Amiga.org
Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: carls on March 03, 2003, 06:40:34 PM
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So.
It turns out I've got SEK10000 (about US$1000) to spend on a new computer (WOOHOO!).
It won't be an A1. Sorry, AInc, but I'm not waiting anymore! Of course I'll buy one if I can afford it in the future. And of course I'll keep my trusty A1200T.
And the new machine? This time I'm going for something Athlon-based way beyond the 1GHz mark.
No... wait.. what are you doing... PUT THAT STICK DOWN *ouch*
;-)
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wrong choice!
give me your adress and i`ll come over
in ten minutes and give you a good spank,
;)
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I spec'd a PC for a friend of mine with a very nice list of good quality hardware, all inclusive for £600 (probably about 1000 USD)... maybe if you get a minimal PC then save the rest for an A1?
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You should be able to get a 1Ghz+ PC for under $500 (less monitor). But I suppose it depends on what you are planning to do with it.
Save the rest for either an AmigaOne or Pegassos thingybop widget.
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hi carls :-)
Hey! don't do that :shocked:
You waited so long for a brand new Amiga and AmigaOS that you can't give up so near it's arrival :-o
Amigalement,
Jean-François.
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I've already got a minimal PC, but it's starting to fall apart...
I need a new everything: MoBo, CPU, memory, case, etc.
Currently the only working monitor I've got is a very nice 17", but after a couple of hours use it starts to flicker. So, I need a new monitor too.
In about a year I will probably have saved up enough money for an A1. If there's no A1 around in a year, well, then I wouldn't be too sad if I didn't get one now. On the other hand, if they're still made, it'll probably be a G4 one with an slightly updated OS and a slightly lower price tag :-D
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@stix:
Oh, nice to see another Amiga user in Malmö!
Actually, I live in Nya Bellevue. That's all I can tell you until you put down your weapons ;-)
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I got this Win98 / Linux box for 3000 SEK from MegaByt Data in Lund. It's a PII 450MHz - quite sufficient for everything - as long as you have a decent gfx-card (I got a Geforce2MMX for 200 SEK). I guess you cannot play the absolute top games with it, but Alien vs Predator in 1200x1400 is not a problem. :-D
I too am saving for an XE. Don't buy new if you don't need to. Take a look at www.megabyt.se. It's not far to Lund you know ...
(i.e. it places me and my baseball bat only twenty minutes away from you ... ;-) )
... and if you really must spend those 10 000 kr now, why
don't you buy a Silicon Graphics 320 from Megabyt...
Kultvärde, om inte annat.
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SlimJim
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Buy a laptop. That´s the PC´s that are money worth! Be sure to get one, which you can install linux on..
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I've already got a Linux-capable laptop (although I prefer to run Win98 on it) with enough power to go around for everyday laptop use.
A bit outdated, but still:
http://carls.1av10.nu/amigr/other.html (http://carls.1av10.nu/amigr/other.html)
http://carls.1av10.nu/amigr/ (http://carls.1av10.nu/amigr/)
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@slimjim
The SGI is actually quite tempting, mostly because of the design and the flatscreen.
But I could get a cheaper and faster PC anywhere else, given that I won't need SMP (which I don't) :-)
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Hmm... kanske dags att ta en tur ut ur smålands skogar för att banka in lite vett i en viss person ;-)
I recently (october) bought a new PC myself (thru work), but will buy Aone as soon as OS 4 is realeased anyway.
Needed a new PC to be able to play Neverwinter Nights and Fall out tactics ;-)
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@Revener
Fallout BOS was quite impressive. Is there any news about F3 yet? I'm currently stuck on last levels of Homm3. Soon I'll move on Master of Orion III.
For such games you really don't need new PC. PIII 400 - 800 Mhz is good enough.
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@ Carls
If SlimJim and sTix hasn't done so allready, I'll come down and try to make you buy an A1 instead.
I might be 45 minutes away, but on the other hand, those trains are so slow that it'll be faster to run... :-D
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Heheh...
I beat you to it!
Mine should be in today.
I spent my AmigaOne money last week on a brand new custom job.
Be sure to get the new Asus board if you're going Atlon, along with some very fast ddr memory.
Instead of one memory chip, get two to take advantage of the Asus board.
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@Mountain_Myst:
I'm not going buy the absolutely newest stuff... I'm going to save some of the money.
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6 months........ (september if u cant do the maths)...
if OS4 is here - i will be a happy amigan once again.
if it isnt - i am selling up and moving to the plentiful shores of apple macintosh
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AmigaOne wrote:
6 months........ (september if u cant do the maths)...
if OS4 is here - i will be a happy amigan once again.
if it isnt - i am selling up and moving to the plentiful shores of apple macintosh
I bet you said something similar 6 months ago :-)
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Should be able to build a good system with your budget so go for it. :-) :-)
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I will buy an A1, if OS4 works the way it should...
But for now I use an AMD XP 1700 @ 2GHz and 256MB DDR266 @ 362. I got it some weeks ago, for 2500 SEK ($290).
It's based on the Asus A7N266-VM mobo with onboard Geforce2 MX graphics. I use my old HD and CD. Works great for me (I'm not a gamer). So if you want a cheap PC this is the way to go.
You will probably get 512MB for that money today.
/Magnus
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PC Chips 810LR w/SIS 735 chipset + Athlon XP 1500+ w/fan(built in Sound and video) $94
KINGSTON 512MB DDR CL2.5 PC2100 $58
MAXTOR IN STOCK, ATA/133, 80.0GB , 2MB, 7200rpm $79
Artec 16X DVD READ, 40 X CD-ROM $32
MicroStar DragonWriter 48x24x48 Internal EIDE/ATAPI CD-RW Drive $44
Sky Hawk AL4396-BK Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case, w/400W PSU, Black $53
Mitsumi 104 PS/2 keyboard w/Internet hotkeys $20
Logitech B69 Optical PS2/USB Mouse $17
NETWORK CARD - 10/100 PCI Network Card w/ADMtek Chipset $4
Elements 19INCH, .25DPI, 1600x1200. N.I. 3YRS MFG.WARRANTY $162
TOTAL $563
All prices from www.pricewatch.com
This a decent mid-performance system. Leaves plenty of room under your $1000 price cap for upgrades (ie... Video and Sound Card) But remember the MB has decent(NOT GREAT) built in Sound and Video via the SIS 735 chipset.
Hope this helps,
Blitter
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I'm getting a new computer too, but it'll probably be a Mac. I've always wanted a Mac. They're so pretty.
I'd rather have a new Amiga, but that doesn't appear realistic. And there's no longer any support.
I have a PII PC but the system is messed up. Maybe I'll install Lindows on that :) and save on a new computer. But, it's not pretty.
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I used to own a G4 mac. I bought a used one for $1500. But I sold it 1.5 years later, because it was too slow for OSX. According to my calculations it needed to be at least 1000 times faster to get rid of the beach balls (if you have tried OSX, you know what I mean). I sold it for $750.
If you have the money, try one!
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For that price you can beef up a BIG a4k. Then again, you need a linuxbox :)
You do want a PC to use Linux, do you ? Otherwise I'll raise the stick again ! :-x
pX
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Linux and Win2K (for games).
My order is in now.
Athlon XP 2200 (1,80GHz), 512MB DDR, DVD, CD-RW, GF4 MX, 80GB (plus my "old" 40GB), 10/100 NIC (plus my _old_ 3Com etherlink 10/100), MoBo sound, 17" CRT. Cost: SEK 8025:- (US$ 800)
Which, along with my other savings, leaves me with a good base for an A1, should I wish to buy one :-)
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AmigaOne wrote:
6 months........ (september if u cant do the maths)...
if OS4 is here - i will be a happy amigan once again.
if it isnt - i am selling up and moving to the plentiful shores of apple macintosh
Like wise However. I have given myself to my birthday in 2 weeks. If my A1 is not with me by then it bye bye Amiga. Hello Apple.
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BTW, looking at Blitter's post: Either my currency rates are f-ed up or hardware is WAY cheaper in the US.
Edit:
Oh! This is post #486 from me, and today is my one year anniversary as an amiga.org:er
Cool :-D
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carls wrote:
Linux and Win2K (for games).
My order is in now.
Athlon XP 2200 (1,80GHz), 512MB DDR, DVD, CD-RW, GF4 MX, 80GB (plus my "old" 40GB), 10/100 NIC (plus my _old_ 3Com etherlink 10/100), MoBo sound, 17" CRT. Cost: SEK 8025:- (US$ 800)
Which, along with my other savings, leaves me with a good base for an A1, should I wish to buy one :-)
OK, that's it!
Don't make me come down there. :-D :-D :-D
Added the smilies.
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Most OS X beachballs weren't based on CPU anyway.
10.2 removes most of the beachballs.
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AmigaOne G3XE Linux-only 7395:-
AmigaOne G3XE Earlybird 7895:-
Err... this is almost as much as my newly-ordered PC and this is just the MoBo!
Come on, this must be heavily overprized?
Pegasos PowerPC G3 5750:-
This is from the same store... $789 vs. $575
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carls wrote:
Linux and Win2K (for games).
My order is in now.
Athlon XP 2200 (1,80GHz), 512MB DDR, DVD, CD-RW, GF4 MX, 80GB (plus my "old" 40GB), 10/100 NIC (plus my _old_ 3Com etherlink 10/100), MoBo sound, 17" CRT. Cost: SEK 8025:- (US$ 800)
Which, along with my other savings, leaves me with a good base for an A1, should I wish to buy one :-)
We have 25% moms (vat) in Sweden :-(
Did you get an nforce or Via mobo?
That CPU should have great OC potential!
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strobe wrote:
Most OS X beachballs weren't based on CPU anyway.
10.2 removes most of the beachballs.
You are right the OS is to blame, not the CPU.
Actually, 10.2 made me sell the Mac, because I didn't find it faster.
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@carls
I have built two machines in the recent months, both of them are mainly used for AmigaXL. I am very impressed with the motherboard that I used. I liked the first one so much that I got the same motherboard for the second one. I have on these machines QNX and AmigaXL, Winblows XP, and Mandrake Linux.
It is an ABit KX7-333 RAID mobo, and it is very highly rated. You can also get the same motherboard without the RAID controller chip...KX7-333.
It is rated very high on http://www.motherboards.org and would be rated even higher but it has lost some points due to what some people consider features, but still a very good mobo. It isn't cluttered up with a bunch of junk. It is very straight up having no onboard sound or gfx, no useless risers, etc. It has 6 PCI slots, 1 AGP 4x, USB front and back with two additional headers, 1 Parallel, two Serial ports and PS/2 mouse and keyboard inputs, plus 4 memory slots. It can take up to 3GB unbuffered and 4GB registered. It uses DDR RAM, and I'm using PC2700 DDR on both machines. One machine has an Athlon 2200+ the other an Athlon 2400+.
It is a clean design, the BIOS is very good, plus if you're into overclocking it is very tweakable, basically an overclockers dream. I can highly recommend this motherboard, and it is not terribly expensive. I consider the lack of all the things it doesn't have like onboard sound, which can strip many fps off of games when it is being used, etc. a feature. :)
Anyway, it is a straightup motherboard, clean with no junk on it, and it still has some legacy support like PS/2, Parallel, and Serial. I did a alot of research on this motherboard and all the reviews I found rated it very high.
You can read the review at motherboards.org here:
http://www.motherboards.org/rank/AMD/total/motherboard-rank.html
Also, you'll find their other top picks here as well for Athlon processors. Again, this one lost points for not having onboard sound and gfx, etc., which some people consider a feature. I am of the opposite persuasion. I feel that the lack of this crap to be a feature. :)
Oh yeah, it doesn't have a built in ethernet card. Again, I find this to be a feature. :)
I forgot to mention that the motherboard is made really well...very high quality, and the RAID controller can be disabled. Also, you can use the RAID connectors as additional EIDE controllers if you need them.
regards,
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The KX7-333 sounds like a good board. But if you like to build a budget box get the Asus A7N266-VM.
This board has 1 AGP 4x and 3 PCI. It has built in ATA-100, NIC, GeForce2 MX200 graphics and 5.1 sound analog and optical/coax digital with dolby digital 5.1 encoder (nvidia APU, very low on CPU). You can only overclock the FSB (need to solder in an extra jumper) but I use the old pencil trick on my T-bred b to raise the voltage.
Sure, you will not get AGP 8x, ATA-133, SATA, USB 2.0 and IEEE1394. But unless you own USB 2/firewire equipment, you won't notice this. AGP 8x and ATA-100 are no bottlenecks yet.
The price is only 599 SEK ($70).
The KX7-333 RAID is 1425 SEK, and the non RAID is 975 SEK.
Even if you like a separate AGP-card, this mobo offers the best value.
A good budget CPU is the T-bred b XP 1700, will do 2GHz (XP 2400). Not bad for a 650 SEK CPU.
I got 7500 SEK for my old mac, and spent 2500 on this 2GHz PC. This includes the MSI tv-out card (conexant CX25871, one of the best tv-encoder chips), tower and memory.
The rest will go into my new Amiga!
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@ Carls
I hear ya!
Just built a new one my self. Amiga missed the boat again. Anyway here is what I used:
AOpen AX4B-533 Plus ( has combo DMAATA 133/ Serial ATA controller )
P4 2.4 Ghz 512K ( I know it's the bad guys )
Matrox G550 display card
Matrox RTX10 video editing card
1 Gb PC2100 ram
2 ATA133 60 GB drived as video RAID
1 40 GB system drive
USB keyboard
Jamstudio tablet ( driver needs more features ) I can't yell to loud it was $16.00 new. If you run LINUX there are drivers for it out there, heck it's a good cheap tablet.
AOpen case model CS-PC3130
Then put my old CD burner and media reader in. Much quicker than my old K62-500. If it only ran Amiga OS instead of eXcrement Project pro it would be acceptable.
This is were I got most of the stuff. Be shure to check ram prices. (http://www.myAopen.com)
Spiffy :-)
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The only problem as I see it with non-custom hardware is buying it.
Everytime you're going to buy a new PC you have to learn at least five new terms for memory standards, hard drives, motherboards etc. Frustrating!
Everything should be called slow, fast, faster and very fast :-)
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I see some swedes here. Who's going to AmiGBG 2003?
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@olegil
I'll probably go there.
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It has arrived!
And it is ridicoulously fast.
:-D
(ed: sp.)
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@olegil
> I see some swedes here. Who's going to AmiGBG 2003?
Do you need to ask? :-D
See you there, beard-man!
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SlimJim