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$1000 system help

R

Rayden

Senior member
I got $1000 from my parents for my highschool graduation to build my own computer. so one day later here i am. 🙂
This is what i have so far

Athlon XP 2700+ $130
ThermalTake volcano 9 $20
nForce 2 (don't know which one yet)
512mb pc2700 $60
Radeon 9500 Pro $160 (gotta spend $210 or so to get any better. 9700)
19" Samsung 955df $200 (www.sharkyextreme.com recommended it. i don't know too much about monitors)
Antec sx630II $63 (im considering spending a little more and getting a little nicer case. suggestions welcome)

and of course HD, os, floppy, mouse, keyboard.
I already have an Audigy sound card and z560 speakers so i am saving $ there.


What nForce 2 mobo should i get? and why?
as already requested, any good cases? something with a lot of front usb slots.
Most likely ill have a couple extra hundred to spare, upcoming graduation ceremony for friends and family. 😀 what would i spend the money on.

$40 gets a slightly faster cpu. bad place to spend it.
9700 seems good.
more expensive mobo? what features would make it worth it?
obviously more ram.

there. i've stated what im looking at. i know you guys love to pick at people's lists. go right ahead. 🙂


Edit: i've been using Sharkyextreme value, high end systems as a guide. they no longer include a shim for athlon xp systems. do they no longer need them?
 
nforce2 board = asus a7n8x deluxe. It has everything. Its an asus. 'Nuff said. But really, it DOES have everything, sweet board. Best AMD board out rite now in my opinion (and a lot of peoples).

As for the monitor - I have a Viewsonic a19f. I don't know what these go for now (I payed close to $300 for mine when they first came out.) but it is sweeeeeeet. I absolutely love it. The samsung is probably close to what I have. I'd take a look at the a19f also, just to see if you can save some money.

What kind of memory is that? If your spending that much on a nice rig, make sure and get nice memory!
 
someone recommended Corsair XMS.

i don't know much about memory. suggest something instead of asking what im getting. 🙂
 
Since you have a good sound card, save some $ and get an nforce2 without soundstorm. Like the Asus A7N8X (not deluxe) or the Epox 8RDA (not +).
Get two sticks of ram to take advantage of dual channel. Corsair XMS is good, so is Twinmos with Winbond BH-5 chips. I would get 2 x 256MB sticks, but if you have the $, 2 x 512MB may be necessary for some games (but not for any I play).
Definately get a 9700 non pro. They are available for $200. Check the hot deals forum.
Make sure you get a good power supply if you don't have one. 350W and good brand like Sparkle/Fortron, Antec truepower.
Sounds like you're not into overclocking. If you were there would be suggestions like: get pc3200 ram, get a Barton 2500 (or 1700 B for that matter).
 
hey i got some money for graduation as well and this is what i got.

-monitor- KDS 17" flat panel (.25 pixel pitch)
-proccesor- 2800+ AMD Barton
-heatsink- thermalite copper one....dont know the name
-case- a really cool one
-ram- 512MB hyperx PC 3200
-video card- Gforce 4
DVD and CD RW drives


that is about it.....i really did not buy the parts. i had my friend "Chobits is his name on here" help me out. maybe u know him???? anyway i just wanted to say that i got a PC for my graduation gift too.

anyway where did u graduate from??? i just got out of Chapparral High School in Temecula, CA.

anyway later. that was my 2 cents
 
no oc for me.

geez memory gets expensive. i guess ill have to see how much $ i got once i got all the $.
i play games, ut2k3, HL2 hopefully.

some modeling, Maya.

i will be taking classes at the local college, so staying at home.


Sniger, what case did you get?
and i was homeschooled. I live in Southern California, north of LA, south of Santa Barbara.
 
any objections or counters to getting a A7N8X? non-deluxe. im not sure exactly what you get with the deluxe, better sound, dual lad, serial ata, and firewire. or is that it?
 
now i gotta figure out ram.
how important is it that i get two sticks so i can take advantage of dual ddr?

2x256 or 1x512?
 
how much of a difference does more expensive make? i see 1 fps difference in a q3 benchmark...
not worth paying double i think
 
Dual channel makes a 2-10% difference depending on the benchmark. So IMO its definately worth it.
I used to have 2 x 256MB sticks of Samsung Original pc2700 that ran great. They are inexpensive too. The 512MB Samsung chips don't work so don't get those.
 
ok. next question. Impression IM-21. anyone heard of that case?
http://www4.tomshardware.com/howto/20030211/case-17.html

one review mentioned that the motherboard barely fit so don't use an extended atx mobo. im assuming nforce mobo's aren't large.
also it doesn't come with a power supply. what should i get there?

also, it only seems to come with a front fan, no fan on the back. do i need one?
 
Yes, a rear exhaust fan would be good. The A7N8X will fit.
The Sparkle 350W w/120mm fan is my favorite psu because it is very high quality and near silent. If you don't care about having a super quiet psu, NewEgg and Directron have good prices on Sparkle/Fortron (same psu, different brands) 350W psu's with 80mm fans. You save $10. with the 80mm fan version.
 
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