****System Buyer's Guide****NEW UPDATE 12/01

[DaveSimmons]

Hi blip, welcome to the forums.

For basic gaming, a Radeon 9600 is a good choice, just get one that has TV-out and you're set. You can see a bunch of different 9600 cards at newegg.com and even search on the (chipset) "ATI Radeon 9600" in their Video Cards section to find all at once. The Rosewill one at $66 has a bunch of buyer reviews to look at.

For TIVO-like functions, the Hauppage cards are great, CompUSA has the PVR-150 for $70 after rebates, you can also get it from www.PCAlchemy.com (note: the PVR-150mce version is a little cheaper but does not come with software or a remote -- it's for the "Media Center Edition" of Windows). Also get a good-sized hard drive. you need about 2 GB of space per hour for recording.

Most people are getting the NEC 3500a for a DVDRW. Note when buying to check the pictures at newegg to see if it comes with a software CD, the 2 cheapest listings only save $2 but don't include the software.

 

[Nibelheim]

Like many others in this thread, I too am building a system for the first time.

Currently, I am planning to re-use, or have already bought:

Antec Super Lanboy case (new)
Seagate 160GB IDE HD (new)
Sapphire Radeon 9600XT 256MB (re-using)
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum (re-using)
TDK CD-RW (re-using)

As for the rest, my budget is $500-600 (not including tax/shipping/OS). Firm requirements are AMD 64, nVIDIA chipset for the motherboard, 1GB of RAM. I don't plan to overclock, nor to upgrade or buy anything else except a video card and DVD burner in the next 2 years or so. Primarily this will be a programming/mid-level gaming (WoW mostly) machine.

Here's what I'm thinking about getting to finish off the build (this will run me just over $550 at newegg.com):

AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 512k L2 Cache - Retail (Newcastle core, socket 754) $223
MSI K8N Neo Platinum $101
Antec 480W Power Supply $87
Corsair Value Select 512MB DDR PC-3200 (x2) $143

A few questions:

- Is a 480W power supply overkill?
- With RAM, I see there are different values for Cas Latency. Is this something I need to pay a lot of attention to, or can I just pick some RAM and disregard this value?
- Will all these pieces work together, or is there a better combo?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[ts3433]

Yeah, an Antec 480 is overkill. You won't need much more than a 400W, even with a bit of headroom for a new videocard. (Speaking of which, you may want to consider S939 if PCIe is going to be really important for you before you do a CPU upgrade, though you'll pay a premium, even if it's just a slight one for regular NF3, and not NF4. Not recommended, however.) If you go the route you plan on now, consider the Epox NF3 mobo, or the DFI if you're going to overclock. MSI users here seem to report lots of problems.

You don't need to pay much attention to CAS latency. It really matters only when you overclock. At stock speeds on most platforms now, especially the A64, CL2 timings mean jack diddly sh!t. Just get some regular value PC3200 CL 2.5 RAM and you're fine.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

unstickied bump

 

[Gamingphreek]

I wouldn't get a 9200 or a 9600 for a PVR. Get a Geforce 4 Ti card. If you want a little more power than get a 9600Pro or XT or a 5700U.

-Kevin

 

[jterrell]

Originally posted by: ScrapSilicon
unstickied bump

yup, this should stay stickied imho.

 

[Rike]

Originally posted by: ScrapSilicon
unstickied bump

And bump again, with a vote to resticky.

 

[ciwell]

Originally posted by: ScrapSilicon
unstickied bump

 

[alien42]

i agree, this should be re-stickied as this is a very helpful guide for a lot of people

 

[jterrell]

re-bump.
geez.

the systems were updated less than 2 weeks ago, resticky.

 

[KoolDrew]

Why is this not a sticky anymore!?!?!

 

[Grey]

I have been referencing this thread for purchase decisions lately, I don't understand the unsticky either. It seemed to slow the "what should I buy" threads a bit.

 

[Rike]

Originally posted by: Grey
I have been referencing this thread for purchase decisions lately, I don't understand the unsticky either. It seemed to slow the "what should I buy" threads a bit.

I've been doing the same thing.

Also, it makes answering those "what should I buy" threads easier. ("Hey look at the sticky under in the $1500 range. That will fit you nicely. "

 

[Preti9cboi]

Isn't sound already intergrated inside the Mobo? If so why do people need to buy a sound card?

 

[ts3433]

It is, but to get the most out of higher-end speakers/improve gaming performance a little (either the aural aspect or to simply take the sound work off the CPU)/facilitate some music production work, a sound card is necessary.

Vote for resticky.

 

[KoolDrew]

Is there a reason you reccomended IDe harddrives for most of the lower end ones? Isn't SATA faster? And since there is virtua;lly no price difference then wouldn't it be better to go with SATA?

 

[ts3433]

SATA's no faster by itself. I know some lower-end boards don't even have it, and typically someone in the market for a low-end rig will not have as much experience, and SATA is slightly more complicated to set up.

 

[thecrecarc]

sticky!!!!!

 

[ScrapSilicon]

^

 

[Rickyohead]

hi everyone.

i came here for advice not long ago and just finished the major part of building a new computer last night. I was shocked when the thing booted up on first try, assuming I mixed up wires on the power panel. This is the first time I'm assembling a computer piece by piece.

so far:

Asus A8V Deluxe
A64 3500+ PIB (with heatsink&fan)
1GB (2x512) Corsair Value Select
Radeon 9800 Pro 128MB
WD 80GB HD
Thermaltake Silent PP 480W
Antec SLK3700AMB

it took me forever to get the heatsink to snap into the motherboard. (my thumbs hurt right now). I hope the thermal grease didn't move around too much.

I haven't installed my CD drives yet or the motherboards' drivers, I just wanted to test it all out with one HD. I opened up Everest in Windows XP to make sure it was all showing up correctly. Question: how much will a new SATA drive speed up my computer? Is my older HD holding my processor back?

thanks everyone for your advice. this one is going to smoke my athlon xp 1800+!

 

[ts3433]

A 7200 RPM SATA drive will provide no benefit; a 10,000 RPM might, but is a waste of money.

You say you just tested it out with an HDD by itself... now would be a good time to reformat.

 

[Grey]

I just bought some more things based on JPeytons listings. Thanks again for making upgrading my PC a piece of cake JP!

 

[ciwell]

wtf, why does the sticky keep getting removed?

 

[meltdown75]

i noticed that too, i actually had to do a search for the guide. that's the last thing the n00b haters want to see is that sticky disappear.

 

[mgo]

Sticky please!!