New System Build

[leocanuck]

I have configured the following system at ncix.com for C$1981 (US$1685), including the build and testing. It will be for all-around family use with some media capabilities. Will be adding a TV tuner (Sapphire Theatrix 550) and Dell LCD (19" or 20"). What components should I swap out to get the best bang for buck? May add a sound card.

1 x PC ASSEMBLY AND TESTING (PRE-CONFIG OS IF PURCHASED)
1 x Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 OEM Single Copy
1 x LOGITECH Z-2300 SPEAKER SYSTEM 2.1 200WRMS 400W 8IN SUBWOOFER
1 x LOGITECH LX 700 CORDLESS DESKTOP KEYBOARD & OPTICAL RECHARGABLE MOUSE USB PS/2
1 x NEC ND-3550A DVD+RW 16X8X16X DVD-RW 16X6X16X DL 8X/6X IDE 2MB Burner Black OEM W/ SW
1 x CONNECT3D Radeon X800 GTO 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 PCI-E VGA DVI VIVO Video Card
2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 250GB SATA W/ NCQ 7200RPM 8MB 8MS Hard Drive 5 Year MFR Warranty
1 x OCZ EL Platinum PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL2-3-2-5 184PIN Pin Dual Channel Memory Kit /W Ramsink
1 x ASUS A8N-E MOTHERBOARD ATX S939 NFORCE4 ULTRA DDR PCI-E16 PCI-E4 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA RAID GBLAN SOUND
1 x AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Processor S939 San Diego 2.2GHZ 1MB L2 Cache 90NM Retail Box
1 x Antec P150 Quiet PC ATX Tower Case Silver 4X5.25 4X3.5INT 430W W/ 120MM Fan & Filters

 

[thesurge]

That's a good system, but how much is the assembly charge?

 

[KoolDrew]

How much do they charge to put the system together? Why can't you do it yourself? If you are planning on running RAID-0, I would forget about it. Also, just buy value RAM.

 

[leocanuck]

Assembly is C$50.

 

[thesurge]

Originally posted by: leocanuck
Assembly is C$50.

not too shabby.

 

[leocanuck]

I save C$110 with this RAM.

1 x Kingston ValueRAM PC2-3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-400 CL3 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

By the way, I not serious about overclocking, but might fool around.

 

[leocanuck]

Any comments on Kingston RAM, mobo, CPU, vid card?

 

[KoolDrew]

That Kingston RAM is DDR2, thus it will not work.

 

[Cooler]

Get an 3800 for dual core goodness.

 

[Viditor]

Obviously the Kingston Ram won't work
The rest of the system looks great. If the family does gaming, you might want to spend the extra for a GF7800, but other than that it looks like a system that will be perfect for your needs.

 

[leocanuck]

 

[leocanuck]

OK then on the RAM. If not the OCZ Platinum, then what? I prefer 2 x 1GB.

 

[leocanuck]

How about these?

1 x AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2Ghz 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
1 x OCZ Value Series PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL3-4-4-8 184PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: leocanuck
How about these?

1 x AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2Ghz 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
1 x OCZ Value Series PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL3-4-4-8 184PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit

That would be my personal preference, but it depends on what you're doing. Most of the things you listed are single-threaded apps, and it doesn't sound as if you're doing any heavy multitasking...
Therefore, the faster single core might be the best choice.
As to the Ram, if you don't plan to overclock much then it should be absolutely fine (no need for high-priced DDR).

 

[leocanuck]

This is where I am at now, with sound card added, for C$2198 (US$1870):

1 x PC ASSEMBLY AND TESTING (PRE-CONFIG OS IF PURCHASED)
1 x Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 OEM Single Copy
1 x LOGITECH Z-2300 SPEAKER SYSTEM 2.1 200WRMS 400W 8IN SUBWOOFER
1 x LOGITECH LX 700 CORDLESS DESKTOP KEYBOARD & OPTICAL RECHARGABLE MOUSE USB PS/2
1 x Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Platinum 24BIT Sound Card W/ Front Access Panel & Remote Control
1 x NEC ND-3550A DVD+RW 16X8X16X DVD-RW 16X6X16X DL 8X/6X IDE 2MB Burner Black OEM W/ SW
1 x CONNECT3D Radeon X800 GTO 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 PCI-E VGA DVI VIVO Video Card
2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 250GB SATA W/ NCQ 7200RPM 8MB 8MS Hard Drive 5 Year MFR Warranty
1 x OCZ Value Series PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL3-4-4-8 184PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit
1 x ASUS A8N-E MOTHERBOARD ATX S939 NFORCE4 ULTRA DDR PCI-E16 PCI-E4 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA RAID GBLAN SOUND
1 x AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2Ghz 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
1 x Antec P150 Quiet PC ATX Tower Case Silver 4X5.25 4X3.5INT 430W W/ 120MM Fan & Filters

 

[leocanuck]

Here is my final build, for C$2219 (US$1898) + 7% tax and $6 shipping:

1 x PC ASSEMBLY AND TESTING (PRE-CONFIG OS IF PURCHASED)
1 x Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 OEM Single Copy
1 x LOGITECH Z-2300 SPEAKER SYSTEM 2.1 200WRMS 400W 8IN SUBWOOFER
1 x LOGITECH LX 700 CORDLESS DESKTOP KEYBOARD & OPTICAL RECHARGABLE MOUSE USB PS/2
1 x NEC ND-3550A DVD+RW 16X8X16X DVD-RW 16X6X16X DL 8X/6X IDE 2MB Burner Beige OEM W/ SW
1 x Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Platinum 24BIT Sound Card W/ Front Access Panel & Remote Control
1 x CONNECT3D Radeon X800 GTO 256MB 256BIT GDDR3 PCI-E VGA DVI VIVO Video Card
2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 250GB SATA W/ NCQ 7200RPM 8MB 8MS Hard Drive 5 Year MFR Warranty
1 x OCZ Performance PC3200 2GB 2X1GB DDR400 CL3-3-3-8 184PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit W/ Ramsink
1 x ASUS A8N-E MOTHERBOARD ATX S939 NFORCE4 ULTRA DDR PCI-E16 PCI-E4 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA RAID GBLAN SOUND
1 x AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Dual Core Processor S939 Manchester 2Ghz 512KBX2 90NM Retail Box
1 x Antec P150 Quiet PC ATX Tower Case Silver 4X5.25 4X3.5INT 430W W/ 120MM Fan & Filters

I'll let you know how ncix does with the build (free for orders over $2,000). Will try to unlock the GTO.

Thanks for the help.