Parts List + Questions

[Tzen]

My Comp:

Aspire X-Dreamer II(Blue)ATX Mid-Tower Case w/ 350W Power Supply - $52
(worried about PSU but it's on the value gaming PC guide. is the case still worth 52 bucks if I have to get a seperate brand PSU? will i need extra case fans?)

Thermaltake SILENT BOOST Highest Performance Cooler for AMD AthlonXP up to 3400+ - $26.99
(silent AND able to cool at 3200+ speeds? is it true?)

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K -OEM - $77
(easy to OC to 3200+? will i have to physically mess with it?)

ASUS nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "A7N8X-X" - $73.99
(single-channel is not much slower than dual-channel, right?)

Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MB DDR400 PC-3200 CAS2.5 Non-ECC Unbuffered - $82
(leaves room for additional 512MB stick in the future)

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP - $215

Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive -OEM - $69.50

Aopen Black 52X24X52X16 Combo Drive, Model COM5224BK - $52

LINKSYS Wireless PCI Ethernet Adapter, Model WMP11 - $56.50

Microsoft Intelli-Mouse Optical PS2/USB -OEM - $23
(OK for gaming?)

Microsoft Natural Keyboard Elite PS2 104keys -OEM - $21

Sony Trinitron Multiscan G400 - Free


Bro's Comp:

Aspire X-Dreamer II(Green)ATX Mid-Tower Case w/ 350W Power Supply - $52

Thermaltake SILENT BOOST Highest Performance Cooler for AMD AthlonXP up to 3400+ - $26.99

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K -OEM - $77

ASUS nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "A7N8X-X" - $73.99

Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MB DDR400 PC-3200 CAS2.5 Non-ECC Unbuffered - $82

Geforce3 64MB - Free
(temporary until it can be upgraded to something nice)

2x 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard drives - Free

TDK 12X CD-RW - Free

Pioneer 16X DVD - Free

NIC - Free
(will be next to router so no need for wireless here. is the onboard on the ASUS better?)

Samsung 955DF - Free


Other:

LINKSYS 11Mbps Wireless Access Point, Model WAP11 - $56.99
(is 11Mbps okay for gaming?)

Arctic Silver's NEW Premium Silver Polysynthetic Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5. 3.5-gram( 1 cc. ) tube - $6.99
(enough for both comps, right?)

FedEx Express Saver shipping to Florida - $56.10


TOTAL: $1,228.04
Money left to spend: $40


I want to get this stuff ordered tomorrow. This is all from NewEgg. I think going with one 9800PRO and upgrading the GF3 this summer is better than getting two mediocre 9600PROs. Just my opinion, but I'm open to suggestions. I think I need some IDE cables, too.

Thanks,
Zach

 

[Trashman]

i haven't followed the AMD scene to much but, i'd look @ the A7N8X board for 13.00 more and get dual ddr support, and the logitech mx500 is a good gamin mouse.
other than that everything looks good to me.

 

[Tzen]

Well, I'm only getting one 512MB chip for each comp. Is that going to lower performance on the A7N8X?

 

[Trashman]

performance won't be lower using 1 stick, but when you decide to add another 512mb stick, you'll see a decent boost in performance, compared with that other board, being single channel.

 

[w33bo]

i had a very similar setup lined up @ newegg, just waiting to order, but then i went and looked at

www.zipzoomfly.com

they are a very reputable online dealer, although their site is poorly designed compared to newegg,
i do suggest getting the

retail 2500+ from them, you get a good fan and a cool sticker
its only 81 bucks + free 2 day air shipping, also check out some other prices, they are either a few bucks more or a few bucks less for most stuff

 

[Tzen]

Thanks, Trashman.

Can anyone else vouch for zipzoomfly? I have used NewEgg for awhile.