need to build a new system!

[elninyo821]

ok, heres the deal

i have $500-$600 to spend on building a new computer (thats the funds for EVERYTHING from the hsf to the case).

it's for college, but i wanna do some pretty decent gaming, video encoding, video editing, and Photoshop.

i think ill bascially want at least an XP 1800+ cpu, probably a geforce 3 ti200, i can live with onboard sound.

im thinking of getting a EP-8K5A2+ and hopefully 512 mb of pc2100 (i can live without pc2700, and besides, if i get that board, i can upgrade later)

since i have til mid-september to wait on building this system, should i wait for the nForce2 or kt400? and hopefully by then i can save more $$ on the pc2100 to spend elsewhere.

just wanted to get some preliminary thoughts from the more knowledgeable people....

 

[Goi]

That's a pretty ambitious project. You're right to go with AMD though coz its pretty cheap. However, you probably won't be able to do much of video editing, since video editing cards, even the cheapest of them, cost around your entire budget. Here's what I'd recommend. Prices courtesy of newegg.com(with the exception of the CPU cooler), you might be able to get cheaper elsewhere if you know where.

Motherboard - ECS K7VTA rev3.1 - $69
CPU - AMD Athlon XP 1800+ OEM - $79
CPU Cooler - SVC GC68 - $5.35
Memory - 256MB Kingmax PC2700 DDR-SDRAM - $69
Graphics card - ATI Radeon 8500 LE 64MB - $87
Harddrive - WD Caviar WD800BB 80GB - $97
DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive - Samsung SM-332BEA 32x12x40 CD-RW/12X DVD OEM - $105 OR
DVD-ROM - Pioneer DVD-117 OEM- $44 OR
CD-ROM - LG 52X - $22
NIC - Integrated - $Free
Sound Card- Integrated - $Free
Speakers - Logitech Z-340 2.1 speaker system - $36
Case - Enlight EN-7237 Mid Tower w/340W PSU(AMD/Intel approved) - $60
Floppy Drive(optional) - Samsung FDD - $8
Mouse - MS Wheel Mouse Optical - $16
Keyboard - Keytronic KT800 PS/2 KB- $8
Monitor - Samsung SyncMaster 753DF 17" - $147
Total - $695.35 - $786.35

Notes: This is just a rough guide. Your $600 budget is pretty restrictive, so I had to raise it by a bit, and even then you'll have to scrimp on some stuff.
1) Only 256MB of PC2700 memory, because 512MB isn't affordable for you right now and PC2100 is pretty much obsolete. 256MB is still enough for most applications and games. If you decide to upgrade in the future when you have the funds of if/when memory prices drop, you can add another stick of PC2700 memory rather than being limited by PC2100 memory.
2) DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive as they are cheaper than getting the 2 separately. If you don't need the CD-RW drive, or don't need the DVD-ROM drive, or if you just need a normal CD-ROM drive, then it'll be cheaper.
3) Integrated NIC is as good as any, and the CMedia based sound will be sufficient till you get more money for a standalone soundcard.
4) If you're willing to go without a FDD, you'll save $8.
5) Mouse, keyboard and monitor are again up to your own preference. I chose decent models that don't cut too many corners but yet are still affordable.

You probably won't be able to afford the nforce2 boards since they've traditionally been very expensive. Also, the KT400 should be expensive too at launch time, so settle for KT333, since all you're losing is USB2.0 and AGP8X. You'll probably get more performance going from PC2100 to PC2700 than from KT333 to either of the other chipsets.

Also, I assume your $600 budget was inclusive of everything. If you have existing stuff that you can use(keyboard/mouse/FDD/CD-ROM/monitor/etc) of if your budget was exclusive of some items, then you'll have an easier time picking components.

Edit: I might have missed out on a few components, so if you see anything missing, then you'll need to add them in...

 

[elninyo821]

=D wow hey, thanks a lot Goi, ill definitely take a close look at ur suggestions!

 

[rpc64]

Wait a minute, PC2100 is obsolete??? Really?

 

[Goi]

Well, its not obsolete per se, but if I were to get a new system that you wanted to last, I'd think twice before getting it. Anyway, elninyo821 you didn't answer my question...is the $500-$600 really inclusive of everything, as in you have nothing you can recycle and you don't exclude anything from the budget(even shipping/handling?), if so, and if you really wanna stick to your budget, then we'd have to rethink a few components since as of now your budget is still exceeded.