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In dire need of help/opinions on my first system..

N

Nickc19

Member
Hi, so I'm attempting to build my first system and would really like to get yalls opinions and feedback on what I'm thinking about. Here's what I have in mind:

CPU: AMD 35 watt Mobile Athlox XP 2400+ ($87)
Mobo: Abit NF7-S v2.0 ($82)
HD: WD Special Edition 80GM 7200RPM, WD800JB ($67)
Video: ATI Radeon 9800Pro ($223) or ATI Radeon 9600XT ($168)
Memory: Corsair Value 1G (512MB x 2) DDR PC-3200 ($175)
DVD+rw/CD: NEC ND-2500A ($70)
Floppy: Sony 1.44mb, MPF920 ($12)

The only things I'm really set on so far are the CPU and motherboard. Everything else, I listed what I would go with right this second, but want to know if yall would recommend against any of it, or if any of it might cause me to run into problems. As far as the case, fans, and heatsink go, I really have no idea what I should get.

I'm not some big-time gamer, but it will get its fair share of use, so I want it to be relatively powerful (I am on a budget though). I do plan to overclock it a little, but nothing too drastic...so I doubt I'll need a ton of additional cooling. If possible, I'd like to get everything from newegg to keep it simple.

Anything you have to comment on any of this, or any help you can give, I'd really appreciate it...like I said, I'm new to this, so could really use some help.

-Nick-
 
Might want to consider shelling out an extra $10 for the NEC 2510 rather than the 2500A, and you'll have dual layer support right out of the box instead of dealing with the firmware hack. Up to you though, depends on whether or not you think dual layer is important
 
Unless you plan to use some other form of storage/power I would reccomend picking out a case 😉
 
Thanks, I think I'll take your advice on the NEC....I actually was already contemplating that.

For the video card, I'm also considering the Sapphire ATI Radeon 9800 Pro ($209), and the Powercolor ATI Radeon 9800 Pro ($206)

Not sure which would be better (if there's really any difference at all).

-Nick-
 
Originally posted by: spazo
Unless you plan to use some other form of storage/power I would reccomend picking out a case 😉
Click to expand...

Ha, yeah I know....I'm still working my way to figuring out which direction to go with the case. Any suggestions?
 
Ha, yeah I know....I'm still working my way to figuring out which direction to go with the case. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

First, check the hot deals forums for any deals on cases. If you don't find anything good over there, then go on over to Newegg and pick out some cases you like. Then, start reading the reviews/comments on the product at Newegg and search the thousands of hardware sites for reviews. That should let you find the right case for your price range
 
I just ordered this case a few days ago (previous post) and would highly recommend it. I currently have several Antec cases which are very good quality, but also very heavy by comparison. This Cooler Master case is extremely well made and has a beautiful finish. Read the reviews and then decide for yourself. You'll also need a good p/s. An Antec True Power p/s starts at around $48 (330w) and then go up from there. Vantec also make a good p/s from what I hear.
 
Originally posted by: linux247
I just ordered this case a few days ago (previous post) and would highly recommend it. I currently have several Antec cases which are very good quality, but also very heavy by comparison.
Click to expand...

Very nice case but unfortunately thats out of my budget for what I wanted to spend on the case... :-/
 
Originally posted by: Nickc19
Honestly I wasn't really wanting to spend over $70-75 for the case...
Click to expand...

You'd better check this out.

Cheaping out on a PSU is suicide when building computers. For $35-40, you can insure that you have a good PSU. That is peanuts in comparison to the rest of your system.

Nobody ever listens to me or anyone else on this issue, and I can never understand it. Buy a good PSU even if it means having less RAM or something...seriously!
 
Originally posted by: SickBeast
Originally posted by: Nickc19
Honestly I wasn't really wanting to spend over $70-75 for the case...
Click to expand...

You'd better check this out.

Cheaping out on a PSU is suicide when building computers. For $35-40, you can insure that you have a good PSU. That is peanuts in comparison to the rest of your system.

Nobody ever listens to me or anyone else on this issue, and I can never understand it. Buy a good PSU even if it means having less RAM or something...seriously!
Click to expand...
Sometimes they buy some generic PSU that has twelve* LED fans and an aluminum enclosure and they think they did buy a good PSU, on the basis of appearance plus a wild 900-watt* wattage rating 😕




*exaggerated for sarcastic impact
 
If by $70 to $75 you mean shipping included, then your options are much more limited. I'm thinking more along the lines of a cardboard box (free) with a high quality p/s ($75) until you can afford a metal box to go w/ it. 😀

edit: Seriously, a good place to start would be Evercase. (see this thread) For the money, these cases are very well made and offer excellent cooling.
 
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