Value System Build Up: need your help :)

[GTdrew]

Ok I am building up a new system for a friend of mine. Value is important but don't want something that will be outdated soon. The computer will be used mainly for word processing, internet surfing (they use................AOL ?????!!??!?!) , some gaming and cd burning. I checked out their old system last night and gave them some spare pc133 ram I had lying around. They only had 64 megs of pc100 so I upped that to 256 and that helped greatly.

Their system now is:
POS IBM mobo w/ onboard sound and video
AMD 3d? 350 mhz processor
256 megs pc133 sdram
generic 56k modem
9 gig 5400 IBM HD
POS IBM case with POS PS
slow CD-rom drive
3.5 floppy
Internal Zip Drive

It makes sense to go with a DDR system right? I havent looked at computer parts for 3 months so I am WAY out of the loop. When i was building my comp this summer anandtech.com was my second home but sense then I just check for really good deals in the hot deals forum From looking briefly here is what I thought might be good.


NEW SYSTEM:

Case: Enlight en-7237 medium atx tower case $62.00 (shipped) from Newegg.com
Mobo: Shuttle AK31a $87.00 (shipped)
Processor: Athlon 1600? xp ~$125.00 (shipped)
Memory: 256 megs PC2100 ~$60.00 (shipped)
Video Card: Visiontek xtasy Geforce2 gts 32 $70.00 shipped
Sound card: On-board audio is sufficient
Hard Drive: Maxtor or similiar 30 gig ata100 7200 rpm ~$90.00??
CD Burner: Liteon 24x10x40 ~$95.00 shipped
EDIT:
Additional CD-rom: creative 52x cd drive ~$24.00 shipped

~$20.00 for other crap (heat sink and fan, floppy, zip ties)

Overclocking is not a concern at all. Just needs to be stable and not too loud.
Any and all input is appreciated. Tell me if I am way off base. This might be too much system for what they want to do. Ill probably throw a generic ethernet card in their because they plan to get adsl fairly soon.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.

Drew

EDIT: well i added everything up and it came in over $600, i was looking for closer to $500. any ideas? I could go with a non DDR system and use their existing ram and get some more for cheaper. That would drop the price. I could also go with an older Athlon NON-xp system. Just a thought. I will see what he says. I would rather build him the better system and have it last him longer and be more easily upgraded.

 

[pay]

Here is the new 40GB Maxtor D740X disk for $89

And why is 256MB DDR so pricey? Isnt it around $50?

Thats all I can think of

 

[Rahminator]

Get the retail XP 1600 if you don't OC cause the fan that comes with it is sufficient, quiet and has thermal compound attached so you don't have to buy it, comes with a 3 year warranty and a cool athlon xp sticker .

 

[riddelrp]

I'd tell him to spend the extra 100 for the same reasons you listed....

As for the CD-Burner, I would (even if it meant getting a slightly sloweer one) get a Yahmaha or Plextor. They last forever and a day.

Also I would add like a $20 creative 52x cd drive to copy cds (non-copywrited cds of course )


otherwords cool

 

[RedShirt]

You are at the fine line right now... Making any sacrifices there would really hit the preformance of the computer

 

[RedShirt]

However, if you HAVE to get to the 500 mark, you could get a Duron and tell them they could upgrade later when they needed the extra speed...

 

[Rahminator]

Actually, you can save some by buying a 12x burner. It's still speedy enough and since you're on a tight budget it seems sensible.

 

[GTdrew]

Thanks for the quick replys guys. Good advice all around. I have a 12 speed Lite On right now and it has performed flawlessly. Over 200 burns and no coasters (knock on wood ) Good call on the additional cd-rom drive I forgot about that. Might ask them if they would use a DVD player and go that route instead (have to check out their tv while im there).

Thanks again
Drew

 

[RedShirt]

Yes, Rahminator has a good idea.

If you downgraded the burner and got a decent speed duron, you could have a system for 500.

 

[GTdrew]

I agree about the burner. I might just give them my 12x and buy a new 24x for myself and charge them the price of a 12x now. If i go the duron route can I still get the Shuttle AK31a?? Seems like a great mobo for an incredible price Im sure I can talk them into getting the Athlon XP though

EDIT: Good advice on the retail 1600 rahminator. I didnt realize they came with a heatsink and fan.

Drew

 

[RedShirt]

Yes, you can still get that board. And the great thing about it is they could upgrade later. It's only 38 bucks for the Duron (850) or 40 for the 900. And later, they could get a faster Athlon XP for it. It's not like they'd be throwing away a LOT of money, just 40 for a processor that will probably get some good use.

 

[GTdrew]

Cool, well at least I have options. The duron 900 will still be tons faster than there older gen Athlon 350. Maybe Newegg will cut some off of the shipping costs if i order all at the same time. Going the duron route with the slower burner should drop the cost by over $100. Thanks for the help.

Any issues with any of the components listed that I should know about before I order all this stuff? Or anyone know where I can find it for signifigantly less?
Once again thanks for the quick help. You guys rock

Drew

 

[GTdrew]

One more thing

Not sure about my video card choice. I was looking around and it seems like there are some other cards out there that are a really great value.

For example the:
GUILLEMOT HERCULES 3D PROPHET KYRO II 4500 64MB NO TV-OUT - OEM for $77

Right now I have a Geforce 2 mx that I have had very few problems with so Im partial to them

Just an idea

Drew

 

[pay]

Are you sure you want to sacrifice that much speed and burning speed for only $88?

Think it over...

 

[ChrisADuffy]

You could go with a cheaper almost if not equal in performance ECS K7S5A SiS® 735 SOCKET A MOTHERBOARD and save about $30.

 

[JoPalm]

The system is for

<< word processing, internet surfing (they use................AOL ?????!!??!?!) , some gaming and cd burning >>

. I think the system is pretty good already if not over kill for what they want it for.

 

[MrBond]

<< I think the system is pretty good already if not over kill for what they want it for. >>

I agree. Stick with a 1ghz processor. Unless they're doing photoshopping, CAD, or 3D rendering, they won't need more then a 1ghz. They might notice a slightly better boot time, but anything better then their current system will make them happy.

 

[RedShirt]

Newegg does lower shipping one multiple item orders. It actually saves you a lot.

Your original videocard choice seems good to me. And newegg is pretty tough to beat pricewise. Espically for multi item orders like this one.

 

[ChrisIsBored]

I agree with JoPalm, that system is overkill unless your friend wants to get into some (almost) hardcore gaming or plans on using a lot more powerful apps.

Surfing the net and office applications don't need that powerful of a system. Your friend would be just as happy with a less powerful machine for a cheaper price... I mean look at what he had before, 350Mhz...

Drop the DDR + mobo and just get something from a KT133A chipset, I recommend an MSI K7T. That board is rock solid. You can pick up a 1Ghz T-Bird for pretty cheap, and you already have a stick of 256MB PC-133 RAM. Why not reuse it? It saves money, your friend gets a powerful upgrade, and it won't cost so much.

That right there saves you your $100.

 

[GTdrew]

Agreed that this system would be overkill. Think I have decided to go the Duron 900 route. More than enough processor for what they are doing. Probably give them my Geforce 2 mx and take the new 32 meg gts for my rig.

Couple of questions though:

Will pc133 sdram work in the Shuttle AK31a? Even a KT133A mobo is ~$80 dollars, so why wouldnt I spend the extra $10 for future upgrades? I don't think that sdram will work in a DDR system though. If not I can always get myself the shuttle board and a 256 meg of pc2100 and swap my Asus A7v133a into their new system. Lots of options. Definetly in agreement that a DDR XP setup is more computer than they need

Drew

edit: i cant spell for sh*t

 

[vicdoc]

Shuttle only uses ddr ram: different socket altogether. ECS has a board that can use either, but it only has 2 slots for PC133 and 2 for ddr. Plus a lot of folks had problems with it. Mine is fine.

One other thing: check out your Best Buy: the Buslink 16x10x40 CDR is really a Lite-on and it is $80 with a $20 rebate=$60. There may be other deals, too.

 

[RedShirt]

One thing I have ran into many times before is people say:

I want my system to to this.....

Then I build them a system that will do what they say.

Later, they call me up and say, my system doesn't do "this" very well, "this" is something they didn't say they needed it to do, like flight simulators, or other games.

So, if there is a difference of 30 bucks (between a GF2 and a GF2 MX, I'd go with the GF2).

If you have SDR RAM, then why not go with the ECS K7S5A. It is a mobo that has DDR and SDR ram slots. You could just use the 256 MB from before and save some money (as long as it is only 2 DIMMS). And then LATER, if they want to, they could replace their SDR RAM with DDR RAM.

Plus, the board is cheaper

That seems like a logical purchase to me. Keep all those options open to them.

 

[Bovinicus]

It sounds like for what they are doing you should go with a 1GHz Duron instead. They are priced good and they have a slightly new core (Like the XP) than the older Durons. That will cut the price by about $50-$60. Seeing as how the video card will limit the speed of their gaming more than the CPU (It's a GF2), and they will be doing mostly office work on their computer anyway, the 1GHz Duron is plenty. Also, it looks like you might be getting this stuff from newegg. Add it all up. The shipping (Even if it's not newegg) is usually reduced when you order many thing at once. I don't think anything else is really worth removing. Most of the parts you have selected have an excellent price/performance ratio. It also looks like it should be a very stable system.

 

[GTdrew]

Thats what I thought about DDR ram I have only heard bad things about the ECS board. It sounds like the perfect solution, but have they worked the bugs out with the board yet?

Right now I am running a 1 gig TB on an Asus A7v133a mobo w/ 256 megs of pc133 ram w/ a geforce 2 mx. Might not be a bad idea to just give them my system and build myself a new rig for the difference in the price of the DDR system . There are so many good deals out there now Good find on the burner at BestBuy. Wonder what the odds of finding one in a store are though. Im definetly going to go ahead and get the gts vid card, enlight case and look for a burner. I think those deals are too good to pass up

Thanks to all of yall. Really helped me figure this out.

Drew