First System

[DoobieNaq23]

I am preparing to purchase my first system to set up from scratch (besides monitor, keyboard, and mouse). These are the components:

CaseAntec SLK2650-BQE $65.00
CPU AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton" $81.00
DVD/CD-RW NEC 8X Black ND-2500A $70.99
Floppy Maxtor 60GB 7200RPM IDE $68.25
Memory Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 $79.00
MotherBoard BIOSTAR "M7NCD" $50.00
Video Card SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600SE Video Card $69.99
OS XP Home $90.00
Total $574.23 + shipping

I am making this computer for my dad, who will only be using it for word processing, internet, and maybe movies. Are all of these components compatible with each other and are they smart buys? Will this system fit his needs or do they over shoot them (can I spend less money on some things?) If you have any suggestions I am open to them because I am new to this. (I will not be offended if you say my choices flat out suck, but I would like to know why)

Any help would be apprciated.

P.S. did I miss anything?

 

[Blain]

"Floppy... $68.25"
I can sell you a floppy drive for 1/2 that!

Speakers?
Antec case... looks nice, but you can get good (not great), cases for about 1/2 that.
2500+ Barton... maybe overkill.
512mb... dad may not need that much for surfing.
ND-2500A... dad going to be a pirate? A plain DVD-ROM is cheaper.

 

[jpeyton]

Try this on for size:

AMD Duron 1.6GHz - $44

Biostar M7NCD - $50

NU Tech 8X DVD +/- RW - $65.99

WD 80GB 7200RPM/8MB - $66

Mushkin 512MB PC3200 - $79

CasEdge Black/Silver ATX Mid Tower w/ 300W PSU - $50

ECS Radeon 9200 128MB 128-bit VIVO - $53

Windows XP Home Edition - $90

Speeze WhisperRock II CPU Cooler - $11.99

TOTAL: $509.98 Including Shipping

You can get a fast 80GB 8MB Cache drive for less than the 60GB drive you linked.

The CasEdge case is a solid case/PSU combo recommended by Anandtech's Budget Builder Guide.

The NU Tech DVD writer was also recommended by Anandtech and has many favorable reviews.

The Duron is a great budget chip and easily overclocks to 2GHz by simply adjusting the FSB to 166MHz and bumping up the CPU voltage modestly. It will be more than enough for your Dad, even at the stock 1.6GHz.

 

[Mik3y]

dont get hte radeon 9600 se. the se REALLY REALLY SUX! its totally not worth it for its money and it will not be able to handle doom 3 or half-life 2 even close to descent.

 

[mobiusman]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
dont get hte radeon 9600 se. the se REALLY REALLY SUX! its totally not worth it for its money and it will not be able to handle doom 3 or half-life 2 even close to descent.

And what does this have to do with "word processing, internet, and maybe movies"?

I think the system is good, but I would change the video to a FX5200 for about $55-$60.
I would spend that few bucks you saved with the vid card and get a 8MB cache hard drive.
Also, for another $10 or so you could get a motherboard from a more common manufacturer. (I'm not familiar with Biostar).
-Scott

 

[Sonic587]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Try this on for size:

AMD Duron 1.6GHz - $44

Biostar M7NCD - $50

NU Tech 8X DVD +/- RW - $65.99

WD 80GB 7200RPM/8MB - $66

Mushkin 512MB PC3200 - $79

CasEdge Black/Silver ATX Mid Tower w/ 300W PSU - $50

ECS Radeon 9200 128MB 128-bit VIVO - $53

Windows XP Home Edition - $90

Speeze WhisperRock II CPU Cooler - $11.99

TOTAL: $509.98 Including Shipping

He might as well just get a XP2000+ retail instead of the Duron+fan+shipping. That would be cheaper, faster, less hassle along with a 3 year warranty from AMD.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-383&depa=0

And the case? CasEdge? Not to knock your choice, but it doesn't even show a pic of the PSU. Who knows if you're going to get a POS unreliable generic brand? With Antec, you're pretty much paying for the quality PSU, and oh...You get a well made case for like 20$ that comes with it. ATM, the CasEdge is OOS as well.

Agreed on the harddrive. Bigger, faster, better warranty(3yrs vs 1yr).

Bump the RAM down to 256MB. He won't need too much more outside of web browsing and movies.

Also, if your father isn't going to be burning a bunch of DVDs, just get a DVD-ROM like mentioned above. No need to waste the extra 40$ unless he wants backups.

Here's what I'd suggest:

-Same case you have up there-$65
-Athlon XP2000+ Retail-$57
-Mushkin 256MB PC3200-$46
-The Western Digital HDD mentioned above.-$63
-It's almost a shame to pay that much for a sucky videocard. I'd go with The Abit NF7-M with intergrated graphics. No need for a video card unless he wants to play games.
-NEC Dual layer burner-$79 If he wants to burn. Otherwise just get a regular DVD drive(about $30).
-Windows XP home-$90

All this comes to $464 shipped with the DVD-ROM. $513 shipped with the DVD burner.