I need help Building a Computer, can yall help?

[Coldkilla]

Where's the hardrives at? I noticed the free pen thing, but when I was experimenting with the 'add to cart' the 1st free object was overwritten by the 2nd, and so on.. Therefore you are only allowed 1 thing eh? Meh!

I have a network I think on my computers (Both are connected via Ethernet-router-), and I never figured out data transfer between the 2 computers in my house. If I can save some money on the hdd's that be nice, cuz then I can have 160GB HDD's instead of 120, pay less, and with the money I save, get that ABIT thing for transfering files (I currently download & burn 700MB CD's by the lot to get patches, game demos, music, files from one computer to the next and networking would be really nice, especially a higher rate network.. Then again, as long as I CAN transfer files, speed is not a concern.

Last thing: The Corsair ram, the one you linked up.. That'd mean I'd have to buy 4 of them right? Would that be cheaper/benefitial? It might not even matter considering I dont know when the money from ebay will get in my hands.

 

[Pollock]

Both hard drive deals are through Outpost.com. Seagate deal and Hitachi deal. You have to deal with rebates though, but you shouldn't need to spend that $100 now anyway.

In order to get customer appreciation gifts with everything, all you do is make a seperate order for each item and its gift. Everything comes out fine this way, as I've done it twice.

Gigabit LAN would be a waste for you anyway, since your router can probably only do 100mbps anyway. So basically you're limited to 100mbps anyway. Besides, even with gigabit LAN, large files (~700MB, etc.) would still take a pretty long time to transfer.

 

[Coldkilla]

Someone just told me that this KV mobo comes with:

Abit KV8 is a good oc'er because it has AGP and PCI bus locks. The KV8 has better reviews and is easier/reccomended for doing overclocking with the A64. Its not like you'll see a difference too much, but it has better reviews and HardOCP reccomends it for the mobo for AMD 64 series for overclocking.

I dont know what that means, but I'm just checking with everyone.. To be honest, you seem to know what you are talking about a little more than they do lol.

Could you tell me what those terms are (AGP-PCI Locks)

 

[Pollock]

The VNF3-250 should also have a working AGP/PCI lock, because that issue was only with older chipsets. The AGP/PCI lock is what keeps the AGP/PCI bus steady at I think 66-67MHz when you increase the FSB, which is basically how you overclock processors that have locked multipliers like Athloon 64s and P4s. If there was no AGP/PCI lock, when increasing the FSB while overclocking, the AGP and PCI busses would also increase more, which is ok to a small extent, but will start causing corruption on anything on the AGP and PCI bus. Basically, your graphics card, hard drive, optical drive, and any other things on the PCI bus would start having signaling errors, and screw up your data on your hard drive, for example. But you shouldn't worry about that, as that has been ironed out for several months.

To be honest, you should be able to overclock just as well with the VNF3 as with the KV8. And even then, Athlon 64s are so good that you may not need to overclock for a while (although us enthusiasts always do). And also, not to bash any particular site, but one of the main reasons some boards score higher is simply because they have more useless features, like firewire (I've never had to use it, at least, and I don't really know anyone else who has), "anywhere RAID" or something (useless because RAID0 rarely helps with general desktop usage, although RAID1 is more practical. Even then, the VNF3 at least has 2 SATA ports, but not that that matters because hard drives aren't fast enough to utilize even ATA100), and other such things. You won't really know what most of what I'm talking about is, but it doesn't matter anyway because all it does it cost more for no more performance, really. And back to chipsets, nForce3 actually performs slightly better than other chipsets, and even slighly more so when paired with an nVidia card, which is what you're getting. Not that that meager performance difference even matters, but rather that the nForce3 board is $30 cheaper.

 

[Rumple]

I just built my first pc this weekend. I read that guide they told you about on here and it helped me out a lot. IT IS SO EASY! I cant believe i used to pay people to build my pcs. The only tough part for me was actually fitting the motherboard into the case. I was scared i would break something. It went very smooth and it works great! I spent around $800 on mine and i am very happy with it. I use it almost exclusively for gaming. Here is what i bought i got it all from zipzoomfly which has free 2nd day shipping on every thing but the case.

AMD64 3000+ ---- $160
MSI K8N Neo-FSR --- $107
2x512 Corsair value memory pc 3200 --- $158
Western Digital 80gb SATA --- $68
Thermaltake Xaser III lanfire w/420 power supply --- $113

I bought a BFG Nvidia 6800 OC off of Ebay for $265 i couldnt find one in stock anywhere online for less than $350 so this was the next best thing. It was brand new in a factory sealed box.

Also i had an OEM version of windows XP Home already on my old PC so i went to aircup.com and bought a license for the OEM version for $46.

I already had a DVD drive, Floppy drive etc....

All you really need to do is start reading reviews on parts and look to sites like Tom's Hardware for a ton of info. I didnt know very much about pcs before i built mine. But its just so damn easy i still cant believe it.

Ive read most of this thread and it looks like you are getting pretty good info. The only suggestion i would make is be sure to buy a nvidia 6800 if you are gaming on them. This made a HUGE difference for me. And the card i went from really wasnt that bad (fx5900xt). I play battlefield vietnam, doom 3, farcry, call of duty, etc... These are all the top games right now and this pc runs them awesome!

My old pc wasnt really that bad either but my wifes pc went out and she gave me the ok to build this one so .....

My old one consisted of this :

AMD 2500+
Gigabyte Ga-7vaxp
2x512 crucial pc 2100
Seagate 40gb 7200rpm
Geforce fx5900xt
In an antec case of some sort with a 350w PSU

That pc actually ran all those games really well in med-high quality in 1024x768 res.

Just my 2 cents but building something relatively close to my new pc should do everything you need and be awesome for gaming.

 

[Coldkilla]

ok. Im going to check this out with the other forum nerds lol, I believe you I just wanna have the computer genious unanomus desision based on FACTS (Like you said it should have locks, & such things like that.

Question: Does the AMD 64 3000+ have THERMAL GREASE or That tape stuff? Rumple, I have never built a computer before and have also read that NICE and EASY tutorial from mechBgon w00t! Just havint done it yet. i wish the 3MB video would have downloaded for me to SEE how it was done (The heatsink), I know the procedure, but I am very fearful of screwing the heatsink/processor combination overheating thing.

Rumple, did you build your mobo outside yur comp? Then Screw/ or w/e it all in?

 

[Rumple]

I was pretty nervous about the heatsink too after reading that guide.

I put the processor and heatsink on the mobo b4 i put it in. The stock heatsink comes with some thermal tape already applied. It was VERY easy. You lift up the lever stick the processor on and lock the lever back down. Then you stick the heatsink on it and clip the lever down. It is really simple and you dont need to use a screwdriver or anything on the amd64 3000+. The retail box for the amd64 comes with a pretty decent step by step guide. The only part i was worried about was when i had to put the screws in the mobo it was kinda scary considering this was my first build. But everything came out ok. Dont sweat it! It was a piece of cake.


***EDIT***

One other thing. The mobo i bought had that plate already installed on it. Was pretty nice. I was kinda nervous about putting that plate on the mobo.

Oh and those bfg cards from outpost are on back order they said they should have more by the 14th but i wouldnt hold your breath. Might want to start shopping on ebay. Probably wont get one for 249 but might get pretty close.

 

[Coldkilla]

Im getting this BFG here. (Its 249.99 and its in stock).

Currently, I am going to change my case to this. I like it cuz the look kinda, and it saves me an extra 51 dollars than before.

Im still debating wether or not to spend the extra money to get more money back 2 months later...

The mobo i bought had that plate already installed on it

What plate? Whats a plate? If it isnt on mine (I have reconfigured it to that ABIT, just because of 5 people telling me all the downsides to it, meh, no matter i have everything fitted into my budget)

The ABIT MOBO- If you can tell the mobo has a plate on it, can you taka quick look at the one I am getting? If it doesnt, is it hard to put it on?

 

[Rumple]

If you are going to spend 107 bucks on a mobo i would definetly go with the MSI K8N Neo series. I did ALOT of research and read posts in tech forums and the general consenses was the MSI boards or if u can find them in stock the DFI boards. From everything i have read it seems the nforce3 is a better chipset than the Via one.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=246478
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=241141

Also i wouldnt skimp on the case. Its important for air flow. The power supply that comes with that case is probably crap. And considering that the power supply provides all the power to the pc that is not a spot i personally would skimp in. I went thru 3 no name psu's b4 i finally broke down and paid the extra cash for a antec true power. It was well worth the extra cash. That case doesnt look like it has alot of ventilation. I would recommend something different. I bought this

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=370442

I would take a really good look at the pictures b4 u buy a case. I made that mistake the first time i bought a pc and had someone else build it for me. I ended up throwing my cheap ass case and the crappy power supply it road in on out the window! For what you are going to be putting in the case i would find something with at least 1 fan in the front 1 fan in the back and a fan on the side door. The more the better. The case i bought had 4 fans in it and it stays very cool. Right around 30 Celsius.

This is the case i have my old pc in

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-129-118&depa=1

I bought a different side door from the antec site with another fan in it for better cooling.
It has been a good case i had overheating problems with it b4 i bought the new side panel though.

I cant stress it enough dont go cheap on the case or the psu you will regret it down the road.

Here are a few to consider:

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=11-156-132&depa=1

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=168086

Heck heres 2 decent looking cases with a 350w psu, a wireless mouse, a keyboard, and 2 speakers for less than $80!

http://www.xoxide.com/5in1combo1.html
http://www.xoxide.com/5in1combo.html

another nice one

http://www.xoxide.com/xblade2.html

It may be all about looks for you but dont make the mistake of basing your choice on that alone. You NEED good airflow and plenty of room. You might also consider going with a SATA hard drive since they use the smaller cables or at least buy some round cables for your hard drive and dvd-rom. And your floppy drive if u have one.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...p?ProductCode=101205-1
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...ctCode=101208-1-316604
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=315294

Here's the memory i bought it would save you $32 and with the amd64 its all you would really need.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...p?ProductCode=80098-21

The plate i was talking about is the thing you attach to the motherboard that the heatsink attaches to.

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer
well 2 rigs for that much i think your gonna be heading in Athlon XP, or indeed the Sempron as its now called. either way u say ur gaming so AMD is probably the way to go

Sempron is a big flop. Really slow. Slower than the Athlon XP.

 

[Pollock]

Originally posted by: raildogg

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer
well 2 rigs for that much i think your gonna be heading in Athlon XP, or indeed the Sempron as its now called. either way u say ur gaming so AMD is probably the way to go

Sempron is a big flop. Really slow. Slower than the Athlon XP.

I don't see how. The Thouroughbred-based Sempron is pretty close to the other Athlon XPs of similar clock speeds (haven't paid much attention though), while the S754 3100+ is just an A64 2800+ with half the cache...which makes very little difference. Of course, I'd much rather have an A64 sticker on my case than a Sempron sticker.

Anyway...or try Antec cases for a more subdued look, if you don't want something so...gaudy. Believe me, those plastic bezels are going to look pretty bad in person. Not to mention the Antecs come with much better PSUs, although neither are they TrueBlues or anything...but neither do you have a GT or an UE, so there shouldn't be too much to worry about...

By the way, I find it easiest to mount the processor and heatsink, and then put the motherboard in the case before attaching anything else. Well, maybe put the ram in there or something, but it doesn't really matter anyway. I too was kinda scared about putting the motherboard in, screwing it down, as well as putting on the thermal grease and mounting the heatsink, but it came out all right. Now it's not too much of a problem. You shouldn't worry too much if the stock heatsink has thermal tape, too.

Don't worry a ton about airflow, either. As long as you get an ATX case, and don't put too many hot objects in there, you'll be fine. Even then, it doesn't matter much since you won't be overclocking to the extreme, either.

 

[Coldkilla]

Sorry for late reply, spyware took out my ability to login to the site, and it was around 1:30AM when I typed this, damn spyware, was too damn tired to find a solution that late.

And.. Erm.. did I mention I love you! ... (You sick bastad)

The Good:
I love http://www.xoxide.com/5in1combo.html Case, considering it is cheaper, awesome looking, airflow friendly, and cheaper.. Only 350W but I don't know what that means with my system..
The 160GB Western Digital for 110 was nice, just don't I need 40 Wire or something to connect it into the motherboard? What's the ATA Cable for then?
The Cooler master is cool! What do I connect it to??
1. If the 160GB ($110) turns out to be for the better, I might as well buy the $100 dollar mail in rebate ones right?

The maybe not so good?
To business:
2. The RAM- isn't double data rate?
3. The HDD is OEM and I need to connect the HDD to the motherboard somehow! Unless you suggest the 160GB you recommended, or the 110 dollar one with mail in rebate!?

3. I am going to be all confused and Imma ask questions on the motherboard(s) you suggested with other forums, and I will calculate the EXACT money's I'd be saving (Thx to you!). Sorry, I wont be able to do this until 4PM CST Today.

4. Do you know if the AMD 64+ come with the plate AND heatsink? Is there special plates that I have to buy?

5. GT or an UE
Whats that mean?

6. The Case that I pointed out, I like it somewhat. Not to mention I am saving 36 Dollars getting that PLUS the speakers. Lets say the speakers were 20.00, normal keyboard was 20, mouse was 30. That adds up to 50.00 WITHOUT a case, throw a 50+ dollar case and you got over 100.00, but the deal on the case you put on here, was only 74 (86 with shipping). That is saving me alot of money man! (Plus the mouse is wireless )

The extra money I am saving, might and probably will cover the extra costs of mobo (If I want the one a little more expensive than the $99 one...UNLESS, (After I find out how much I am saving), you would suggest a specific component that wouldn't cost much to upgrade, but would be the most beneficial!

Thx so far for all your words of wisdom, I am desperately trying to find time and work this through for a few more hours' loll. Just you let you know as a reminder, by the time ebay ends, and the money gets in my hands.. Is determining how long it will be before I can start purchasing all of this, therefore prices might change a little on everything.. So, that's another thing I hate about building computers before I buy em, the prices change and people DO run out of stock, but the amount of money I am saving can be a general assumption that that is money that will lower the price down in the end some time. If you or someone else would stop at each one of these questions, I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Rumple]

The 160gb drive i linked you comes with a secure connect sata cable. That is what you would connect to the motherboard. No need for the bulky connectors with sata.

The coolermaster round cable would connect the standard ide hard drive as well as your dvd drive to the motherboard. However the MSI board does come with a ide round cable and a floppy round cable you can use. So no need to spend extra cash there.

The ram i linked you is DDR400 yes its double data rate. Its pretty much the exact same thing you were looking at from geil. Its just the corsair brand.

If you buy a RETAIL box amd64 you will get the heatsink and fan with it. And if you are not going to overclock your processor than that should be all you need.

By GT and UE he means a 6800 GT or a 6800 Ultra edition. Those cards require 2 molex power connections i believe. What he is saying is that you would need a bigger psu for those 2 cards. I think they recommend at least a 480watt psu for those cards. I made sure mine was at least 400watts for my 6800 OC just to be on the safe side.

I am VERY happy with my MSI K8N Neo-FSR. It was a breeze to install and set up the bios. Only difference from this one to the $30 more one is 2 extra sata connections and some firewire ports. No big deal for me i have never even used anything requiring firewire and there is no way i will ever own 4 hard drives in one pc.

Just a quick break down ill link what I WOULD RECOMMEND. I am VERY happy with my new system.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...sp?ProductCode=80699-R ----$162
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=241141 ----$99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...p?ProductCode=80098-21 ----$162
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...ctCode=101208-1-316604 ----$110

That brings you to $533 and zipzoomfly offers FREE 2nd day shipping on all these items.

I wouldnt recommend buying a sound card the onboard sound on just about any amd64 board will do unless you HAVE to have EAX. Also you might consider downgrading to a 80gb hard drive u can get a western digital sata for about $65 saving you $45. You can always buy another hard drive later for the extra storage.

Add in the BFG 6800 OC's at $250 each that brings you up to $783 for each pc.

I dont know too much about monitors so i cant help you there. For a mouse and keyboard i HIGHLY recommend the MX DUO! Awesome mouse and keyboard. And both are wireless!

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=211086 -----$66.99

Cant really say much on DVD-rom's either i figure they all would work about the same i got mine at Staples for $50 with a $30 rebate and it works fine.

 

[Pollock]

I will say it again: There is no need to spend $10 more for a SATA connection, and make it $60 more when the rebates come back. Yes, it does help airflow, but you could just tuck you cables away, get round cables, or not care. It doesn't really make much of a difference.

Anyway, all (retail, at least-means brand new in retail packaging, not OEM) motherboards pretty much come with cables, so no need to worry there unless you'll be using an extraordinary amount of drives and such (you won't be). However, you may want to scavenge the two IDE cables from your old desktop so you can run your hard drives and optical drives on different channels (helps performance quite a bit-or rather, at least prevents it from being degraded), since most motherboards usually only come with one IDE cable anyway. Of course, if you go the SATA route, you won't need two IDE cables for each computer.

I will second the recommendation to not bother with a soundcard. I just laugh when people buy like $80 Audigy 2 ZS's for a system with a crappy processor and GPU. Onboard sound will certainly suffice.

And, like he said, you can also "downgrade" to an 80GB drive so that it's cheaper before rebates. But if you do that, I really suggest the Hitachi 80GB SATA drive over the Western Digital, because recent Hitachi drives have been proven to be the best performers and quietest drives (well, Seagates are quiet too). Not to mention all Hitachis have 3 year warranties, too, while WD still has 1 year warranties (I think). Well, whatever you want.

 

[Coldkilla]

Sorry for late reply.. Again, as I said my main computer (Laptop) is infested with spyware, and getting at this compaq here is a bit more difficult to get on. ANYWAY!

What does a 8MB/Buffer do on a Hard Drive?
I saw a 80GB Western Digital Here: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...jsp?ProductCode=101318

Another Western Digital (This is the one with a (SATA is it?)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/...ctCode=101318-315006-1

The motherboard selection of yours is probably a 80-90% chance I will get it. Imma just chill out for a few days and see what deals are out there until the time I decide to buy. I?ll come to you (If your still around lol), because I saw a $150 dollar motherboard reduced 100 dollars to 49.99.

Heres my deal with rebates: The price before is the price now, if it goes over my budget, that sucks and I wont be able to do it, unless its so unbelievably good I?d get shot if I passed it up.

Case: Well, I now have a keyboard and mouse so I don?t need to buy that package deal. I hit a bump in the road though.

Cost Now: (With present mobo selection which is 7 dollars more)

[/b]Sub Total: 2082
Tax: 122.19
Total: 2182[/b]

WELL DONE! Just as I said.. BUMP in the road. I never selected speakers, the new cases, and I havn?t confirmed my possible problem with the Windows XP CD. Newegg?s 16 dollar shipping on 30 dollar cases just spit 50 dollars in my face, that?s 100 total. Roughly 100 for the Windows XP CD. And who knows how much for the speakers TIMES 2.

I just must say that, if it don?t effect performance that much, I wont need the SATA Cables.

Take a look at my Gateway (Not my Somewhat good Compaq or Alienware). The computer is a piece of junk therefore: GatewayPC (The hard Drive is only 30Gb and the Power is only 200W, I cant salvage that crap)

Take a look at Figure A. IS that an IDE Cable? I read somewhere that is it not a good idea to plug a harddrive into the middle part of the cord, or to put the hardrive on the cord by ITSELF and have nothing else plugged into the middle at all. How can I be sure that the IDE (If that?s what they are) Cables, will have enough ?outlets? in side the motherboard?

I can take the cables from the compaq (IDE?):
Power Cables

Figure B, that?s what I meant by the middle. Does it matter what is connected to what, and what cord is sharing what?
(I.E. Hard Drive to DVD Drive, to motherboard?) Will the instructions stat where to plug the cord in?

That?s all for now lol. Mind you those cords are 8 years old.

 

[Pollock]

First things first, the cable you are pointing to in figure B is a floppy cable, which you can figure out by the twist in the cabling. There are also less pins in floppy cables than IDE cables, making them not as wide. By the way, are you sure that's 8 years old? I'm not sure if PCI existed around that time, and nor do I have a computer that old (rather, yucky old G3 Macs). Anyway, if there's any way you can tell whether the cable says ATA33, ATA66, ATA100, ATA133, or something to that extent, would help me determine the usefulness of those cables.

Anyway, on figure A, yes, that looks like an IDE cable. Just make sure it has no twists and has 40 pins. It is generally agreed that putting a hard drive by itself on the middle connector (slave position) hurts performance some. Instead, you should put it on the end (master) connector (probably the end where the two connectors are closer together...the motherboard end is also usually blue on current cables). However, there should be no problem with your hard drive being by itself in the master position, as long as it's jumpered correctly. Most hard drives come jumpered for master or cable select, which works fine. Even if it's set to slave, I believe it still works anyway.

The connector farthest apart from the middle connector should be the motherboard end, which you plug into the motherboard (labeled IDE1 or IDE2, probably). The other end connector will be the the master channel, which is where you plug in lone drives. If you want to add a second hard drive to your computer, just plug it into the slave channel connector (middle one, and make sure it's jumpered to slave, too). The same goes for optical drives (DVD drives, CD burners, etc.), but just make sure to keep your optical drives on one cable and your hard drives on the other cable. Also make sure to put your hard drive(s) on the primary channel (probably IDE1, but it will be listed in your manual anyway). All of this will help performance some.

Also, the XP issue...just keep the original CD and tear the serial key label off the bottom of the laptop and you should be fine. No need to spend another $74.

Last thing before I go lay down on the couch for a while (been sick the past couple days)...If I missed anything, sorry. Basically the 8MB of cache on the hard drive lets the drive remember the last data it accessed from the platters, eliminating the need to go back to that track on the platter and get the data again as often as with a 2MB drive. The performance difference between 2MB and 8MB is just like the difference between 5400RPM and 7200RPM - a decent improvement in performance for practically no more money.

One more thing...have you tried Ad-aware and Spybot Search & Destroy? Those 2 programs should help get rid of your spyware problems. Not to mention switching browsers away from Internet Explorer to Opera (or Firefox, but I despise Firefox).

 

[Coldkilla]

1. The type of cord is: AWM 2651 105C 300V VW1.
2. I am just going to buy Retail everything to be safe knowing I am not missing anything.
3. I am GOING to go with the 8MB for sure then
4. Keyboard:
5. Hardrive: Here or This.
6. The Windows XP Master CD, and the Recovery CD were illistraited in the auction
7. I need will try ripping everything off that Alienware (Recovery or Master?) CD and format the computer with THAT CD. I still need to give that Number on the bottem of the laptop to the buyer..
8. I have Ad-Aware SE, and Spybot Search and Distory. The spyware IS deleted, but comes BACK 1-2 seconds after loading the internet free of spyware. (It reinstalls itself somehow)
9. Feel betta m8

 

[Zebo]

Chaintech mobo (Chaintech VNF3-250 Zenith) 70$
Amd 2800 64 OC to 2300-2500 137$
Corsair Value pc 3200 Ram 1gig 130$
BFG 6800 from outpost.com softmod to 6800GT 250$
Microsoft keyboard and cordless duo 35$
Segate HDD 160gb 100$
Antec Case with 350W PSU 70$
19 Inch NEC DiamondPro $300


Sorry $1095 is the cheapest I can go

 

[Coldkilla]

Sorry for the delay. Zebo, I almost have a complete System set-up, new suggestions will not be taken into consideration. I have consulted many, many forums and this is my best bet. Please refer to my last post, and help me out if you can.

20 minutes left for bid!

 

[Coldkilla]

The auction is over. 1,800 is what I planned to sell it for, I got it. We are just discussing customs to Canada costing so much. (I better play it cool hotshot). Because I dont want to get this guy upset, the customs are $250.00 (Canadian) and he needs to pay me 50.00 dollars (US), He's payin already 2260 or somthing in Canadian + 250, over 2,500 dollars! (Canadian) To top it off, he owes me 50 Dollar US shipping. (Will update post if no one replys by tomarrow).

Computer talk:

Better Deal Time:
AMD 3000+ With FarCry http://www.mwave.com/mwave/vie...x?scriteria=MB-BA03129
AMD 3000+ From Newegg http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=19-103-486&depa=0

Are both Processers the same? (EXACTLY, Fan, Heatsink, Processer, speed)? If FarCry is free, YOINK! Then again, if the other Processor is better in some way, neup, its back to my original processor (Same one, w/out game).

 

[Pollock]

1. - can't tell what type it is, but only use those cables on your optical drives then, if you have to.
5. - Unfortunately those 80GB WD drives no longer have the rebates, so you're back to square one.
6. - Since that's the case, you should probably buy a new license. If you don't care about the other person being able to use the key several more times, you can just make a copy of the CD and still use the key; however, that's up to your morals. By the way, it doesn't matter whether you install with the original CD or with a copy. It's still the same data, either way. What matters is what serial key is used and who the software is registered to.

I would also still recommend the VNF3 as a motherboard, since you get the same stuff as the other motherboard(s) you picked out, and for a cheaper price (plus have nF3). Also, all A64s bought from Newegg with a motherboard result in a free copy of Farcry, although since the 3000+ is $10 cheaper at Mwave (and still retail), you may as well get it from Mwave. The main reason I cite Newegg prices is because Newegg is pretty much universally trusted, and their prices are usually some of the lowest.

I'm also assuming that Zebo saw a deal for 1GB of Corsair ram, although I don't remember if Outpost (?) is still running that or not. If it is, go for it.

Anyway, you don't need to rush the ordering of your parts. Keep an eye out for hot deals that will save you lots of money, too. A good example is that in 2 days AMD should be cutting prices again on processors, so that may save you some more money.

 

[Coldkilla]

I formatted my laptop today before shipping.. With the copied Windows XP CD. Here's the kicker, I couldnt use that CD.

I copied the CD exactly (Windows XP). I took the original CD and put it in the case. I took the freshly copied one, put it in the computer and restarted it. I was waiting to see a "Press any key to boot from CD" like the other CD does, instead it just boots up to the desktop. The original CD says it will only work with Alienware Computers, is that true?

VNF3, I am just not going to get a chaintech, or anything more than 100 dollars. Just because of the budget constraints, and I dont even know what the hell a VNF3 is, and other people in other forums had everything but nice things to say for it.

My morals on Win XP, if I dont have to register it.. I will use the same CD key. I will and my brother will. I will copy the number down, and leave the sticker on there for the buyer. Unless I cant get around my burned copy that isnt working.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=19-103-486&amp;depa=0 << The Processor I am getting from Newegg then, that doesnt have FarCry.

I'll find a nice hard drive and post it here for yalls inspection.

 

[Pollock]

What you have to do is go into the BIOS and change the boot sequence so that it boots from the CD instead of the hard drive. However, since this is a computer built by an OEM, they usually lock down a lot of features in BIOS. I think they still let you change the boot sequence, so try that first (with the copied CD). BUT, if the copied CD works fine on your other computer, you should be ok. Don't bother changing the boot sequence of the laptop, rather, just use the default recovery discs/whatnot (usually you run a specific Alienware CD while on the Windows desktop, if it's similar to my Compaq laptop's recovery method). Once you have XP freshly reinstalled, don't activate it yet. You can only activate an OEM copy of XP a maximum of 5 times I think, so you would probably want to try and activate your other two computers first. I've activated my copy of XP twice on my laptop and I'm not sure whether 2 or 3 times on this computer, but I know I can't activate it anymore, so this may or may not work. Worst case scenario, you have to wait 2 more days for a new copy of XP to come from Newegg.

Bad things to say about the VNF3? Well, whatever, your $60.

Well, I hear Mwave also used to be pretty good and trustworthy, although I can't personally vouch for them like I can for Newegg. You should try ordering the processor from Mwave, since it's the same thing, cheaper, and you can get a free copy of Farcry from both places.

 

[HiDeAtHfInItIoN]

i say build one fast system...not two! but thats me

 

[Coldkilla]

HiDeAtHfInItIoN = HA! Yea, I should go solo and ditch my brother on the whole thing! mauaha!

Seriously now:
The Mwave did not specify wether or not it came with a Heatsink AND Fan. (Do heatsinks ALWAYS come with fans?). Since I does say retail, Should I assume it has those components?

Pollock, throw me a link of the VNF3 if you could please (Somthing good, no more than 100 dollars). And I will run a specs check on the mobo's I have selected now Vs's the VNF3. I just want to compair the facts, not opinions on how good it works. Likes compairing 2 hod rod cars without knowing what engines each got, its all opinion until you see whats under the hood.

If the specs on the mobos are hard to compair, and you just have to know whats good for you... Maybe a chart of some sort.. Like the Haves and Have nots, crash suseptibility, stability (If there are stats on stibility).

I will try the Window XP in my compaq computer, but since I will have to format, it will take some time to get everything backed up on the computer. (I backed up my laptop prior to selling). The laptop is still in my room, but its formatted already with the latest drivers and instructions all set up for the buyer. Therefore, experimentation must be done on the compaq.

Pollock about the XP Copy:
1. You were suggesting to boot the copied CD into my Compaq? (Will the CD format everything as well?)
2. You were suggesting to load BIOS of the Compaq and boot from CD?
3. If the CD works, what can I do to get my hands on a ligitimate CD number (Legally of course)
4. WTF is O.E.M? All I know is that, a retail version is the box and all the bells &amp; whisles &amp; OEM isnt.

Thanks a lot!