CONFUSED over MINI itx

[MercServ]

I am in the process of buying a mini-itx for my bro but i dont understand the MHZ rating on the thing...

For example VIA has the VIA ESP 5000 Processor and i don't know what's the MHZ on it...and there are so many of them...it's mainly to play computer games...PS 1 Games...MP3 and DVDs...

if someone could advise me...the only thing i know is there is out there an 800 mhz VIA processor....

p.s what other component do i need...excluding casing, ram, HDD...

thanks for all dudes...

 

[stool]

Welcome to the forums.
According to their tech notes, the 5000 has a 3.5 multiplier at 133Mhz, which basically gives you about 465.5 Mhz. These are very quiet, but don't have a lot of balls. You are probably much better off looking at an AMD or Intel solution if you are looking for a gaming, etc. setup. You'll have much better upgrade options for not much more cost.

You can read the .pdf here;
http://www.via.com.tw/en/Products/Eden v1.15.pdf

 

[lonewolf1983]

yes the ESP 5000 is a 500mhz C3 cpu, and doesnt pack enough power to run anything too demanding. Gaming is certainly out of the question.
I have mine running silently file/mp3 serving and as my net gateway

 

[Captain Slug]

yes the ESP 5000 is a 500mhz C3 cpu, and doesnt pack enough power to run anything too demanding. Gaming is certainly out of the question.
I have mine running silently file/mp3 serving and as my net gateway

This is mainly due the chips lack of enhanced CPU instruction set support. This prevents any 3D engines from running faster instruction sets (and therefore KILLS your performance).

If you simply want a Quiet, small, and cost effective machine I can help you shop for parts. I've build several Small Form Factor gaming machines and I know the best sources for parts.
Current ITX offerings are best suited for Home Theater PC, Internet machine, and office applications.

You'll need...
- Case (small)
- PSU (200w or more)
- CPU
- RAM
- Motherboard
- Hard drive
- 5.25" drive
- Cooling fans
- Efficient quiet heatsink
- Screwdriver
- Arctic Silver 3
- Operating system
- Optional floppy (not required for system setup but good for legacy support)
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Speakers
- Monitor with ATLEAST .25mm dot pitch

 

[MercServ]

did not check overnight

well thanks all for the help...and that i think clears the doubt i had over the ESP5000...and thanks Captain Slug to point ou all of the requirements...

As my bro is only 13 he does not really know what's 3D intensive and not...so for him anything that plays as good as a decent home pc...will work fine for him...as long as Quake 3 Arena plays without skipping it's alll good...and maybe from time to time emulate some PS 1 Games....

well now that i know the ESP 5000 is nothing near impressive what other choices do i have in the EDEN series?

at the most play virtually any game...at a decent frame rate...and play dvd's on a TV....and occasionally play cds and MP3...that's all that it will be used for....

thanks for all dudes...

p.s Captain can u help me shop even though im in Australia??? well u can just give me part numbers or stuff like that...

 

[Captain Slug]

Re: did not check overnight

p.s Captain can u help me shop even though im in Australia??? well u can just give me part numbers or stuff like that...

If I can find a good online supplier for your region I can put together a part list.
I'll get started now...

 

[EgeWorks]

d00d, depending on where you are in Melb. I can hook you up with a good shop. Can get you good deals on some parts

 

[Mr. Chambers]

Re: Re: did not check overnight

If I can find a good online supplier for your region I can put together a part list.
I'll get started now...

"but i've never seen such dedication in a droid before..."

 

[Captain Slug]

d00d, depending on where you are in Melb. I can hook you up with a good shop. Can get you good deals on some parts

That would be great!

If not...

I was going to recommend Pluscorp.com.au but they don't offer lower end systems.

I'm still fiddling around though.

 

[EgeWorks]

I've never dealt with PlusCorp before but they look ok - no choice in spec codes for CPU's though.

 

[Captain Slug]

I'm not having alot of luck with online vendors. The only site that sells enough individual parts to build a whole machine is Another World Computre Centre. And they're located in Melbourne.

The parts I recommend (but currently can't find online for your area)...

Duron 700 (a celeron 700 would do if that's what you can find)
A motherboard that support SDRAM (which will save you some money)
256MB PC133 SDRAM
20GB ATA100 Hard Drive
Geforce 2 GTS 32MB AGP
A heatsink rated UNDER 40dba
300w PSU
Case (ATX size unless you get a Micro ATX board)
16x DVD-ROM drive
Floppy
2 case fans

The total cost of that machine will cost ALOT less than a stupid ITX machine. But it will play Quake 3 and kick a C3 right where it hurts in the performance department.

 

[EgeWorks]

Now you know how hard it is to get stuff here...not to mention it takes months to catch up to you guys in parts availability/prices.

 

[Captain Slug]

Now you know how hard it is to get stuff here...not to mention it takes months to catch up to you guys in parts availability/prices.

So how much would it cost to ship such cheapo parts there if I built him a budget rig like the one I listed? Say... 25 pounds?

I'm guessing more than an arm and a leg...

 

[lonewolf1983]

yea if you want to game, best not to go for an ITX rig, thats all there is to it.
Pluscorp have a good rep, as do www.warcom.com.au
Email him and tell him "lonewolf" from Tweakers.com.au referred you.

Sadly no retail shop is going to sell you 2nd hand parts, try the local classifieds...

 

[EgeWorks]

Say... 25 pounds?

Haha. We do have dollars here! It's just they aren't worth as much. shipping costs all depend on how heavy they are are and how much they are worth - plus whether or not they are air freited.

The duty can be very expensive as I have friends in Canada/US send stuff over.

 

[MercServ]

G'day mates...
Dedicated Droids and helpful E.Works all over the place...well dudes thanks a lot...especially Captain Slug...and EgeWorks...

well...the Duron 700 sounds apetizing...but the thing is...i promised my bro and he expects a super small computer/gaming machine...well i thought that mini-itx would be able to handle such stuff...i've also heard of a 1 GHZ C3 processor is that worth it or just crap??? well all depends what i can find downunder...

well i know that pluscorp thing and i dont like what they give...it's like 800-1000 AUD for a mini itx....which is welll above my budget...
and the Duron sounds appetizing...but the size factor is an issue...

im kind of lost but i'll trace my steps back...EgeWorks...i am in south Melbourne...and i know not a single guy around who sells that Mini-Itx...most of them dont even know what it is...

if i dont have any over option i might as well just offer my T'Bird to my bro...maybe he wont notice...but then comes size...if i can fit all in a super tiny space i'll be very very very happy...but im bad in modding stuff...and he's gonna whooop my ***...coz it's meant to be a Christmas present....

well im still very much interested in MINI-ITX...simple and hassle free and young curiosity proof...

i'll try www.warcom.com.au and mention u lonewolf1983 i'll see what happens and keep posting...

Thanks Dudes
really helpfull
MercServ

 

[Captain Slug]

well...the Duron 700 sounds apetizing...but the thing is...i promised my bro and he expects a super small computer/gaming machine...well i thought that mini-itx would be able to handle such stuff...i've also heard of a 1 GHZ C3 processor is that worth it or just crap??? well all depends what i can find downunder...

Yep, it's pretty close to crap. And a poorly performing Mini ITX machine will cost more than an upgradable and speedy Duron machine.

If I can find the right sources, I can configure a VERY small Duron based DDR gaming machine with a Geforce 2 all crammed into a case the size of a coffee table book. And, if I have to I could build it and ship it to you for $850 AUD

 

[Captain Slug]

If you can get him to stop whining about size...

Here's a complete Duron based machine for $620 AUD (plus shipping) and this list has everything but the monitor and speakers.

I really wouldn't mind being a shipping repeater. If you can build it I'll just forward the boxes. Or I could build it for you and ship it as a whole machine.
What's appealing about this rig is it has a Radeon 7000 32mb DDR with TV-out. If you want to wait on getting him a monitor he could make do with a TV for a while just to play games, DVDs and music.

 

[Tbird man]

and here is the perfect mother board for that case. nForce chipset. the best onboard graphics you can get. dual channel DDR to help with the graphics (i know the processor does not benifit from dula DDR as much but it really helps with onboard graphics eating bandwidth) and dolby 5.1 support. cant beat the nForce chipset for an integrated machine.

 

[Captain Slug]

and here is the perfect mother board for that case. nForce chipset. the best onboard graphics you can get. dual channel DDR to help with the graphics (i know the processor does not benifit from dula DDR as much but it really helps with onboard graphics eating bandwidth) and dolby 5.1 support. cant beat the nForce chipset for an integrated machine.

That's similar to the one I recommended and makes a great slim gaming machine. It's cousin (Asus A7n266-VM) is powering my LAN rig.
The only downside is that onboard sound only works in 2 channel mode if you install win98SE. DDR also adds a little to overall cost