Much appreciated Ruel... you guys are providing me with exactly the insight
i was searching for.
"Ruel Smith" wrote in message
...
Sam Stone wrote:
I will be building a pc finally after wanting to for years. Does anyone
have any suggestions or notice any compatibility issues in the following
setup?? I'm not a gamer, however would rather spend a little now, than
have to upgrade 6 months down the line, and also have room for upgrading
when the
need arises. I will shop around for the listed hardware for best
prices
before i start buying, this is just an idea of what I'm shooting for.
Or
if you have any better ideas for close to the same cashola, please
advise.
ASUS "A7N8X-E Deluxe" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD
Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Specifications:
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP-T
FSB: 400/333/266/200MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM for Dual-Channel DDR400/333/266 Max 3GB
IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP Pro/8X, 5x PCI, 1x Wi-Fi
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,2xLAN,6xUSB2.0(Rear 4),SPDIF Out,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel Codec
Onboard LAN: Realtek 8201BL 10/100Mbps + Marvell 88E8001 GbE
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x Serial ATA by Silicon Image Sil3112A, RAID 0/1
Form Factor: ATX more info- N82E16813131478 $88.00 $88.00
Although, I think the AMD Athlon XP is a great processor, expecially on a
budget, why not go with Athlon 64? I'd consider getting a nice Athlon 64
board, particularly one with PCI Express for future upgradability options.
After all, isn't that partly why you build instead of buy?
Consider this instead:
http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p...latinum&class=
mb
If you insist on staying with Athlon XP, then the board you suggest is a
very good one. You can't go wrong with an Asus.
Albatron nVIDIA GeForce PCX 5300 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 64-Bit,
TV-Out/DVI, PCI-Express, Model "PC5300" - Retail
Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: nVIDIA GeForce PCX5300/250MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 128MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: PCI-Express
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video) + DVI
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.5
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@75Hz
Cable/Accessories: S-Video Cable, Manual, Driver CD, Games
Retail Box (See pics for details) more info- N82E16814170067 $68.00
$68.00
If you're not into gaming, then budget cards are the way to go, as long as
you don't mess with 3D much at all. 2D performance does not suffer, and
it's pointless spending more for something you won't use.
However, you'd have to look at PCI Express models if you purchased my
suggested board, instead.
Aspire Turbo Case 500W 12V Black Dual Fan Aluminum Power Supply,
Model
"ATX-AS500W BK12V" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Type: ATX
Maximum Power: 500W
Material: Aluminum
Dimensions(DxWxH): 150x168.5x86mm
Shipping Weight: @pc 4.5 lbs / 8pcs Per Box
Features: ATX 500 P4 Aluminum Power Supply, w/See-Through Clear Acrylic
Cover (Fire Resistant Material), w/2 x 8cm UV Blue Fan w/Blue Led
Lights,
Multi-Color Coated Components & PC Board, Green UV Sensitive Wiresleeve
&
Connectors, w/Fan Speed Adjuster, w/ I/O Switch , Cable-Tube-Tied Wires
for
Neatness, w/Gift Box more info- N82E16817148001 $56.50 $56.50
If I've said it once, I'll say it a thousand times: NEVER, EVER skimp on a
power supply. Do yourself a favor and get an Antec PSU, and make sure it's
a 400 watter or better. $56 is aweful cheap for a 500 watt power supply,
so
it leads me to believe it's a budget PSU, and not worthy of your money.
PSU's can cause many problems when building and aren't worth skimping on.
This is the power supply I have, and it's a very good one:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-912&depa=0
AMD Athlon XP 3200+ "Barton", 400MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor -
Retail
Specifications:
Model: AMD Athlon XP 3200+
Co Barton
Operating Frequency: 2.2GHz
FSB: 400MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included) more info-
N82E16819103390 $193.00 $193.00
If you're going with the Athlon XP, then a 2800+ is hardly any slower and
much less $. If I'm right, these descriptions are from NewEgg, and they
have the 2800+ retail for $135.
If you decide to go with Athlon 64, and the board I recommended taking a
look at, then you might consider this CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-502&depa=0
Wintec AMP-X 240-pin 1GB DDR2 PC2-3200 with Heat Spreader, 2 Rank -
Retail
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Wintec
Speed: DDR2-400(PC2-3200)
Type: 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3
Support Voltage: 1.8V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 128M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info- N82E16820161652 $195.91 $195.91
Brands to stick with: Crucial, Corsair, Mushkin, Kingston. You'll be
assured
quality. DDR2 will not work in an AMD board. It's only for P4 boards with
the socket 775. DDR2 won't be available for the AMD boards anytime soon,
and justifiably so because they're too expensive and not any faster than
DDR at current speeds.
Here's a dual channel solution (2 - 512MB DIMMs) from Corsair:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...145-440&depa=1
Both the board you listed, and the board I recommended have dual channel
capabilities, so it's best to run 2 DIMMs and utilize it.
Western Digital 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD1600JD, OEM
Drive
Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 160GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Packaging: OEM Drive Only more info- N82E16822144152 $98.00 $98.00
160 GB is just fine, and Western Digital is a great manufacturer. However,
160 GB is plenty today, but will feel cramped in just a couple of years.
Consider getting a bigger HDD if it's in the budget.
Deal of the day!
Rosewill R910E 19" LCD Monitor Model - R910E -RETAIL
Specifications:
Panel Type: TFT Active Matrix LCD
Native Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Pixel Pitch: 0.294mm x 0.294mm
Brightness: 250 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 600:1
Response Time: 25ms
View Angle: 170° / 170° (Horizontal / Vertical)
Input Connectors: 15pin D-sub, DVI-D:, Audio in
Features: VESA 75mm Wall Mount Compliant*, Kensington Security Slot
Dimensions & Weight: 17.00" x 17.32" x 7.80"(WxHxD), 12.98 lbs
Dead Pixels Policy: Replacement or Refund for 8 or more DEAD PIXELS
ONLY!
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 Year more info- N82E16824021003 $349.00
$349.00
Not such a great deal. LCD monitors do not have the color accuracy, pixel
response, or overall picture quality a CRT monitor has. Many cheap LCD's
(like the one you quoted) have a lot of trouble displaying certain colors.
The same goes for television sets. Standard picture tube televisions have
far better picture than any plasma or LCD television on the market. They
sell you on the sexiness of the slim profile of the thing, and digital
picture crap.
If you want the best picture you can have for the money, then get a CRT
based monitor. I have a Samsung SyncMaster 955DF, and it's been great for
the money. NewEgg has a 997DF, which is probably a newer, updated version
of
mine for less than $200.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...001-166&depa=0
Lacie Dual Layer 16x DVD±RW Writer, Model 300923, Retail
Specifications:
Write Speed: 4X DVD+R DL, 16X DVD+R, 4X DVD+RW, 16X DVD-R, 4X DVD-RW,
32X
CD-R, 24X CD-RW
Read Speed: 40X CD-ROM, 12X DVD-ROM
Interface: ATAPI / E-IDE
Buffer: 2MB
OS Support: Windows & Mac OS
Features: This universal drive delivers four DVD formats in a single,
slim
device.
Packaging: Retail box (see pictures for details) more info-
N82E16827187021 $90.00 $90.00
I have a Plextor 16X DVD burner that has just gotten faster (6X Dual
Layer)
thanks to a firmware upgrade from Plextor. Plextor is the Caddilac of CD
and DVD drives and are worth every $ of the premium they cost.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...131-351&depa=1
This is just my opinion. Others may give different advice. However, if it
was left up to me, these would be the pieces I'd get.
--
Registered Linux user #378193
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