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Yet another let's build a system thread!

A

AlexC

Junior Member
So, I?m thinking that I?ll have the money to get a new computer by late-August but then my work has to go and give me a bonus, so I could go and get one now (OK, really on the 15th) which means I have to make some decisions. Here?s what I?m thinking of getting:

CPU:
Here?s the sticky part: Do I buy now or do I wait for the desktop launch of the Palomino? When is that supposed to happen, anyway? At any rate the Palomino not withstanding I'm thinking of the Athelon 1.3MHz or 1.4 CPU. I know, I know, the 1.2 can be had for $100 and I can overclock it but I'm getting a little tired of the overclocking game at this point.

Motherboard:
Yeah, yeah, I know. Wait for the nForce boards, right? Ugh. I?m hearing dates like October and quite frankly, I don?t want to wait that long. I want my new computer now! Now!Now!Now!Now!Now!

Ahem, sorry. I?ve been hanging around my 2 year old a little too much. Anyway: What?s the consensus on DDR motherboards? I know I want one with the AMD 760 chipset but do I want the ASUS A7M266, the MSI K7 Master or the EPoX EP-8K7A? And can these boards take a Palomino when they launch?

Memory:
Yes, DDR but PC2100 or PC2400? Is AMD planning on going to a 300MHz bus or is PC2400 only good if you?re planning on overclocking the 266 bus?

Case:
Lain-Li PC-60 with 350W Sparkle PS

Pros: Aluminum case gives good heat dissipation. Lain-Li cases have gotten solid reviews.
Cons: Pricy, no removable motherboard tray, how good is the Sparkle PS?

HDD:
IBM Deskstar 60 gig After using a 6 gig drive for the past 3 years, I want some room!

CD/DVD:
ASUS 50x: Eh? Anyone have any better suggestions? Is it time to go DVD? What drives don?t choke on Safedisks?

Sound Card:
Game Theater XP: A little pricy for a sound card but it also gives me a desperately needed USB hub, so it?s not that bad.

Monitor:
Samsung Syncmaster 955: Sure, I?d like to go to 21? but can you do it for that price with that quality?

Video Card:
I?ve got a GeForce2 Pro that I?m going to stick with until the GeForce3?s come down in price a bit more.

Comments, suggestions, flames? Anyone? Bueller, Bueller, Bueller?
 
Well, I've built a couple of systems with the Afreey 10X DVD drives, and I'm happy with them. With a cost of around $35, why not go that route?
As far as waiting for the Palominos/Nforce, etc- IMO theres always going to be something "better around the corner". I generally try to go with "not quite the latest and greatest" for 2 reasons- you can pay a little less, and you don't have to worry about bugs
HD's- Up to now I've been using IBM (or WD Caviar)20 g 7200 RPM drives. You might want to look at the 30-40 gig range drives- they are moving into the "sweet spot" on price. While I've personally had good luck with them, stay away from the 75 GXP series IBM'S- seems like theres some problems with them
Cases- I've got no opinion on the LanLi- I personally like using the Enlights 7237 series, but that's just my opinion

One more thing- CD-RW- In case you forgot it- I like either the Liteon 12X or the TEAC 16X- both are pretty good drives, although the Liteon was better because it includes Nero. Just rememebered- the TEAC comes with Nero, but you have to look for a Cendyne 16X-essentially a TEAC rebadge.
 
The desktop versions of the Palomino are already out.

- Aluminum cases don't help cool any better than a steel case with the same layout.
 
From Newegg.com

AMD Athlon Palomino 1.2GHz - $218 + $10 shipping
EPoX EP-8K7A - $120 + $6 shipping
IBM 60GXP 60GB 7200RPM ATA/100 - $155 + $10 shipping
Enermax EG465P-VE 431W PSU - $81 + $6 shipping
Lite-On 16x10x40 CD-RW - $115 + $10 shipping
AOpen 12x40 DVD-ROM - $41 + $10 shipping
D-Link 4-port self-powered USB hub - $20 + $7 shipping

From Crucial.com/webpromo

256MB PC2100 DDR-SDRAM - $47 + free 2nd day shipping

From mwave.com

Turtle Beach Santa Cruz - $70 + ~$5 shipping

From Plycon.com

Taisol CGK760 /w Sunon 26CFM fan - $42 + ~$5 shipping

From EMSComputing.com

Boston Acoustics BA4800 4.1 - $115 + $15 shipping

From Techonweb.com

Samsung 900NF 19" - $369 + $41 shipping

From Directron.com

Antex SX1030B Black - $98 + ~$20 shipping


Total - up to $1636 (shipping may cost less)

 
I highly suggest that you purchase a separate hub (like in my list). The hub that comes with the GTXP is reputed to be none too reliable. I've heard many horror stories.
 
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