Some Questions

[Kreon]

I got questions about some stuff before I go ahead and spend money

first adn foremost
Can I still buy a copy (legal) of Windows 2000, Me, or other pre-XP OSes?

What are good mobo brands to avoid,
Which ones will last me?

And finally, just for assurances, an old (about 2000) IDE hard drive will work in a new mobo (that has IDE), also teh CD drive and floppy?

Thank you all

 

[boomerang]

I know for certain you can buy 2000. Don't even think about ME. Bad, bad bad!!!!!! You can buy XP cheaper than the prices I'm seeing on 2000 so that's something to think about. I just did a quickie Google on this though.

Motherboards are very personal choices. I like boards with 3 year warranties. I would say that using this criteria will do you just fine. It seems that all the boards I use with a 1 year warranty die shortly after the year is up. Your mileage may vary.

The components you list will work fine.

 

[Kreon]

thank you

Are there any brands that are known for being kind shoddy, and crapping out fast
or often

 

[boomerang]

Personally, I've had bad results with ASRock, DFI and Abit. But past results are no predictor of future results. Although I will not be using ASRock ever again.

 

[Kreon]

What do people think about PC-chips
Is there stuff good,other than the DOAs

 

[Kreon]

Also, what about ECS (hink I found on I like from them)

Will 1.6 ghz be enough to run Counter Strike (The box don't list the requirements)

 

[jackschmittusa]

PCChips and ECS are pretty low end. I have actually built ultra-budget boxes for people in the past with them though that have run for years.

 

[Kreon]

cool
did you have any problems with DOAs??

 

[Kreon]

in terms of memory

Will DDr and DDR2 work in a board that uses DDR RAM??

 

[jbmx4life]

DDR and DDR2 are different standards. They use different slots.

 

[Kreon]

ok
thanks a lot

I ask some (to other people) stupid questions I guess
better safe than sorry

 

[jbmx4life]

There is no such thing as a stupid question, only a stupid answer. That is why forums and other such exist. Feel free to ask away and there is always someone willing to help.

 

[Kreon]

mmm

Glad anandtech isn't like other forums
People who are (mostly...) nice, Mods who don't mod while stoned (I hope..), mods who are fair

Also, anyone know where I cna find cheap DDR RAM?
(like.. bargain basement prices, less than $35)

 

[soydios]

Check out Newegg.com for all your computer purchases. Their prices are competitive (if they aren't the best, they're close), but what makes them worth the extra dollar or two is that their website is easy to use, if it says "in stock" then it will ship the next day, and the customer service is best-in-the-business.

Also, before you buy, make a new thread with your parts list, and have people make suggestions, critique it, and make sure everything will work together. Or, make a new thread and tell us what you want in a computer, your budget, what (if any) parts you will be reusing, and some good souls will recommend components or even spec out the whole system for you.

 

[magreen]

Originally posted by: Kreon
Also, what about ECS (hink I found on I like from them)

Will 1.6 ghz be enough to run Counter Strike (The box don't list the requirements)

The first thing to realize is that nowadays, ghz says nothing about speed.

For example, a 1.86 GHz Core 2 Duo is faster than a 3.4 Ghz Pentium D. They have completely different architectures.

You also have to distinguish between single core and dual core... Pentium 4 is single core, Ahtlon 64 is single core, Pentium D is dual core, Athlon X2 is dual core, Core 2 Duo is dual core.

So GHz doesn't say much unless comparing two otherwise identical chips.