Budget System for DVD encoding/burning & gaming

MartMax

Hi all

Am configuring my new PC, will be used mainly for encoding/burning DVDs and CDs, and playing games too (not heavy gamer). On a tight budget around 900 euros excl. mouse, keyb & screen. Still not sure what to go for case & PSU. I configured two options either Intel or AMD. These configurations are based on info from boards and sharkyextreme websites.


Processor Pentium 4 - 2.8E (800) Prescott Retail Box
Motherboard MSI 865P Neo2-PFS
CPU Cooler Intel HSF Free

Processor Athlon 64 +3000
Motherboard MSI K8T Neo-FSR Socket 754
CPU Cooler ZALMAN CNPS-7000-AlCu

with :

Memory 512MB Corsair CMX512-3200C2PRO
Harddrive SATA 160GB Samsung SP1614C 8MB
Graphic Card 128MB Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro Lite-RTL
Audio Card MSI onboard
DVD Writer DVDR IDE LiteOn SOHW-1213S 12x


Help anyone? Suggest me what to go for! Thanks!

Redrocket

you're not on a tiny a budget, you should be able to get a decent amd system for that money

unklerosco

Check out Dubdvd's pc in the comp forsale forum, if u can stretch to his askin price its a hell of a machine...

Ciaran500

You don't need such expensive ram unless your going to be overclocing.

MartMax

This is not final but will be soon. After sneaking around everywhere possible, I'm considering the following setup :

Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz Boxed PC800 1MB Prescott (€234 Komplett)
S478 MSI 865PE Neo2-PFISR (€103 Jes)
DDR PC400 512MB TwinMOS Twister Dualkit (€120 Jes)
HDD SATA 160GB Samsung SP1614C 8MB (€94 Jes)
NEC DVD recorder ND-3500A IDE Black Bulk (€95 Komplett)
128MB Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro Lite-RTL (€199 Jes)
Antec Solution SLK2650BQE-UK 350W SmartPower (€88 microaid)
17" Samsung SM793DF/17" FST .20 96kHz TCO03 Black (€161 microaid)

Total : €1,095 excl. shipping + mouse + keyb

I choose Pentium mainly because I'll do a lot of encoding. MSI board supports RAID (will make use of it I have money to get another harddrive). The cheap memory should do a nice dual DDR and NEC DVD recorder is said to be more than good. And, Radeon 9800 will enable me to run good games for at least 2 years. Antec casing and Samsung monitor are cheap and good enuff as I assume. Note that I am not looking into overclocking. Any comments ?

Cheers

p/s : dubdvd's machine is sweet but sold!

BKtje

The only problem id have with ordering off a load of people is that your gonna get a load of delivyer charges

Overall looks like a good system although isnt the prescott a powerhog? Would a 350w cover it? I dunno much about intel to be honest so dont take my word for it.

unkel

mart_max wrote:

I choose Pentium mainly because I'll do a lot of encoding

Common reason to go p4, but do you intend to overclock the system? The main reason I would advise a budget p4 over a budget a64 system is the ease and reach of the overclock on the p4

If you don't overclock and are a bit into gaming, I'd advise going a64. If you do overclock, go p4

Overclocking the p4 will not work well with your choice of memory - get PC4000 DDR

Also in your original post, it is not really fair to compare the a64+Zalman to p4+stock. Have the Zalman myself and it is a great piece of hardware

9800 pro is good value for money card that can play latest games

Have two of them Samsungs and they are solid. Quiet and fairly quick and cheap enough to boot. Unbeatable combination. There are faster drives, there are quieter drives, but none comes close to the combination of speed and quietness the Samsungs deliver

Let us know your final decision. Happy building

MartMax

Thank you all for the replies.

I have mentioned I will not overclock and will do lots of encoding than playing games. I heard that P4 have much more advantages on this purpose (encoding) rather than A64. Correct me if I am wrong. To be honest I am not sure therefore anyone's advice is very very appreciated.

I'd say the above spec is likely to be final - except the suppliers. I am sticking with Jes for most parts and go to elara / microaid for the case + display.

Cheers all!

Ciaran500

The P4 system should be faster at encoding. You still going for the Cosair pro ram? There's no need for it if your not gonna O/C.

Col_Loki

That system spec looks pretty nice, the P4 is the best choice especially as your encoding (its also not too shabby in games either).

You might want to make sure you get a good PSU, mabye 380w to be sure? You could always pick up a Super Lanboy case and a Tagan 380w from jes , or the Sonata is a lovely case either.

You seem to have it pretty well sussed anyway.

Azza

The P4 is faster in encoding only in 32bit mode. Under a 64 bit OS like linux and soon to be Windows XP 64 the AMD 64 3000 has and will over take it respectively.

vibe666

Azza wrote:

The P4 is faster in encoding only in 32bit mode. Under a 64 bit OS like linux and soon to be Windows XP 64 the AMD 64 3000 has and will over take it respectively.

by how much would you say? significant amounts or not?

BloodBath

The 64-bit arguement goes on. I've yet to see conclusive proof that it will offer much of a performance increase apart from being able to handle more RAM.

Some benchmarks please.


BloodBath

Dempsey

BloodBath wrote:

The 64-bit arguement goes on. I've yet to see conclusive proof that it will offer much of a performance increase apart from being able to handle more RAM.

Some benchmarks please.


BloodBath

Spot on. If if's and buts were candy and nuts....

The main reason for 64-bit is to get around the ram limit. 64-bits extentions shouldnt be a deciding factor in a cpu at the moment because you'll probably have upgraded by the time decent 64 bit support will have arrived. Microsoft probably have 64 bit supported OS out next summer in line with intels and amds dual 64 bit cores.

BTW, get a Asus or Abit with a intel cpu

unkel

BloodBath wrote:

The 64-bit arguement goes on

Indeed

My advice: never ever buy hardware based on expected future changes in software. You pay the premium and might not (or more likely will not) get the reward...

MartMax

Just wonder... can Prescott keep running well 24/7?...

case that i picked is "Thermally Advantaged Chassis"...
recommended by Intel... plus I add up a front cooling fan...

the reason it is going to run 24/7 - file server / internet gateway...

will the processor n other parts survive the heat for "a long time"???

Ciaran500

Everything should be designed to survive in the heat in a pc. I'd be very pissed off it they couldn't.

Azza

http://www.anandtech.com/linux/showdoc.aspx?i=2114

Benchmarks to prove a point I guess take into account 64bit os are still in there infancy and there faster OS's out there than the ones reviewed. I would reckon the performance gain when it eventually comes will be like upgraded your cpu by 200-350mhz. Weather you judge that signifcant or not is a personal choice.

I had wrote a rather long post but I got an error while trying to post it.

BloodBath

Hmm those benchmarks are a mixed bag. Most of the tests seem to perform the same or better in 32-bit while the ones that do perfrom better in 64-bit are scattered across multiple operating systems.

From reading these it seems they are still a long way off producing a good all round 64-bit operating system. I think most people will be upgrading again by the time we see them.

I had wrote a rather long post but I got an error while trying to post it.

Haha I hate when that happens. I usually copy long ones before I post just in case.


BloodBath

Azza

Yeah those benchmarks where taken a while back. As I said there are several distraubutions missing as well. But you have yet to show me anything to dismiss AMD 64's 64bit OS potential other than guessing negatively about when its available. Windows 64bit will be out first quater 2005. Considering you where telling me that your considering upgrading to this new 3.73 P4. Seems my AMD 64 had more of a future than your current P4 (which you changed already) as I can recall you warning me about the lack of 64bit OS several months back when we got our respective components. The amd 64 has held up well in 32bit and will undoutable continue to do so till opening quater of next year. I see little need to upgrade anything for quite a while otherwise I would not believe I was getting value you from my cpu (regardless of which one I got). Asides I did not buy it for its 64bit future because at the time it was the fastet chip I could afford.

Bloody hell my typing sucks this is my third edit of this post.

BloodBath

Azza I have no need to upgrade either. I'm just a performance freak. That 3.73 prescott won't be out for about 3 months and I might not get it for about 6 months until it comes down in price providing it perfroms well. It was a thought, not something definite. I might just wait for dual core cpu's.

I changed my processor to max out the speed of my RAM. I changed a 3.2northwood for a 3.2prescott engineering sample. Not exactly a better processor but it allows me to max the speed of my ram and overclocks a bit better than the northwood did.

I'm not dissing the a64 in any way. It's great in 32-bit apps but I'm not convinced by 64-bit whether it's amd or intel. From a computing point of view there is no reason why it should offer better performance. In many cases it would actually offer poorer performance as some of those benchmarks seem to show. If it offered much better performance companies would have switched to 64-bit a long time ago.


BloodBath

Azza

Would of been hard for companies to switch if it wasn't invented.

No reason to preform better....how about more registers. Different architecture preform differently. After all intel will go 64bit eventually. I'm sure if there was no benefit from it neither amd or intel would of gone to the trouble of making or going to make a 64bit cpu or cpu with 64bit extensions.

BloodBath

The main reason they have gone 64-bit is for server use.

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=10502

Intels new line of 64-bit processors are still going to marketed towards server users to my knowledge. I still see no major benifits for the average desktop user.

Maybe as it matures more the picture will become a little clearer.


BloodBath

Ciaran500

Intel are sticking to guns saying there is no reason for a desktop user to buy 64bit processors.

unkel

Azza wrote:

Windows 64bit will be out first quater 2005

Yeah and Longhorn was initially promised for, when? :rolleyes:

M$ is almost always late...

Ciaran500

But at least they provide a good, safe and fast OS when they deliver

Azza

Yeah its been delayed twice already. But since the beta versions tweaked abit are preforming close or similar to the 32bit version I doubt it will be delayed gain.