Is this computer good enough for me?

[INemtsev]

Hey guys I am leaving to University and I think I should get this pc...
So how far should I push the vcard and cpu.....and any suggestions on the stuff I'm getting?
XP2500+ 1.83GHz 333MHz Barton RB
OCZ 256MB PC2700 166MHz 333DDR X 2
K7NCR18D PRO2, NF2 SPP CR18D, 3DDR400, 4PCI, 1AGP8x, 1ACR, A+L+USB2.0+1394+RAID+SATA, U133, 400FSB, ATX
NVIDIA GF (A340TDH) FX5200 128MB DDR AGP 8xTVout +DVI +Hardware monitoring
LGS Goldstar 16X IDE DVD ROM (Tray) ***
SEAGATES 40Gb 7200rpm 2M IDE U100 (#ST340016A)
SBS270 PC MULTIMEDIA SPEAKER
CASE BALL BEARING COOLING FAN
NEC 17", G701PF, SILVER & DARK GREY, 1280X1024 (0.20H), PERFECT FLAT

 

[Shimmishim]

everything looks good....

i would suggest the abit nf7-s v.2.0 it overclocks very well and has a lot of the goodies that the other board has....

i would also suggest getting at least pc3200 RAM

most people are pushing their bartons to around 2.2 to 2.3 on default voltage and i think that should be pretty safe...

 

[bjc112]

Originally posted by: Shimmishim
everything looks good....

i would suggest the abit nf7-s v.2.0 it overclocks very well and has a lot of the goodies that the other board has....

i would also suggest getting at least pc3200 RAM

most people are pushing their bartons to around 2.2 to 2.3 on default voltage and i think that should be pretty safe...

Agreed...

However, since i own an Epox 8rda+ and they are only $80, they are very hard to beat when it comes to overclocking.

I cannot stress how valuable it is to go with PC3200 if you are overclocking. It will save you some headaches.

 

[Jeff7181]

Get better RAM... by what you said I assume you'll overclock... so get PC3200... why bother with PC2700? And don't get OCZ... nForce2 motherboards don't seem to like it.

I think you'll find that a 40 GB hard drive is too small... get a bigger one now... if you watch sales you can get good prices... I just got a 120 GB Western Digital Caviar SE hard drive for a family member for $80 after rebates.

The FX5200 is a joke of a video card... if you don't intend to play games, go ahead and get it since it's cheap... if you intend to play anything better than Counter-Strike, do yourself a favor and get AT LEAST a Ti4200 for about $100-120... ATI's 9600 Pro would actually be a better deal at about $175.

You don't mention a CDRW drive... I have a feeling you'll find a use for that.

If you plan to overclock, which again it sounds like you are... you'll need a better heatsink... try an SK-7 with a nice 80 mm Panaflo fan or something similar... DON'T get those crappy "Tornado" heatsink/fan combos. I'd almost rather have the retail heatsink/fan than one of those.

 

[INemtsev]

Okay for now I'll order this system but with an 80GB WD harddrive and OCZ 3200 RAM

 

[Shimmishim]

like jeff said before, avoid ocz and nforce2 for now... there are lots of compatibility issues with ocz and nforce2 boards... but i'm not completely sure about pc3200.. i know above like 3500 there'll be issues...

try to get some corsair or mushkin or something that is made with winbond bh-5 chips...

nforce2 + bh5 = good combo

i think buffalo technology still makes ram with bh-5 chips...

 

[pspada]

I'm using OCZ (Performance Series Rev 2 PC3200) in dual channel mode, no problems whatsoever.

 

[mindless1]

Personally if I were getting a CRT monitor, I'd get at least a 19"... even if it meant lesser memory, an integrated IGP nForce2 board, or whatever... Let's face it, the monitor IS the primary thing you'll notice about the PC in everyday use.