New rig! Any suggestions?

[PowerYoga]

i'm building a new computer and here's what i have so far.... what do you guys think?

KR7A-Raid
XP 1700
Toshiba internal DVD Drive
WD 30GB 7200RPM
512 Crucial PC2100
Creative Labs Audigy 5.1 OEM
Linksys EtherFast 10/100 LAN Card
GAINWARD/CARDEXPERT GeForce 3 Ti200 64MB Power Pack Golden Sample

 

[optimistic]

Spend the extra $50 and get a ti4200
I like the Pioneer slot load DVD-106s (Queit & it's like the one you got in your car!)
XP1800 not that much more
why only 30GB hdd?

 

[PowerYoga]

1) new rig is for my GF, and she doesn't really play games, only SIMS. TI200 is way overkill for her, as well quite a bit cheaper. The extra $50 could go for a good power supply instead.
2) I have the pioneer DVD Drive. Its an extra $10 though. I'll think about it. I'm just pinching pennies and trying to keep it under $1k
3) Again, not a hardcore computer gamer. She'll be fine for a year or 2 with this processor. (unless it burns out of course)
4) Why 30 gig? Well, she hasn't finished using her 10 gig yet....

Any comments on the MOBO and system setup? Will it have any conflicts? thanks for your time again

 

[jaybee]

1 - You're concerned about hardware conflicts
2 - System is not going to be power gaming rig
3 - Everyone likes to save money & headaches

So... what I'm getting at is: why not try an integrated mobo? I can't recommend any specific mobos or chipsets, but something with onboard video, nic, and sound might be the best way to go. Preferably with the option to expand/upgrade down the road (so you'd need an AGP slot), but shoot, given the situation, it seems appropriate.

jaybee

 

[zxcv]

If you don't use the RAID then there is no need to buy the motherboard w/ RAID. Maybe find one w/o RAID and you may save some more money.

 

[flawedexistence]

Given the situation, why not try Abit's N-Force board? Very stable and packed with lots of goodies. It's about $90 at Newegg.

 

[PowerYoga]

well, the reason why i don't want to try for an integrated mobo is that frankly, i don't like them. Sure, they have a lot of features all stuck in 1, but i just didn't have good experiences with them. Neither did a lot of my friends, and they're not exactly easy to upgrade. Suppose i need to upgrade something, it'll be easier with the parts i have now.

I will look for a non-raid one. Think i did saw one for about $9 less....

N-force, i don't know anything about it. I know the VIA 266A is a good chipset, but i didn't follow on the N-force. Anyone want to give me the lowdown on VIA vs N-Force?

 

[Zim Hosein]

PowerYoga, like others have said, go for the non-RAID version to save a few beans, who knows, the extra savings might allow you to bump up the speed on the XP