Final Spec

[mdex]

Ok guys after all your help here is what i have come up with.

MOBO Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe

CPU AMD ATHLON XP2500+

HDD Seagate ST3120026A 120gb 7200rpm 8mb Cache Barracuda 7200.7 Plus

GRAPHICS Sapphire Radeon 9200SE 128MB DDR PCI DVI TV-Out Lite

DVD-RW NEC 8x DVD DUAL R/RW IDE BURNER

PSU Antec Psu/12v 350watt Atx P4 2.03 Smartpower Dual Fan

CPU FAN Coolermaster Socket A Silent Cooler Up To 3200xp

Any comments before i go ahead and buy?

[cjb110]

not a gamer then? as that graphics card is pretty naff.

also memory? 1gb is best if you can afford it.

[mdex]

No not really a gamer was going to use as a gaming machine but then i bought an XBOX will use for Movies and other general use.

Have got 512 memmory at the mo will upgrade when i have more money.

[mdex]

I chose the OEM CPU and seperate fan but am now wondering if i should go for the retail.

I see the retail comes with heatsink and fan. I have budgeted a fan but heatsink???

Does anyone know if the OEM comes with any of the heat paste you need?

[ohood]

I wouldn't have thought it would, mind you, if you really want to get the paste, you're better off getting a recommended brand (Coolermaster or whatever). Retail Heatsinks I wouldn't bother with really, I bought a 'Speeze' (I've never heard of them either) HS+Fan (£12 ish) for my P4 prescott, and it's been golden. Never got above 55c ever, even under heavy load working in photoshop. As far as I know. I wouldn't skimp on something that might save you money in the long run.

[mdex]

im pretty new to all this so do all fans come with a heatsink attached?

And is the heat paste necessary?

[Roy Munson]

im pretty new to all this so do all fans come with a heatsink attached?

And is the heat paste necessary?


Not all heat sinks come with a fan no, some you have to mount a seperate fan. The majority are 'HSF' though (Heat Sink Fan) which means its an all-in-one unit. And yes, the paste is vital.

[mdex]

Would i get any paste with either the CPU or the HSF?

If not where should i get it from?

[vulture]

The AMD 2500+ - get the retail verion if you want and keep the fan as spare, as the coolmaster one is much better
The Asus AV600 is a better MB for overclocking and comes with more USB ports (I have both motherboards)

Make sure you take any exising thermal material off the coolmaster before applying the paste. And only apply a little paste - think size of a very small pea. Too much paste and its is counter productive

Other than that, I say go for it :thumbs:

[vulture]

I forgot to add - make sure you have a decent case with space for additional fans for cooling.

If you are planning on overclocking it, let me know. Fairly easy to do on these

[mdex]

sorry vulture are you saying i get paste with the xp2500+ retail version?