Building a new system... AMD? Intel? Any suggestions PLEASE!?

[DriveX]

I know this topic has problem been beaten to death by all kinds of different people, but I'm going to beat it some more.

I will be building a new tower next semester. I'm probably going to go with an AMD Athlon... but I need some ideas for manufacturers and features.

I'm going to limit my budget to $700. I need everything for the tower except for a hard disk (I have a 120GB leftover from my old system).

I've heard good things about the new Athlon64... and that it runs most 32-bit apps faster than any of the new CPUs out there. If there is good reason not to go with the Athlon64 processor (at whatever clock speed), what other CPU would you recommend? What about a corrosponding motherboard that is stable, very upgradable, and possibly have the ability to be overclocked. Having 1 ISA slot would be a plus... but not required.

I'll probably go with the standard Sound Blaster Live PCI Audigy soundcard, a DVD-R/RW+R/RW, a high speed CD-RW (possibly Plextor), an ATI AIW Pro, 512MB ram, and at least 2+ ghz processor. Dual-threading I've heard is a major plus... so I want this also.

What about a case? I need something easy to put together, easy to upgrade, and have several fans. Drive bay slots (so I won't have to screw them in, they will just pop into the drives and slide right in the case). I don't want any fancy bells and whistles like inner case lights or transparent sides... anything that will drive the cost up.

Anyone have any suggestions about what will work well with this? This system will mostly be used for the standard uses... internet, office apps, etc... and possibly some intense 3D gaming in the future. Windows 2000 Pro.

Thank you very much for your suggestions. Any links, ideas, suggestions, comments, etc are GREATLY appreciated!

 

[Markfw]

With all the things you listed, you can;t get a Athlon64 anything. You will need a lot bigger budget for that. but it is a great CPU.

 

[DriveX]

ttt

 

[Anubis]

no way your getting a FX on that bugged but heres what I say. you dont need a DVD writed and a CD writer teh DVD writer will burn CDs

PowMax Aluminum Mid-Tower Case w/ 400W Power Supply, Model ALV90 - Retail - 40$
Shuttle Motherboard for AMD processors Model AN35N-Ultra Retail - 62$ has a 15$ rebate
ATI All-In-Wonder RADEON 9600 PRO - 220$
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail - 90$
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM - 98$
M-Audio Revolution - 100$
Plextor 708A-BPS/BL Black 8X DVD-RW +RW $200
Lite On Black 52X CD-ROM - 17$
floppy - 5$

total = $815.99
after rebate its 805.99

you can OC that to 3200+ speeds no problim. and for that price your gonna be hard pressed to find a better system . non plextor DVD drive will take about 50$ off. a non All in Wonder card ill save almost 100 for teh 9600 pro. you can get a PCI tv tuner for around 50

thats 100 saved so that woudl put you around 700

 

[mrgoblin]

Dont get the amd 2500+. I know its great value and such but its not very nice when they are locking processors now. For a 2.2 ghz amd u need at least a 2800+ for fsb overclocking. At that price, its worth just getting the intel. The only thing i reccommend if ure in need of amd is doing some research on chip serial numbers and then head over to excalibur pc as they sell certain ones. If it were me though id just get the intel setup with a 865 board and a 2.4 or 2.6c. Around the same price for slightly better performance. Of course the amd side does give you the great sound. Its a tradeoff.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: mrgoblin
Dont get the amd 2500+. I know its great value and such but its not very nice when they are locking processors now. For a 2.2 ghz amd u need at least a 2800+ for fsb overclocking. At that price, its worth just getting the intel. The only thing i reccommend if ure in need of amd is doing some research on chip serial numbers and then head over to excalibur pc as they sell certain ones. If it were me though id just get the intel setup with a 865 board and a 2.4 or 2.6c. Around the same price for slightly better performance. Of course the amd side does give you the great sound. Its a tradeoff.

i dont wanna start a war but how are you gonna make a 2.6C sys for that price? the CPU is 2x as expensive alone.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: mrgoblin
Dont get the amd 2500+. I know its great value and such but its not very nice when they are locking processors now. For a 2.2 ghz amd u need at least a 2800+ for fsb overclocking. At that price, its worth just getting the intel. The only thing i reccommend if ure in need of amd is doing some research on chip serial numbers and then head over to excalibur pc as they sell certain ones. If it were me though id just get the intel setup with a 865 board and a 2.4 or 2.6c. Around the same price for slightly better performance. Of course the amd side does give you the great sound. Its a tradeoff.

err 2500+ runs on 166FSB... get some PC3200 ram and run it 200FSB.. and it'll be running at 3200+
I have an older 2500+ that's unlocked.. and I don't even need to change the multiplier

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Anubis
no way your getting a FX on that bugged but heres what I say. you dont need a DVD writed and a CD writer teh DVD writer will burn CDs

PowMax Aluminum Mid-Tower Case w/ 400W Power Supply, Model ALV90 - Retail - 40$
Shuttle Motherboard for AMD processors Model AN35N-Ultra Retail - 62$ has a 15$ rebate
ATI All-In-Wonder RADEON 9600 PRO - 220$
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail - 90$
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM - 98$
M-Audio Revolution - 100$
Plextor 708A-BPS/BL Black 8X DVD-RW +RW $200
Lite On Black 52X CD-ROM - 17$
floppy - 5$

total = $815.99
after rebate its 805.99

you can OC that to 3200+ speeds no problim. and for that price your gonna be hard pressed to find a better system . non plextor DVD drive will take about 50$ off. a non All in Wonder card ill save almost 100 for teh 9600 pro. you can get a PCI tv tuner for around 50

thats 100 saved so that woudl put you around 700

for the price of the 9600 AIW you can get a 9800 NP or a 5900 and spend $40 more on a tv tuner.

you are only spending $20 more but you are getting a FAR superior video card and u get to keep your tv tuner when u upgrade the video card

 

[DriveX]

Thanks for the advice guys. I just want to make sure I am getting a rock solid CPU and mobo for my money. I'd prefer to stick with AMD because of the better value (performance/cost).

 

[EnderNine]

So far.. I have everything you want(almost) except no DVD+CDRW drive.. you can get those for about 180-220 if you really want one that bad.. I hardly use my dvd writer.

AMD 2500+ Barton(1.83 ghz) extremely easy to overclock to 2.2 ghz 91.00
Crucial 512mb PC3200 DDR = 98.00
Sound blaster live=29.00
80 gb hard drive from WD=79.00
Radeon 9600 AiW
Antec 380w power supply
Chieftec Dragon server chassis(a bit big.. not too big.. 5 fans.. removable drive slots and window)=72.00
ASUS A7N8X supports AMD up to 3200+=88.00
Lite on Cd drive=17-20
Total=740

Dvdrw+cdrw Drive would be an extra 180-220 bucks if you want a good one.