personally I'd only buy something on ebay that I wouldn't mind loosing.....my price cap buying in ebay is $200. good luck
I like Boztech's recommendation. And don't do Ebay, go with Newegg - it's going to end up being the same price not to mention far better service if something goes wrong (don't forget to factor in the outrageous shipping charges on ebay!!!!).
I have a similar system to this in my home and I like it very much:
All from Newegg:
Powercolor 9600XT - $142
P4C 2.8GHZ OEM - $171
512MB DDR400 Kingston ValueRAM - $95
Hitatchi 80GB SATA - $69 (on sale now)
Artec 12x DVD-R/RW - $88
Shuttle XPC Barebone SB61G2 - $270 ($60 MIR avaible)
Windows XP OEM - $141
Total of $976
If you send in the MIR, then that drops you're total with XP to $916.
Not a bad system either. And stay away from ebay!!!!
I have a similar system to this in my home and I like it very much:
All from Newegg:
Powercolor 9600XT - $142
P4C 2.8GHZ OEM - $171
512MB DDR400 Kingston ValueRAM - $95
Hitatchi 80GB SATA - $69 (on sale now)
Artec 12x DVD-R/RW - $88
Shuttle XPC Barebone SB61G2 - $270 ($60 MIR avaible)
Windows XP OEM - $141
Total of $976
If you send in the MIR, then that drops you're total with XP to $916.
Not a bad system either. And stay away from ebay!!!!
Zebo
Elite Member
- Jul 29, 2001
- 39,398
- 19
- 81
For $900 I could build you a system WITH a 17" LCD and you won't notice any difference in speed w/o using benchmark tools. Also These guys don't have a monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, HSF and other things you may need.
It looks like this..
Case: As recommended a good antec case with good Antec PSU ANTEC 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK3700AMB" $64
Burner- SONY Black 52x32x52 IDE Internal CD-RW Drive, Model CRX230E-B2, $31.00
HSF- Dynatron Copper CPU Cooler for Socket A, Model "BH-610" -$8.05
HD- SAMSUNG 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model SP0802N, $66.00
Keyboard and mouse- Microsoft Black Multimedia Keyboard & Wheel Mouse Optical Bundle $36.00
LCD CTX S701BA (Black) 17" LCD Monitor $359.00
Motherboard - AMD Shuttle "AN35N-Ultra" nForce2 Ultra 400 $56.00
Processor- AMD 45 Watt Mobile Athlon XP 2400+, Set FSB to 200 multi 12 and Vcore 1.75 = 3500+ $77.00
Speakers Logitech Z640 5.1 Speakers $55.00
Video Card POWERCOLOR ATI RADEON 9800SE Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, Soft mod to pro $154.00
Memory- 2 x SAMSUNG Original 184-Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 2x $40 = $80.00
=$960
It looks like this..
Case: As recommended a good antec case with good Antec PSU ANTEC 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK3700AMB" $64
Burner- SONY Black 52x32x52 IDE Internal CD-RW Drive, Model CRX230E-B2, $31.00
HSF- Dynatron Copper CPU Cooler for Socket A, Model "BH-610" -$8.05
HD- SAMSUNG 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model SP0802N, $66.00
Keyboard and mouse- Microsoft Black Multimedia Keyboard & Wheel Mouse Optical Bundle $36.00
LCD CTX S701BA (Black) 17" LCD Monitor $359.00
Motherboard - AMD Shuttle "AN35N-Ultra" nForce2 Ultra 400 $56.00
Processor- AMD 45 Watt Mobile Athlon XP 2400+, Set FSB to 200 multi 12 and Vcore 1.75 = 3500+ $77.00
Speakers Logitech Z640 5.1 Speakers $55.00
Video Card POWERCOLOR ATI RADEON 9800SE Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, Soft mod to pro $154.00
Memory- 2 x SAMSUNG Original 184-Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 2x $40 = $80.00
=$960
Shooters: Just trying to get opinions. I'm gonna build it soon.
Zebo: I don't need a burner,keyboard or mouse, moniter, speakers, or operating system.
And for that 9800SE , i have no clue how to soft mod and I don't want to because it will shorten its life.
I really want a 64 bit processor and I don't want to overclock.
Zebo: I don't need a burner,keyboard or mouse, moniter, speakers, or operating system.
And for that 9800SE , i have no clue how to soft mod and I don't want to because it will shorten its life.
I really want a 64 bit processor and I don't want to overclock.
Newegg
Case- thermaltake w/ 420 Watt power - 148
Motherboard- ASUS K8V K8T800 - 112
Hard Drive- Maxtor 80GB SATA- 80
V.92 Modem- 10
Processor AMD 64 3000+ 215
Graphics Card- ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256 bit, 128mb 230
This is a complete Newegg.com system without ram it comes out to $790 without RAM.
If I buy used RAM off ebay will it really matter?
Case- thermaltake w/ 420 Watt power - 148
Motherboard- ASUS K8V K8T800 - 112
Hard Drive- Maxtor 80GB SATA- 80
V.92 Modem- 10
Processor AMD 64 3000+ 215
Graphics Card- ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256 bit, 128mb 230
This is a complete Newegg.com system without ram it comes out to $790 without RAM.
If I buy used RAM off ebay will it really matter?
It will if the ram you get is slow or has errors....... unless you're 100% sure there's a return policy for the ram that you're gonna get in ebay don't buy it from there....and shipping will cost you extra too. For less than $900 I'd get a AXP-M and OC it and wait for 1.5-2.5 yrs and get a new system (I'd want to wait for 64Bit OS and 64Bit apps to be developed get around already). good luck to your purchase.
1. Get a good PSU - it really makes a lot of difference
2. Don't buy anything important from Ebay - there is a reason that RAM is cheap...
3. Strongly consider buying an AXP-M and running it at 2.5GHz
Going with a S754 system still limits your future upgrade options, unless you are looking to invest in a Semip0rn system down the road. By the time 64bit capability is more than a novelty, you will be well past the point of upgrading anyway all that hardware. You're not gonna build a system with tremendous longevity for $900 these days.
If you replace your CPU and MB choices with an Abit NF7-S ($83) and a 35W Mobile Barton ($87), you will save $167 which you can put toward something else, like an X800! I can pretty much guarantee an X800 + Barton will outperform an A64 3000 and a 9800Pro in any game you are likely to enjoy playing. Even if you stick with the 9800Pro, you could get some really HQ RAM and still have a chunk of pocket money left over.
I'm not sure about your aversion to overclocking, but from a technical standpoint, it really couldn't be easier with the mobile barton. It's already unlocked, just spend 2 minutes in BIOS to change the multiplier to 12.5, the FSB to 200, and the voltage to 1.8 or 1.9. Everything else will run spec and with some sweet 2-2-2-10 RAM you'll have a killer system. No need for watercooling, or even a humongous HSF that runs at 50dB! That's the beauty of using mobile chips...
Just think about what you really want to do with this system, and what is really not important. If you want to play with beta builds of Windows64 then maybe you should lay out the extra $167. Even in a year's time 32-bit software and hardware will be far more prevalent than their 64-but counterparts.
If you must go the 64-bit route, then you need to suck it up and realize that it just costs more. But if you're gonna skimp, don't do it on the RAM. RAM is one of the most important compnenets of your system for so many reasons. Take your $790 and get a single 512MB DIMM of Mushkin PC3200 2-2-2 for $167. Yes, it is expensive, but it is the fastest (or almost) RAM you can buy at PC3200, which is perfect for you since you don't overclock. S754 is a single-channel system anyway, so you aren't penalized for having only one DIMM, and you can always add more later. If you must stay close to $900, then go for OCZ Enhanced Latency Series 184 Pin 512MB PC-3200 Platinum Edition for $118. Damn good memory, and your only $8 over the $900 mark. Don't get obsessed with having 1GB RAM. The performance difference is minimal, and it is MUCH better to have less HQ RAM then more LQ RAM.
2. Don't buy anything important from Ebay - there is a reason that RAM is cheap...
3. Strongly consider buying an AXP-M and running it at 2.5GHz
Going with a S754 system still limits your future upgrade options, unless you are looking to invest in a Semip0rn system down the road. By the time 64bit capability is more than a novelty, you will be well past the point of upgrading anyway all that hardware. You're not gonna build a system with tremendous longevity for $900 these days.
If you replace your CPU and MB choices with an Abit NF7-S ($83) and a 35W Mobile Barton ($87), you will save $167 which you can put toward something else, like an X800! I can pretty much guarantee an X800 + Barton will outperform an A64 3000 and a 9800Pro in any game you are likely to enjoy playing. Even if you stick with the 9800Pro, you could get some really HQ RAM and still have a chunk of pocket money left over.
I'm not sure about your aversion to overclocking, but from a technical standpoint, it really couldn't be easier with the mobile barton. It's already unlocked, just spend 2 minutes in BIOS to change the multiplier to 12.5, the FSB to 200, and the voltage to 1.8 or 1.9. Everything else will run spec and with some sweet 2-2-2-10 RAM you'll have a killer system. No need for watercooling, or even a humongous HSF that runs at 50dB! That's the beauty of using mobile chips...
Just think about what you really want to do with this system, and what is really not important. If you want to play with beta builds of Windows64 then maybe you should lay out the extra $167. Even in a year's time 32-bit software and hardware will be far more prevalent than their 64-but counterparts.
If you must go the 64-bit route, then you need to suck it up and realize that it just costs more. But if you're gonna skimp, don't do it on the RAM. RAM is one of the most important compnenets of your system for so many reasons. Take your $790 and get a single 512MB DIMM of Mushkin PC3200 2-2-2 for $167. Yes, it is expensive, but it is the fastest (or almost) RAM you can buy at PC3200, which is perfect for you since you don't overclock. S754 is a single-channel system anyway, so you aren't penalized for having only one DIMM, and you can always add more later. If you must stay close to $900, then go for OCZ Enhanced Latency Series 184 Pin 512MB PC-3200 Platinum Edition for $118. Damn good memory, and your only $8 over the $900 mark. Don't get obsessed with having 1GB RAM. The performance difference is minimal, and it is MUCH better to have less HQ RAM then more LQ RAM.
I think i need more money. I'm gonna try and work over the summer and make a shitload of money, then build a damm good computer. (new post in 2 monts - $1700 budget... what should I build)
AMD A64 3000+. NewCastle Core, 2GHz, RETAIL - $223.00 (includes HSF, which is remarkably a decent cooling solution.. unlike previous retail HSF's put out by AMD)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-424&depa=0
EPoX 8KDA3J Motherboard - $96.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-219&depa=0
512MB (1 Stick) Kingston Value-RAM PC3200 - $113.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-141-402&depa=1
Now, time for explanations.
You've already said that you do not want to overclock your processor, this is fine, but if you do decide to change your mind, the EPoX motherboard is not only a great value, but also caters to the overclocking crowd. Why only one stick of RAM? First, you probably won't need 1GB of RAM at the moment and because there are only three DIMMs on the 8KDA3J, why waste two of them? Secondly, Socket 754 has a Single-Channel Memory controller. Single-Channel means there is no dual channels, so no reason to run 2x256 against 1x512. Other than you're wasting money and a DIMM slot.
Feel free to bump up the A64 3000+ to a 3200+. But then you are faced with another choice. You can get the NewCastle 3200+ which runs at 2.2GHz with 512k Cache or the ClawHammer 3200+ which runs at 2.0GHz with 1MB Cache. Personally, I'd go with the ClawHammer, but that's just me.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-424&depa=0
EPoX 8KDA3J Motherboard - $96.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-219&depa=0
512MB (1 Stick) Kingston Value-RAM PC3200 - $113.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-141-402&depa=1
Now, time for explanations.
You've already said that you do not want to overclock your processor, this is fine, but if you do decide to change your mind, the EPoX motherboard is not only a great value, but also caters to the overclocking crowd. Why only one stick of RAM? First, you probably won't need 1GB of RAM at the moment and because there are only three DIMMs on the 8KDA3J, why waste two of them? Secondly, Socket 754 has a Single-Channel Memory controller. Single-Channel means there is no dual channels, so no reason to run 2x256 against 1x512. Other than you're wasting money and a DIMM slot.
Feel free to bump up the A64 3000+ to a 3200+. But then you are faced with another choice. You can get the NewCastle 3200+ which runs at 2.2GHz with 512k Cache or the ClawHammer 3200+ which runs at 2.0GHz with 1MB Cache. Personally, I'd go with the ClawHammer, but that's just me.
Okay, I change my vote. Get that RAM instead. Even though I really dislike OCZ, they put out decent products.
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