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LOOKING TO BUILD A NEW COMPUTER...

L

lilbabimac

Senior member
scratch what i posted before. i have a 1500$ price range and was wondering if anyone could make suggestions...in another words, if you have 1500$, what kind of computer would you build. i would really appreciate it if u guys could post the computer w/ the specs and prices if possible too. thanks. (of course i'll be playing games scooby 😛 )
 
You're being way too vague there buddy. You need to at least tell us what it'll be used for and whether you want AMD or Intel. You really should do some research to narrow it down a little.
Scoob
 
Well that's the thing. i can't really decide between xp and p4's so i was wondering if anyone could give suggestions. i'll be using this comp as an all purpose comp...not really planning to use it for any specific thing.
 
Well I NEVER thought I would go with AMD but I recently went from a P3 800E to a AMD XP1600+. I managed to unlock it and get to 1.54ghz and I am a very happy camper.😀 My system was built reasonably priced.

AK31A-$85 shipped-Great board
AMD XP1600+-$135 shipped
Maxtor 40gig 7200RPM-$100-Staples
Crucial DDR-$35 (the ram has increased in price since I built this) Best Buy
Ti200-$150-FS/FT forum..this is a brand new card.
Fong Kai 603 Case w/300w PS-$75-I HIGHLY reccomend this case.-Local dealer
Sound card, floppy, NIC and CD-RW's are carried over from my last system but figure probably $160-$200 depending on what you go with
17" Envision Flat Screen $70 (after rebate)-Staples

So all totaled I have around $850 wrapped up in it not including the keyboard and mouse.
I would say you have some flexibilty here so you could get a bigger monitor or HD more RAM or whatever.
1500 beans can buy a lot of computer these days.

 
I would recommend an athlon xp system. so go with an asus a7v266-e mobo, or some other mobo that uses ddr ram. Get at least 512 mb of ddr ram, and I would recommend a seagate barracuda IV for your harddrive. For the video card, it is your choice, I would go with either a geforce3 ti500 or a radeon 8500. Audigy would be a good soundcard to get, or you could go with a hercules game theater xp. For your speakers take a look at the logitech z560's, they are great. Get either a toshiba or a pioneer dvd drive, and then for your cdrw drive, go with a lite-on. For prices go to newegg.com or some other computer hardware website.
 
I was bored, so I priced something up:

AMD Duron 1.2 GHZ Socket A PGA Processor $99

CRUCIAL MICRON 256MB 32x64 PC 2100 DDR RAM - OEM $72

MSI K7N420 PRO (MS-6373 6373-020) nForce MCP 200/266MHz FSB DDR ATX SOCKET A MOTHERBOARD - RETAIL $152

ENLIGHT EN-72370X3C4 MEDIUM ATX TOWER CASE with 1 Internal CaseFan - OEM Recommended by AMD and INTEL Pentium 4 Ready with 300Watts $47

LITE-ON LTR-24102B-02 24x10x40 CDRW - $82

SONY 1.44MB 3.5 INCH INTERNAL FDD DRIVE - OEM $9

MAXTOR EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # 6L040J2 40GB 7200RPM - OEM, DRIVE ONLY $85

MICROSOFT OFFICE KEYBOARD USB VER. 1.0A - OEM $31

Microsoft Intelli-Mouse Optical - PS2/USB - OEM $24

Logitech''s THX certified Z560 4.1 surround sound system $140

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition $87

Gainward/Cardexpet GeForce3 PowerPack III Ti550 (NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500 GPU), Power Pack Golden Sample, 3.8ns 64MB DDR RAM. Retail. $313

Total is $1141 plus shipping. Use the Nforce for the Onboard Sound and Onboard Lan. The Duron may seem like a slow thing, but it is based on the XP core and is one fast little cheap processor. You could opt for a faster XP processor, I have no idea if you have a need for it. The videocard is top notch and your sound would be awesome with those speakers. Use the money you have left over for a monitor and your set for pretty much anything you want to do.

Oh, the prices are from newegg and I just picked a mouse and keyboard. Those are user preferance.
 


<< scratch what i posted before. i have a 1500$ price range and was wondering if anyone could make suggestions...in another words, if you have 1500$, what kind of computer would you build. i would really appreciate it if u guys could post the computer w/ the specs and prices if possible too. thanks. (of course i'll be playing games scooby 😛 ) >>

due to the price of the P4...I'd buy the Athlon Palomino on that budget. Here's a quick list, and shipping is not included because I'm evil. Also, I assume you have a monitor.
Case: Antec SX840: $117
Mobo: Soltek SL-75DRV4: $101
Graphics: Gainward/Cardexpet GeForce 3 Ti450 (a Ti200): $162
CPU: AMD ATHLON XP 1800+ OEM: $165
HSF: Millenium Glaciator2: $33
Sound: Hercules Game Theater XP oem: $93
Memory: Corsair XMS2400 256mb DIMM: $117
Network: 3COM 905CX-TXNM PCI 10/100: $32
Modem: USRobotics v.90 56K: $42
HDD: Western Digital WD1000JB-SE: $245
DVD-ROM: Lite-On 16x/48x: $58
CD-RW: Yamaha CRW3200E-VK: $157
Floppy: MITSUMI D359M3 FDD: $9
Speakers: Logitech z-560: $140
Keyboard: Generic PS/2: $8
Mouse: Kensington MouseWorks: $20
Total: $1499

Damn, I'm good. Within $1...lol
 


<< I was bored, so I priced something up:

AMD Duron 1.2 GHZ Socket A PGA Processor $99

LITE-ON LTR-24102B-02 24x10x40 CDRW - $82

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition $87

Gainward/Cardexpet GeForce3 PowerPack III Ti550 (NVIDIA GeForce3 Ti 500 GPU), Power Pack Golden Sample, 3.8ns 64MB DDR RAM. Retail. $313
 >>

Getting a Duron and a Ti500 makes no sense...you'd save money by buying an Athlon XP and a Ti200, and seeing as how the Ti200 can be overclocked past Ti500 levels without any problems... Buying XP Home Edition makes no sense. It's incompatible with many games and quite a bit of software, though that can be looked aside. What really doesn't make sense is paying for it, seeing as how easy it is to find for free.
 
hey guys thanks for all the responses and i really appreciate the fact u guys are including prices also. it's helpin me out on my decision so keep them coming!🙂
 
Ok, you want to use it for a broad range of applications. None the less, it is important to know if you will be doing a lot of gaming on this system or not. Video cards can add a lot of unecessary cost to a system that isn't going to be used for gaming at all or very often.
 
well all the new games i guess. i can't really say which one specifically but i'll mostly be playing wolfenstein multiplayer and CS.
 


<< well all the new games i guess. i can't really say which one specifically but i'll mostly be playing wolfenstein multiplayer and CS. >>

Do you want excellent 2D (and other features) in a video card, or just 3D performance?
 
well i want excellent 3d performance as well as excellent 2d features. i was thinking about either getting the ATI RADEON 8500 or the GeForce 3. also which sound cards are good? heres what i have so far...


1) Athlon XP 1800 or the 1900 (159$ & 221$)
2) Maxtor 20 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive (66$)
3) Logitech Z-560 (150$)


all prices are from pricewatch.com. if anyone has even lower prices than this...please post. thanks.
 


<< well i want excellent 3d performance as well as excellent 2d features. i was thinking about either getting the RADEON 1800 or the GeForce 3. also which sound cards are good? heres what i have so far...


1) Athlon XP 1800 or the 1900 (159$ & 221$)
2) Maxtor 20 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive (66$)
3) Logitech Z-560 (150$)


all prices are from pricewatch.com. if anyone has even lower prices than this...please post. thanks. >>

If you want excellent 2D features, then check out the ATi Radeon 8500. www.pricegrabber.com might find you some lower prices than that, but given that you're buying nearly a whole system, you should buy most of your components from one vendor to avoid shipping rape.
 
I like the Radeon 8500LE (OEM Version). It offers a good price/performance ratio. Alternatively, the GeForce3 Ti200 offers performance near the same level. I think either way you will be pleased.

If you have a 5.1 speaker setup, the Phillips Acoustic Edge will most likely offer you the best sound quality. If you have anything, the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz looks to offer the best sound quality. Both cards seem to have solid drivers.

Make sure to get some high quality memory. Crucial memory is a favorite on these forums. With good reason. It is some of the best memory you can buy. It is also priced pretty reasonably. Especially since AT forum users get a 15% discount.

The motherboard debate is really hot right now. There are a lot of choices for both the P4 and XP. I don't want to get into it too heavily. I'll just say I love my EPoX 8KHA+. =)

I would suggest an XP 1700+ or 1800+ for your CPU. They both are priced competitively. Both are fast. On the P4 side of things the 1.7GHz or 1.8GHz look pretty good. Just make sure you get a socket478 variant so you can upgrade to a Northwood down the line.

Make sure you get at least a 300W PSU. A 350W would be preferrable. Make sure it's from a good company as well. I would consider Antex, HEC, and Sparkle some of the best.

The case is of little importance. Just don't go generic. Also, make sure it has enough expansion room for all the drives and such you plan on getting.

For harddrives, I like the Seagate Baracuda IV. They are reliable, fast, and quiet.

For a CDRW, go with Liteon. Cheap and effective.

I believe I have covered most everything. Good luck!
 


<< I like the Radeon 8500LE (OEM Version). It offers a good price/performance ratio. Alternatively, the GeForce3 Ti200 offers performance near the same level. I think either way you will be pleased. >>

Beware--the LE has crippled memory and lowered speeds, so if you're prepaired to spend a bit more (which you are, given your budget), get the retail 8500. The Radeon 8500 has a very rich feature set and fantastic 2D.



<< If you have a 5.1 speaker setup, the Phillips Acoustic Edge will most likely offer you the best sound quality. If you have anything, the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz looks to offer the best sound quality. Both cards seem to have solid drivers. >>

I concur--though if you want a nifty extra, you could try the Game Theater XP.



<< Make sure to get some high quality memory. Crucial memory is a favorite on these forums. With good reason. It is some of the best memory you can buy. It is also priced pretty reasonably. Especially since AT forum users get a 15% discount. >>

Another option (save the super-performance Corsair I recommend) is Kingston memory. Kingston is known for very high quality memory, and it is cheaper than Crucial.



<< The motherboard debate is really hot right now. There are a lot of choices for both the P4 and XP. I don't want to get into it too heavily. I'll just say I love my EPoX 8KHA+. =) >>

Be wary about the EPoX--while it is a good board, some have had stability issues when overclocking.



<< I would suggest an XP 1700+ or 1800+ for your CPU. They both are priced competitively. Both are fast. On the P4 side of things the 1.7GHz or 1.8GHz look pretty good. Just make sure you get a socket478 variant so you can upgrade to a Northwood down the line. >>

There is no reason to buy any P4 that is not a northwood cored one, due to its low performance on a clock-per-clock basis.



<< Make sure you get at least a 300W PSU. A 350W would be preferrable. Make sure it's from a good company as well. I would consider Antex, HEC, and Sparkle some of the best. >>

Given the future, stick to 350w. The recommendations for PSUs there are outstanding, and you should not listen to the hype about Enermax--it's not great.



<< The case is of little importance. Just don't go generic. Also, make sure it has enough expansion room for all the drives and such you plan on getting. >>

I disagree. You'll want a case that's easy to work on and well-ventilated. Look for a case with removable drive cages and that has drive rails, and the case should also have adequate airflow. A very nice plus is a slide-out motherboard tray (sliding with the cards, as well).



<< For harddrives, I like the Seagate Baracuda IV. They are reliable, fast, and quiet. >>

No argument there--though remember that the best performing ATA HDD is the Western Digital WD1000 special edition (the one with an 8mb cache).



<< For a CDRW, go with Liteon. Cheap and effective. >>

This is inadvisable, as Liteon CDRWs have some issues. Plextor makes some good drives that aren't too expensive, but if you want real performance--you have to buy Yamaha.



<< I believe I have covered most everything. Good luck! >>

You forgot about the HSF. 😉
For the HSF (unless you want retail), I recommend the Alpha PAL8045 (if your mainboard is big enough and has enough room around the socket), the Swiftech MX-462 (highest performance, but again, requires a lot of space), or the Millenium Glaciator2 (right behind the Alpha, very quiet, and works on any socket A mainboard).
 
At $1500, or a bit more if necessary, I would get an Athlon XP 1500 or 1600+, go easy price-wise on the other parts as well, and get a good 17" LCD monitor with digital input and a Radeon vid card with digital out.
 
I just priced out a system on Newegg.com for $1580. Athlon XP 1600+, Shuttle ak31a, 256 Kingston DDR, 40 GB Maxtor 7200, AOpen CD ROM, MS keyboard mouse bundle, Labtech speakers, Mitsumi floppy, Enlight case w/340 power, Creative modem. But here is the kicker: ATI 7500 radeon with awesome Viewsonic 18" digital LCD monitor.
 


<< Getting a Duron and a Ti500 makes no sense...you'd save money by buying an Athlon XP and a Ti200, and seeing as how the Ti200 can be overclocked past Ti500 levels without any problems... Buying XP Home Edition makes no sense. It's incompatible with many games and quite a bit of software, though that can be looked aside. What really doesn't make sense is paying for it, seeing as how easy it is to find for free. >>



Remember that the Duron is actual speed. And also, the videocard is STILL the limiting factor when playing games in higher res. You cannot tell me that a 1.2 gigahertz processor will limit your gaming experiance. Especially since that is it's REAL speed as compared to the fake speeds of the XPs. It's based on the XP core and I think having a kickass sound system and the top of the line videocard makes the system rock.

XP home is the perfect choice. XP is the way to go. 9x is old crippled and the way of the past. Any new game will work in XP and any other game I have every played on XP has worked. I don't know what the fuss is about here.

If he wants to use a pirated version of XP, its fine by me. I figured, you know, since it was illeagal to do so, I'd recomend using a legit copy.

1.2 gigahertz XP with the Ti 500.... the Ti 500 will STILL be the limiting factor.
 


<< his is inadvisable, as Liteon CDRWs have some issues. Plextor makes some good drives that aren't too expensive, but if you want real performance--you have to buy Yamaha. >>



Yamaha.... Their 16x didn't even have burnproof. Lite-ons are good for a person on a budget.

I have known many people that had to send their Yamaha burners back due to them breaking or just not working in the first place.

What are the issues lite-on drives have? I haven't heard any.
 


<<

<< Getting a Duron and a Ti500 makes no sense...you'd save money by buying an Athlon XP and a Ti200, and seeing as how the Ti200 can be overclocked past Ti500 levels without any problems... Buying XP Home Edition makes no sense. It's incompatible with many games and quite a bit of software, though that can be looked aside. What really doesn't make sense is paying for it, seeing as how easy it is to find for free. >>



Remember that the Duron is actual speed. And also, the videocard is STILL the limiting factor when playing games in higher res. You cannot tell me that a 1.2 gigahertz processor will limit your gaming experiance. Especially since that is it's REAL speed as compared to the fake speeds of the XPs. It's based on the XP core and I think having a kickass sound system and the top of the line videocard makes the system rock.

XP home is the perfect choice. XP is the way to go. 9x is old crippled and the way of the past. Any new game will work in XP and any other game I have every played on XP has worked. I don't know what the fuss is about here.

If he wants to use a pirated version of XP, its fine by me. I figured, you know, since it was illeagal to do so, I'd recomend using a legit copy.

1.2 gigahertz XP with the Ti 550.... the Ti 550 will STILL be the limiting factor. >>

Yes, but it'd be more cost effective to buy a Ti200 and overclock it to Ti500 levels. As for paying for an operating system (Win2k SP2 is my choice), I don't understand why anyone would want to...a single user will never be caught pirating.
 
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