Ready to buy parts & build A1000/AMD PC

[amigadave]

I have decided to finally buy the last parts to build an A1000/AMD Athlon64 PC to be used for PC gaming and Amiga emulation.  I would like to get this groups opinions and reccommendations for choices of MB and Graphics card that will fit into the A1000 case.  I am building for best gaming performance so faster is better.  I want the A1000 to remain looking stock from the outside (as much as possible) and I have a slim DVD RW from a Mac Powerbook that I would like to use as the slot loading will be easier to hide (maybe).

Please no flames, the A1000 is just a shell and I am keeping another working A1000 for my collection.

(edit)
Wanted:
Onboard gigabit ethernet
Onboard 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound audio
SATA HD controller
IDE controller

[B00tDisk]

The A1000 is a nice, roomy case.  A good conversion guide can be found here:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050307165151/http://www.retrosystem.com/amiga.shtml

...and you can just go from there.  'course this was from 2002ish or so, so motherboards have changed a lot.  You'd probably want to get an all-on-one board, then a right-angle adapter for whatever video card you were going to install.

[amigadave]

B00tDisk wrote:
The A1000 is a nice, roomy case.  A good conversion guide can be found here:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050307165151/http://www.retrosystem.com/amiga.shtml

...and you can just go from there.  'course this was from 2002ish or so, so motherboards have changed a lot.  You'd probably want to get an all-on-one board, then a right-angle adapter for whatever video card you were going to install.

Been there, done that, and purchased the kit.  Now I am ready to buy a MB and Graphics Card that are "Up-to-Date" to make a modern conversion SIMILAR to what was done in 2002.  Looking for opinions and suggestions from the many knowledgeable people here that I respect (and even the ones I might not).  I would go to a PC site, but they wont know the size of the A1000 or about me wanting to emulate an Amiga as well as run the latest PC games.  Other than running my Windows only CAD program, this machine is intended just for fun and games.

[blobrana]

Hum,
it is worth checking out the mini mobos, such as the Shuttle XPC SN27P2: A Mini-PC for Athlon AM2 Processors.

Web link:

[Louis Dias]

The 120w power supply will not be enough for a gaming PC.

Also, good luck finding a right-angle adapter for an AGP port.

If you get a rackmount board, the newest ones cost $$$ but come with PCIe and right-angle adapters.  Atleast that would fix yout graphics worries...in the meantime you can use the on-board intel video chipset...

[B00tDisk]

lou_dias wrote:
The 120w power supply will not be enough for a gaming PC.

Also, good luck finding a right-angle adapter for an AGP port.

If you get a rackmount board, the newest ones cost $$$ but come with PCIe and right-angle adapters.  Atleast that would fix yout graphics worries...in the meantime you can use the on-board intel video chipset...

Oh good god. lou.  They're not made of fairy wings, gold, and baby's teeth.  They're electronic parts.   :roll: Check out mycableshop.com, mertiec.com or any one of the dozen plus hits on the first page you'll get when you google "right angle agp adapter"

[amigadave]

blobrana wrote:
Hum,
it is worth checking out the mini mobos, such as the Shuttle XPC SN27P2: A Mini-PC for Athlon AM2 Processors.

Web link:

Thanks for the link, I have looked at Shuttle in the past.  I will check to see if they still sell MB's alone, or if one must buy a barebones system.

I am hoping that an Intel Duo Core CPU design MB in a small form factor will be available for the 2.8gHz or faster CPU's soon.

[Louis Dias]

B00tDisk wrote:

Oh good god. lou.  They're not made of fairy wings, gold, and baby's teeth.  They're electronic parts.   :roll: Check out mycableshop.com, mertiec.com or any one of the dozen plus hits on the first page you'll get when you google "right angle agp adapter"

Nice sight, thanks for the link.
Don't forget fans because any gpu with good power is gonna need extra air flow in that A1000 chasis sideways...

[Noster]

Hi,

you will get a cooling problem with your system. Where do you wan't to play a huge processor-cooler and how do you wan't to get enough air-flow through your A1000 case?
I have made an A1000 with a PIII 933MHz and cooling was the main problem (the A1000 sits just in front of you on the desktop, so noise is another problem).

See some pictures about my work here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/Amiga1000Power

Noster

[orange]

er.. isn't A1000 case made of plastic? If so, it might cause some heat problems and interference.

[amigadave]

Noster wrote:
Hi,

you will get a cooling problem with your system. Where do you wan't to play a huge processor-cooler and how do you wan't to get enough air-flow through your A1000 case?
I have made an A1000 with a PIII 933MHz and cooling was the main problem (the A1000 sits just in front of you on the desktop, so noise is another problem).

See some pictures about my work here:

http://community.webshots.com/user/Amiga1000Power

Noster

Thanks for the link to the pictures, they will be very helpful to me during my build.  I may have to scale back my build to a lower power CPU and forget about trying to use a graphics card, but that is why I am here asking for advice from others that have experience.

It is my understanding that the Intel Core Duo uses much less power and produces less heat, so this may be a good candidate.  Unless another suggestion comes that is better, it might be best for me to just buy a Mac/Intel Mini to use as the base materials for this conversion.  It should certainly fit inside with no problem.

[rdolores]

You could also consider setting it up with an external power supply ala A500. This will make it quieter, and give you more space inside, possibly even making it run even cooler.

For the ultimate in performance, you could make it dual-boot, Windows XP with WinUAE/Amiga Forever for compatibility (games and older software), and Amithlon for speed and performance (ray-tracing, compiling large code).

[maffoo]

...it might be best for me to just buy a Mac/Intel Mini to use as the base materials for this conversion.  It should certainly fit inside with no problem.

That might not be the best idea if you want to play the latest PC games. The Intel Minis use integrated Intel graphics, which I gather aren't that good by modern standards.

Should be OK if you're happy to settle for older games though.

[amigadave]

@maffoo,

Yes, I agree.  I would prefer a MB that has or I can add more graphics horsepower to.  Just trying to look at all the possibilities before I make a purchase.