I need a mid-level Desktop...

[Deedas]

I'm using a laptop right now. I no longer need it for school and I think its life span is near its end. I'm looking for something in the 2ghz/2000+ field. I've been looking around online and I've found the following parts for $798:

Barebone:
Case: PolarPC 'Imperial' 7-Bay Case w/ 450W Power Supply & Frontside USB
Motherboard: Chaintech 7KJD, AMD® 761 Chipset DDR Motherboard
CPU: AMD 2100+ XP Processor & CPU Fan
Memory: 2 x 184-pin PC2100 DDR Slots (Up to 2.0GB)
Video: 4X AGP Slot
Hard Drive: 2 x UDMA100 IDE Ports
Sound: 8738 Full-duplex 32-Voice 3D HRTF Positional Sound w/ Game Port
Connectivity: 4 x USB Ports, 1 x AGP, 5 x PCI, 1 x CNR, 1 x ACR

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HDD:
Western Digital 200GB 7200rpm 8mb buffer

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Video Card:
PNY GeForce4 Ti4200 64mb DDR AGP

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Monitor:
Samsung 17" Flat tube

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Optical drive:
Digital Research 52x24x52 Internal CD-RW Drive

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Memory:
512MB 266MHz DDR PC2100 DIMM CL2.5 from Kingston

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-4 port firewire card
-Some Cheap NIC


I'm looking to spend under 800 bucks. I'm not expecting to play the latest and best games, and I'm only gonna use it for dling and photoshopping. Got any advice? Your opinions are welcomed. Thank You.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Welcome to AnandTech forums ! Head over to AT's FS/FT forum and do some perusing as well as the HotDeals forum..gl

 

[Macro2]

"Case: PolarPC 'Imperial' 7-Bay Case w/ 450W Power Supply & Frontside USB"

Hummm.

"Motherboard: Chaintech 7KJD, AMD® 761 Chipset DDR Motherboard"

Try an nForce2 board..Asus, Epox, Soltek

"CPU: AMD 2100+ XP Processor & CPU Fan"

OK



"Sound: 8738 Full-duplex 32-Voice 3D HRTF Positional Sound w/ Game Port"

with nforce2 you won't need that

 

[Deedas]

Thnx guys. What's a good website to get an nforce2 board?

Also, if I do get that board, Do you you have recomendations for a case?

 

[mechBgon]

How about a system along these lines: rig These Asus A7N266-VM's aren't the ultimate in top-end performance but they're very reliable and perform better than the AMD761 chipset, certainly. High-quality onboard audio, onboard LAN, onboard AGP video (plus an AGP slot), three-year warranty. They take AMD CPUs with 200MHz or 266MHz bus speeds as high as a 2600+, but not the latest 333MHz-based CPUs.

 

[Macro2]

www.newegg.com

Probably the best all around site.

Are you ready to take on building it yourself or want a prebuilt?

 

[Deedas]

I have what I belive is enough experience to build my own. I have taking a couple of systems apart and put them back together just to try it out.

I was hoping I could get a barebone system with the board and cpu installed already, since for me that's the toughest part. But I'll do that by myself if it'll save me money.

 

[MistaTastyCakes]

Looks good, but here's what I'd change..

I'd drop the case there and grab an Antec SX630 or whatever the new model equivalent of it is, I'd grab an n-force 2 motherboard since AMD761 is pretty old, and I'd get it all from www.newegg.com

Give putting it all together yourself a try, as opposed to a barebones system. Barebones systems don't always use quality components (motherboards, mainly) and the experience gained from putting it together yourself will help ya in the long run w/ future upgrades and the like