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I'm building a computer for the first time!!

R

Reebdoog

Member
Here is a list of what I'm planning to get. Please give me any suggestions because I know most of you know a lot more about hardware than I do. I have $500 to spend and I want to get the most power I can get. This will be mainly for gamer. So tell what I'm missing or what I should replace.

Asus A7n8x dlx - $146
Amd xp 2200- $79
Case- $15
512mbddr3200- $115
60gb HDD- $66
DVD - $6
Floppy - $5
Radeon9100 - $83
 
Welcome to the boards, Reebdoog 🙂

Looks like a nice rig. I would spend more on a case (Quality case + psu). If you're gaming consider something higher than Radeon 9100 if you can go over your budget.
 
i'd get the abit nf7-s..
athlon 2100+ is a good overclocker.. not worth paying extra for 2200+
case.. $15 with PSU?!?! don't skimp on PSU.. it'll die really fast.. and you'll end up forking out money for another
You can find cheaper ram too.. maybe Crucial 512MB PC2700 for $65.. or hardcorecooling.us sells some pretty good PC3200 ram for $79.. it says it's winbond chips, but it's actually the stuff OCZ uses, v-data.. i don't mind really, because mine can do 217FSB @ cas2..
with the saved money from the above, you can get a 9500 pro..
 
I already have an extra power supply, so the case should be fine I guess. I just need to know exactly what to buy, like fans etc.

ps. hahaha I love that sig snik
 
I just priced out a system for you from newegg.com (didn't see your second post regarding the power supply):

Antec SLK1600 ATX case w/300W Antec Power Suppy Retail: $44.99
Lite-On XJ-HD166S 16x DVD-ROM OEM: $33.00
Samsung 1.44MB Floppy Drive OEM: $7.00
Maxtor 60GB 7200rpm IDE Hard Drive OEM: $85.00 (Could you save some money with a 40GB drive?)
Crucial 512MB PC2700 DDR RAM OEM: $72.00
MSI K7N2G-L nForce2 Motherboard Retail: $105.00 (On-board nForce2 APU and LAN)
AMD Athlon XP 1700+ CPU Retail: $61.00
ATI Radeon 8500LE 128MB DDR OEM: $87.00

Total: $494.99

I think the quality of parts on this system is a lot better.

Edit1: By going with the Maxtor 40GB 7200rpm IDE HD ($67), you could get the AMD Athlon XP 2000+ Retail CPU ($85) for a total of $500.99.
Edit2: Or get the 40GB Maxtor drive, AMD Athlon XP 1700+, and Chaintech A-GX20 GeForce4 Ti-4200 64MB ($124) for a total of $513.99.
 
Make sure you have a friend or 2 around who knows what they are doing when you are building.
I had a problem with my first build and needed help from 2 friends.
 
thanks GT, i'll probably go along with that setup. I dont know much about motherboards, but is the one you picked good?
 
Originally posted by: Reebdoog
thanks GT, i'll probably go along with that setup. I dont know much about motherboards, but is the one you picked good?
Click to expand...

I made a second edit...

Yes, the nForce2 boards are the best you can get for AMD CPUs these days. They are fast, stable, have great on-board audio, and LAN.
 
Originally posted by: Reebdoog
thanks GT, i'll probably go along with that setup. I dont know much about motherboards, but is the one you picked good?
Click to expand...
Its fine if you don't plan on OC'ing. You might not be interested in OC'ing now, but its better to plan for it now rather than be stuck with a neutered board down the road. The Epox 8RDA+ would be a good choice for similar money and features.

That 1700+ is a very capable OC'er, but at its stock speed its very mediocre. The 2200+ would be significantly faster at a marginal increase in cost if you plan to run at stock speeds. Another choice would be the "legendary" 2100+ Thoroughbred B. Its easily the most celebrated AMD OC'er since the 1GHz AXIA; you should be able to hit 2.167GHz by merely changing your FSB to 166MHz (which isn't really OC'ing IMO on an nForce2 board with PC2700).

Also, for RAM, there were reported problems with 512MB sticks of Crucial PC2700. I'm not sure if they got those problems fixed, but Crucial did acknowledge problems with nForce2 boards and pulled them from their supported list. The Samsung PC2700 or PC3200 shouldn't be much more at Newegg.

If you have an Office Depot, Staples, CompUSA, Best Buy etc. near you, I'd check out the Hot Deals forum and look for HD deals there. Many of those deals can be had online as well, so you wouldn't even need a local B&M. There's perpetual deals on HDDs for less than $1/GB, and you'll also be able to pick up one of the 8MB cache versions for no additional premium. I'd shoot for a minimum 80GB 8MB cache HDD for $80, but there were recent deals for the 120GB drives for around the same price recently.

Chiz

 
Since the 1700+ B Is a very good overclocker, stock speed shouldn't matter 🙂. That's what I have powering my rig. Great chip IMO.

Bill
 
I agree Atonmic 🙂

Reeb: GT's setup looks good to me. It should be mentioned however, that you could get an 80gb Maxtor 7200rpm w/8mb cache for only $15 more than the 60gb.
 
Double post, oops!

May as well ask this here now: should I forget buying a CDROM drive and just go with a DVDROM? At what speed do DVDROMs run cds? I mean, I see "16x DVDROM" so does that mean 16x DVD and CD reading speeds or are they capable of reading cds at a faster rate?
 
most DVDROM's read cd's at 48x. However, there are some which read at 52x. Not that you'll ntice the difference anyway.
 
Lot's of good suggestions for system spec's.

The important part will be when you finally get ready to put it together. There is one thing that you will need a vast supply of and that is patience. DO NOT rush to get it done (although you will be tempted to). Take your time, READ the instructions on the MoBo and go slow. You will reap the benefits of not having to post a new thread entitled "Oh no, There is smoke coming from my MoBo...what did I do wrong?"

Good luck and have fun 🙂

ps. get the 8RDA Motherboard...you will not be sorry!
 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
I just priced out a system for you from newegg.com (didn't see your second post regarding the power supply):

Antec SLK1600 ATX case w/300W Antec Power Suppy Retail: $44.99
Lite-On XJ-HD166S 16x DVD-ROM OEM: $33.00
Samsung 1.44MB Floppy Drive OEM: $7.00
Maxtor 60GB 7200rpm IDE Hard Drive OEM: $85.00 (Could you save some money with a 40GB drive?)
Crucial 512MB PC2700 DDR RAM OEM: $72.00
MSI K7N2G-L nForce2 Motherboard Retail: $105.00 (On-board nForce2 APU and LAN)
AMD Athlon XP 1700+ CPU Retail: $61.00
ATI Radeon 8500LE 128MB DDR OEM: $87.00

Total: $494.99

I think the quality of parts on this system is a lot better.

Yes, that will make a much better system for you...

That 8500 still has some kick in it too!

😀
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: Reebdoog
I already have an extra power supply, so the case should be fine I guess. I just need to know exactly what to buy, like fans etc.

ps. hahaha I love that sig snik
Click to expand...

trust us and buy a good power supply...at least a 350 watt enermax, or another reputable brand name. a crappy power supply can cause endless stability problems, among other things. it'll only cost you an extra $30-40. you can go with the case you're choosing, just buy one without a power supply tho. oh, and check out the ventilation on the case. make sure there is room for a front fan (intake) and a rear one (exhaust). the case and the power supply are things that you'll keep if you ever upgrade, so it's worth buying really good ones, imho.
 
Just remember... before you turn on your machine for the first time- put the heatsink and fan ON the CPU.

You'd be amazed how many times I've heard the "Oops..." which meant the HS/F didn't get put on and within seconds the thermal compound was boiling and the chip was fried. Then they come in saying I burned it out overclocking it or that it didn't work at all, when really it was a simple but deadly goof-up.

And have fun! You'll learn a lot if you take your time to do it right when putting it together! 😀
 
the case and the power supply are things that you'll keep if you ever upgrade, so it's worth buying really good ones, imho
Click to expand...

Unless you just keep building more and more systems in a willful attempt to acquire your own LAN gaming center... *cough*

He's right though, they all are: buy a good case and power supply, you won't regret it. Buying a crappy case/ps on the other hand leaves the door wide open for the r word.
 
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