ideas for a new computer

[Gix]

I have an $800 budget. a few parts i already own and do not feel the need to purchase. IBM Deskstar XGP75 40GB, floppy drive, and sb live! oem, netgear 10/100 NIC, samsung 12x/40x dvd/cd rom, and keyboard + monitor, headphones
So what I am getting below will be joined by what i already own.
feel free to criticise my choices below
I was thinking somewhere along the lines of:
Amd athlon Xp 1600
-w/ Thermaltake Volcano 6Cu+
EPOX EP-8KHA+ kt266a
512mb Crucial pc2100 ddr
Gainward GeForce 3 Ti200
Aopen 24x10x40 CD-RW
Lian-li pc60 aluminum or generic aluminum(for less money)
Now here are a few questions:
I'm a serious gamer, i spend most of my time on the computer playing FPS. So i was wondering what new mouse I should get. I've asked a few people and some recommend Micro$oft 3rd generation optical(non explorer) and others recommend a razer boomslang 1000. anyone have any opinions?
and also is it the best time to upgrade now because for the past week or so the memory prices for 256mb pc2100 modules have significantly gone up.

 

[ojai00]

Hi Gix. Your system is looking good so far. I've heard good things about the Lite-On 24X CD-RW. You might want to get that instead of the AOpen. However, I'm not sure if they're the same or not. If you're a serious gamer, and have some money left over, you might want to opt for a GF3 Ti500. And about the mouse...do you like trackballs? Hope this helps...

 

[Gix]

don't have quite the money for ti500, unless i decide to get an enlight 50 dollar case instead of a lian li or the other aluminum case. well it's really the decision between optical and ball mouse right now. no trackballs.

 

[Furyline]

My brother has the Razor boomslang, might be the 2000. Anyway, he really likes the on-the-fly sensitivity changer thing because he also is really into FPS. Otherwise, I've heard the Logitech optical mouse is a very good all-around mouse.

I have the EPoX, and it ERoX (sorry ) Great stability, I don't recall it having one crash yet.

I've had my eye on the Ti 200 also, looks like great bang for the buck.

Boy this looks like my (realistic) dream machine.

Mike

 

[ku]

As for mouse, i'd suggest a logitech optical mouse. Microsoft mouses aren't symmetrical and therefor can lead to inaccurate movements.

That computer is looking nice. But do you really want to spend that much money on an aluminum case? I'd say get something cheaper like an Antec case and buy the gf3 ti500 with the leftover.

About the RAM, the prices are high now and most people think it's because of the christmas season. If you'd like, you get 256 now and wait a couple months if you can. However, there is still a risk in this as prices might not drop.

 

[ShadowFox]

Hi, just a few reccomendations and bits of info

cpu - good
HSF - NO! i'd get a Thermalright SK-6 nad a low noise fan (thermaltake 60mm)
MB - think about the soyo dragon+, its nice, fast, and stable
Video - good, but you might want to consider the Leadtek Ti200TDH, its got tv/dvi, hardware monitors and great 2d (newegg doesnt have it but GoogleGear does)
CD-RW - good
Case - good, i think you'll be happier with the aluminum, looks so nice; DO NOT GET THE ENLIGHT!!!!! i just got one of those, sorry to say but they're POS's, hard to open, sharp edges, takes FOREVER to get out the metal thingies that block the 5 1/4 bays, for a cheap case consider the Antec SX635 at
GoogleGear its $80

as far as mouse goes, i have an Intellimouse Optical and i like it, might want to look into the line of Logitech mice, also, i've heard of people having problems with razer boobslang mice

hope this helps

 

[Gix]

<<
HSF - NO! i'd get a Thermalright SK-6 nad a low noise fan (thermaltake 60mm) >>


I don't mind noise really, with headphones on my ears usually, i don't hear any external noise.


<< MB - think about the soyo dragon+, its nice, fast, and stable >>


also around 50 dollars more expensive


<< Case - good, i think you'll be happier with the aluminum, looks so nice; DO NOT GET THE ENLIGHT!!!!! i just got one of those, sorry to say but they're POS's, hard to open, sharp edges, takes FOREVER to get out the metal thingies that block the 5 1/4 bays, for a cheap case consider the Antec SX635 at >>


Yeah i wanted an aluminum, but to get a Ti500 and an AL case, it just wouldn't fit my budget.
and as far as mouse choices, i've heard 3 conflicting opinions:
1) Ms
2) logitech
3) boomslang
i'm looking for some more opinions ppl!



[/i] >>

 

[TeABaG88]

I actually bought the Razer Boomslang 2000 and ended up taking it back because I hated the feel of it. Way to big. I now have the Logitech Mouseman USB +. I love it, its so nice and can keep up with me in games. I think that the mouse has been discontinued for the ifeel model, but you can find tons of brand new ones on ebay. As for microsoft opticals, i imagine that the new version is very nice considering that microsoft bump the refresh rate of the laser up to 6,000 times per second. I think my logitech is only 1,500 but it can still keep up in FPS Hope this helps...

 

[kjmcdonald]

I'm working on something similiar. Around the same budget.

Here's what I have in my wish list at NewEgg.com:

$155 SkyHawk Aluminum MiniServer case 4610EP-D
$55 Enermax 350W PSU 365PE-FC
$165 Abit KR7A DDR MotherBoard
$130 AMD Athlon 1800+ OEM
$33 ThermalRight SK6 with Delta Fan
$6 Artic Silver Thermal Paste
-----
$544 No Video No RAM. No CDRW

You take out the KR7A and put in your MB and you're under $500.
The RAM is tough. Best deal right now is at Best Buy(.com) 256MB
DDR for $35 - $10 Mail in Rebate = $25, sale lasts till Sat.
The Lite-ON 24x10x40 is $80 at NewEgg, but do you need it now?
If you got the RAM at BestBuy you could almost afford the GF3ti500.
You might be able to shave more off the Power Supply or even use
the one you have now to start with - That could pay for the RAM.

Also check Monarch for the CPU, I know thier 1800+ was $25 cheaper
than NewEgg, and they Warranty thier OEM CPU's for 3 years.

-Kyle

 

[scoobydooby]

Well, since you're a budget minded guy I would say stick with the Gainward, partially because I just ordered one but also because unless you want the absolute best performance I think the TI 200 is only ~10-20 fps behind the TI 500. Which in my mind is no big deal. As for the mouse, I have a logitech optical wheel and it rocks! It fits perfectly in my hand, is blue, and seems to work great in unreal tournament. So avoid microsoft because they take our money all the time and get the logitech!! Everything else looks great. Good luck.
Scoob