I hope to spend around $900 CAD for this system, that's after taxes/shipping/insurance. I'm wondering a few things, though...
First of all, I should probably tell you what I want to use this computer for. Basically, not much. I'm not a gamer, I don't do any video editing, but I do a lot of conversions and ripping, and I use GIMP once in a while. I don't play any intensive games, just Starcraft/Diablo II. I do, however, plan on playing some decent games later (CS:S?) so I'd like a system that's capable of doing so, which isn't much. I also use a lot of eye candy (Compiz), which I would like to have running as best as possible. I use Ubuntu as an operating system, so I'm not looking for an OS. While the machine I want may be overkill, I don't plan on upgrading for a while afterwards, so I'd like to build something that can hold its own for a good amount of time.
Processor: I originally planned on getting an AMD X2 3800+, but now I hear a lot of talk about the C2D. My question is, could I get a C2D for around the same price? Would you recommend it?
Motherboard: I know jack-sh!t about motherboards and wouldn't be able to pick one out if my life depended on it. It also depends on which processor I go with, but for now it's looking like the X2 3800. It should have 2 DIMM slots (don't really need any more, but it would be a plus) and not much more.
RAM: I also want 1GB (2x512) of RAM, but it doesn't have to be anything amazing. It does, however, have to be dual channel. I'm wondering if I can find any for ~$100 or less.
Video Card: Must be nVidia. I don't need one of those 7800 or 7900GT's, or whatever, just something that's capable of supporting dual monitors (all new cards do, right?). I think spending around ~$70 would be alright. Anything is a step up from my GeForce4 MX420.
Hard Drive: I'd like to get a decent hard drive, but it depends on what my budget will allow. ~150GB would be more than enough for me, and I know they're getting cheaper and cheaper, so pretty much anything goes.
Monitor: 17" LCD Flat Panel, black. Nothing else is all too important to me; I'm going from an older 17" or 19" CRT, so anything is better.
CD Drives: Don't really need one. I've got two external drives, one of which is a DVD Burner. I've also got a cd drive lying around.
Case: I'm wondering if the case from my Dell 4550 would be re-usable. I've always loved Dell's cases, and they're pretty strong and it's in perfect condition. Would an ATX or mATX board fit inside? If so, then I'll just use this case; if not, then I'll need something else, preferably cheap and black.
Power Supply: Shouldn't need anything more than 350-400W, so a cheap, but reliable (heh) one would be best.
Floppy Drive: None.
Speakers: None.
Keyboard: None.
Mouse: None.
So, to sum it all up: I don't know what I need, I don't know what's the best "bang for the buck" and I don't want to rush into it and order parts that aren't compatible.
Please don't link to NewEgg; I'm in Canada so the retailer needs to ship to Canada!!!
I'm not against a pre-built system, either, so long as I'm not wasting $100+ on a Windows installation that I'll never use.
Budget: $900 CAD (after taxes, shipping, insurance)
Postal Code (for shipping): N6K2Y7
So, what can you come up with? Any help is appreciated.
First of all, I should probably tell you what I want to use this computer for. Basically, not much. I'm not a gamer, I don't do any video editing, but I do a lot of conversions and ripping, and I use GIMP once in a while. I don't play any intensive games, just Starcraft/Diablo II. I do, however, plan on playing some decent games later (CS:S?) so I'd like a system that's capable of doing so, which isn't much. I also use a lot of eye candy (Compiz), which I would like to have running as best as possible. I use Ubuntu as an operating system, so I'm not looking for an OS. While the machine I want may be overkill, I don't plan on upgrading for a while afterwards, so I'd like to build something that can hold its own for a good amount of time.
Processor: I originally planned on getting an AMD X2 3800+, but now I hear a lot of talk about the C2D. My question is, could I get a C2D for around the same price? Would you recommend it?
Motherboard: I know jack-sh!t about motherboards and wouldn't be able to pick one out if my life depended on it. It also depends on which processor I go with, but for now it's looking like the X2 3800. It should have 2 DIMM slots (don't really need any more, but it would be a plus) and not much more.
RAM: I also want 1GB (2x512) of RAM, but it doesn't have to be anything amazing. It does, however, have to be dual channel. I'm wondering if I can find any for ~$100 or less.
Video Card: Must be nVidia. I don't need one of those 7800 or 7900GT's, or whatever, just something that's capable of supporting dual monitors (all new cards do, right?). I think spending around ~$70 would be alright. Anything is a step up from my GeForce4 MX420.
Hard Drive: I'd like to get a decent hard drive, but it depends on what my budget will allow. ~150GB would be more than enough for me, and I know they're getting cheaper and cheaper, so pretty much anything goes.
Monitor: 17" LCD Flat Panel, black. Nothing else is all too important to me; I'm going from an older 17" or 19" CRT, so anything is better.
CD Drives: Don't really need one. I've got two external drives, one of which is a DVD Burner. I've also got a cd drive lying around.
Case: I'm wondering if the case from my Dell 4550 would be re-usable. I've always loved Dell's cases, and they're pretty strong and it's in perfect condition. Would an ATX or mATX board fit inside? If so, then I'll just use this case; if not, then I'll need something else, preferably cheap and black.
Power Supply: Shouldn't need anything more than 350-400W, so a cheap, but reliable (heh) one would be best.
Floppy Drive: None.
Speakers: None.
Keyboard: None.
Mouse: None.
So, to sum it all up: I don't know what I need, I don't know what's the best "bang for the buck" and I don't want to rush into it and order parts that aren't compatible.
Please don't link to NewEgg; I'm in Canada so the retailer needs to ship to Canada!!!
I'm not against a pre-built system, either, so long as I'm not wasting $100+ on a Windows installation that I'll never use.
Budget: $900 CAD (after taxes, shipping, insurance)
Postal Code (for shipping): N6K2Y7
So, what can you come up with? Any help is appreciated.
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