New PC Spec - Have I got it right?

[Ratspants]

I'm going to build a PC from scratch and have had a hunt around and arrived at the spec listed below (list sourced from OCUK. My aim is to build a PC mainly for photo editing, video editing/rendering and occasionally for UT2004 :)

I've tried to get handy components without breaking the bank, can't really afford to spend much more than this though. I'm unlikely to overclock but happy to make sure the system is set up optimally.

Any thoughts on the spec are welcome, I'm particularly uncertain on the case and PSU.

-Silverstone Temjin TJ04 - Black
-Tagan TG430-U15 430W ATX2.01 Easycon SLi Compliant Modular Silent PSU
-AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939) - Retail
-Asus A8N-SLi Premium nForce4 SLi
-Corsair 1GB DDR XMS3200C2PT TwinX (2x512MB) CAS2
-Leadtek WinFast GeForce 6800 GT 256MB DDR3 TV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
-OcUK Value Floppy Drive - Black
-NEC ND3540 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM
-Maxtor MaxLine III NCQ 250GB 7L250S0 SATA 16MB Cache - OEM
-DELL Ultrasharp 2005FPW 20" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Midnight Grey
-Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse
-Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard - OEM
-Microsoft Windows XP Professional Edition - OEM
-Akasa Rounded Floppy Cable (0.45m) - Metal Braided
-Akasa Rounded Ultra ATA133/100/66 IDE Cable (0.45m) - Metal Braided
-Akasa Serial ATA 45cm Silver Data Cable

I need a memory card reader and some 2.1 speakers thrown in there too, the HDD configuration might change - I prefer having two drives, one for apps the other for data.

I was going to get it all through OCUK but their reputation isn't what it used to be. Scan seem #1 choice-du-Jour?

Cheers,

Ben

[Plotloss]

Why pay the £10 extra for a posh box, thats the only difference between Retail and OEM processors.

The only other thing I would say is perhaps go up another level in the PSU department. A 550w or the like, just to be sure.

>> Edited by Plotloss on Thursday 8th September 10:31

[Podie]

Plotloss said:

Why pay the £10 extra for a posh box, thats the only difference between Retail and OEM processors.

Don't some of the OEM jobbies not come with a heatsink / fan..?

[mmm-five]

If you're going to be doing mostly video/photo stuff then you will require much more HD space.

I have around 2 x 400gb SATA drives for DV and a smaller (80gb) start-up/app drive, plus external 250gb drives for clip-art, stock photos, stock illustrations, stock video clips & effects.

Also you I would recommend more memory.

[Plotloss]

Podie said:

Plotloss said: Why pay the £10 extra for a posh box, thats the only difference between Retail and OEM processors. Don't some of the OEM jobbies not come with a heatsink / fan..?

Yeah but its not going to be a tenners worth.

Its almost always better to save the case on the chip box and then buy a good cooler than go for the convenience of a retail box.

[Podie]

Plotloss said:

Podie said: Plotloss said: Why pay the £10 extra for a posh box, thats the only difference between Retail and OEM processors. Don't some of the OEM jobbies not come with a heatsink / fan..? Yeah but its not going to be a tenners worth. Its almost always better to save the case on the chip box and then buy a good cooler than go for the convenience of a retail box.

Hmm.. fair point.

One thing I've adpoted of late are the floppy drives with the card readers built in (USB header inside). Makes good use of space IMO.

I still find it ironic that the latest HDD technology requires a floppy drive to load the drivers into Windows..

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

When did you last use a floppy? (stop sniggering at the back)

[Ratspants]

I have a heatsink and fan option in reserve

-ThermalRight XP-120
-Vantec SF12025L Stealth 120mm fan

But I'd decided to save some cash and go with the OEM heatsink and fan with a view to upgrading later.

My previous PC (which is departing in its entirety) was used for DV and had 450-odd gig on it (all full ) so I expect that another HDD would soon be on the cards. The 1gig of RAM on there seemed enough at the time and it's another £110 to go for the same RAM in 2x1gb sticks

Edit: FDD seems to come up every now and again for installing BIOS or drivers. It's only £6 so I thought I'd throw it in. I like the idea of one of the combined FDD card reader thingies though

>> Edited by Ratspants on Thursday 8th September 10:39

[Podie]

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

When did you last use a floppy? (stop sniggering at the back)

Last time I installed XP... with a SATA HDD... so... yesterday.

I just can't be arsed to slipstream drivers every time we get something new...

[beano500]

More storage space

Oh and I run Photoshop (Steam powered version 6) on 2Gb of memory. More memory would always be good, thinking about adding another two when I can afford it!!!

[Podie]

Ratspants said:

-Maxtor MaxLine III NCQ 250GB 7L250S0 SATA 16MB Cache - OEM

Hmm.... I'd pick an alternative manufacturer. Of all the HDD failures we've suffered this year - ALL have been Maxtor's...

[Ratspants]

Podie said:

I'd pick an alternative manufacturer. Of all the HDD failures we've suffered this year - ALL have been Maxtor's...

Got a recommendation? Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 NCQ 300GB ST3300831AS SATA 8MB Cache - OEM?

...and a 36gig raptor for the boot/system drive?

That'd be sweet

Ben

[Plotloss]

Hitachi Deskstar.

Some people have a poor opinion of them but between 5 machines I've got almost 3Tb on them and they are absolutely solid in my experience.

Cracking little drives.

[Podie]

Plotloss said:

Hitachi Deskstar. Some people have a poor opinion of them but between 5 machines I've got almost 3Tb on them and they are absolutely solid in my experience. Cracking little drives.

I'd concur with Plotty... also pretty nippy little things.

Never had a problem with Seagates and heard good reports of WD's too (but no personal experience).

[pdV6]

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

When did you last use a floppy? (stop sniggering at the back)

Couple of weeks ago to rescue a failed server.
There's still a need for them, if only in an emergency, so I'd never build a system without one.

[Munter]

Used a floppy yesterday. And I avoid Maxtor and Western Digital drives as they only last about 18months in our office servers. (No aircon everything runs HOT!). Seagate, Hitatchi, and IBM drives ok so far....

[zaktoo]

I'd agree with needing more RAM. Get as much as you can afford and the board can take.

In terms of disks, it might also be worth while setting up hardware raid. With massive drives.

HTH

Ciao

Zak

[Ratspants]

Everyone reckon that the Silverstone Temjin TJ04 case and the Tagan EasyCon PSU are good to go then, albeit at a higher wattage. My back up choices are the Lian-Li PC-7 PLUS and the Seasonic PSU.