ok all you techies out there..i need some help

[drogue]

i'm looking for a kt266a/kt333 mobo with a low end xp (15/16/17) or a higher end tbird, as a combo for less than 130 bucks. i have 250 to spend, but i gotta get hs, fan , and memory (all i got right now is pc100) with it -- shipping costs are always fun too.
i found a msi kt3 ultra with an xp 1600, 256mb samsung pc2700 mem, and a volcano 6cu+ shipped for 248.46, at tufshop.com. do ya'll know of anyplace to find something better?
i'm replacing a fic sd11/athlon 600 combo, since i'm getting a free gf4mx440 - the rest of the components are fine. one question about my ps tho: its only 250 watts, is that enough to run an xp with? if not, include the price of a new ps into that 250 bucks (yikes - small budgets really suck.....if only college werent so friggin expensive) also, i've got a spare 135wt ps, can i use the small one to power my peripherals and use my 250 to power my proc and fans? should it be the other way around? PLEASE HELP ME

 

[drogue]

bump for answers

 

[jaybee]

You are pushing it at 250W... you can use the extra power supply to handle the peripherals, but where do you mount it? You don't want it on the desk, and it'll screw up your airflow almost anywhere inside the case. I say go for the combo, and if you need a new psu mow some lawns or sell some lemonade or something

jaybee

 

[0p73r0nG33k]

If you go with an XP based Proc, 250 Watts will be sufficient, but it's indeed pushing it. Keep in mind also that OEMs build systems based on the Athlons for 250w (of course, you won't see Alienware or Falcon doing this...)

I did some digging, and I can't guarantee I can find combos, but I did manage to find a decent deal on an Abit KR7A-RAID board for $83, add an XP 1600+ and it jumps up to about $160. That's about $30 more than you wanted, but if you want the link anyway, I did that at www.micropro.com. I use them all the time. Service/Support/Shipping is excellent.

Whoopsies - just found something on BZBOYZ. Another decent site that I use, go to this link (yes, I tested - it takes you right to the combo page)

DFI Motherboards are awesome - nice and stable. There's a few solutions on here that meet you right at $130 or so (from least to most expensive as you go down the page)
http://www.bzboyz.com/store/mb_dfi.html

Give that shot.

 

[drogue]

thanks guys, i appreciate ya'll lookin for me
i've done some business on the interent, but i'm not sure which resellers are reliable and whatnot
i've had some badluck recently trying to order a part from edgemicro.com (i cancelled my order after it wasnt even shipped for two weeks - the item was in stock). i'm still thinking about the kt3 ultra, but those dfi boards are lookin nice

i've got a while to figure out what i want to do, i wont buy before early september at the earliest or, at the latest, around thanksgiving once the hammer procs are out and the xp drops a lot. thx for the input

 

[MikeMike]

shuttle ak31a at newegg 59.00$
+
AMD xp 1800+ 85.00$
+
crucial pc2700 at crucial free 2nd day air 89.99$ 256mb
=
241.99(cutting it close)
or
crucial pc2100 as 2700 (is not really needed unless you are gunna o/c like crazy) 67.99$ free shipping
=
219.00

plus money for Hsf and maybe a powersupply

Cheap but nice P.S. here

Sparkle 300 watt atx ul approved power supply MOdel #fsp300-60btvs
27.00$ 6 bux shipping at newegg

 

[o1die]

Another vote for newegg. Check their refurbished section. I just ordered a second refurb mobo from them.

 

[jna]

>> crucial pc2100 as 2700 (is not really needed unless you are gunna o/c like crazy) 67.99$ free shipping

I really don't think PC2700 is necessary, unless you're going to overclock, which will take some more commitments (good HSF, PSU, AGOIA core, etc).
And if you're going to overclock, the KT3 Ultra will drive you crazy, it has some stability issues, and you have to clear the CMOS via jumper whenever it won't POST.

The Volcano 6cu+ is absolute poop. Not only poop, but noisy poop. If you're not going to overclock, you can get a stock-style cooler such as the SVC GC68 (www.svcompucycle.com, $6 or $7). They have this same heatsink at newegg under a different name for about $8, I believe.

 

[SSXeon5]

Originally posted by: jna
>> crucial pc2100 as 2700 (is not really needed unless you are gunna o/c like crazy) 67.99$ free shipping

I really don't think PC2700 is necessary, unless you're going to overclock, which will take some more commitments (good HSF, PSU, AGOIA core, etc).
And if you're going to overclock, the KT3 Ultra will drive you crazy, it has some stability issues, and you have to clear the CMOS via jumper whenever it won't POST.

The Volcano 6cu+ is absolute poop. Not only poop, but noisy poop. If you're not going to overclock, you can get a stock-style cooler such as the SVC GC68 (www.svcompucycle.com, $6 or $7). They have this same heatsink at newegg under a different name for about $8, I believe.

AAHAHAHAHA dude i have to quote that ....

SSXeon

 

[Tbirdkid]

I vote neweggs refurb pile too. Good stuff and very good company to deal with. Then you can get an xp off of here in the fs forum which usually people will throw in a hsf too. Then you can get memory off here and then at least a 300w ps. I have built a couple of systems off a bunch of stuff I have gotten off of some of the great guys on anandtech and all is well. Just do research on the people at heatware and do some buying online with paypal. You will save a lot of money and gett some great stuff. Good luck. I saw a xp 1600 for like 47 bucks on here!!

 

[jna]

rofl