***New "family" Computer***

[bfonnes]

1 GB is totally necessary if you are going to be playing any MMORPGs like WoW...
BFonnes

 

[brandon06bash]

if i was going to build again in that price range i would go with an AMD Athlon 64 2800+ Processor Skt 754 & MSI K8N Neo Platinum nForce3 for about $225, Hyper X 512mb ram for about $90, a radeon 9800 video card for about $200, 80Gb hard drive for about $70. that equals $585 so you have 115 for a power supply, possibly a case, a cd/dvd drive, and maybe some fans.

If thats to much i would go with a set up similar to mine:

Athlon xp 2600-2800+( should be able to fine one for around $90), an MSI nforce mobo for about $65-70, 512 kingston hyperx ram for about $90, probably the radeon 9800 video card $200 for your gaming, 80gb hard drive for about $70. which is $520. then a case of your choice probably around $70 for a fairly decent case, a CD-RW/DVD drive for about $40, and an enermax 370W power supply for about $60. which totals 690. a few bucks extra for some further cooling or looks.

the second may be a better choice because your parents wont need the speed of the AMD 64, my xp is plenty fast for me.

i think that would be a good all around rig for your folks.

 

[imported_Xtreme]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the quick replies. I have written down all the suggestions and "built" a computer on the newegg wishlist. As soon as I get the "ok" from my dad, I will buy it. I am looking forward to MUCH better performance over the pentium II Dell we have right now . Thanks again for all the input! :thumbsup:

 

[mechBgon]

Don't skimp on power-supply quality, especially if you envision another 5-year+ lifespan here and plan to push a heavy-duty video card with it too. This ain't your father's Oldsmobile, or something Also keep an eye on what type of ATX connector the motherboard is made for (24-pin or 20-pin) as you look at PSUs.

 

[imported_Xtreme]

Does the Chaintech VNF4 mobo need a 24 or 20 pin connector?

 

[imported_Xtreme]

also is the 128mb of ram on the 6600gt going to hinder its performance over a different pci-e card with 256mb ram?

 

[TheOasis]

this is off the top of my head:

AMD 64 2800+ - $120
Epox NF3 s754 mobo- $70
512mb Corsair VS CL2.5 - $63 *or* 1GB (512x2) Corsair VS cl2.5 $133
80GB special edition WD - $59
evga 6600GT - $209 *or* ATI 9700 pro -$130 (off ebay)
CDRW + 16x DVD - $35
Antec SLK3700 w/350w PSU - $50
windowsXP home - $89

total: $695 - *shipping not included*

thats great all around and would play CSS and HL2 easily.

 

[bcoupland]

Originally posted by: Xtreme
also is the 128mb of ram on the 6600gt going to hinder its performance over a different pci-e card with 256mb ram?

No, unless you are running Doom3 or HL2 at 1600x1200 4xAA 8xAF, then the extra 128MB of ram is not needed. Also, with midrange cards, the ones that have 256MB ram usually have a lower ram clock. The 6600GT is a great midrange card and can pretty much run the best games of today at 1600x1200 no AA/AF or 1280x1024 with everything maxed out. For the brand of the card, I'd recommend a Leadtek, eVGA, or BFG. Good luck with your build.

 

[imported_Xtreme]

im looking at getting:
Case: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=11-144-039&depa=0
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-152-049&depa=0
Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=14-130-214&depa=0
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-501&depa=0
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-440&depa=0
Floppy Drive: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=21-152-001&depa=0
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-135-106&depa=0
CD drive: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=27-152-039&depa=0
$782

My parents like it alot (my dad decided to get 1 GB of ram over 512 so thats good). If anything is not compatible, please tell me. Please post some suggestions.

(does OEM stuff like the hard drive come with the software needed for it to run or do I need to buy that seperatly?)

 

[TheOasis]

you need windows XP home edition, and dont get that case/PSU, or that motherboard because its 24pin, that only complicates things. i would also get a slightly cheaper IDE drive. get:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDe...-128-268&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-150&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=37-102-151&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-122&depa=0

 

[UsandThem]

I don't know about Aspire power supplies. I would get an Antec. Also I would get one a little larger than 350w.

$45.50 for the case and power supply would lead me to believe it is not that good of quality.

My Antec power supply "True 430w" cost me $75.00 by itself.

I would either get a case with a better power supply, or get a case that doesn't come with one and then buy a good power supply.

 

[UsandThem]

Originally posted by: TheOasis
you need windows XP home edition, and dont get that case/PSU, or that motherboard because its 24pin, that only complicates things. i would also get a slightly cheaper IDE drive. get:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDe...-128-268&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-150&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=37-102-151&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-122&depa=0

I have the Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9. It is a decent board, but my complaints on it:

-There is a BIOS issue where a lot of people can't use their keyboard if it is plugged into the PS2. Only USB motherboards seem to work.

-They seemed to have dropped the fan/heatsink from the motherboard chipset. It is now only cooled by a heatsink. This heatsink gets very hot. It is also directly in the way of your video card. Your video card actually sits in between some of its fins.

-Installing Windows on a SATA drive is next to impossible for some reason. There might be a work around to it, but I go so frustrated that I just installed it to my IDE drive and use my SATA as a secondary drive.

I would get the DFI motheboard in a few weeks when it is more available.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: TheOasis
you need windows XP home edition, and dont get that case/PSU, or that motherboard because its 24pin, that only complicates things. i would also get a slightly cheaper IDE drive. get:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDe...-128-268&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-150&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=37-102-151&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-122&depa=0

I'd go with WinXP Professional. Remote Assistance capabilities, a longer patch-support life from Microsoft at the Windows Update site, Automated System Recovery option, Group Policy goodness, and you can turn off the $*#@ Simple File Sharing so you can work with the NTFS Security/Permissions/Ownership without having to boot into Safe Mode (what were they thinking with that ).