Building a system...any tips?

[Lexxon]

I've decided on some parts for a system, but it has run me upwards of $700. It's a bit pricy for me. Anyways, if you guys have any tips or anything to improve on this system, let me know. It seems to look good to me.

Processor - AMD 2800+ 1.8GHz, retail (With fan + heatsink) - $127.00

Video Card - Radeon 9600 Pro 128MB ? $106.00

RAM - 512MB (I plan to upgrade to a GB after the initial build) - $70.27

Motherboard - CHAINTECH nForce3 Mobo, $72.00

Monitor - MAG InnoVision 17?? - $109.00 (I may be able to pick this up at Staples)

Speakers - Logitech 2.1 speakers - $29.00

Wireless Card - NETGEAR Wireless Adapter - $41.99, but with a $20 rebate if ordered soon

DVD-RW - DVD-RW (only CD drive) - $47.00

Hard Drive - 80GB - $58.00

Case - $60.00

And a keyboard/floppy drive will come in eventually. THe total floats around $700. A couple questions:

Is a 350W power supply enough?
and,
are there any other better improvements for this system?


Thanks a lot, guys, you've been a great help.

 

[basslover1]

Everything looks good, may I suggest this motherboard as well. I bought it instead of the Chaintech and have been extremely happy with it. I have no experience with the one you listed, but I have nothing but good things to say about the EPoX board. It OC's well and has been very stable.

 

[Dethfrumbelo]

The 350W depends on the brand. An Antec 350, for example, would be adequate.

 

[meltdown75]

well as for the cpu, i think it is a nice economical choice but i would get a different heatsink/fan combo if i were you, so just buy the oem chip and save yourself some money, then you can get these speakers

5.1's 6.1's

vid card... go with something a little higher like even a 9800 sucky edition or 9700 pro!
or at least 9600XT if you are going radeon & u can afford it. I haven't heard much about that mobo you are going to use but I think both the A-bit nf7-s2 and some Asus boards such as the A7N8X are good socket A boards too... if i had the $ i would definitely give that DFI lanparty board a spin too. other than that, looks good but don't skimp on the power supply... actually read a couple FAQs on power supplies or check the AMD or your motherboard's site for some good pointers on power supply choices.

 

[Rebel Nugget]

I personally have 9600 pro in my budget system and I think it works great. I can run Doom, FarCry, HL2 and any other games on medium graphics with little to no problems. So the 9600 pro gets my approval.

Of course, if you have the money to buy something better.... that's always a plus.

 

[leigh6]

I think you did just fine. You probably can save a little by looking around for better prices on individual items but the savings probably will not equal the ease of which you can buy this from Newegg.

 

[Lexxon]

Thanks a lot, guys. I'll look into the power supply thing, I'd rather buy a case that comes with the supply, as I'd lie to keep my first build as easy as possible.

Thanks everyone on these boards--made this much easier!!

 

[GasX]

Switching to a Shuttle AN35N Ultra Mobo and Athlon Mobile 2400+ would save you some cash and you could run it faster than the CPU you did choose on stock cooling.

 

[Lexxon]

I'm pretty sure this system is going to work...From what I've read, 350W is good for this light-ish load, I don't plan to overclock much, if at all.

This should be good for light gaming, huh? I just want to make sure its all compatible, and it seems it is.

Now just to come up with $750-ish dollars...

 

[czech09]

Buy the NEC 3500A dvd burner best ever for the price it's $66 shipped

 

[Maxil223]

umm, may i recommend that you get a CD/DVD drive that is the same color as your case. My friend did the same thing and it looks really bad. But if you dont mind it, go ahead.

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: Maxil223
umm, may i recommend that you get a CD/DVD drive that is the same color as your case. My friend did the same thing and it looks really bad. But if you dont mind it, go ahead.

The drive includes a couple face plates (beige and black), but the Antec case has a door anyway, so either way it's hidden.

OP: System looks great. Not much to change, really, considering you've already squeezed an A64 and midrange video card into a $700 budget along with a monitor and wireless card.

 

[shimsham]

that case and ps will be just fine. i would buy the monitor local if possible, to save on shipping and lessen the risk of damage.

 

[DrMindbender]

Are their any parts like your monitor that you can salvage from your other pc if you had one? I think you're psu is more than enough. I'd reuse an old graphics card until I got more money than buy a new, but obsolete graphics card.