Re: Building my own PC -- hardware advice needed

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: Miss Perspicacia Tick (misstick_at_lancre.dw)
Date: 06/13/04 

Date: Sun, 13 Jun 2004 04:39:28 +0100

John Blaustein wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm not sure this is the right place to be asking about hardware
> selection, but if it isn't, perhaps someone will point me in the
> right direction. If it is the right place to ask, I'll appreciate
> any comments anyone is willing to share.
>
> I am going to build my own PC -- first time I've done this. My main
> use of the PC that requires power and speed is Photoshop CS. I will
> not do any gaming or anything else that requires 3D graphics.
>
> Having had two PCs with ASUS motherboards that worked very well, I
> will stick with ASUS.
>
> Here's what I'm planning:
>
> Intel P4 3.0 Ghz CPU
> Matrox G450 graphic card (perfect for Photoshop)
> 2 -- Western Digital WD1200JB EIDE drives (I have these already)
> 1 -- Plextor CD/DVD burner (I have this already)
> Floppy drive
> Faxmodem
> LAN and Audio built into MB
> USB and Firewire ports
> Antec case w/350w power supply
>
> My questions concern choice of motherboard and RAM.
>
> The motherboards I'm considering are:
>
> ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe -- 875C chipset -- $169 (at newegg.com)
> ASUS P4C800 Deluxe -- 875C chipset -- $163
> ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe -- 865PE chipset -- $116
>
> The specs of these three MBs seem almost identical, so I'm wondering
> if anyone has experience with these boards who could give me a reason
> to select one versus another. I'm not clear on what I'd get with the
> $169 board that the $116 board wouldn't give me. In other words, is
> the extra money worth spending? (I don't need WiFi which the
> P4P800-E Deluxe has included.) I am not clear about the differences
> between the 875C and 865PE chipsets, and what those differences, if
> any, will mean to me as the end user. Also, I can't tell the
> difference between the P4C800-E Deluxe and the P4C800 Deluxe.
>
> RAM:
> I will buy PC3200 RAM, 1GB or 2GB of RAM -- all of the MBs above will
> hold 4 DIMMS. Checking Kingston RAM prices on newegg.com, there are
> several choices of 1GB (2x512) packages, ranging from ValueRAM at
> $194 to HyperX at $282. I know I need to buy matched pairs of DIMMS.
> I'm not clear on the difference between the ValueRAM and the HyperX,
> other than the price. Both have very similar specs. I want good,
> fast, stable RAM, but I don't want to spend any more than I need to.
> Any help or recommendations?? (I used Kingston as my example, but
> Crucial and Corsair have the same range. These three brands have
> been recommended to me.)
>
> Thanks for any help, recommendations and comments.
>
> John

You'd be better off asking this in alt.comp.hardware (found via your ISP's
news-server) as this group is for folk having issues installing hardware
under XP.

You're cutting corners, and that's never advisable. For Photoshop you should
really be looking for the fastest drives available and that means a WD
Raptor 10K. Here's my recommendation for a graphics editing system
http://secure.newegg.com/app/shoppingcart.asp?DEPA=1&submit=ADD&item=29-102-162
(you will, of course, need to add an OS to that). The AMD64s are much better
suited to graphics editing than the P4.

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