Need some help on building a computer

[Faze54]

I need help building a computer. I got a job this summer to save u for a new cpu, i would like to build somthing that will be a good system for a few year and can up grade. I wuz thinking a motherboard combo that does not have intergraded sound or video cause im gonna get a 3d card and sound card, i want a amd prossesor, i wuz thinkin a 1.4 athlon. I dont no if i should get a board that suports ddr ram cuz i dont know all that much about it but i heard its more stable and if its gonna be needed in the next year i dont to have a board that can be up graded so i dont mind spendin more for it. i play games alot so i wuz think of a G-force 2 pro cause i dont want to spend $150 on a card, i wuz lookin at a Starforce 8831 Pro, Geforce2 Pro, 64MB DDR, W/ TV out, from msi for $131. i dont know what sound card to get a Turtle Beach SANTA CRUZ or a Sound Blaster Live card but i dont now much about them. case, power and fans i have no clue on i wuz thinking under $200 with the power and can you tell me how much watts i will need for my system. for the hdd i wuz think about 40 i dont know about the rpm and how it effects the systems speed. i got a 17' kds monitor that i will use. I only want to spend $750-1000 but please tell me what i should get cause i can spend abit more.

 

[BigSmooth]

Not sure why you posted this in motherboards, but it sounds to me like you're on the right track. I would read some of Anand's "buyer guides" like the one here for more guidance.

If I were you I would probably go with DDR RAM, there is a performance increase yet the RAM itself is virtually the same price as regular SDRAM. Plus, DDR MBs are only going to become more common.

Many people here are fed up with the SBLive! and hardware conflicts it has created in the past, so you might want to go for the TB Santa Cruz (some people say it sounds much better as well).

$200 is a healthy budget for a case/power/fans. You should be able to get an Antec case with a 300W PS for $100 or less. You will definitely want at least a 300W PS for your system. As for cooling, I would add case fans to your system, but if you are not going to overclock, the HSF that comes with a retail CPU is probably sufficient.

For hard drives, don't skimp too much. Check out Storage Review and get a reasonably fast drive.

Your best bet is to keep asking questions here and to check out the Hot Deals forum once in a while. There are people here who are much more knowledgeable than I am who helped me build my first system when I first found AnandTech. There is almost always someone who is willing to help.

 

[Faze54]

thanks bigsmooth

 

[Faze54]

I really dont know which motherboard to chose which do u guys perfur

 

[NelsonMuntz]

If overclocking doesn't matter, then go with the ECS K7S5A because it is inexpensive ($65) and offers great performance. It can do both DDR and SDR, so if you are buying RAM get the DDR since it offers better performance. That video card sounds good and for sound consider the SB Live! 5.1 OEM for $50 at Newegg.com. For the case consider the Enlight EN-72370X3 which has a 300 W power supply and is only $50 at Newegg.com. For a hard drive get a Western Digital 40 Gb 7200 RPM from Newegg.com for $104.
So:
motherboard: $65
RAM: $37.79 edit:Crucial.com
Video: $131
Sound: $50
Case: $50
Hard Drive: $104
Retail boxed CPU: $128
Total: $565.79 + tax & shipping.
All comes in under budget.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Everyone is giving you great advice...so, I will add only this. If you plan to overclock at all using the front side bus stay away from soundcards using the aureal chipset like the turtlebeach because they're notorious for folding under the extra juice coming through the pci bus. I've built alot of systems and I,ve never had any combo of components that could push more than an extra 10mhz. on the fsb using an aureal chipset soundcard. So, I've just 1 compoundword for you Soundblaster!!!

 

[Athlon4all]

GF2 Pro is really the best bang for buck vid card on the market right now. I agree, if ocing doesn't matter to u, go with ECS k7S5a it's easily the highest performing Athlon mobo on the market right now. So pretty much, what NelsonMuntz said is pretty much what I'd go with also. I personally would take SB live! over Stanta Cruz, both are good cards though.

 

[LanEvoVI]

Hah...first time I've ever seen people on this forum actually recommend the SB Live over the Santa Cruz but i agree. I've had a new SB Live X-gamer and have had no compatibility issues at all. Good luck with the new rig.

 

[MoFunk]

Stuff's pretty cheap these days. Go BIG!