Looking to upgrade my old P3 system (she treated me well) and after a day or so of hardcore reading/researching I've come up with this setup...
EPoX 8RDA+ (I figure $10 more is chump change for onboard graphics / IGP) <-- $105
AMD 2600+ (333FSB) <-- $273
Beyond that...I already own hard drives, CD/DVD drives, monitor, mouse/keyboard, etc, etc. That leaves just 2-3 parts that I need, which is where I ran into some roadblocks.
First, memory. On the most recent AT priceguide I see that Kingston has 512 (C3) PC3200 DDR for only $140 and change. Now is C3 too high of a rating? And more importantly, do I need 3200 if I dont really plan on overclocking, or is it simply overkill? Furthermore if C3 is too slow and I'll feel a performance hit and/or the Kingston isn't high enough quality, what RAM do you recommend?
Second, video card. The $300 FIC 9700 Pro looks like a pretty sweet deal from Newegg Refurb, but considering I'm most likely going to purchase the 8rda+ with GF4 MX onboard, how long would I have to wait to see a significant price drop in the 9700Pro cards; I.E. should I wait it out with the OB graphics until the ATI are cheaper? Assuming UT2 is coming soon I'd like to have a pretty nice system for it.
Thirdly, case. Sort of a minor detail, I know, but I think that a nice case is worth spending decent money on, and although I dont need a huge full-tower server case, I do have several drives (2-3 hard drives, a DVD burner and misc. CD readers/CDRW) and would like room for at least 2-3 hard drives and 1-2 CD/DVD drives.
So, I guess all I'm looking for is a critique and some suggestions. Sorry for the longwindedness
EPoX 8RDA+ (I figure $10 more is chump change for onboard graphics / IGP) <-- $105
AMD 2600+ (333FSB) <-- $273
Beyond that...I already own hard drives, CD/DVD drives, monitor, mouse/keyboard, etc, etc. That leaves just 2-3 parts that I need, which is where I ran into some roadblocks.
First, memory. On the most recent AT priceguide I see that Kingston has 512 (C3) PC3200 DDR for only $140 and change. Now is C3 too high of a rating? And more importantly, do I need 3200 if I dont really plan on overclocking, or is it simply overkill? Furthermore if C3 is too slow and I'll feel a performance hit and/or the Kingston isn't high enough quality, what RAM do you recommend?
Second, video card. The $300 FIC 9700 Pro looks like a pretty sweet deal from Newegg Refurb, but considering I'm most likely going to purchase the 8rda+ with GF4 MX onboard, how long would I have to wait to see a significant price drop in the 9700Pro cards; I.E. should I wait it out with the OB graphics until the ATI are cheaper? Assuming UT2 is coming soon I'd like to have a pretty nice system for it.
Thirdly, case. Sort of a minor detail, I know, but I think that a nice case is worth spending decent money on, and although I dont need a huge full-tower server case, I do have several drives (2-3 hard drives, a DVD burner and misc. CD readers/CDRW) and would like room for at least 2-3 hard drives and 1-2 CD/DVD drives.
So, I guess all I'm looking for is a critique and some suggestions. Sorry for the longwindedness
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