So guys what do you think of my new computer?
(Jam I used some advice from you, thanks)
Will this be able to play doom 3 HL2 BF2 and FEAR on 1280x1024?

Raidmax Scorpio-868 ATX Mid-Tower Case w/420W Power Supply

[939-pin] AMD® Athlon-64 3000+ CPU w/ Hyper Transport Technology

Asus A8N-E nVidia nForce4-Ultra Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0 PCI-E Motherboard

1024 MB [512MB X2] DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand

[PCI-Express 16x] Nvidia Geforce 6800GT 256MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )

120 GB HARD DRIVES [S-ATA] Seagate 120 GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive )

16x DVD-ROM + 52x32x52 CD-RW Combo Drive

3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

600W PMPO 3 PCS Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System

ViewSonic Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Mouse

Advueu 19" LCD Monitor

So what do you think?

nice 6800 gt 256 will play anything :)

IBuyPower or CyberPower? (I suspect they're the same place)

Did you already order it or have you already gotten it? Or is that your config & you're asking if any changes should be made?

Looks pretty good. I'm curious as to why the combo drive instead of a DVD burner?

ASUS A7N8X-X
Athlon XP 1800+
8.5 x 200MHz
1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7
Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro SP2

That motherboard sucks. Be prepared for the chipset fan to die. That happens quite frequently on those motherboards, including mine. Also, you won't be able to overclock that CPU with that mobo unless you're willing to sacrifice memory bandwidth to the point the overclock won't result in a performance gain. Finally, if your BIOS works, do NOT upgrade it. Windows will go BOOM!

Those games will run fine.

Please help survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

www.redcross.org

WOW hero! What a review! LOL! I know I didn't recommend that particular board...I generically mentioned getting a board based on the nForce4 Ultra. I know you've told people to avoid this Asus board before & a quick google search confirms the chipset fan problem. I don't know if Asus has upgraded it on a later revision or not...but it appears a LOT of people have either RMA'd the board or gotten a replacement fan through Asus.

llcjosh,

I just had a look & I'm guessing you're going thru IBuyPower? The MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum probably would have been a better choice

ASUS A7N8X-X
Athlon XP 1800+
8.5 x 200MHz
1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7
Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro SP2

I already ordered the computer from ibuypower. I got the combo because I really don't need a dvd writer which is more money(not much but a little here and there adds up).
As for the mobo, damn! I thought asus made good ones so I got that one. How will I know that the chipset fan has died, and what would I have to do about it?
I don't plan on overclocking-don't know how.
And I have no clue what BIOS means.??(yea I'm sorta newb)

BIOS = Basic Input/Output System

It's a small program on an eraseable/rewriteable memory chip (CMOS) on the motherboard...it stores your hardware configuration settings, amongst other things. A small battery on the board is used to keep these settings in memory when the PC is turned off. The BIOS loads before the operating system. All the crap you see on the boot screen before Windows loads up comes from the BIOS. On most systems, pressing the DEL key when you 1st bootup will take you into the BIOS setup...there you can change the date, time, boot order, CPU & RAM settings, & a whole lot more. The various BIOS settings are what enable a board to be able to run a number of different hardware combinations...if it wasn't possible to vary these settings, you'd have to by a new computer everytime you want to upgrade something.

If you've never gotten into a BIOS & tinkered with the settings, I suggest you do some reading on the subject. Since you know what board you're getting, go to the Asus website & download a copy of the manual...that way you can familiarize yourself with the BIOS that will come with your board. An improperly configured BIOS can make a system run like crap...one that's properly tweaked can make a world of difference.

http://www.auldfart.co.uk/howto/biosexp.html

http://www.adriansrojakpot.com/Speed_Demonz/BIOS_Guide/BIOS_Guide_Index.htm

ASUS A7N8X-X
Athlon XP 1800+
8.5 x 200MHz
1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7
Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro SP2

"I know you've told people to avoid this Asus board before & a quick google search confirms the chipset fan problem."

That board is just bad news. It's the worst motherboard I've purchase in the last 5 years easily. Not overclocking well is one thing, but BIOS upgrades blowing up Windows and the chipset fan dying (it was too loud even when it worked) is flat out inexcusable from a company like Asus.

"I thought asus made good ones so I got that one."

I was as surprised as you are when mine died, and then googled to find out so many people have this problem with the A8N-E. Shame on Asus! (what else is there to say?)

In contrast, this DFI board is flat out amazing. As much as I was displeased with the Asus, I'm 10x more pleased with the DFI.

"How will I know that the chipset fan has died, and what would I have to do about it?"

Fortunately, Asus does have a monitoring utility in the BIOS that upon boot detects if the chipset fan is not spinning. Unfortunatetely, you are not notified if the system is already up when it stops spinning. This is how I discovered mine went dead.

My recommendation at the very least is purchase a chipset fan to have in case it dies. That way you won't be down for long. You could always call Asus and tell them the chipset fan died. They'll send you a new one free of charge. That however is somewhat morally questionable, but hey, you're doing it because you know there's a good chance the chipset fan may die due to shabby quality of the fan from the get go.

Unfortunately, in my case, when I called up, I was informed it would take two weeks to get the replacement fan to me, which sorry, I can't wait that long. They were happy however to ship it express for $15. (The price of a premo chipset fan, so why would I do that?!)

Please help survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

www.redcross.org

thanks but i suspect i'll have a hard time, I never installed hardware yet so I have no clue how to put in a fan. man I am so pissed! maybe I should just get a new motherboard , DFI perhaps.

I thought about it for a couple of minutes:
Is this mobo bad? or is it just the fan, because if it's just the fan, then I'll order a new one right now. It's cheap anyway. Which fan do you suggest for this motherboard? and how do I switch it with the crappy one?

different issue: my knowledge of computers consists of installing software and using programs, and fixing the occasional problem. I don't know anything about programing, overclocking, or messing with the BIOS. When I get this PC can I just use it for my games and stuff without changing BIOS, or will I greatly benefit by learning about how to do stuff in BIOS. thanks alot for all the help guys.

If you're gonna mess with computers at all, you need to learn about the BIOS...

Take the time to read the articles I'm supplying you with, plus download your board's manual in advance so you can study the BIOS section. I can't stress enough how important it is to know this. As Tom's Hardware puts it:

"the BIOS is a crucial component of any computer. If its options are set incorrectly, the BIOS could slow your computer down by as much as 40%"

http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/20050922/index.html

ASUS A7N8X-X
Athlon XP 1800+
8.5 x 200MHz
1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7
Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro SP2

wow thanks, I guess I'll read up on it.
Oh, and how about some info on the
fan problem? thanks

It's easiest to replace the chipset fan before you mount the motherboard if you're going to do it. It's just two pins you squeeze on the underneath side of the motherboard, which then get pushed through the holes in the motherboard.

Please help survivors of Hurricane Katrina!

www.redcross.org

I have 3 questions:
1)Should I get a new mobo, or is this one good, just the fan sucks?
2)If it's just the fan, can you recommend a good fan?(I checked out newegg, but I don't now exactly what I'm looking for.
3)My computer is coming with all the hardware installed, so how would I take out the old fan and replace it with the new one?

Thanks alot for all the help, I really appreciate it.

Asus generally makes good boards. Some might say they're the best..."the best, Jerry" [Bania from Seinfeld]. Apparently there have been problems with this particular board though. Since you're buying it preassembled, just go with it for the time being. You may have no problems. But if the chipset fan is noisy, you should contact Asus tech support & tell them that you suspect your fan is failing. I'm sure they've had enough contacts about it that they wouldn't even question the fact & they'll just ship you a replacement w/o any hassle. Then you can keep it handy for when a problem really does arise (if it does). To change it, you will have to remove the board from the case though...which will mean disconnecting all the cables, removing the cards, & unscrewing the board from the chassis.

It's also possible that Asus has upgraded the fan on later board revisions. From what I've read, the replacement fan is larger than the original.

Check the 1st couple of reviews at newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131530

ASUS A7N8X-X
Athlon XP 1800+
8.5 x 200MHz
1024MB PC3200 2.5-3-3-7
Asus A9550GE/TD 128MB
WinME/WinXP Pro SP2

"1)Should I get a new mobo, or is this one good, just the fan sucks?"

If you don't upgrade the BIOS, and you don't want to overclock, the motherboard is ok aside from the chipset fans being problematic.

"2)If it's just the fan, can you recommend a good fan?"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835110103

Everything you need plus a few extra heatsinks you could attach to other things if you want. Or get a new one from Asus for free as long as you don't mind waiting.

"3)My computer is coming with all the hardware installed, so how would I take out the old fan and replace it with the new one?"

First off, I wouldn't do it pre-emptively since the board is already mounted in the case. There's still a decent chance you'll never have issues.

However, should it happen, you must remove all expansion cards, and unplug all cables connected to the motherboard. There are screws that secure the motherboard to nuts that are screwed into the chassis. Remove the screws. The board then lifts out. Quite easy, just time consuming. Make note of how all the cables plug in to the motherboard before you unplug them all.

"But if the chipset fan is noisy, you should contact Asus tech support & tell them that you suspect your fan is failing."

If it's noisy, just tell them it flat out died even if it hasn't yet. They don't ask you to send the fan back. This will ensure they'll send you a replacement without argument.

Please help survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

www.redcross.org