bit/russel_x64faq.mspx

I'm not one of these people and I will never be, so I don't need 64-bit.
It's that simple and that's the most important reason, why I'm not interested in 64-bit anymore.

I'm sure you know about this too, because you talked about it in this thread and this is also mentioned on the webpage.
There seem to be alot of actual problems with the drivers.
Once you go 64-bit all your drivers have to be 64-bit too and not every 32-bit driver has a 64-bit driver yet. Even your hardware won't work if you don't have the 64-bit driver.
I don't want to go through that trouble and I don't want to wait for 64-bit drivers either.
I was an early user of win2000pro and in the beginning too many softwares didn't work properly under win2000pro and that was a nightmare for me at least for a certain period.

So I will buy a 32-bit CPU and winXPpro 32-bit.
Thanks for making me aware of this.

 

although u decided not to buy a 64-bit CPU, i just have this to say: an Athlon 64 is a very fast processor and having a 64-bit CPU doesnt do anything bad for a 32-bit OS and programs.

 

Yes but he decided against the A64 for the wrong reason. Like WSFuser said the A64 is a top performer in 32bit applications like Windows XP.