could use a little advice...

[MouseODanger]

Hey everyone, I'm about to build my first system and could use a little advice. I'll use it for internet and a fair amount of gaming, and hopefully want to stay in the $600-800 range, but I want it to last me for a few years. I just need the tower etc, as I already have a monitor and keyboard and stuff.

I was thinking maybe an AMD XP 1600+, 256 or 512 Megs of RAM, a Gforce3 ti200, and a 40-60 gig HD. I really don't know much about what motherboards or towers to get.

If anyone could give me a little advice on a system or what hardware they find works well, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

 

[ChrisADuffy]

First stop by Newegg. Excellent reseller.

These are my reccomendations:

ENLIGHT EN-72370X3C4 MEDIUM ATX TOWER CASE with 1 Internal CaseFan - OEM Recommended by AMD and INTEL Pentium 4 Ready with 300Watts Power Supply

EPOX EP-8KHA+ VIA Apollo KT266A (VT8366A) 200/266 MHz Motherboard - For AMD XP, Athlon & Duron Socket A. Retail Box.

CRUCIAL MICRON 256MB 32x64 PC 2100 DDR RAM - OEM

AMD Althon XP 1600+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL 1600+

LITE-ON LTR-24102B-02 24x10x40 CDRW - OEM

Anything else feel free to ask.


good luck.

 

[gogeeta13]

Unless you have a PC savvy friend, don't bother venturing into make-your-own land. At the moment, Dell's are so cheap, I would just go that route.

 

[limsandy]

I highly recommend Epox 8KHA+ for your mobo as it uses VIA KT266A and I am using one myself. PC2100 256MB memory is more than enough for everyday applications. ENLIGHT EN-72370X3C4 MEDIUM ATX TOWER CASE should work really well with your future system.

From newegg.com

Epox 8KHA+
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
Crucial PC2100 256 MB
Maxtor 60 GB, 7200 rpm
Gainward Geforce3 Ti200
ENLIGHT EN-72370X3C4 MEDIUM ATX TOWER CASE
TURTLE BEACH SANTA CRUZ

Total: 683 + shipping


[edit]
If you do watch DVD, then add in another $60 for Lite-On 16x DVD Model LTD-16301.
If you would like to burn CDs, then add in another $82 for LITE-ON LTR-24102B-01.
[/edit]

 

[WyteWatt]

You could get the Santa Cruz retail instead for alittle cheaper than the Santa Cruz OEM At Newegg right now at Compusa. It is $60 right now. It was orginally $80 but it has a $20 instant rebate so now its $60 this week. So only $65 something including tax. The Santa Cruz OEM would be $65 plus shipping.

 

[limsandy]

<< You could get the Santa Cruz retail instead for alittle cheaper than the Santa Cruz OEM At Newegg right now at Compusa. It is $60 right now. It was orginally $80 but it has a $20 instant rebate so now its $60 this week. So only $65 something including tax. The Santa Cruz OEM would be $65 plus shipping. >>



It's true, it's true.

 

[ChrisADuffy]

<< Unless you have a PC savvy friend, don't bother venturing into make-your-own land >>



Isn't that why we are here?

Buliding a system is great expierence and enables the user to be more tech savvy and therefore help himself.

I do see the point in the post though, some folks just are not that tech inclined but I think since MouseODanger is posting the question he probably has the ability. With our help of course.

 

[Duvie]

I would guess with how ram has doubled in the last month and since you are looking at xp processors I would tend to think at the higher end of that range (near 800)...

Do you need a burner????


Gainward/Cardexpet GeForce 3 Ti200 (NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 200 GPU), Power Pack Golden Sample, 4ns 64MB DDR.Retail Box. = 165.00 + 7.00 (sh) = 172.00

AMD Althon XP 1600+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL 1600+/ 1.40GHz, AX1600BOX. 3-Year Warranty. With heatsink and cooling fan. The Ultimate Digital Media Experience in an x86 Platform.Tailored for Microsoft® Windows® XP. Featuring QuantiSpeed Architecture for Rapid Execution of Applications. Tomorrow?s Technology Today. The Power of a Reliable Partner. =
139.00 + 7.00 (sh) = 142.00

EPOX EP-8KHA VIA Apollo KT266 (VT8366) 200/266 MHz Motherboard - For AMD & AMD XP Athlon and Duron Socket A =
78.00 + 7.00 (sh) = 85.00

CRUCIAL MICRON 256MB 32x64 PC 2100 DDR RAM - OEM = 69.00 + 6.00 (sh)= 75.00

INWIN 300W CASE WITH TWO-TONE FRONT PANEL, AMD Approved and INTEL PENTIUM 4 Ready, Model IW-S506P.300F = 56.00 + 16.00 (sh) = 72.00

Lite-On 16x DVD Model LTD-16301 Full OEM Package with Power DVD Software - 16X DVD read, 48X CD-ROM playback = 57.00 + 8.00 (sh) = 65.00

IBM EIDE HARD DRIVE 40GB 7200RPM MODEL # IC35L040AVER07, PART# 07N6654 - OEM, DRIVE ONLY = 89.00+ 7.00 (sh) = 96.00

CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY WITH 1390 4 - OEM = 62.00 + 4.00 = 66.00

MITSUMI D359M3 FDD 1.44MB 3.5INCH - OEM = 9.00 + 4.00 (sh) = 13.00



grand total = 786.00 w/ shipping...

also look at www.tcwo.com to get good prices on cpu, case, fdd, hdd and not get nickeled and dimed to dath with sh on each item...they have 6.95 flat rate up to 150 lbs...they don't carry good selection on mobos and vid cards though...so definitely newegg there.

 

[MouseODanger]

thanks for the advice everyone. I saw that burner at newegg, and it looks like a great deal. I have a separate DVD player hooked up to my TV, so is there really any need for one in my computer? Also, what operating system would you recomend? I've heard Windows XP professional is good. I'm also going to need a network card, modem, floppy drive and stuff like that. Are those pretty standard or are there brands I should stay away from?

Thanks again everyone.

 

[NateSLC]

Duvie,

I would suggest the 8KHA+. This one:



<< EPOX EP-8KHA VIA Apollo KT266 (VT8366) 200/266 MHz Motherboard - For AMD & AMD XP Athlon and Duron Socket A = >>



is the KT266, not the KT266A. I would get the 8KHA+, or the 8K7A (AMD Chipset) before the plain 8KHA.

My 2 cents.

 

[Pabster]

And I'd suggest the K7S5A over 8KHA or 8KHA+.

But definitely, avoid 8KHA. It's using the bug-ridden VIA KT266 chipset. Very low performing and more issues than a newspaper prints in a year.