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Going to Build a System.... any suggestions ???

M

maddmaxx

Senior member
$1500 - 2000 with EVERYTHING. Would like to play games but gameing is not main use for computer. It's going to be for a college kid who will need it for class and wants to do lan parties and such. I don't have a preference on AMD or Intel, just on getting the best performance for the price. I would like to get at least a 17" moniter, and because space is limited in a dorm, would love to get a flat panel (I know they are expensive!!!).

DVD-RW would be nice, but not needed, as long as he can burn cd's for sure

I'm sure he would love to have it tricked out with lights and such, but if it adds too much to the price then it's probably not worth it.

I have been looking around, mainly newegg, but I have only built a couple of systems and still like to get advice from you pros here!!!

Thanks for any input!!!

peace

 
should I go for nVidia or ATI on the video card? I have a GForce 2 and it's been fine for me.... but I wonder about the ATI card cause I've never used one.

peace
 
Well for video cards on a budget I would get the $82 shipped Ti4200 or the $133 shipped 5600 ultra.

 
I like the 9800 pro in the price range you are in. Depending on what you pick otherwise, you could even go 9700 pro and be happy. 9800 non pro is an option also.
 
A7N8X: ~$120
Athlon XP 2500+ Barton ~$90
WD Raptor WD360 (Primary) ~$120
Maxtor 120 Ultra ~$60
DVD Burner: Hot Deals mentioned one for just $64! See if still in stock in your area.
Ram: gonna cost tons for 512 or 1024 3200.

Etc, these are just sample items you may want.
 
I've been building myself and a few friends comps lately as we come to the end of summer rush so I'm pretty up on latest stuff. Here's what I'd do...

Abit IC7-G - $190
P4 2.4C Retail - $172
2x512MB Kingston HyperX PC3200 or higher (speed up to you) - $250
Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 non-pro ($244 shipped from GameVE, great deal IMO, no need to jump to Pro if you're not going to game THAT much) - $244
WD Raptor 36GB - $135
Seagate 120gb Barracuda SATA - $120
<insert brand here> Floppy - $7
LG DVD/CDRW combo - $66
MS Multimedia Keyboard and Intellimouse Explorer 3.0a (again, personal preference on what fits your hand between MS and Logitech) - $50
Antec Sonata + additional 120mm case fan from SVC - $120
Rounded Cables from SVC - $10

The prices are estimates off the top of my head. It comes out to $1364. Run 250FSB with 5:4 divider and CPU will be at 3.0ghz on retail HSF. Out of all the sound options for gaming I've always been preferential to a TBSC + nice set of headphones. That's the only thing I'd use in CS when a match mattered back when I played. The mobo also has digital out for hooking up a receiver if he wants to go the home audio route. I'm not up on LCD monitors as I've always been preferential to a 19" CRT by leaps and bounds for gaming (never had a space problem in my dorm room with it either), but again that's personal preference. You said he wanted to be able to burn CDs for sure, so there is a DVD/CDRW combo in there, but if he wants a DVD-RW too I'd listen to someone else, I've never had one or researched one. $1364 + sound card + headphones + monitor should put you around $2000...
 
Good idea with the flat panel - if he's living in a dorm and lugging it to LAN parties, it's a must. With the priorities you describe, I say you should decide on the monitor, case, and cooling system (noise will be an issue) _first_, then budget the best mobo/CPU/RAM/video into the remaining figure. So, we have...

17" LCD with good response time - $450
Antec LAN boy case - $100 (a great match for the application, i'd say)
3x80mm Vantec Stealth fans - $30 (a little pricey but noise is a critical factor)
Thermalright AX-7 - $20
Logitech Otical Desktop KB/mouse - $30
Cold Cathode light - $10 (expensive? bah!)

Then comes the guts of the system, i'll just throw out some recommendations.

Asus A7N8X - $100
Athlon XP 2500+ - $100
2x512MB PC2700 Corsair Value Select - $170 (RAM headroom is far more important than a faster CPU, IMO)
Radeon 9600pro - $160
Lite-On DVD-ROM - $30
Lite-On CD-RW - $70
Hitachi 120gb HDD - $110

Haven't used it/seen any reviews on it, but the Psyload surround headphone package looks like it could be excellent for gaming in portable/confined situations. That runs $120 at NewEgg.com

Lastly, the best item for school productivity - a personal laser printer... probably find a decent one for about $250 now.

All comes out to a bit less than $1800 with all the acessories accounted for


 
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