My new build for college

[layoutd05]

Hey everyone Im currently working on deciding what im going to buy to build a new rig for college. I prolly wont be able to build it for at least one month maybe 2 but i want to see how this will run right now... Any input on how to cut some costs and gain the same preformance or close to it will be greatly appreciated! I wanna try to stay within an all inclusive budget of about 1000-1100 if at all possible.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Processor Socket 754. $146 ZipZoomFly - CPU

Motherboard: (up for suggestions) Asus K8S-MX SiS 760GX AMD 64 Skt754 DDR M-ATX Motherboard $77 Motherboard - skt754
For the motherboard im looking for suggestions... PCIe is not important though im not sure what type of graphics card i should get

Memory/RAM: Corsair VS512MB400 512MB DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory (x2 for a total of 1 gig) 2x$73= $146 RAM <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://">http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80098-6[/L</a>


Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 ST380011A 80GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive $65 Hard Drive

Graphics Card- This im not sure on Either since i dont know weather to go with PCIe or AGP or what brand name either. I need help in this area. but at this moment its the:
XFX nVIDIA GeForce 6600 Video Card, 256MB DDR, 128-Bit, Dual DVI/TV-Out, AGP 8X $182 - Geforce graphics

Case/Power supply: POWMAX 519 XMAN Black ATX Mid tower Case With 480W Power Supply $45 - Case

Cost without monitor and software: $661

For the monitor i'll just pick up a solid one around 150... the mouse and keyboard prolly cheap around 30-40 i guess...headphones i already have...

total is about 950 dollars.... how much is xp and MS office? need
thanks for the input!!!

 

[Chosonman]

The GeForce 6600 256MD would be a waste of money because it will never be able to fully utilize the added memory. And for the price you'll be getting much better performance from a ATI 9800 Pro or a 6600GT both with 128MB of RAM. The only cards that I'm aware of that can fully utilize 256MD RAM are the X800 series and the 6800 Series. The graphics card may be the single most important componant in your system chosing the right one will make it or break it.

 

[Infohawk]

Why won't he be able to fully utilize the added memory?

 

[resStealth]

you could save some money by going with kingston or crucial instead of corsair for the ram. are you going to be gaming? if you are i wouldnt use the generic psu that is coming with your case.

 

[layoutd05]

yeah i plan on gaming.....

 

[Sqube]

If you're gaming, definitely get a better PSU; maybe think about a 6600GT?

Buying XP and Office will destroy your soul. I know Home is at least $100, and Office will run you I think $200... you might want to see if you can buy those once you get to school; I hear they're a lot cheaper when you buy from some college bookstores.

 

[layoutd05]

I'll definately by office from the bookstore because i definately dont need i... I might just use 2000 or whatever my dad has.... thanks...

as for Case/ Power supply.... any suggestions ... how much is a 6600 GT?

 

[layoutd05]

bump

 

[Chosonman]

Originally posted by: Infohawk
Why won't he be able to fully utilize the added memory?

The card isn't powerfully enough for the added memory to make a noticable difference. It's <1% difference between 128MB vs 256MB for an extra $50.00 it's not worth it. IMO