Who wants to review my almost purchased system

[DGath]

Building my roomate a computer on a budget, so here is what I've come up with for him.

His conditions... He's a lawschool student, so basically that means he only uses his computer for internet, music, and typing papers. There will not be any overclocking on this system. Why? Cause you don't need to overclock for what he does on a computer. He's been running a PIII 500 for his 5 years of college. There won't be any gaming on this system, so that isn't a factor. He wants it to be budget top of the line, so here's the components I came up via NewEgg (minus the video card, case, and HDD which he already has). Any suggestions?


pqi TURBO Series Dual Channel Black 184-Pin 512MB(256MB x 2) DDR PC-2700 - OEM
Item# N82E16820141163
$90.00


AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - OEM
Item# N82E16819103378
$79.00


GIGABYTE "GA-7N400-L" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813128194
$70.00


COOLMAX 400W CX-400B, BLACK, Taurus CX Series Silent Power Supply; 1 x 120mm fan, 3 Speed Fan Control Switch ( Auto, Low, Medium).
Item# N82E16817159023
$38.00

Total = $277

 

[DaveSimmons]

I'm a fanboy of the Antec Sonata, worth the extra $62 to me for the classy case, solid and quiet 380 w PS, and it also has (automatic) fan control for the 120 mm exhaust fan.

 

[nick1985]

get the shuttle AN35N-Ultra board. save a few bucks.
or, he isnt gaming at all, look into the biostar board with integrated nforce2 graphics.

and you are overpaying for that RAM. you can get a 512 stick of 3200 for $70.

 

[Sonic587]

You're wasting money on that memory. Pick up a stick of this:

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=20-146-219&depa=0

He doesn't need a 400W PSU. Get this:

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=17-104-937&depa=0

Money wasting again with the motherboard. A AN35N would be a much better buy.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=13-150-045&depa=0

You have an OEM processor. No HS&F. Is that a problem? Check out a retail version of the 2500+ if it is.

Otherwise, with the cash you save from my suggestions, pick up a Zalman CNPS ALCU and make this PC whisper quiet.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=35-118-108&depa=0

 

[deadken]

I agree that the Shuttle AN35N Ultra is one WICKED mobo for its low price. I :heart:love:heart: mine and would reccomend them to anyone not looking for a board loaded with all the bells and whistles.

I agree that you should get a Antec case, but I wouldn't suggest the Sonata (esp. for a budget system). Please check out the SLK3700AMB. It is an AMAZING case (I own 3)! It has Great Antec Quality and Design, and includes a nice and Quiet 120mm exhaust fan and a SL350 Power Supply. There is room for another 120mm fan in the front and it has an air filter for the intake. The amount of money you save on 'Air Duster' cans more then pays for this case over time...

 

[Mik3y]

for memory, get 512mb of corsair value ram or something. there's no such thing as dual channel on socket A. as for a case, i recommend the antec bqe ones. they are as quiet as the sonata buf for cheaper.

 

[DGath]

Originally posted by: Sonic587
You're wasting money on that memory. Pick up a stick of this:

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=20-146-219&depa=0

He doesn't need a 400W PSU. Get this:

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=17-104-937&depa=0

Money wasting again with the motherboard. A AN35N would be a much better buy.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=13-150-045&depa=0

You have an OEM processor. No HS&F. Is that a problem? Check out a retail version of the 2500+ if it is.

Otherwise, with the cash you save from my suggestions, pick up a Zalman CNPS ALCU and make this PC whisper quiet.

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=35-118-108&depa=0

Good help, that's the reason why I come here with new builds. I'm an Intel guy so I'm much more familiar with those boards versus the AMD ones. I'll still probably go with a larger PSU just in case if there are upgrades in the near future, and for only a few $ more, might as well. Good suggestions on the board and the memory. Probably should have included that I was going to use that same Zalman HS for his system too. It's the HS I have in my system and I love it.

About a case.... I'll just let him pick that out. I too am a big fan of the Sonata. I would have bought one on my last build but didn't like the dotted ANTEC on the side and I wanted a window as well. Could mod it myself, but too lazy.

 

[MDE]

See sig, Antec PSU quality goes a long way. 350W is more than enough for a budget system.

 

[DGath]

Think this is what I'm going to go with, any final suggestions?


ANTEC Solution Series Super Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK3700AMB" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811129122
$64.00


Lite-On 16X DVD Dual Drive, Model SOHW-1633S Black, OEM
Item# N82E16827106961
$79.99


ZALMAN CNPS7000A-AlCu Aluminum + Copper CPU Cooler for AMD XP Socket 462/ 754 and Intel Socket 478 -RETAIL
Item# N82E16835118108
$39.99


Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
Item# N82E16820146219
$74.00


Shuttle "AN35N-Ultra" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813150045
$55.00


AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - OEM
Item# N82E16819103378
$79.00

Total = $391.98

 

[DGath]

Think I'm going to replace the Shuttle mobo with a
Gigabyte GA-7VM333M-RZ. I like the integrated video aspect. There's never going to be anything but 2D running on this system, so that isn't a problem, and if he wants to, he could pop in an AGP card. However this is only 4x, you can put an 8x into a 4x right?