Potential setup

[urbanonymous]

Well, I'm getting ready to upgrade a few things on my computer. I thought I would check here first to see if anyone wants to recommend something different from what I have listed below:

- New stuff:

Shuttle AK31A mobo Retail
AMD AthlonXP 1800+ Retail (w/heatsink and fan)
ENERMAX EG365P-VE(FM). 350W PSU Retail
Crucial 256MB PC2100 OEM
Lian Li PC-7 Case
SONY 1.44MB 3.5 INCH INTERNAL FDD DRIVE OEM

- Stuff I'm transferring over from the old puter:

SB Live! 5.1 DE / Inspire 5.1 speakers
Leadtek GF3 Ti200 TDH / Hauppauge WinTV Go PCI
Pioneer DVD 16x
Sony CD-RW 8/4/32x
IBM 27GB hard drive
Generic Intel network card
Dell M780 17" monitor
Microsoft Internet Keyboard, Intellimouse Optical

 

[lonewolf1983]

looks like a nice setup there
hope it goes well!

 

[rogerdugans]

Looks like a real good system.

The only things I would do differently are the oem heatsink (I use 'em on video cards): even if you aren't going to oc that rig, the oem hsf isn't that great.

The mobo: the AK31 is an excellent board- but I think the Epox 8KHA+ is better - especially if overclocking is in the picture.

 

[urbanonymous]

Thank you for the replies! Any heatsink/fan recommendations for the processor?

The other thing I wasn't totally sure about was the power supply. I know Enermax is a pretty reliable product, but I think 350W is only certified to 1.4ghz AMD. On the other hand, nobody has mentioned any problems yet so I should be in good shape

 

[rogerdugans]

AX7 is pretty much on the top of the list right now. I believe it uses an 80mm fan too, which means: adequate cooling fairly quiet, or excellent cooling and earplugs for the noise depending on the fan you pick.

As far as power supplies go, you can take your choice! There are a lot out there that will be fine- it just depends on your budget for the rig, and if you plan on overclocking....Let me explain

AMD systems are very sensitive to low 5v lines, so while any AMD approved psu will be ok if you run at defaults more than likely, if you are going to OC its a different matter!

I use an Enermax 431w in my "nice" rig, and a couple of P4 psus and a bunch of Compusa 300watters in the others.

The other psus I have were cheap and selected for having decent combined 3.3v and 5v lines. The Compusa units are a risk: out of 4 I've bought I had to return one because it was weak, but they do pretty good for $20 on sale. If you aren't a cheap sob like me, get a good one though!

Decide about overclocking: some of the parts you get can make or break a system for overclocking.