question on building a computer

[dani82]

i thinking if building a computer in about 2-6 month, or whenever i feel like it, but i have some question about this and that.


1. what is exactly the difference between a harddrive with udma 100 and 133, and does it affect the encoding speed?

2. i'm going to get XP, but can i uses the same cd key to install it on my other computer? if not, what would happen if a do?

3. what exactly does fsb do?

4. does it really matter if i get name brand DDR or generic?

5. if i get a 450w psu, is the power usage constant, or do it uses what it needs?

6. i know i can tranfer my vcd to dvd by converting the audio to 48mhz and patching it or something, but how will i know if it will be dvd complaint? cause i will get a dvd burner a couple months after the computer.

7. how long do it take to burn a whole dvd at 4x?

8. dvd-r dvd+r: is there really any difference between the both of them, except for better compatibily with dvd player?

9. i think my hardrive is going to crash, it started going bad a week ago, but none of the files are getting corrupted (luck me), is there a program that can tell me if there something wrong with it; or maybe it's just the cable (4 years old)

[Solo]

1. what is exactly the difference between a harddrive with udma 100 and 133, and does it affect the encoding speed?
The last time a saw benchmarks comparing the two the results showed that there were no real world advantages.
2. i'm going to get XP, but can i uses the same cd key to install it on my other computer? if not, what would happen if a do?
You could, BUT it is totally illegal to have the same copy on more than one PC unless you buy an additional license for the second one.
3. what exactly does fsb do?
Your FSB is the speed at which data travels on your motherboard. On AMD (newer ones) boards the speed is dual pumped (x2). So 200 Mhz becomes 400 Mhz. On a Pentium 4 (newer ones) boards it is quad pumped therefore 200 Mhz is 800 Mhz. The higher the FSB the quicker the data will travel between your RAM and CPU and the better your performance will be.
4. does it really matter if i get name brand DDR or generic?
For piece of mind go with a brand name. However there are a lot of generic modules available which use the same chips as the Brand names do. The difference is that the Brand name manufacturers tend to use a better PCB with the chips and therefore have better performance.
5. if i get a 450w psu, is the power usage constant, or do it uses what it needs?
Each component uses a certain amount. I don't have link to a power type calculator now, maybe someone else has a link. The less components in use the less power it draws from the PSU. Always good to get the biggest PSU you can afford for a more stable system. 450w is good.
7. how long do it take to burn a whole dvd at 4x?
A DVD transfers data at a much higher rate than a CD writer so even though they are both 4 speed a DVD writes a 4.7 Gig DVD in just over 20 mins from what I understand. Don't have one myself.
8. dvd-r dvd+r: is there really any difference between the both of
them, except for better compatibily with dvd player?
I say get a multi-format burner and never have to worry about it.

[dani82]

2. illegal, but it would still work, right? and how much does a LICENSE for XP (home) cost?

8. not really the answer i was looking for, let's go with this, a dvd burn with dvd-r & dvd+r, would there be any difference besides better compatibily?

[int 21h]

I find generally dvd+r media to be of better quality (i.e. less burning problems, less archiving problems, etc.)

[theReal]

4. does it really matter if i get name brand DDR or generic?

I'd only buy brand name RAM with fast timings. I'd also check newsgroups/forums (like amdmb.com forums) for people's experiences with certain types of RAM (if DDR333 Corsair XMS is very good, it doesn't mean all Corsair is the best, if you know what I mean)
You'll be very happy with RAM that is stable with fast timings. With no-name stuff, you might experience instability even at slower timings.


5. if i get a 450w psu, is the power usage constant, or do it uses what it needs?
As well as with the RAM: get a brand name PSU like Antec, Sparcle, Leadman, Enermax... Also check out other people's experiences. A no-name PSU that says "500W" could be very instable and you'd be more happy with a stable 400W PSU...
What's very important besides the voltage-stability is the max. combined power of the 3V and 5V line. Some cheap "400W" PSUs have less combined power on these two lines than the better 350W PSUs...

Also more Watt means more heat and therefore more noise, so I'd not get a 600W PSU (are there 600W PSUs anyways?) if you'd only need a 400W PSU.

btw. to answer your question proper: A 450W PSU doesn't use 450W all the time. In idle mode it uses less - 450W is only the max. power output.

[Solo]

As well as with the RAM: get a brand name PSU like Antec
Yes I must agree there as well. An Antec is brilliant. Each line is stable at the rated voltage. Used by top overclockers for example where stablity is vital. I myself have a 550 WATT one, but then I have A LOT of components. Also it is extremely silent. Never seen a 600 WATT yet. Sure it won't be long though with the ever increasing power requirements such as the new XGI Volaris dual GPU card which requires TWO extra power connectors alone. :scared:

[dani82]

well, it's time to get started; except for 2 things:


9. beside a high rpm, what else should i look for in a CPU fan (i.e numbers of ball bearing, the metal it's made of, the noise level), i won't be OC the cpu, so let's not go crazy; volcano any good?

how much DDR should i get for video encoding & audio editting? no gameplay (i find it really boring, except for psx rpg) 2x128mb(256mb) or 2x256mb(512mb)

anybody recommend an good name brand of DDR, i said good, not great; what's fast timing?

[nFury8]

originally posted by dani82

9. beside a high rpm, what else should i look for in a CPU fan (i.e numbers of ball bearing, the metal it's made of, the noise level), i won't be OC the cpu, so let's not go crazy; volcano any good?

First off, as a general rule, the bigger the fan the more volume of air that is moved and the lesser the rpm, hence lesser noise. If you don't mind the sound of a jet engine in your case, you could go for those screaming deltas or volcanoes around 6000-7000rpm's. But I recommend you go for bigger fans around 80-92mm, that is if your heat sink will support these sizes. Do a research on these trusted fan brands and compare the noise (dBA) to air-moved (cfm) ratio:

1.Papst
2.Panaflo
3.Enermax
4.Mechatronics
5.NMB

Of course, price would be the other deciding factor for you. Good luck.

[dani82]

i knew i forgot something, i'm looking for a cpu fan w/ heatsink, i already got a couple case fans, but thank anyway. money shouldn't matter in helping extend the life of the cpu, but it's only $70, $20 should be enough.

[Angelus]

I would suggest using a Vantec Aeroflow. I use it on my P4 2.6 Ghz overclocked to 3.12 and it keeps it at around 35 degrees C. I got the idea from a PC Mag article which they built their own and used the same cooler :D And I only spent $20 plus $5 shipping on eBay for it. So check out the site:

http://vantecusa.com/

[dani82]

too late, i already purchases an CoolerMaster Aero 7 lite (probably for looks), the rpm may not be as high, but what do i care, it's under an extended 2 year warranty