Need advice w/new rig. First item is the Antec P180.

[jasonxc]

Hey guys! It's been a few years since I sold my last desktop and started only using my laptop. I've been out of the loop for a while, so I don't know what video cards/mobos/cpus/etc. are good, quality bargains. I'm looking to build a mid-range system, good enough for running some games such as CS:Source smoothly, but not too expensive.

So far I've purchased the Antec P180 Case and an Ultra V Series 500W PSU (should I use another PSU? this one was free AR).

I only want to spend ~$400 for the rest of the components. Here's sort of an outline for what I'm looking to spend on each component.

~$145 for CPU/Mobo combo (want something that will run Vista smoothly)
~$100 for Vid Card (want something with DVI-out for my 2405fpw)
~$60 for Hard Drive (~200-300GB)
~$60 for RAM (want 1gb at least)
~$35 for DVD-RW

Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[jonesthewine]

how about this setup? You mentioned Vista...do you plan on purchasing it when it is released, or do you need an OS along with the components?

DVD-RW

MB

CPU

RAM

HDD

Video Card

These parts run ~$450.00, a bit over your budget I know.

 

[jasonxc]

Thanks for the suggestions I already have Windows XP, but I'm going to get Vista from my campus store (should be ~$15) next year. So that's not included in my budget for now.

 

[Alone]

I've been in your situation before, and I would suggest you just hold off on the new computer until you can afford something that you won't want to replace later. BUT, if you really want to do it, what jones suggested is the best value for the price, from what I can see.