First post, by lordnikon
- Rank
- Newbie
Key Features:
Socket 462 Athlon XP Barton Core CPU
Modern (Modular) Power Efficient PSU with Power Protection Features
Silent Design with Silent mATX Case, Zalman Flower Cooler and Silenx Fans
2x Internal SATA ports (over IDE, bootable)
3x Internal SATA (over PCI)
2x eSATA Support (over PCI)
3x USB 3.0 (over PCI)
Linux Compatible Audio Card
Gigabit 10/100/1000 Ethernet
Specifications:
CASE: Cooler Master Silencio 352, with two Silenx 120mm Case Fans (12db, 44cfm)
MOBO: ASRock K7S41GX mATX Motherboard, SiS 741GX/963L Chipset
BIOS: AMI BIOS Version 3.31a / K7S41GX BIOS P1.80
CPU: Athlon XP 2800+ 2083mhz CPU (Barton Core)
COOLER: Zalman CNPS-7000B-AlCu Silent Flower Cooler
RAM: 2GB (2x1GB) PC-2700 DDR 333mhz + Black Aluminum Heat Spreaders
PSU: Corsair RM750X 750W PSU 80 PLUS Gold (25A on 5V RAIL, 3.3V+5V = 150W max output)
OS: Dual Boot (Windows XP SP3, Linux Mint 17.3)
HDD: SYBA SD-ADA50016 SATA II to IDE ATA133 Bi-directional Adapter
- Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9320325AS 320GB 5400 RPM 2.5" SATA HD
DVD/CD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner
FDD: <n/a>
AGP: ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB AGP 8X
PCI: Startech PCIe-to-PCI Adapter
- Vantec 4-port USB 3.0 PCIe x1 card
- Port 1 (ext): Vantec USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
- Port 2 (ext): <empty>
- Port 3 (ext): <empty>
- Port 4 (int): Oodelay/Addonics 5-port SATA II to USB 3.0/eSATA RAID Board
- 2-port eSATA bracket
PCI: ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz Sound Card
AMR: <empty>
DX: DirectX 9.0c
GPU DRIVERS: Catalyst 10.2
Performance Observations:
- ~109-112W from the wall at Load running UT2004
- Subjective gaming experience in UT2004 is very pleasant at 1152x864, reaching 50-60fps+ on average with dips into the mid-to-high 40's during heavy flak, on Sony Trinitron CRT @ 75hz. Its not flawless, but given the power situation with Socket 462 and Modern PSUs, I feel this build is running great.
- So far the performance of the 2.5" Seagate has been serviceable. I really don't notice any performance issues. It was a spare drive, I figure I might as well use it in this machine.
- Linux gaming performance could be better. Nexuiz and Open Arena run a bit sluggish. Not sure if this is due to OpenGL + Radeon?.
- This PC is extremely quiet.
Build Status: COMPLETE!
Options for the future:
- I might switch to a 500GB 3.5" WD Caviar Black HD, or a SSD.
- Not sure about keeping the dual-boot in place with current linux gaming performance being less than desirable.
Do I upgrade the GPU even further?I tested a Radeon X800 Pro and there were no performance improvements. Sticking with the 9600 XT.The sata/usb3 chain to PCI totally works. However the DVD drive does not like it, resulting in controller errors and device lockup after a period of time. Currently I have the 5-port sata board disconnected, and the DVD drive routed into the USB 3.0 card using a Vantec eSATA to USB 3.0 adapter until I decide on a final solution.Solved by adding a second SYBA IDE-to-SATA adapter.- The PCIe card's bracket is secured by a cable tie. A low profile bracket does not exist for the card, and the screw would be on the opposite side. I would love to properly screw this card into the slot mount but I am out of ideas.