Building a new computer...

[Ant001]

Alright, this is my first time building a computer (though I've upgraded other computers, watched other people build computers, etc.) I'm on a VERY limited budget, and this is what I've come up with so far:

ANTEC SOHO File ServerTower ATX Case Model SX1040BII with 400 Watt Smart Power, Power Supply **Black**Performance 2 Series $90.00

ABIT NF7-S ,nForce2 SPP chipset Support AMD Socket A with 200/266/333 FSB ,8X AGP,SATA 150 ATX motherboard Retail $121.00

AMD ATHLON XP 2500+ "Barton" 333 FSB PROCESSOR CPU- RETAIL $92.00

KINGSTON HyperX Series 184-pin 512MB Kit (2x 256MB) DDR333 (PC2700) DDR RAM modules, Model# KHX2700K2/512 $112

WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY $86.00

Lite On 52x32x52 Black Color CDRW Drive LTR-52327S - OEM $44.99

Sapphire Atlantis ATI RADEON 9600 PRO 128MB 8X AGP DVI/TV LITE BOX $151

NEC 17" CRT VGA Monitor Model FE791SB-BK Black Retail $184.00

Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 - OEM Full Version $143.00

Which comes out to $1,084.99 including S&H at Newegg.


I have/will get a mouse, keyboard, speakers, and floppy.

So, several question. First of all, I just want to make sure all this stuff is compatable (pretty sure it is, but can't hurt to make sure.) Second, would you recomend anything different, particuarly for vid card, monitor, and CD-RW? Last, will the stock HSF and case fans be enough to keep the system cool? The comp will be in the basement of my house, which is about 75F MAX in summer. I am planning on OCing to 2.0 Ghz. Oh yeah, I will be using this comp mostly for gaming and websurfing. I usually play strategy games like Age of Empire, Total War, etc., and a few other games, but prolly nothing extremely power-hungry. Thanks for your advice.

EDIT: Changed the vid card and ram

 

[Bonesdad]

so...what is your budget, $1000??

 

[Ant001]

Yeah, about. I'm in highschool, and I don't have a regular job. I could prolly spend $1100.

 

[Ionizer86]

Look for the Maxtor 120GB Ultra for $60 from Staples this week.

Take a look at some free or $10 after rebate burners available; some are Liteons or Verbatims etc.

At $146 for the vid card, you'd probably be able to find a Radeon 9500/9600, or you can find a cheaper 4200. I've seen 'em as low as $86 this one time, albeit a 64MB one.

 

[Ant001]

Thanks.

How's this card?

MSI Ti4200-VTD8X (MS-8894-060) GeForce 4 Titanium 4200 DDR/SDRAM 128MB 8X AGP Video-in TV-out Dual VGA CARD - RETAIL (details) $122

 

[Ant001]

BUMP

 

[BenjaminGun]

a little much for the case and psu in my opinion
that ram has been going up in price, i've been watching it.. try to find some cheaper cas2
what, no dvd drive?
i'd go with a 15" lcd...
and definitely get an 8x agp graphics card
that's about all the input i have...

 

[Ant001]

Yeah, the ram has gone up about $20 since I first started watching it. How is the Kingston HyperX compared with this? It is a good deal cheaper. Also I heard that 8x agp over 4x does not make a large difference?

 

[d0wnthe11235813]

id go with kingston hyper x ram instead (cheaper and the next best thing), a 9600/9500/pro instead (not much more expensive and you get DX 9 support). bout alli have to say

 

[Ant001]

Changed the video card and ram; see the first post.

Will the stock cooling be enough, or should I get more case fans, or a new HSF?

 

[BaboonGuy]

Case -- Fine, but check out the sonata too if you want a real quiet and badass looking comp

NF7-S -- Just make sure you get a revision 2.0, if you do then you'll have the best mobo i've ever used. the onboard sound on this thing is amazing

2500+ -- Grrrreat chip, i hear most newegg 2500s go to 3200+ at default

HyperX -- Good choice on the brand of ram but you'll most definetly want PC3200 not 2700 for 2GHz. 200 FSB flies

WD SE 80GB -- If you're just going to be playing games and surfing the web (i.e. no storage) i'd definetly go for the raptor. windows load times and game load times are drastically cut in half... in general if you have a 3200+ at 200 FSB with a raptor you'll have an ultra fast computer.

Lite-On -- Get the CD-RW/DVD-ROM black drive, its only $15 more or so

9600 Pro -- definetly get a 9500 NP, theres a chance you may get a 9700 out of it and even if you dont its still as good a card as the 9600 for the same price

NEC 17" -- I would go for a 19" for sure. If you game you'll want a 19", and using 1280x1024 on a 19" is the only way to surf the web in my mind. If you can afford it get a Sony CPD-E440/B, if you can't just get the FE991 (sp?) from NEC

Windows XP Pro -- Hmm seems a little expensive to me.

Mouse -- Get a MX500 they rule!!

Keyboard -- Get the Logitech Elite Keyboard, it has so many useful keys on it

Speakers -- Logitech Z640s, they'll utilize the onboard 5.1 sound and sound great for a good price

HSF -- If you want to OC to 3200+ speeds, you definetly should NOT use the retail cooler. Get the SLK-800 and a Vantec Stealth 80MM, quiet and cool cooling. it'll probably cost you about $50 but ask any ATer here, its worth it.

 

[Ant001]

Thanks BaboonGuy. A few questions about the 9500. How likely is it that you can mod it to 9700 speeds? Also, do you know of a good guide on how to do it? And is Sapphire or ATi a better card? I would assume the Sapphire, but it costs about $20 more.

 

[Malgavito]

Hey Baboon, What do you mean by default they come as 3200+?

You can OC to it? or They just ship one to you?

 

[Ant001]

Yeah, you can OC it to 3200 speeds. Can anyone tell me anything about the 9500 to 9700 mods?

 

[BaboonGuy]

just do a forum search for 9500 and you'll find some stuff about the modding. actually at this point you might want to look at getting a 9700 NP, they are gettin pretty cheap. i think i something in the hot deals forum.