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Help me pick a few components

A

ArmenK

Golden Member
Im building a rig that will mainly be used for work (browsing, matlab, programming, etc) but I might play a game of counterstrike or WC3 once in a while. There is no defined budget yet but I'm looking for the best bang for the buck and I want the rig to last me as long as possible (I'm coming from a PIII 700 that lasted me 4 years). I will not be overclocking. The most important thing for me is stability.

What I need:

CPU - Probably gonna go with A64 3000+ (Retail)

Motherboard - Confused here... Maybe MSI K8N Neo?

Memory - Whats the cheapest 1GB I can get away with?

Case/PSU - Antec Sonata probably. I dont care for looks. I just want a well designed and solid case with a reliable and stable power supply.

Video - I will be using DVI output at 1600 X 1200 on a Dell 2001FP. 2D quality is most important. Ive read that ATI is better for 2D in general. I want to keep it under $100 for the video. Im thinking ATI 9200 or 9600.

Hard Drive - 80GB Maxtor SATA 7200RPM

Your input is appreciated.
 
cpu - good choice
mobo - asus K8v deluex
memory - 2*512 of kingston value ram directly from kingston for $160
case/psu - good
video - if you are not gaming and 2d is most important, get a MATROX card
harddrive - good
 
Originally posted by: shady06
cpu - good choice
mobo - asus K8v deluex
memory - 2*512 of kingston value ram directly from kingston for $160
case/psu - good
video - if you are not gaming and 2d is most important, get a MATROX card
harddrive - good
Click to expand...

The only Matrox card that fits my budget is the G550 and that one is limited to 1280X1024 on the DVI output so its out of the question.
 
ok, well i dont think you are going to notice the difference (if any) in 2d IQ between ATi and Nvidia but if i am not mistaken, it is assumed that ATi has an ever so slight edge in 2d quality (of course i cant tell)
 
Make sure your hard drive comes with a 3 year warranty, if not choose another model or another brand. (Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital would make fine alternates)
 
Originally posted by: shady06
cpu - good choice
mobo - asus K8v deluex
memory - 2*512 of kingston value ram directly from kingston for $160
case/psu - good
video - if you are not gaming and 2d is most important, get a MATROX card
harddrive - good
Click to expand...

I agree, except (as noted later) ATI probably.

This is my choice under $100
 
Originally posted by: ArmenK
In terms of RAM, is PC3200 the lowest I should go?
Click to expand...

PC3200 and PC2700 prices are very similar so I would just get PC3200. As for videocard, get Radeon 9200 or FX5200 w/ DVI if you don't care about gaming. DVI is digital so both cards should have similar or same 2D quality at 1600x1200.
 
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