Friend wants new computer

[MASTERT]

my friends wants me to get him a new comp
he doesn't want anything to fancy and he doesn't have a big budget
and he wants the stuff you can see from the outside all black

here is what i was thinkin
Motherboard Abit BH7
CPU P4 1.7Ghz
Memory 256 mb Corsair not sure if PC2700 would work fine ..
Video Card GeForce4 Ti 4600
Hard Drive7200RPM 30GB Maxtor or hitatchi
Power SupplyProbably Antec 300W

and he wants a CD burner DVD burner Combo that is black u know where i can get a cheap one ?? give me brands
and he wants a black 17 in monitor, keyboard, floppy drive, case and a black Laser Mouse

then i think that is it for a whole new computer
can ya help me out to fix the non compatable stuff and tell me where i can get black stuff??

Thanks for Readin,
MASTER T

 

[GoodRevrnd]

You know you can get a 120GB WD for $99 now. I wouldn't waste your money on anything less than 80GB.

EDIT: You might consider cruising FS/FT for people selling this stuff when they bought it state of the art and now have P43.0's and stuff. You could probably get a P42.26 for just over $100.

Not cheap, but you can hardly say it's a bad price: PLEXTOR 8X/4X/12X + 4X/2X EIDE INTERNAL DVD+/-R/RW DUAL DRIVE W/SW (Black) $254.74
-or-
PIONEER PIONEER 4X DUAL DVD/CD RE-WRITABLE DRIVE BLACK DVR-106BK 4.7GB INT. EIDE w/sw (OEM box) $165.00
-or-
SONY DUAL DVD+RW/+R DVD-RW/-R 4.7GB 24X-CDRW DWU10A-B2 BLACK INTERNAL COMBO DRIVE W/SW (White box) $158.00
-or-
SONY DUAL DVD+RW/+R DVD-RW/-R 4.7GB 4X-DVD+RW+R 24X-CDRW DWU14A BLACK EIDE INTERNAL COMBO W/SW (White box for DRU510A) $172.00


Personally, if I was somewhat budget shopping, I'd get that last Sony since I'm not sure if that Pioneer is + or -.

 

[mrgoblin]

2500+. asus a7n 2 sticks 256 buffalo tech and a decent cooler. Hd should be something small. Vid card should be a 9600 pro since its the same price as a 4600ti

 

[MASTERT]

Thanks guys
he doesn't need alot of space
that is a great deal though

so the 9600 is better than a 4600?
can u explain this more>?
2500+. asus a7n 2 sticks 256 buffalo tech

very fast replies
Thanks
MASTERT

 

[Sid59]

get him a DELL. Dell has better tech support than you. I don't like being people's tech support. not often, at least. Plus, if it's minor, he'll call you anyhow. If it's major, just tell him to call dell.

 

[MASTERT]

Can anyone Help?

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: MASTERT
Thanks guys
he doesn't need alot of space
that is a great deal though

so the 9600 is better than a 4600?
can u explain this more>?
2500+. asus a7n 2 sticks 256 buffalo tech

very fast replies
Thanks
MASTERT

turn on AA and FSAA, watch the ti4600 get smoked

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Sid59
get him a DELL. Dell has better tech support than you. I don't like being people's tech support. not often, at least. Plus, if it's minor, he'll call you anyhow. If it's major, just tell him to call dell.

Dell, or some other big company. I've forgone money for building people systems that I knew would annoy me about every little problem they have and just said to buy one pre-built.

 

[chocoruacal]

Originally posted by: MASTERT
my friends wants me to get him a new comp
he doesn't want anything to fancy and he doesn't have a big budget
and he wants the stuff you can see from the outside all black

here is what i was thinkin
Motherboard Abit BH7
CPU P4 1.7Ghz
Memory 256 mb Corsair not sure if PC2700 would work fine ..
Video Card GeForce4 Ti 4600
Hard Drive7200RPM 30GB Maxtor or hitatchi
Power SupplyProbably Antec 300W

and he wants a CD burner DVD burner Combo that is black u know where i can get a cheap one ?? give me brands
and he wants a black 17 in monitor, keyboard, floppy drive, case and a black Laser Mouse

then i think that is it for a whole new computer
can ya help me out to fix the non compatable stuff and tell me where i can get black stuff??

Thanks for Readin,
MASTER T

What a waste of money! A 1.7?!?!?!?! Perhaps you should look into a AMD combination....for less than the 1.7, he could get a XP2500. Throw that onto an nForce board, and he'll REALLY be thanking you. Intel is great if you have the money, but in this case there's no doubt he'll get a better value and longer lasting system if you go AMD.

XP2500
8RDA+
512MB HyperX. Corsair is a waste of money for a casual user.
Antec Sonata

 

[vegetation]

Originally posted by: MonkeyDriveExpress

Originally posted by: Sid59
get him a DELL. Dell has better tech support than you. I don't like being people's tech support. not often, at least. Plus, if it's minor, he'll call you anyhow. If it's major, just tell him to call dell.

Dell, or some other big company. I've forgone money for building people systems that I knew would annoy me about every little problem they have and just said to buy one pre-built.

Completely agree. The OP is just asking for a nightmare to come true by building a system for a friend, especially a cheap one who's going to expect lifetime tech support at 3am when they download a virus. Summary to follow:

Friend (3am calling you): The computer you made for me ain't workin.
You: (in a groggy voice) Huh, can you be more specific?
Friend: It just doesn't work.
You: Well, what are the symptoms?
Friend: How would I know, it just doesn't work anymore. Can you come here immediately? I got a paper due tomorrow and I need my computer that I paid you a lot of money to work.
You: Maybe we can troubleshoot this over the phone first. Can you tell me what's not working?
Friend: Look, I told you, it just doesn't want to work at all. I'm not the expert here, you are, and I paid you big bucks so I expect the computer to at least work. I don't have a clue to how to fix this thing. Come now!!

 

[MASTERT]

Black Case Black Antec Sonata W/380w Antec True $102 Monarch

Motherboard Epox 8RDA+ $79 GameVE Backorder

CPU AMD Athlon XP 2200+ (Retail Box-w-Fan) $79 Monarch

Memory Kingston Hyper X 256 PC2700 $59 NewEgg

Hard Drive Western Digital 40GB $65 Monarch

Video Card Sapphire Radeon 9600 256MB $121 Z-Buy

Black 17 in Monitor OPTIQUEST MONITOR (BLACK) 17" $125 NewEgg

Black Keyboard Keytronic (Black PS-2) Keyboard KT800 $19 Monarch

Black Laser Mouse Mitsumi Optical Scroll Ps-2 Mouse $9 Monarch

Black Floppy Drive Mitsumi 1.44MB 3.5" (Black) Floppy Drive $19 Monarch

ok check it out tell me what ya think
Total $677

CD/DVD Burner Sony DWV10Ai dunno i saw this now its gone $206 Monarch

 

[lenjack]

Definitely go Dell. If you build him one, you will be 24-7 tech support forever.

 

[Blain]

ABS has a great Reseller Rating, good component options, good prices and Free Shipping until the 21st!



Do you want to be his tech support? Do you want to remain friends? :Q

 

[illuminati]

Lookin' good... I would just replace the 2200+ with a 2500+ barton for an extra $11 (look at newegg)

 

[Ionizer86]

2500+ is a much better value at $90 at Newegg. You may also wanna spend a few bucks more on Buffalo PC3700 so you can run the CPU at 3200+ if need be during intensive use).

That hard drive at $65 is uber overpriced. $65 buys you 120GB's occasionally (retail store sales). BTW look out: 8rda+ boards are getting rare. Just hope for the best that you can get your hands on one.

 

[Sid59]

yeah. dell.

My gf had someone build her computer and i make it work and fix it but i do it on my time. I make her bring the computer over and leave it and work on it when i have time. Last night, a friend who've i know for a LONG time, was having hdd problems and issues brought his computer over. It took all day/night to fix but it was him doing all the work. I sat at my computer played games and told him what to do. Helping fix occasional problems is fine. but .. BUILDING a machine and then troubleshooting and fixing crap you know is impossible to even break is not fun.


also, my friend's laptop was going out and she asked me about a new desktop. I told her to get a dell. she did and i don't have to deal with it. Another friend, who started at another college wanted a new computer and i dind't want to build it, so i made her get a dell. It's that easy..... DUDE! You're getting a DELL!

 

[MASTERT]

Black Case Black Antec Sonata W/380w Antec True $95 NewEgg

Motherboard ASUS A7V8X-X $64 NewEgg good board to get?

CPU AMD Athlon XP 2500+ $90 NewEgg Good Price

Memory Kingston Hyper X 256 PC2700 $59 NewEgg i dont think he needs to overclock

Hard Drive Western Digital 40GB $59 NewEgg Is that a good price?

Video Card Sapphire Radeon 9600 256MB $121 Z-Buy

Black 17 in Monitor OPTIQUEST MONITOR (BLACK) 17" $125 NewEgg

Black Keyboard Mitsumi BLACK PS/2 w/Hot Keys $14 ABS

Black Laser Mouse Mitsumi Optical Scroll Ps-2 Mouse $9 Monarch

Black Floppy Drive MITSUMI D359M3 BLACK FDD 1.44MB $8 NewEgg

All good?
Total $644

anyone know where i can get a CD burner DVD Burner combo? a black one preferably
i will ask him if he wants a Dell but until i know the answer to that i will try to find a good combo for him

Thanks for readin
MASTERT

 

[Ionizer86]

The 2500+ is a very good price. The A7V8X-X is pretty basic. I'd spend the extra on a decent nForce 2 board by EPoX, Asus, Abit, etc. A good board really matters. The hard drive is costly. Try to get the Maxtor 30GB for $30 on Compusa on Sunday.
Shipping the monitor may cost a lot. You can somtimes get 17" flat tubes for $80 to $100.
You can find kbrds and mouses free after rebate, though you may want to pay more for an optical mouse.
BTW, dvd burners can all burn CD's. Just pick up a sub $100 DVD+RW drive

 

[sandorski]

Re: Radeon 9600 256mb: How does the Radeon 9600 Pro 128mb compare in price? The reason is that the difference in Ram makes no difference at this time, but the difference between 9600 and 9600 Pro does make a difference.

 

[MASTERT]

Changes
Motherboard ASUS A7N8X Deluxe Retail $125
New Total $705
i think all he needs for I/O is USB and LAN and the other regular stuff

he doesn't want me to buy it right away so i cant get that deal at compusa

i will check out Best buy for the rebates for the inputs and the monitors

Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB $152
Sapphire Radeon 9600 256MB $121
i dunno is the difference between the pro and non pro a big one cause he doesn't need an awesome card

Thanks for the help
MASTERT

 

[wetcat007]

Originally posted by: chocoruacal

Originally posted by: MASTERT
my friends wants me to get him a new comp
he doesn't want anything to fancy and he doesn't have a big budget
and he wants the stuff you can see from the outside all black

here is what i was thinkin
Motherboard Abit BH7
CPU P4 1.7Ghz
Memory 256 mb Corsair not sure if PC2700 would work fine ..
Video Card GeForce4 Ti 4600
Hard Drive7200RPM 30GB Maxtor or hitatchi
Power SupplyProbably Antec 300W

and he wants a CD burner DVD burner Combo that is black u know where i can get a cheap one ?? give me brands
and he wants a black 17 in monitor, keyboard, floppy drive, case and a black Laser Mouse

then i think that is it for a whole new computer
can ya help me out to fix the non compatable stuff and tell me where i can get black stuff??

Thanks for Readin,
MASTER T

What a waste of money! A 1.7?!?!?!?! Perhaps you should look into a AMD combination....for less than the 1.7, he could get a XP2500. Throw that onto an nForce board, and he'll REALLY be thanking you. Intel is great if you have the money, but in this case there's no doubt he'll get a better value and longer lasting system if you go AMD.

XP2500
8RDA+
512MB HyperX. Corsair is a waste of money for a casual user.
Antec Sonata

Agreed, but if you don't OC i like the 2600+ better, it outperforms the 2500 by a lot...

 

[wetcat007]

Originally posted by: MASTERT
Black Case Black Antec Sonata W/380w Antec True $95 NewEgg

Motherboard ASUS A7V8X-X $64 NewEgg good board to get?

CPU AMD Athlon XP 2500+ $90 NewEgg Good Price

Memory Kingston Hyper X 256 PC2700 $59 NewEgg i dont think he needs to overclock

Hard Drive Western Digital 40GB $59 NewEgg Is that a good price?

Video Card Sapphire Radeon 9600 256MB $121 Z-Buy

Black 17 in Monitor OPTIQUEST MONITOR (BLACK) 17" $125 NewEgg

Black Keyboard Mitsumi BLACK PS/2 w/Hot Keys $14 ABS

Black Laser Mouse Mitsumi Optical Scroll Ps-2 Mouse $9 Monarch

Black Floppy Drive MITSUMI D359M3 BLACK FDD 1.44MB $8 NewEgg

All good?
Total $644

anyone know where i can get a CD burner DVD Burner combo? a black one preferably
i will ask him if he wants a Dell but until i know the answer to that i will try to find a good combo for him

Thanks for readin
MASTERT

The ATI card, isn't the pro version which harms it's performance a fair ammount.. There is no such thing as a laser mouse, I hate it when people call it that, it's a optical mouse! I uses a bright red led, that is not focused in a straight beem, therefore it is not a laser! I say get a 2600+ it definitly outperforms the 2500+, imo the 2500+ owns for overclocking, but if you don't it kind of sucks at default clock in comparison to a tbred clocked much higher... You're missing a hsf, i recomend a SLK800A and a decently quiet 2400-3000 RPM 80mm fan for it. Should do a decent job for cooling, not insanly good but it'll be quiet. For about 80 bucks i saw a Seagate 120GB barracuda drive in the best buy ad for this week I think, that's a good deal, that hd u show is over 1 dollar a mb, which is not real great of a deal these days, getting extra space for a few extra bucks will be nice in the long run.

As for motherboard, 8rda+ is currently the best one for the money, however for some reason newegg doesn't stock it anymore, so you're going to have to check pricewatch.com to find a store with a decent price on it. It has onboard lan, onboard firewire, onboard usb2.0, onboard 6 channel soundstorm audio.

Memory if you arn't doing any overclocking, just get Crucial 512MB PC2700 or PC3200, that stuff is well priced and fast, and overall decent, not corsair xms or anything, but still damn good for the money.

Check compusa/bestbuy/officemax/officedepot ads and such for a cheap deal on cd burners, sometime u can find em for around 10 bucks, and those are actually pretty decent ones too.

Check for deals on a viewsonic flatscreen crt at bestbuy and places, prolly can pay slightly less than that for a better display, plus avoid shipping costs for a crt(very high).

 

[MDE]

Do yourself a favor and please dump that stupid 256MB video card. If you friend doesn't do any gaming any video card will be fine. You don't need HyperX RAM, any old PC2700/3200 will do fine, and I'd suggest 512MB not 256. An nForce2 board would also be a very good idea (Abit, Asus, Epox).

EDIT: I still say get a Dell\HP\Compaq\Gateway, but I can't force you.

 

[MASTERT]

Changes
CPU AMD ATHLON XP 2600+ $93 Monarch
Memory CRUCIAL 512MB PC 2700 $85 NewEgg
Hard Drive Maxtor 30GB 7200RPM $45 Memorylabs
Video Card ATI Radeon 9600 128MB $112 buyaib
Total $711

okey dokey tell me what ya think
i will look into the dells

Thanks for the help
MASTERT

 

[ponyo]

I would get Barton 2500+ ($90 Newegg) Comes with heatsink.
Epox 8RGA+ NF2 motherboard with onboard GeforceMX ($103 Newegg)
2x Buffalo 256 MB PC3200 ($45 a piece Newegg) Get 2 to run dual channel for onboard MX.

That's what I would do if I was building a computer for relative or friend.