On 18 Feb 2004 16:08:55 -0800, am59@ath.forthnet.gr (Apostolos) wrote:

Money is not an issue if something is really worth it.  For example I
dont think it is worth the extra $300 to get the Athlon 64 3400 than
the AThlon 3200+.

Problem with the 64-bit CPUs is that AIU there is only SUSE Linux that
comes in a 64-bit flavour, or the recently released beta of XP.  So if
you're a windows person you're out of luck until later in the year

The Pc will be for office use, however I would like it to be very good
at SETI@HOME.  (8500+ units and going......:))

CPU Athlon or Intel? AS stated above I dont want to spenfd the extra
$$$ If the percentage increase is small.  The cpu must be great at
seti above all since I wont be playing any games on it.  (and run
office but all modern pcs can do).  Toms hardware doesnt have any last
tests on seti.

AMD offers better value for money.  AT least the Barton 2500 or one of
the higher BArtons as they come with 512k cache (as f/fgeorge said).

Motherboard:  It has to be reliable but also support overcloaking. 
For my home pc I have an ASUS motherboard p4c800 that overclocks my
pentium 3 g to 3.3 g.  iT IS PRETTY STABLE AND i AM SATISFIED.

You have a choice of ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte.  I personally like the MSI
boards and have used several building friends' machines.

Ram:  1 gig is a must!

Not for SETI (see the other thread on here about memory).  Only really
need that amount for gaming TBH.  But definitely go for Crucial direct
from themselves. I would advise that you split it into 512Mb so that
if 1 module ever goes down, you still have a working machine while you
wait for a replacement.

Graphics card?  I guess any will do??  Office work mostly.  I have an
eizo monitor so a dvi input is an option if it makes the screen
better!

If you're not playing games (or plan to) then, yes, anything.  But if
there's a remote chance of  gaming, then get a Radion 9600XT.  Superb
quality for the cost.

Sound card:  Simple, only to hear some videos

Go for onboard the motherboard.

DVD writer???  Need a good one since it will there for a long time in
terms of speed.

Pioneer.  Absolutely wonderful.  Not choosy about what media you use
like some are.  I personally have the DVR106, but they now have an 8
speed out.  Check www.dvrhelp.com for user reviews.

HArd disk?  I was thinking to get the raptor sata 36 Gig for the
system and another for everything else..

I personally like Seagate, but Maxtors are nice.  But will you really
need SATA for just office and SETI? I am about to go for twin 120Gb
SATA drives, but then I'm a gamer and video editor so I can justify
their use.  I would say standard ATA100 would be fast enough for your
intended use.

Lan card:  A stable one?  Any ok one will do.  

3com are good, but, yes, any will do.

Fan:  I need a silent one, at home I have one zalman for cpu and one
for the power supply and it is quiet:)

Go do a google for them.  There are many out there.  I like the
Coolermaster ones, and a friend has just done 2 upgrades using their
Aero range which are a different fan structure that blows right across
the chip.

ANy other ideas??

A GOOD quality PSU.  Maybe even think about buyiong the case and PSU
seperately.  This will also allow you to get a quiet PSU.  I've used
Hiper PSUs before and are very well spec'ed and quiet.

I'm in the UK and always use www.ebuyer.com (generally they are much
more reasonable than other suppliers), and I they now have an American
site.  The beauty is their customers can review the products, so you
get to know what problems others have had with the product.

Hope this has all been of help.

Andy
Today I will gladly share my experience and advice, for there are no sweeter words than "I told you so!"