Kalisperas
Technical User
I'm a lifelong mac user, and I've recently decided to get a Windows machine as well. I'd like to build my own (I've always heard it's the better route to go), however, I know very little about the world of PC's, so I need some hardware advice.
I've been doing some homework, and I've got most of the hardware I'd like pretty much nailed down. I'm going with an Athlon XP 2000+ processer, an Albatron GeForce 4 MX 440 64MB video card, and probably a Maxtor 7200 rpm 40 GB ATA133 drive.
My problem is in choosing a motherboard. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the following choices:
MSI KT3 Ultra-2
GigaByte GA-7VRX
Asus A7S333
Abit KT7-333
Which one of these boards should I go with? I'll be using the system largely for gaming, and possibly for some video, 3D and other graphics applications. My budget is pretty limited, and these were the best cards I could find in my price range with the features I wanted. I'd prefer onboard sound, at least for now, I'd like to use DDR2700 RAM, and ATA133 and USB 2 are preferred, but not necessary (are they?). I'm not interested in RAID, and not planning on overclocking. A big concern is which will be the most stable and hassle free for someone like me who can only think in Apple terms, and knows little about fiddling with hardware troubles.
Also, I hope I don't sound too naive for asking, but what's the major functional difference between SiS and Via? I've tried to research this, but all I find is people talking about how they love one and hate the other without really stating why.
Anyway, what's your advice to a Mac veteran joining the Dark Side? Thanks!
I've been doing some homework, and I've got most of the hardware I'd like pretty much nailed down. I'm going with an Athlon XP 2000+ processer, an Albatron GeForce 4 MX 440 64MB video card, and probably a Maxtor 7200 rpm 40 GB ATA133 drive.
My problem is in choosing a motherboard. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the following choices:
MSI KT3 Ultra-2
GigaByte GA-7VRX
Asus A7S333
Abit KT7-333
Which one of these boards should I go with? I'll be using the system largely for gaming, and possibly for some video, 3D and other graphics applications. My budget is pretty limited, and these were the best cards I could find in my price range with the features I wanted. I'd prefer onboard sound, at least for now, I'd like to use DDR2700 RAM, and ATA133 and USB 2 are preferred, but not necessary (are they?). I'm not interested in RAID, and not planning on overclocking. A big concern is which will be the most stable and hassle free for someone like me who can only think in Apple terms, and knows little about fiddling with hardware troubles.
Also, I hope I don't sound too naive for asking, but what's the major functional difference between SiS and Via? I've tried to research this, but all I find is people talking about how they love one and hate the other without really stating why.
Anyway, what's your advice to a Mac veteran joining the Dark Side? Thanks!