A64 + K8S760M + Antec Aria == Good Choice?
Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:39 pm
I've been holding off on upgrading to see what the next round of chipsets will bring, but my Windows installation is starting to go sourth and I don't want to re-install it on my old HW (P2 450 MHz!) when an upgrade is so close. So I'm seriously looking at options now.
Here's what I am currently thinking:
*) "Low-end" Athlon 64, probably 2800+ or 3000+ model
*) Gigabyte K8S760M (on the "approved" list for Cool 'n Quiet)
*) 1 GB of whatever brand(s) PC3200 RAM Gigabyte recommends
*) Antec Aria case
For the time being, these would be paired with other existing components:
*) Two drives: WD Raptor 74GB (system drive) and Samsung SP080N (data drive)
*) old Radeon video card (7000?); to be replaced some day
*) 1 or more optical drives (DVD and CD-RW)
My purchase criteria in order of preference are:
1) Good Linux support of motherboard features (this will be a dual-boot system with W2k)
2) Reasonably quiet
3) Reasonable cost
The other options I am mulling are more likely regular ATX format: the new nForce 3 chipsets boards (I still need to research these more), or perhaps go Intel (865+ICH5 chipset with a low 2.x GHz Northwood P4). To date I've found Intel hardware to be the most trouble-free, but the appeal of the A64 is strong. The K8S760M appears to have components that are generally well supported under Linux (although the SATA driver is considered "beta"), and I have had good experiences with SiS chipsets before (unlike VIA!).
I figure a decent ATX system (mobo and case) will cost a similar amount to the Aria system above, but I like the small size (while still having some PCI expandability). The main drawback I see off hand is having only one optical drive bay, so I might have to spring for a new combo drive or get an external Firewire case. I figure I will probably get the retail (w/ HSF) A64 and then examine cooling options after I determine how loud the system is. Obviously, the P/S interference with many HSF options in the Aria is something I'll have to look at. (Some day I might take leave of my senses and try for water cooling with a Zalman Reserator!) I would like this computer to be "quiet", but it doesn't have to be SPCR quiet.
Does this seem reasonable? Have I missed any major issues?
Any comments would be appreciated!
Here's what I am currently thinking:
*) "Low-end" Athlon 64, probably 2800+ or 3000+ model
*) Gigabyte K8S760M (on the "approved" list for Cool 'n Quiet)
*) 1 GB of whatever brand(s) PC3200 RAM Gigabyte recommends
*) Antec Aria case
For the time being, these would be paired with other existing components:
*) Two drives: WD Raptor 74GB (system drive) and Samsung SP080N (data drive)
*) old Radeon video card (7000?); to be replaced some day
*) 1 or more optical drives (DVD and CD-RW)
My purchase criteria in order of preference are:
1) Good Linux support of motherboard features (this will be a dual-boot system with W2k)
2) Reasonably quiet
3) Reasonable cost
The other options I am mulling are more likely regular ATX format: the new nForce 3 chipsets boards (I still need to research these more), or perhaps go Intel (865+ICH5 chipset with a low 2.x GHz Northwood P4). To date I've found Intel hardware to be the most trouble-free, but the appeal of the A64 is strong. The K8S760M appears to have components that are generally well supported under Linux (although the SATA driver is considered "beta"), and I have had good experiences with SiS chipsets before (unlike VIA!).
I figure a decent ATX system (mobo and case) will cost a similar amount to the Aria system above, but I like the small size (while still having some PCI expandability). The main drawback I see off hand is having only one optical drive bay, so I might have to spring for a new combo drive or get an external Firewire case. I figure I will probably get the retail (w/ HSF) A64 and then examine cooling options after I determine how loud the system is. Obviously, the P/S interference with many HSF options in the Aria is something I'll have to look at. (Some day I might take leave of my senses and try for water cooling with a Zalman Reserator!) I would like this computer to be "quiet", but it doesn't have to be SPCR quiet.
Does this seem reasonable? Have I missed any major issues?
Any comments would be appreciated!