Should my friend wait or buy now?

[mcp555]

I have a friend who doesn't have a computer at all. He is willing to spend around $1500 for an entire system (tower,keyboard, speakers, mouse, monitor). I recommended the following:
XP 2500+
Asus A7N8X-E
1 GB PC3200
Lite On 52x combo CDRW
SB Audigy 2 ZS
Seagate 120GB SATA
Antec case with Antec 450W power supply
Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB
Zalman copper HSF
MS keyboard
Logitech MX500 (510?)
Creative 5.1 speaker set
17" LCD (probably BenQ, Planar, or KDS)
Cables and thermal compound
Motorola SB5100 cable modem
APC surge suppressor

I think that's everything. Maybe throw a floppy in for good measure. I've been trying to follow the changes that are coming in mobo standards, dual-channel DDR, PCI-Express, etc. Would he be relatively safe in buying now or should he wait until late this year to build a system? He'd be using this mainly for gaming. Thanks.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: mcp555
I have a friend who doesn't have a computer at all. He is willing to spend around $1500 for an entire system (tower,keyboard, speakers, mouse, monitor). I recommended the following:
XP 2500+
Asus A7N8X-E
1 GB PC3200
Lite On 52x combo CDRW
SB Audigy 2 ZS
Seagate 120GB SATA
Antec case with Antec 450W power supply
Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB
Zalman copper HSF
MS keyboard
Logitech MX500 (510?)
Creative 5.1 speaker set
17" LCD (probably BenQ, Planar, or KDS)
Cables and thermal compound
Motorola SB5100 cable modem
APC surge suppressor

I think that's everything. Maybe throw a floppy in for good measure. I've been trying to follow the changes that are coming in mobo standards, dual-channel DDR, PCI-Express, etc. Would he be relatively safe in buying now or should he wait until late this year to build a system? He'd be using this mainly for gaming. Thanks.

pretty nice system. id opt for the abit or the dfi infinity over the asus. although i own the asus myself, those 2 are way better overclockers. or you can get the shuttle an35n-ultra and save a wad of cash. i have had great OC'ing success with this cheap board also.

oh and...order now. if he doesnt even have a computer i dont know how he can go another day...

 

[sharq]

If he doesn't have a computer, order now.
If he wants to play games then you picked a good setup. If he wants to start off slow, I'd say get a 9600 and a 17"/19" CRT. (I just prefer CRT's to LCD's ). But yeah, order now.

EDIT: Hey, come to think of it, a Dell deal with a seperate purchase of vid card and more ram may be good too, especially if his knowledge of computers hardware is at the novice level (warranty). Just a suggestion.

 

[KGB1]

AXP = $75
Mobo = $118
memory = $158 (corsair 2x512)
CDRW/DVD = $47
-----No sound...good sound card on Mobo-------
HDD = $100
gFX = $210
CPU HSF zalman CNPS5700D-CU = $23
m$ natural KB = $20
mouse = $45
logitech z640 = $60
forget lcd...samsung crt 19" = $200
(cable and thermal grease come with Mobo and hsf)
cable modem = $70
3com 56k hardware modem = $ 40
UPS = $50
Antec case SLK2600AMB with 300 WATT PS = $52

Total = $1268 (not bad setup) It's worth it. Buying him a A64 or Prescott would make things harder since prices are cheap nowadys for more mature products. (He can upgrade again in 2 years when PCI express, serial ata 250, Pentium 5, AMD K8 comes out.)

 

[kamper]

prescott? wtf? I could see upgrading to A64 but unless he's a hardcore seti cruncher I don't see the point in putting out for prescott (p4c maybe)

 

[WackyDan]

Don't wait...... or you'll ALWAYS be waiting for the next big thing.... or subtle thing.

BUY it.

 

[PCTweaker5]

If it was me I think Id wait just to see what comes out. There could be something that will have us all drooling but if your friend really needs that PC then go for it, it looks like an excellent system although I would have a few things different.

 

[nitromullet]

Unless your buddy is really sold on the LCD, I would get a 19" CRT NEC/Mitsubishi $200-250 @ newegg. It will be bigger and better for gaming. Also, the SoundStorm audio on the A7N8X is good enough to were the SB Audigy 2 ZS is unnnecessay. I wouls suggest building it without the Audigy to begin with and adding it later if you want. You might also be able to save a couple of bucks by going with PC2700 RAM - the AXP 2500+ only has a 333 MHz FSB. Although by going with the PC3200, you leave the option open for a future CPU upgrade. You will also need a floppy to install SATA drivers - these drivers are not present on the Windows CD and have to be loaded from a floppy by hitting F6 at the beginning if the Windows install.

 

[Markfw]

For that kind of money, get an A64.

 

[mcp555]

Thanks for the responses. He'll buy one soon enough, although not an A64.