Advice need for a home computer config

[qahwah]

I am trying to build a home computer, mostly used for digital photo processing, and maybe just a little bit digital video processing as well, and of course lots of web browsing.

Here is what I have now:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail $146.00

GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS PRO" nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL $94.00

Rosewill ATX Case with 400W Power Supply and Side Window (Black), Model "TU-155" -RETAIL $59

Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail $70.83x2=$141.66

Have no idea about the video card so far, but I don't play games or watch TV from my computer.

Any suggestion on harddrives? I have a 40G one, might go for a 120G 7200RPM one, say Western Digital special edition WD1200JB.

I already have a CD-RW, and one NEC 2500A. I am thinking of getting an NEC 16x 3500A when it's in stock in newegg.com.

One last silly question, do I need to buy power supply for the motherboard or extra fans for the CPU?

Thanks!!!

 

[laurenlex]

Looks pretty good to me. I think I would get a case with better power supply, like an Antec. They are not flashy, just well built with a QUALITY power supply. Not sure about the one you chose.

Since you dont game, something like 9600xt would work nicely. You could even go cheaper.

I think the sweet spot for hard drives is about 120 gig. Since you might get into video, it is always nice to have 2 hard drives. 1 for operating system and programs, and another for data and backup. Don't use RAID. I have a seagate and a hitachi. They are both fast and quiet.

Edit: To your silly question, no. The retail CPU comes with a heatsink and fan, and the powersupply for the case should power everything.

 

[qahwah]

Thanks for the valuable suggestions. I am not sure about the Power Supply of the case, might need to do research on that. I also saw some cases have 4 fans....and the CPU I choose has only one fan coming with the box. I think one fan should be enough. I really appreciate your help.

Any suggestions on memory? Say Crucial or Kingston?

Originally posted by: laurenlex
Looks pretty good to me. I think I would get a case with better power supply, like an Antec. They are not flashy, just well built with a QUALITY power supply. Not sure about the one you chose.

Since you dont game, something like 9600xt would work nicely. You could even go cheaper.

I think the sweet spot for hard drives is about 120 gig. Since you might get into video, it is always nice to have 2 hard drives. 1 for operating system and programs, and another for data and backup. Don't use RAID. I have a seagate and a hitachi. They are both fast and quiet.

Edit: To your silly question, no. The retail CPU comes with a heatsink and fan, and the powersupply for the case should power everything.

 

[Gigante]

I would go with 1GB Mushkin PC-3200 over the 512mb of Crucial of Kingston. Plus, you save like $15.

 

[Gigante]

You could also go for an Antec "Sonata" Case w/ 380 PSU that would cost you $40 more, but I definately think it would be worth it.

 

[Gigante]

Is there a certain price range you are looking to spend? For the hard drive, the best bang for your buck I think is Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB for only $102. The 120 is $88, so for $14 on top of that you get 80gb more, and the 160gb model is $95, so for only $7 more you get 40gb.

 

[qahwah]

Thanks. But I am not sure if it's too early to go for 200GB, anyways, I already have a 40GB one. I think the memory is a good deal.

 

[coejus]

I'd definitely go with a SATA hard disk. They aren't really any more expensive than PATA disks, and they'll be around longer.