Building a system, need input from those in the know please

[TenaciousT]

The day has finally come for me to upgrade from my Athlon 800... It FINALLY died and removed all excuse that my wife had from preventing the purchase of a new PC (YES!). I barely had to initiate the death at all, but that's another story.

Based on the comments from this forum, my budget, my leftover parts, and my limited personal experience I put this together:

Abit IC7 MB: $145
p4 2.4B 533 CPU: $161
Gainward GF4 Ti4200: $132
Kingston 512mb PC3200 Ram: $76
Maxtor 7200rpm 8gb cache 80gb HDD: $100
Chieftec Case (AX-01BLD): $90.00

I have all the other parts I need; CDRW, keyboard, mouse, floppy, ZIP, network, etc...

I know that some of the stuff could be upgraded but in most cases I just can't afford that next step.

Anyway, Is this package worth getting? Did I overdo it with one item and then underdo (is that a word) it with another?

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Oh, FYI: It has to be an Intel based processor due to software I use at work (I-Deas). It's a drafting package, I didn't get a CAD card because (a) they're really pricey and (b) I know the GeForce will do the trick.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

On the 21st, Intel will announce its new line of cpus, 2.4, 2.6, 2.8, and 3.2Ghz speeds all with Hyper Threading and the new 800mhz FSB. For a little less than what you're paying, you can then get an 865 (Springdale motherboard) which has dual channel DDR RAM. There is a lot going on in the video card market right now as well, so if you wait just a little while, some of the higher cards may come down to your prices, including the 9500 Pro which will perform better than that Ti4200. You'll also be able to consider the Radeon 9600 Pro because the price on that will probably drop a little too.

The 2.4C with the new features, will run $178 or around that price, and looking at your current setup, thats a little more. BUT, since the motherboard I told you about is cheaper and better, then you can get the cpu/mobo for about the same price.

If you decide not to go with what I say, get some cheaper RAM because your current cpu has a FSB of 533mhz and that RAM is running at 400mhz. By going with my first reccomendation, on the 865 motherboard, you can get DDR RAM running at 266mhz and with dual channel that will be 533.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Oh yeah, what do you m ean by your barely had to initiate it?