Ready to Buy and Build

[Phenocain]

I have some serious concerns about building butI don't want to pay for an overpriced non upgradable computer. So I am finally ready to give it to buy and build. Or at least I think I am. Trying to Spend at least and not much over $1500


NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM $41.99

SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM (Yeak I know I don't really need this but I still want it on my machine.) $6.99

SAMSUNG 204B-Black Black 20.1" 5ms LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 800:1 0.255mm Pixel Pitch - Retail $489.99 (kind of Pricey if you have cheaper but good quality suggestion I will change it I want either a 19in or 20")

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 With Plus! SuperPack Single Pack - OEM $111.95

Motherboard

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $178.00

or this one (Now with either of these motherboards I don't need to buy a sound card right?
I don't want to have a top of the line sound card just something with decent
quality)

MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $78.99

* Model #: K8N Neo4-F
* Item #: N82E16813130491

PNY VCG68128XWB Geforce 6800 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM
Model #: VCG68128XWB ( I picked this card cause I thought the other ones were to expensive. I like to play games but I am not a gamer fanatic nor an OCer)

LINKSKEY LKA-CR15B 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader/Writer - Retail $11.99

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail (

(Now I don't know about this I was happy with it till I read all the Anti-Antec Posts. Some say its good others say is not. Some suggestTruepower. I am comfused. I want a good power supply so that if in the future I decide to upgrade my computer I won't have to buy a new PSU. Computer Case does not have to be too fancy but as an alternative I could get this

Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $108.99 with FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX500-A, 2.0 version, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 500W - Retail $89.99

CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2PT - Retail $89.00 ( I suppose I could get 2 GB i just want to keep the price down.)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail $295.00

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$90.00

Rosewill RKM810BLK Black 104 Normal Keys 20 Function Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard Mouse Included - Retail $18.99

Creative Inspire T3000 29 Watts 2.1 Speaker - Retail $41.00 (Don't want anything expensive now. I can always upgrade later.).

Ok thats it. I think I got everything. Is everything compatible? Am I missing something? Trying to keep the price under $1500 After I get some constructive criticism on the parts I will add it all up.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Shortass]

What does that all come to? For $1500 you could get away with a much better video card in case you ever decide you want to play Oblivion or any other sick game and find you want all the bells and whistles at a good resolution.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Phenocain
I have some serious concerns about building butI don't want to pay for an overpriced non upgradable computer. So I am finally ready to give it to buy and build. Or at least I think I am. Trying to Spend at least and not much over $1500


NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM $41.99

SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM (Yeak I know I don't really need this but I still want it on my machine.) $6.99

SAMSUNG 204B-Black Black 20.1" 5ms LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 800:1 0.255mm Pixel Pitch - Retail $489.99 (kind of Pricey if you have cheaper but good quality suggestion I will change it I want either a 19in or 20")

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 With Plus! SuperPack Single Pack - OEM $111.95

pay $20 more and get pro

Motherboard

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $178.00

or this one (Now with either of these motherboards I don't need to buy a sound card right?
I don't want to have a top of the line sound card just something with decent
quality)

MSI K8N Neo4-F Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $78.99

* Model #: K8N Neo4-F
* Item #: N82E16813130491

Take a look at Abit's offerings or that second one seems like a much better deal

PNY VCG68128XWB Geforce 6800 128MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - OEM
Model #: VCG68128XWB ( I picked this card cause I thought the other ones were to expensive. I like to play games but I am not a gamer fanatic nor an OCer)

You should be able to get much better for a $1500 computer, either you are spending too much on other parts or you aren't actually hitting your total

LINKSKEY LKA-CR15B 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader/Writer - Retail $11.99

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail (

(Now I don't know about this I was happy with it till I read all the Anti-Antec Posts. Some say its good others say is not. Some suggestTruepower. I am comfused. I want a good power supply so that if in the future I decide to upgrade my computer I won't have to buy a new PSU. Computer Case does not have to be too fancy but as an alternative I could get this

Thermaltake Tsunami VA3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $108.99 with FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX500-A, 2.0 version, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 500W - Retail $89.99

I would take the thermaltake case since it comes with a fortron power supply

CORSAIR XMS 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX1024-3200C2PT - Retail $89.00 ( I suppose I could get 2 GB i just want to keep the price down.)

Get 2 gigs of corsair valueram

 

[Howard]

What games will you play? Is noise a concern?

 

[tropic]

What are you going to use this computer for?
Do you like to tinker?
Will this machine ever be part of a domain?
Are you itching to spend all $1500, or would you benefit from coming in at less?
Do you need any other software besides the OS?

Quick $0.02:

Don't pay extra money for the Plus! package--the only thing worth anything on it is the fish screensaver. Spring for Pro or save some $$$ on vanilla Home.

I don't like that keyboard.

Why only a gig of RAM?

I'm VERY happy with that display.

Some random hardware I think is good bang-for-buck:

Enermax Liberty 500W PSU
Patriot PC3200 2-3-2-5 1GB sticks
Epox EP-9NPA3 ULTRA if you can do without firewire.

 

[FallenHero]

I think the most important question here is...what is your current rig like? If its decent for today, wait until the next generation of processors come out. Conroe will eat babies, and the rest will be cheaper so you can buy better parts for the computer as a whole.

 

[Cabages]

Spend some more on a video card and 2 GB of RAM.

I think a 7600GT out performs that 6800, and can be had for around $180, depending on how much that 6800 is.

You dont need that high grade of power supply, do you? I though I saw a 430W Fortron on the egg for $30-$40. Extra money would be good for RAM.

You might be able to get a floppy/card reader combo instead of the USB card reader.

You might be able to just use earphones, then upgrade to a better speaker configuration later, if your willing.

You couldnt go for a cheaper case?

 

[ajikan]

buy used parts to lower the cost or spend around the same for higher end parts.
that's what I did with my recent build.

 

[Phenocain]

Originally posted by: FallenHero
I think the most important question here is...what is your current rig like? If its decent for today, wait until the next generation of processors come out. Conroe will eat babies, and the rest will be cheaper so you can buy better parts for the computer as a whole.

My current computer is a Compaq Presario
x86 GenuineIntel ~1495 Mhz Processor
Memory 768.50 MB Serioulsly outdated and running extermely slow. I have had it for 5 years. I think I really do need a new computer.

Originally posted by: tropic


What are you going to use this computer for?
Do you like to tinker?
Will this machine ever be part of a domain?
Are you itching to spend all $1500, or would you benefit from coming in at less?
Do you need any other software besides the OS?

Quick $0.02:

Don't pay extra money for the Plus! package--the only thing worth anything on it is the fish screensaver. Spring for Pro or save some $$$ on vanilla Home.

I don't like that keyboard.

Why only a gig of RAM?

I'm VERY happy with that display.

Some random hardware I think is good bang-for-buck:

Enermax Liberty 500W PSU
Patriot PC3200 2-3-2-5 1GB sticks
Epox EP-9NPA3 ULTRA if you can do without firewire.

I will be using this computer for work, school and personal entertainment. I like to download software and play games but I am not a gamer fanatic. Computer will not be a part of a domanin. I will probably need more software virus protection and stuff but I can always download that stuff and save money instead of buying. I don't have to spend it all I just want to get the best parts possible for that amount of money.

Originally posted by: Cabages
Spend some more on a video card and 2 GB of RAM.

I think a 7600GT out performs that 6800, and can be had for around $180, depending on how much that 6800 is.

You dont need that high grade of power supply, do you? I though I saw a 430W Fortron on the egg for $30-$40. Extra money would be good for RAM.

You might be able to get a floppy/card reader combo instead of the USB card reader.

You might be able to just use earphones, then upgrade to a better speaker configuration later, if your willing.

You couldnt go for a cheaper case?

I will check the video card price out. I do want to buy Oblivion (I love Morrowind). I just didn't want to pay an exorbiant price for a video card.

Well I don't know all the manuals say to get a good quality PSU but I can go down. I thought 400-500 would be the best to get.

I might even just keep the speakers I have now. I am not all that worried about speaker system right now. I just want to get a better faster computer right now. I have cable connection and my current computer really runs slow on it. I am tired of computer constantly freezing up.

 

[Cabages]

This 430W Thermaltake should serve you well. Reviews are good. $39.99, $29.99 after rebate.

You will definitely want to pay a higher price for a video card. If you are playing Oblivion, you are going to need the best one you can get your hands on.

 

[JSFLY]

Dont buy the DFI expert. you don't need it. Get the DFI NF4 Ultra-D and spend the amount you save on the video card.

 

[m1ldslide1]

My monitor suggestion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116375

This is a 2ms Viewsonic 19" LCD. I've been happy with the three Viewsonics I've ordered, and it will save a hundred bucks from your original choice (which I'm not familiar with).

You should really really consider spending as much money as possible on the video card. Save money elsewhere as much as possible, (like JSFLY's mobo suggestion), and reinvest that money in the video card. You won't be disappointed. If you spend $250 or above then you'll have something you can play new games with for two or maybe three years.

You should also try to get 2x1GB of RAM. Get the cheap stuff - you don't need tight timings or overclock ability. After rebate you can get some great 2x1GB for around $130.

Also, I've heard bad things about the Antec PSUs, but I've built two systems with the SONATA II and that 450W PSU has been just fine. Neither have been high-end gaming systems, but both have been athlon64 systems and have had NO troubles. I love this case and for $90 you can't really beat the case/PSU combo.

 

[Bobthelost]

You don't need a 500W PSU, a good 400W one can handle that system with ease. The $50 fortorn 450W is a good buy. Or the antec sonata II case+PSU combo. There are issues with some antec PSUs, but it's not with all of them, and they are still a decent budget line.

Get a cheaper motherboard, DFI is one of the more troublesome boards out there and unless you're going for a serious overclock, not worth the hastle. Don't get a SLI board whatever you do. I'm not a great MSI fan, but that's the price range you want to be looking at.

Cheap RAM is excellent, 2GB is nice, but if you're not a serious gamer then it's not worth worrying too much about.

Stick with the monitor, a good monitor is a wonderful thing.

Graphics card? The 6800 is enough to manage with, a faster card is always nicer though. For your budget you should be looking more towards a X1800XT or a 7900GT. (or a secondhand 7800GT).

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Cabages
This 430W Thermaltake should serve you well. Reviews are good. $39.99, $29.99 after rebate.

Only 18A on the +12V rail. The Fortron AX450-PN is just a bit more expensive but supplies 29A, has a higher efficiency, and is quieter, to boot.

 

[MUKid]

I like that Fortron Power Supply a lot. I agree with the chorus of others here - invest in 2 GB of RAM and a fast video card, and spend what's left of your budget on everything else. Those two parts are important when running Windows and playing games.