Building a new PC

[Kazzman17]

[Wiggo]

This is a better forum for this thread.
The Thermaltake Volcano 7+ is a good HSF to start with though you could also go with an Alpha 8045 or Swiftech MXC462 for really high end HSF's.
If overclocking is what you really want to do then getting Corsair XMS3000 0r XMS3200 memory will supply plenty of headroom for that and the better the quality parts you use the better results will be obtained.
For a case you may want to get something like this one, http://www.directron.com/sx1030b.html , which has plenty of room and ventilation plus there are plenty of options for PSU's with it. :smokin:
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[RDR]

since your in the U.S. - have a look at Mushkin or Crucial PC2700 too - I've used both and have had good luck

I've never used a Soyo board...but the Epox KT333 MB has been getting excellent reviews - it may be worth checking out

[Darthtanion]

I'm with RDR on the EPoX board. Soyo makes a good stable board, but they tend to be a bit lacking in the performance department.

And I'd go Crucial memory. It performas on par with Mushkin but costs a bit less. And if you order it online, you can normally get free shipping to anywhere in the US. They offer this pretty regularly. www.crucial.com

Wiggo linked an Antec SX1030 case in black... but if you're planning on future upgrades, then take a look at the PLUS series of case. I use the PLUS1080 myself and it is an outstanding piece. It offers two intake fans on front, two exhaust fans in back and a side mounted fan as well. It also comes standard with an Antec TruPower 430w PSU so you shouldn't ever have to worry about not having enough juice. www.directron.com

You don't have a DVD drive on there? Pioneer makes a mighty fine one that won't cost you an arm and a leg. I'm personally not ready for DVD-R/-RW/+RW or whatever new format they might pick tomorrow. Maybe after they actually come up with something that can be labeled "Industry Standard".

Good luck and most of all... HAVE FUN! :)

[Kazzman17]

Thanks for the advice.

Wiggo on the DDRam stepping up to 3000 or 3200 will that make much of a difference with the limits of MOBO only supporting up 333mhz. As far as the Heatsink those were a couple of the ones I was ready thinking about. What do you think about the this case http://www.directron.com/yy0221bk.html the cooling options seem endless along with plenty of room.

Darthtanion I saw the reviews also, I just thought I would trade off a little performance for some goodies. I not looking to win any races just getting started in the OC department to get my feet wet. Once AMD starts raising their FSB then I will think about a new adventure and pass this PC down to the wife (it will make for a killer web surfer) :laugh: ! Also what do you think about the case above and No on the DVD I have a satellite dish and 2 DVD players never get used.

Did I mention, that I planned on setting up RAID using Maxtor or Seagate Drives.

[Morgan_Lander]

The higher speed RAM is better if you plan on overclocking with the front side bus. Otherwise, PC2700 will suit you just fine. I use some Samsung PC2100 that is excellent. Runs CAS2 stably with the memory timings at the aggressive settings just fine--your results may vary.

Also, the past times I've purchased from Newegg I've never had a problem. I did have to RMA something the last time, but that was smooth. They have excellent customer service and I have no problems recommending them.

[Wiggo]

If ya run the memory at +33MHz over the FSB that the chipset is capable of then yes it would be plus aggressive memory timings can be used for much further than with PC2700 as I've found out myself with a couple of PC's that I've built (these used the Epox 8K3A and 8K3A+ boards) and they were runnin' memory speeds close to 200MHz (almost 400MHz DDR with the +33MHz function) still retaining aggressive CAS2 timings.
If you really want some RAID speed though then 2x 8MBcache WD HDD's would be the fastest setup you could get without resorting to high priced SCSI alternatives.
A word of warning on Crucial PC2700 memory and that is that all the reviews that I've come across lately have the same brand PC2100 memory performing just as well if not better in some cases, why I don't know, though I have never used this brand myself. :smokin:
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[Kazzman17]

Thanks for all the advice.

Now I'll just start shopping for the best prices.

I still welcome any additional advice. It will be about a month or so before I start purchasing hardware. The military felt the need to send me to Kosovo, so I will have everything waiting for me when I return home.

Also, Somebody mentioned to me that AMD has 2 different types of cores on the palimino series, and 1 is better for OC'ing. Is this true and if so, how do you tell the difference. Or is that the difference from buying OEM vers Retail. I was thinking of going OEM because I'm picking the heatsink I want.

[Wiggo]

There is only one core structure for the "Palamino" though certain steppings can perform better than others but that's not necessarily true in all cases either.
A retail box will give you a 3yr warranty against a 1yr warranty for an OEM one though the boxed HSF is pretty much useless for overclocking but so long as the HSF looks to be have used in the case of a claim (a short time use is all that's required then store it away as they will want the HSF back with the CPU) then a warranty will be ok if needed. :smokin:
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[Kazzman17]

The warranty I am not to concerned about because I will be unlocking the CPU which will void it anyways. Thanks again for the advice.

[RDR]

a little more on memory..

after I gave Crucial my endorsement, I happened to read a reveiw several brands of PC2700...crucial finished last in OCability - I was very surprised to see that.

the highest OCer was Samsung - It also happened to be the cheapest

you may want to take this info with a few grains of salt - but it's probably worth it to have a look around some reveiw sites before you buy your dimms
I know Crucial is also a bit pricey right now too- almost as much as Mushin - maybe they're having some trouble getting their process straightened out

the only one I would warn you away from is OCZ - I've heare stories of their PC2700 actually being OC'd 7 or 7.5ns chips with a heat spreader bonded on to cover up the chip designation. That might not matter to some people - but I'd rather have real 6ns memory

[Kazzman17]

Thanks for the Info RDR