Best pc for around $2,000?

[280Z]

I'm in need of a new pc, but I'm not exactly certain what/where to buy. I'll probably be piecing it together from newegg.com unless someone suggests a better (just as reliable but cheaper) place.

I'd like to get the best gaming pc with a monitor that $2,000 can buy. What I'm mainly uncertain about is which motherboard/cpu/ram combination would give me the most bang for the buck (without overclocking) now, and can still be upgraded in the future. Specific model numbers/brands etc would be most appreciated

What would you hardware experts recommend?

Motherboard -
CPU -
RAM -
Good Mid-tower case/power supply -
19''+ Monitor, 85hz @1600x1200 -

 

[MikeMike]

ok this is a sweet computer for 2 grand will be very overclockable w/ stock hsf

it is a little over 2grand, but would be worth it if you bought it all would be the best computer

all copy and paste from newegg

btw speakers arent included




Cases PC - ATX - Full Tower
Lian-Li PC-75 USB, 15-Bay, Aluminum ATX FULL tower case. SILVER with Transparent side cover, with 4 USB(1.01) ports at front, 6 - 5.25" bays, 3 - 3.5" bays, 6 - 3.5" hidden bays, Pentium 4 compatible. Silver colored. Size: 210X640X595mm. No power supply. Power Supply Sold Separately. more info>
N82E16811112205 $238.00
$238.00


CD Recorder/Rewritable Drive
YAMAHA CD-RW 44x24x44 MODEL # CRWF1 EB10 - OEM Bulk PackYamaha's revolutionary CRW-F1 allows you to record a full CD in under 3 minutes and burn your own text or graphics on the disc at the same time! eliminating the need for labels.
Specifications:
Interface: EIDE ATAPI
Buffer: 8MB with Safe Burn Technology
Speed: 44 Read, 24x Re-Rewrite and 44x Write
OEM (Comes with Yamaha Utility CD) 24X CD-RW Ultra Speed CD-RW rewrites in half the time of current CD-RW drives. Maximum Speed/ Maximum Quality 44X audio rip and read speed.Plug and Play Easy installation with full Windows XP support more info>
N82E16827119113 $145.00
$145.00


DVD ROM
Lite-On 16X DVD ROM Drive OEM (48X CD-ROM) Model LTD-163D
Specifications:
Speed VD-ROM 16X (6.4X~16X) CD-ROM 48X (20X~48X)
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE
Sustained Transfer Rate : DVD-ROM 8600~21600 KB/sec CD-ROM 3000~7200 KB/sec
Burst Transfer Rate : Support up to Ultra-DMA/33, 33.3MB/sec
Access Time : 120ms (typical)
MTBF : 70'000 Power On Hours with 20% Duty
more info>
N82E16827131107 $42.00
$42.00


Hard Drives - IDE
►Weekly Special: WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Size: 80 Gigabytes
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Seek time: 8.9ms
RPM:7200
Cache 8MB
OEM(Drive alone) 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty --* Works With PC & Mac *-- more info>
N82E16822144122 $109.00
$109.00


Keyboards - English
Logitech Deluxe Access 104 PS/2 Keyboard - OEM Package Standard keyboard with enhanced Internet access. One-touch Web access, search, and e-mail. Start typing right away with familiar layout. Space-saving design with exceptional touch. Attractive, detachable palm rest Mfg Part# 967060-0403 more info>
N82E16823126106 $13.00
$13.00


Memory - PC (RAMBUS)
Samsung Original RIMM 4200 32-Bit 256MB RAMBUS RAM
Samsung Original 232-Pin 32-Bit RIMM4200 PC1066 1066MHz RAMBUS Memory **Only one is needed to boot up the System** This RAM would only work for ASUS P4T533 Motherboard and it WILL NOT work for other boards
part #
MD16R1628AF0-CN9DF
MD16R1628AF0-CN90
MD16R1628DF0-CN9
more info>
N82E16820147201 $125.00
$250.00


Monitors
Samsung SyncMaster 900NF CRT monitor - Retail
18" Viewable screen. 0.25mm dot pitch.
Ivory color
1600 x 1200 native resolution, 2048 x 1536 Maximum Resolution
ARAS (anti reflection, anti static) surface treatment.
TCO 99/MPR-II/NUTEK certified.
(Mac use may require adapter, not included)
--* Works With PC & Mac *-- more info>
N82E16824001007 $339.00
$339.00


Motherboards - Intel
Asus P4T533-C Motherboard for Intel P4 Processors, Retail
Specifications:
Processor: Socket 478 for FC-PGA2 Pentium® 4 1.4GHz to 2.2GHz+
Chipset: Intel 850E ICH2
FSB: 533/400 MHz
Memory: 4 x RAMBUS Sockets Max.2GB, RDRAMS PC1066/PC800 Compliant RIMM
Expansion Slots: 1 x AGP 4X 5 x PCI, 4 x USB
IDE: Ports 2 x UltraDMA 100/66/33
Audio: AC'97 codec S/PDIF-in
Onboard LAN Intel® 82562ET PHY
more info>
N82E16813131310 $169.00
$169.00


Mouse
Logitech MX700 Cordless Optical Mouse - RETAIL
MX Optical Engine delivers more accuracy and control on more surfaces than ever before
Fast RF cordless technology delivers corded quality on a cordless device in a 6ft range, even on crowded desks
Fast RF cordless technology delivers corded quality on a cordless device in a six foot range, even on crowded desks --* Works With PC & Mac *-- more info>
N82E16826104128 $64.00
$64.00


Power Supplies / Inverters / Converters / Strips
Antec 430W Power Supply TRUE430 ATX Form Factor, ATX12V compliant for Pentium 4 (backward compatible with previous Pentium versions) and AMD systems
+5V Stand-By & Logic On/Off Antec Low Noise Technology Maximum Power 430W Weight 5 lbs. Dimensions - L5.9" x W5.5" x H3.4" UL, CSA, TUV, CB, CE, NEMKO Approved more info>
N82E16817103908 $78.00
$78.00


Processors - Intel Pentium 4
Intel Pentium 4 / 2.8 GHz Northwood 512K Socket 478 Processor 533MHz Processor Bus Retail
Specifications:
CPU: 2.8 GHz
Type: Pentium 4 Northwood
Cache: 512K
BUS: 533 Mhz
Socket: 478 Retail (Box with Heatsink and fan)
3-year MFG. Warranty-(CPU ONLY NO RAMBUS RAM) more info>
N82E16819116147 $475.00
$475.00


Sound Card
VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH SANTA CRUZ - OEM
PCI Sound Card with Digital Signal Processor for the Ultimate Listening Experience.
Home theater surround sound.
Create your own Music.
Accelerates MP3, DVD, and Internet Audio.
Mfg Part# TBS-3400-01
Driver Download:
more info>
N82E16829118101 $62.00
$62.00


Video Cards
SAPPHIRE RADEON 9700 PRO 128MB DDR TV/DVI 8X AGP OEM RADEON? 9700 PRO is the world's fastest* and most advanced graphics board.
Specifications:
GPU: RADEON? 9700 PRO Visual Processing Unit (VPU)
Mem: 128MB DDR memory 256-bit memory
OS: Windows 2000,ME,XP DirectX® 9.0 support
Eight parallel rendering pipelines, Four parallel geometry engines
Bus: AGP 8X support 2GB/sec Bandwidth
Peak Memory Bandwidth 20GB a sec (compare to ti 4600's 10.4gb)
Pixel Fill Rate: 2.6 Gigapixels/Sec
Resolutions: From 640x480 at 200Hz, to 2048x1536 at 85Hz
Integrated TV Output support up to 1024x768 resolution
2x/4x/6x full scene anti-aliasing modes Powered by ATI Manufactured by Sapphire more info>
N82E16814102236 $320.00
$320.00


Subtotal » $2,304.00


you could go amd, but with the setup above, even the 2600+ would perform nowhere near as well as the pc1066 will blow it away! but to lower prices i would get an

amd 2600+ w/ a nice kt400 mobo and 512mb ddr400
or you could drop the rambus memory and the mobo on this setup and get a different mobo, and memory

 

[Viper96720]

The memory you picked is for the p4t-533 not the c version. That one needs the 16 bit ram in pairs. I would buy a cheap sis board and wait for the dual channel ddr boards and a 3ghz p4 with hyperthreading.

 

[Viper96720]

Right now probably the Asus P4PE. With Corsair XMS memory 512MB , Intel 2.4B, WD SE hard drive, Pioneer dvd-r drive, radeon 9700pro, I'm waiting for NV30 and Granite Bay by Christmas time.

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: Viper96720
Right now probably the Asus P4PE. With Corsair XMS memory 512MB , Intel 2.4B, WD SE hard drive, Pioneer dvd-r drive, radeon 9700pro, I'm waiting for NV30 and Granite Bay by Christmas time.

The P4PE is not worth the price. Asus P4B533 will do fine.

 

[owensdj]

I think the 2.53GHz Intel Pentium 4 looks good right now for the money. Any higher speed P4 processor has a big jump in price. You can get the 2.53GHz for $239 at Comp-U-Plus, but the 2.66GHz is $410.

For the motherboard, I'd probably pick the Asus P4B533 for $118 at Comp-U-Plus.

I'd get a single 512MB PC2100 DDR DIMM for $126.89 at
Crucial Technology. Add another 512MB DIMM if what you're going to be doing needs the extra memory.

I'd pick an Antec Performance Plus 860 case with a 330W power supply for $103 at Comp-U-Plus.

For the monitor, I'd pick the Viewsonic G90F 19" PerfectFlat for $258 at New Egg.

 

[280Z]

Originally posted by: owensdj
I think the 2.53GHz Intel Pentium 4 looks good right now for the money. Any higher speed P4 processor has a big jump in price. You can get the 2.53GHz for $239 at Comp-U-Plus, but the 2.66GHz is $410.

For the motherboard, I'd probably pick the Asus P4B533 for $118 at Comp-U-Plus.

I'd get a single 512MB PC2100 DDR DIMM for $126.89 at
Crucial Technology. Add another 512MB DIMM if what you're going to be doing needs the extra memory.

I'd pick an Antec Performance Plus 860 case with a 330W power supply for $103 at Comp-U-Plus.

For the monitor, I'd pick the Viewsonic G90F 19" PerfectFlat for $258 at New Egg.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Owensdj's config looks pretty good, I'll probably go with the samsung monitor though.

 

[CrazySaint]

Originally posted by: owensdj
I think the 2.53GHz Intel Pentium 4 looks good right now for the money. Any higher speed P4 processor has a big jump in price. You can get the 2.53GHz for $239 at Comp-U-Plus, but the 2.66GHz is $410.

For the motherboard, I'd probably pick the Asus P4B533 for $118 at Comp-U-Plus.

I'd get a single 512MB PC2100 DDR DIMM for $126.89 at
Crucial Technology. Add another 512MB DIMM if what you're going to be doing needs the extra memory.

I'd pick an Antec Performance Plus 860 case with a 330W power supply for $103 at Comp-U-Plus.

For the monitor, I'd pick the Viewsonic G90F 19" PerfectFlat for $258 at New Egg.

Looks good except you need some good PC2700 RAM (Personally, I'd recommend some Corsair XMS PC3000C2 from googlegear.com), not PC2100 and I'd go with the Samsung monitor instead of the Viewsonic.

 

[Bovinicus]

If you want a good upgrade path, the P4 is probably the better choice. Simply because I know it will ramp higher in performance than AMD's processors will. Any 845PE based solution is a good idea. The i850E w/PC1066 is good too, but not worth the extra money. 2.4GHz is probably a good clockspeed to go with. Some good quality PC2700 memory would be fine, Crucial is always a good choice.

 

[LongCoolMother]

holy christ!! $2,000 for a PC!!! you're going to get one super-duper computer for that much money. smokes me P4 2.4 and athlon xp 1900+!!!!

 

[LongCoolMother]

how do you guys think about him going the SCSI path? lets have a dual channel 40GB scsi raid-0 array.

 

[XBoxLPU]

Here is waht I would buy

 

[Bovinicus]

WIth 2K for a system, you could go with a very high quality 21 inch monitor and a really nice set of speakers to go along with your system, and still have a nice high performance system. Also, definitely stick with newegg as your provider of parts.

 

[LongCoolMother]

i would recomend you lessen on the system performance and shell a little more to get yourself a nice set of speakers and a 19/21" high quality CRT. i think that would justify spending that much better. you'll still have enough money to get a very high performing system. I agree P4 is the way to go if you're looking at future upgrades.

 

[Dragoon42]

Dude drop the case and get a decent one for like $60-100.

 

[XBoxLPU]

The Samsung SyncMaster 900NF is one of the best 19 inch monitors you can buy


How about this than