Recommendation for new system

[KimMan]

I'm planning to build a relatively inexpensive system for simple web surfing and running MS Office, etc. However, I'm also the kind of person who would spend extra money on certain components simply because I like the technology involved (BTW, I'm an engineer who writes realtime embedded software).

I'm now planning to buy a mid-range (in terms of MHz) Athlon or Duron running Windows 2000 and I do not want to overclock anything. The thing is I don't really play games at all. So I care very little about 3D graphics performance. However, I do want to watch DVD on the PC. Also, I prefer to have everything (video, audio, Ethernet, modem, etc) integrated for simplicity. I looked at the SiS730S chipset and it seemed very good except for the poor memory performance. The other choice would be to get the KT133A chipset with a cheap video card that has decent DVD hardware decoding support. Here are the questions:

1. Does SiS730S support 133MHz FSB?
2. What low-end video card should I get? I do not want something with poor Windows 2000 support.
3. Would one be able to feel any speed difference between the integrated video in SiS730S and a low-end video card, while doing simple web surfing and running MS Office, etc?

 

[office boy]

<<Also, I prefer to have everything (video, audio, Ethernet, modem, etc) integrated for simplicity>> it's not so simple when a NIC less worth less then $10 breaks, and you need a whole new motherboard...

2. I would suggest an ATI Rage, or Radeon if you want to spend a few extra dollars...
3. Most likely not, I work with a lot of diferent video stuff, matrox, Nvidia, 3dfx, intel integrated (810, 815) and I really can't tell the 2D diference, but maybe I have bad eyes...

 

[Ulysses]

Maybe check out this AnandTech mobo roundup - I'd stick with the KT133/A's. A good vid card might be the Matrox Millennium G450 DualHead. It has connections for dual monitors, which is the way I use it, or for one monitor and your TV. The retail version costs about $150 shipped from Matrox directly and includes a DVD Player. Matrox is known for its robust drivers for most OS's, including Win 2K - the card is designed for the corporate user, not the gamer.