Need advice on new system

[Gix]

I got about a 600 dollar budget that i'm going to spend for a friend, and i'm lookin at a gaming system here, however i only need a mobo, cpu, case, vid card, and ram. can anyone give me some ideas? it's been a year since i've last checked here when i bought my last system so i don't know what's good anymore.

 

[smahoney]

Few Questions - you said you needed a case - Do you also need a power supply - you may need one if what you have won't support an Athlon or P4 motherboard.

What type of Hard Drive will you be using and how many?
How much memory do you want?
What types of games do you play - very high end or a bit older?

The hardest part is determining what is most important - for $600, how much do you spend on each item? Too much on any one item will ruin your performance balance.
Case - $50
Mobo - $100
CPU - $175
Mem - $125
Video - $150
total = $600

If you spend extra on the CPU and Mobo and less on Video and Memory - Will the machine be faster or slower?

For 600 for mobo, case, vid and ram you have a LOT of options right now.

On a strict budget - don't bother with too much overclocking - get stable PC2700 memory and go for a package deal - try to get as much from a single site to save on shipping - You might spend aq couple of extra bucks for a few components but you will save twice that on the shipping charges.

mobo & cpu - At you budget you can go AMD or Intel and get a decent machine. Several NForce2 boards are great values right now.

Sample Config: Balanced system that will play any game out there today.

Abit NF7 - $106
Athlon XP 2500+ - $177 retail with Heatsink and Fan
ATI 9500 Pro - $185
GEIL 256MB Cas 2 - Two Sticks - $110 total
low end case - you can find one for around $30 if you search around without a PS
total = $607 - googlegear for prices