Building Computer-Need feedback

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blinddogblues

New member
Here are two set ups a local computer shop is offering. Please give me some feedback on any pitfalls I might not recognize on either. One is a Pentium with an Intel chipset, the other is an AMD with an AMD chipset. I will be using an Aardvark Direct Pro 24/96 card with Wind. 98 SE. Thanks.


Computer #1:

In WIN ATX Case with 250W Power Supply
256MB SDRAM
PENTIUM® III 1.13Ghz FCPGA, Flip Chip, 256K Cache
Coppermine, 133MHz bus FSB, TUALATIN- OEM
Motherboard, Asus, P-III, i815EP chipset, TUSL2-C, Support
Pentium®-III FCPGA and Intel® Celeron PPGA Processors
Intel 815EP Chipset, 133MHz Bus Speed
ATX Form Factor
6 - PCI Slots, 1 - CNR Slot, 1 - 4xAGP Slot
3 - 168pin DIMM Memory Sockets
AWARD Plug & Play FLASH BIOS
Built-in IDE Controller with UDMA/100 and UDMA/66 Support
Interfaces 4 - HDD, 2 - FDD
2 - Serial(16550A) Ports
1 - Enhanced Par. Port
1 - PS/2 Mouse Port
5 - USB Ports
CD-RW IDE 32X10X40
40 GB Hard Drive (2)
ATI XPERT 128 VIDEO VIDEO CARD. 1 YEAR WARRANTY.
3D GRAPHICS.
Floppy Drive
$841.00


And #2:


In WIN ATX Case with 250W Power Supply
256MB SDRAM
K7 T-BIRD 1.1 GHZ SKT-A CPU
ECS K7S5A/SIS735/ATX//AUD/LAN/5P/2DDR
CD-RW IDE 32X10X40
40 GB Hard Drive (2)
ATI XPERT 128 VIDEO VIDEO CARD. 1 YEAR WARRANTY.
3D GRAPHICS.
Floppy Drive
Install new parts in new PC and software
$734.80
 
Last edited:
Computer #1:

In WIN ATX Case with 250W Power Supply---OK
256MB SDRAM---DOUBLE IT.. ITS ONLY, LIKE, $40
PENTIUM® III 1.13Ghz FCPGA, Flip Chip, 256K Cache---OK
Coppermine, 133MHz bus FSB, TUALATIN- OEM--OK
Motherboard, Asus, P-III, i815EP chipset, TUSL2-C, Support---OK
Pentium®-III FCPGA and Intel® Celeron PPGA Processors---WHICH IS IT? PIII OR CELLY???
Intel 815EP Chipset, 133MHz Bus Speed--FINE
ATX Form Factor--OK
6 - PCI Slots, 1 - CNR Slot, 1 - 4xAGP Slot---FINE
3 - 168pin DIMM Memory SocketsFINE
AWARD Plug & Play FLASH BIOSFINE
Built-in IDE Controller with UDMA/100 and UDMA/66 Support-OK
Interfaces 4 - HDD, 2 - FDD-OK
2 - Serial(16550A) Ports-POK
1 - Enhanced Par. Port-OK
1 - PS/2 Mouse Port-OK
5 - USB Ports-WELL..YOULL FIND THE TUSL2-C HAS 2 ONBOARD AND 2 ON A DAUGHTER BOARD....THEY MUST BE HIGH.
CD-RW IDE 32X10X40... MAKE SURE ITS A REPUTABLE BRAND.. IM USING AN ASUS, AND LIKE IT. OTHERS LIKE PLEXTOR/ HP...IF YOU HAVENT HEARD OF THE MAKE.. GET A DIFFERENT ONE.
40 GB Hard Drive (2) --MAKE SURE THEY ARE UDMA/100 7200 RPM DRIVES. AGAIN, MAINSTREAM NAMES ARE GENERALLY BETTER. i USE IBM.
ATI XPERT 128 VIDEO VIDEO CARD. 1 YEAR WARRANTY.--FINE.
3D GRAPHICS.
Floppy Drive-OK


And #2:

THIS ONE IS NOT AS GOOD. GET THE OTHER ONE!


In WIN ATX Case with 250W Power Supply
256MB SDRAM
K7 T-BIRD 1.1 GHZ SKT-A CPU
ECS K7S5A/SIS735/ATX//AUD/LAN/5P/2DDR
CD-RW IDE 32X10X40
40 GB Hard Drive (2)
ATI XPERT 128 VIDEO VIDEO CARD. 1 YEAR WARRANTY.
3D GRAPHICS.
Floppy Drive
Install new parts in new PC and software
$734.80

XOXO
 
I have no idea on what you base your opinion, camn.
I'd definately go for the second.
I'll happily tell you why later but I got to go to work now (computers 'n stuff..)
 
I'm back (still @work but nothing better to do)

The Intel 815EP Chipset has some pitfalls many don't know about. It's a good chipset but it's limited to handle a maximum of 512MBytes RAM and it will only work at 133MHz bus speed if no more than 2 memory slots are used. If you'd think of using all three the bus speed will drop to 100MHz. Fine for celerons but not for PIIIs.

A T-bird 1,1 GHz performs better than a PIII 1.13GHz. Furthermore this particular ECS motherboard is highly praised and gives a much broader upgrade path for the future than the Asus TUSL2-C.
It has both DDR and 'normal' sdram memory slots for instance and support for the Athlon XP cpus.

The rest of the PCs seem to be identical so combined with the pricetag it would be a very easy choice if it was up to me.
 
Before you buy anything, talk with Aardvark tech support (734-665-8899) and get there input on Mobos that work well with your card. Some very good MoBos can be incomptable with certain sound cards. Always good to talk the guys who know best before making a purchase.

Keep in mind that the "best" MoBo for gaming or other applications may not be best for computer recording.
 
Christiaan, where did you get the info about the bus speed dropping if more than 2 slots are used? That sounds highly dubious to me - I've never heard of a system doing something like that. I am well aware of the 512meg limit, but seriously how many people need more than 512?

As for the ECS motherboard mentioned - that unit is a BIG BARKING DOG. I say this from personal experiance - after 2 motherboards and a murdered hard drive:

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=46404
 
quoted by neirbo:

"Before you buy anything, talk with Aardvark tech support (734-665-8899) and get there input on Mobos that work well with your card. Some very good MoBos can be incomptable with certain sound cards. Always good to talk the guys who know best before making a purchase."

Aardvark's site has a section on hardware compatibility, they say all processors and mobos work fine except for mobos using the AMD 750 or 751 chipsets.
 
I wouldn't get either... :p I'd build it myself using parts off Pricewatch..

Oh.. you're not really asking me what I'd do...??

:D

Seriously... I'd get the second.. I guess... Neither one is a great choice.. the AMD is gonna outperform the PIII, and the ECS board can use DDR memory (PC2100) while the Asus uses the outdated and slower PC133 RAM. But then you have to factor in that the ECS is a pretty generic mobo and that Asus has a reputation for rock-solic boards... I had the ECS myself, previous to the Soyo I use now... (have I mentioned that I recommend the Soyo Dragon Plus??? :p) and it worked OK for me.. I never had any real "issues" with it... but I've heard horror stories, like the one RWhite appears to have. So I dunno... I recon I'd go for the lesser of two evils.

I'm just not quite sure which one that is..

:cool:

Like someone else said though... check the make and specs on the Hard Drive.. if it's a 5400 RPM it's not even worth it.

WATYF

P.S. I could build you a much better system for less than that. (I'm saying hypothetically... I'm not proposing that I actually build you one) $750-$850 for mostly outdated stuff is just too much.

Example:

Enermax 300W Case
256MB DDR RAM
Athlon XP 1900+
Soyo Dragon Plus Mobo
LiteOn 32X CD-RW
Maxtor D740X 7200RPM HDD
GeForce4 Ti4200

All for less than 700 Bucks. Throw in a HSF and floppy for chump change and you've got a box that smokes those other two in every possible way... for less.
 
yeah... it's not exactly a walk in the park...

sorry I couldn't give you more help. :(

WATYF
 
Re: quoted by neirbo:

blinddogblues said:
"Before you buy anything, talk with Aardvark tech support (734-665-8899) and get there input on Mobos that work well with your card. Some very good MoBos can be incomptable with certain sound cards. Always good to talk the guys who know best before making a purchase."

Aardvark's site has a section on hardware compatibility, they say all processors and mobos work fine except for mobos using the AMD 750 or 751 chipsets.
Click to expand...

True, but call the tech guys and they'll tell a slightly different story. For the Q10, they highly recommend the Gigabyte GA-7Dx, but they tell me they have had several calls about strange and untraceable errors from users who have the Asus A7m266 (me included). Both use the same chipset, so it could be either a BIOS issue, or just a bad batch of Asus MoBos. Either way, this MoBo did not work out for me, and caused many months of pain while I tried every other fix.

The tech guys should know compatability issues better than anyone, since they take all the calls from folks having problems. This may not be true for all tech support, but the Aardvark guys appear very knowledgable. It never hurts to ask the best informed folks for their recommendations.
 
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