Gaming System - Need some Advice - $800 limit (cpu,mem,mb,vid,case)

[Nemmeh]

Hey guys,

A friend of mine is gonna build himself a new gaming system and needs a little input. He wants to stay under the $800 limit and if he can actually be a considerable amount below that.. Then that's perfect.

Here is the list of equipment he's looking at and well is really taking suggestions on every piece of hardware needed/mentioned.

ANTEC Performance Plus Case, Model "PLUS1080AMG" -RETAIL
AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 400 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - OEM
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 16T - OEM
Asus nForce2 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "A7N8X-X" -RETAIL
ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -RETAIL

He already has all the other hardware needed for the system. So anything you can suggest will be appreciated.

Also, can someone suggest some good fans and hsf combo (fairly reasonable price) to get the job done effectively and quietly.
This system will NOT be overclocked.

Thanks again.

 

[Pistolero]

Crucial makes good memory, but I think you can find faster memory at the same price from Kingston or Corsair.
For the same price he could go for a new A64 3000+ and motherboard which will be much faster than the barton.

 

[Nemmeh]

Oh, one more thing to add guys...

In regards to the case, what PSU would be best. The current system houses a 430w PSU but I'm not sure that much is needed. Right now the system is planned to house (2) 7200rpm HDDs, (1) CDRW, (1) DVD-Rom.

Just thought i'd mention that.

 

[MrCodeDude]

1. Dual Channel
2. Get some BuffaloTech w/ Winbond BH-5 Chips
3. Abit NF7-S v 2.0 > ASUS A7N8X

Nice Video Card though

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: Pistolero
Crucial makes good memory, but I think you can find faster memory at the same price from Kingston or Corsair.
For the same price he could go for a new A64 3000+ and motherboard which will be much faster than the barton.

Ditto. And I own them both.

 

[Viper96720]

430W is alright if he's reusing the PS.
Wow memory prices went up. That $90 Buffalo ram I paid $72 for it couple days after Christmas.