New computer Christmas wish list...

Topic: New computer Christmas wish list... (Read 3818 times) previous topic - next topic

New computer Christmas wish list...

October 12, 2005, 11:21:01 PM

I've been browsing around newegg.com a bit lately trying to prepare a christmas list of parts to build a new PC. Right now I have an Athlon XP 1800+, 256 megs of RAM, NVidia 32 meg graphics card, and a puny 8 gig IDE hard drive. (Originally had a 40gig, but it took a ).

So, I need some reccomendations... even though I'm an IT major, I've been outta the computer hardware scene for a while. Now, as I understand, Serial ATA is the newer incarnation of the old familiar EIDE, etc. Doesn't it use a smaller cable as well?

Basically, I'd like to replace everything in my system with the exception of my CD and DVD burners, which are both relatively new. I'm thinking of buying a barebones system, CPU, RAM, hard drive and video card. I'm going to stick with AMD (no Intel vs. AMD arguments) and probably get the Athlon 64. Probably wanna spend around $400 - $500, no more.

Any advice is appreciated.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #1 – October 13, 2005, 03:27:06 AM

Quote from: Ifixyawata

I've been browsing around newegg.com a bit lately trying to prepare a christmas list of parts to build a new PC. Right now I have an Athlon XP 1800+, 256 megs of RAM, NVidia 32 meg graphics card, and a puny 8 gig IDE hard drive. (Originally had a 40gig, but it took a ).

So, I need some reccomendations... even though I'm an IT major, I've been outta the computer hardware scene for a while. Now, as I understand, Serial ATA is the newer incarnation of the old familiar EIDE, etc. Doesn't it use a smaller cable as well?

Basically, I'd like to replace everything in my system with the exception of my CD and DVD burners, which are both relatively new. I'm thinking of buying a barebones system, CPU, RAM, hard drive and video card. I'm going to stick with AMD (no Intel vs. AMD arguments) and probably get the Athlon 64. Probably wanna spend around $400 - $500, no more.

Any advice is appreciated.

my buddie had a similar setup and his took a dump on him so I picked out some stuff for him. First you need a pci express video card and a decent motherboard. If you can go with a 940 pin 64-bit most are 939, stay away from the 754. My buddie has a amd 3500+ with a MSI? motherboard and 256mb of ram and a nivida 6600 gt I think. Little bit rust on the exact mesurments, but yeah. We can run about 7 or 8 diffrent games at once and still hit 32 FPS. Havent tried the Doom 3 yet, cause I think the doom 3 game is gay. But overall its pretty much the ultimate gaming computer. Also sata is fun, but you have to have a functional floppy drive to install it. sata is smaller, but that is basically it. We havent reached the limits of a eide at 7200RPM, so there is no real gain that I have noticed. But them 64 bits with a good PCI video card are awsome. Also get a better fan and beefier power supply if you have alot of internals. My freinds 3500+ ran fine for months, then just the otherday it was shutting down randomly. Went into BIOS and it was running at 209 F!!!! Thats what 96 celcious? Just trust me there. Get a decent CPU/heatsink no matter what.

Also, no matter what the say XP is slow compaired to 2000. Beleive me there. We were running XP on the above setup and it was decent, but 2000 cleaned it up nicely and all the XP drivers work fine.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #2 – October 13, 2005, 10:52:02 AM

Using the almighty newegg.com as a guide I came up with a parts list based on what you were looking to replace:

Amd Sempr0n 64 3000+ 800mhz FSB Socket 754 $ 89.00
Seagate Barracuda 160gb 7200rpm w/ 8mb cache $ 85.00
MSI K8N NEO3-F Socket 754 nforce4 Chipset $ 70.00
Corsair VS 1gb(2x512) CAS2.5 DDR400(PC3200) $ 89.00
MSI NX6600 Lite Geforce 6600 128md PCI-E Video Card $102.00
Thermaltake Silent Purepower 420w Power Supply $ 38.99

Grand total comes to $473.99 before shipping, so it's up toward the top end of your spending point. The processor is running at 1.8ghz and comes with the stock fan and heatsink and should be more than adequate for a non overclocked application. The hard drive is IDE and with the 8mb cache it should have excellent speed in comparison to any SATA drive. As for the motherboard, MSI has been putting out decent stuff as of late, and with the options that this board has you'll have plenty of room to upgrade when/if your budget permits. Now for the power supply, I highly suggest purchasing this model, simply because your normal everyday 300w p/s is not gonna handle this setup with out problems. I've personally used this model in about 5 different machines, and it bigger more powerfull 480w brother in my home machine, not one problem yet. These things are built tough, the weight of one vs. an el-cheapo model is like night and day.

All in all, this "should" make a decent setup for you. However the specs can be played around with at will, though I would advise to stick to these brands and or other name brands. I think it goes without saying, "You get what you pay for", and that's something I believe goes double for computer components. Spend the little extra now is gonna pay off in the long run with a more stable, longer lasting, more upgradable box. I built my computer approximately 1 year ago and it's still running strong, original OS install and everything. I would like to believe I owe that to not cheaping out on the parts!

On a quick final note in regards to the OS. It really doesn't matter which operating system you put on a machine. When you start getting into the upper-end of hardware things, either OS is gonna run quick. How fast and what os is best for the system is really just a matter of trial and error on your part. Personally i'd go with XP simply because 2000 is now in it's extended support period. XP still has at least 2 more service packs left in it before Vista, and is potentially better for the individual end user.

Just some ideas to chew on. I'll quit rambling now!:D

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #3 – October 13, 2005, 10:19:45 PM

the 3200+ is alot faster so if they are similarly priced I would get that.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #4 – October 14, 2005, 08:57:42 AM

Are Sempr0n's any good for gaming, DVD stuff and all that? I always equate it this way Pentium:Celeron::Athlon:Sempr0n. I figured it was the business app/workplace CPU. I know that makes shopping a lot easier, since Sempr0n's are quite a bit cheaper than Athlons. Either of you guys use Sempr0ns? They perform well?

As long as the Sempr0n will be okay with games, I'll probably get a very similar setup to what you have listed up there, if not exactly. I do find it a bit funny that the video card is the most expensive item, though. Now, I was gonna get a new case because that's the only component of the computer that doesn't match the black & silver theme of the rest of it, but I'll see how much I can really spend and decide on that later. My main gripe about this case is that there are NO front USB ports. (What the expansion card plate with wires running off of it on that mobo?)

Thanks for the reccomendations, I think I'm going to go through and add all these items to a wishlist.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #5 – October 14, 2005, 10:36:34 AM

Quote

I do find it a bit funny that the video card is the most expensive item...

That's the one area you definitely do not want to skimp on if you are thinking about doing any gaming. You can even game with a sub-standard processor as long as you've got some decent video hardware.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #6 – October 14, 2005, 02:07:44 PM

Quote from: jkirchman

That's the one area you definitely do not want to skimp on if you are thinking about doing any gaming. You can even game with a sub-standard processor as long as you've got some decent video hardware.

I will second that. Even though the processor is only running at 1.8ghz (which is like 400mhz off of mine), the fact that the video card has some ooomph in it will help offset the lower clock speed of the cpu.

As for the Sempr0n being the budget line from AMD, the short answer is yes. However in order to get a full blown Athlon 64 you're are looking at potentially spending up to another 40 just to start getting into the standard socket 754 Athlon's. To get into the standard socket 939 Athlons (which would be my suggestion if you had extra bankroll to fund the project), you're looking at another 60 plus. That does not count the possible price increase for switching to the appropriate socket motherboard, and (don't quote me on this one) maybe even memory.

As for using the Sempr0n line, I personally don't have one, however I have built machines with them at work. In all honesty if I had to compare them to anything, I would say that they are similiar to the Athlon XP line, with the 64bit capability built in. Also, if inthe future you have some spare cash and want to upgrade, there are plenty of higher clocked models that you can choose from for the 754 socket. Since prices on components always drop over time, perhaps this time next year you can simply upgrade to a new processor and pick up an even better video card. You should not be limited with that setup.

Oh, when it comes to cases, that another place I suggest not going el-cheapo on, I did to an extent and I can't really stand my case.

Hope this helps, if you need more info just let us know!

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #7 – October 14, 2005, 02:19:17 PM

Go to http://www.mwave.com get the bundled package, AMD athalon 64bit 3800. Runs at 2.0G in 64 bit operation or 3.8G in 32 bit operation (being nothing is using 64 bit at this time its basically a 3.8G) The sempr0n chip is good, like all AMD they are built with quality but the athalon would be better suited for gaming. get it with 1G ram DDR 184pin and an abit board for about 500 they will install the Ram Proc for you and test it ship it then install reload software your done.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/ViewProducts.hmx?PID=CPUBUNDLES-A64X2&updepts=BUNAMDCPU&DNAME=Motherboard+Bundles+By+AMD+CPU

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #8 – October 22, 2005, 03:22:20 PM

sorry to hijack but what would you guys recomend for a gaming comp. i play games like battlefield 2 and F.E.A.R. and i whanna build up a comp to play those type games. any hardware would be fine because im upgrading from a tired old pentium 2 on my personal comp.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #9 – October 22, 2005, 06:54:16 PM

Quote from: Cougar8775

sorry to hijack but what would you guys recomend for a gaming comp. i play games like battlefield 2 and F.E.A.R. and i whanna build up a comp to play those type games. any hardware would be fine because im upgrading from a tired old pentium 2 on my personal comp.

Wouldn't hurt to know what your budget is for a starting place.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #10 – October 22, 2005, 07:07:45 PM

well right now its not an issue on budget. but something fast for a decent price.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #11 – October 22, 2005, 11:50:48 PM

Quote from: Cougar8775

sorry to hijack but what would you guys recomend for a gaming comp. i play games like battlefield 2 and F.E.A.R. and i whanna build up a comp to play those type games. any hardware would be fine because im upgrading from a tired old pentium 2 on my personal comp.

See my earlier post same thing i Use with adecent 256 or 512 video card preferably Nvidia chipset. Does GREAT for gaming, stay away from the cheap flat screen displays though, they dont have the refresh rate need for more of the better games.

*EDIT*Forgot to add you will need a PCIEXP video card for some of these boards, they do not have AGP it has been replaced by the PCIEXP which is a super fast video bus*EDIT*

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #12 – December 12, 2005, 02:42:53 AM

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I just ordered that exact setup you gave me off of newegg, Nirvana. Good thing is that a lot of the stuff was a few dollars cheaper since you posted that. However the video card was $112 instead of $102, so it probably evened out.

Grand total of $516 with shipping and also a $35 PCI video card for my brother's gay dell computer (no VGA slot). Now I just have to wait for processing, packaging, shipping, and then Christmas Morning. Kinda sucks knowing just what you're gonna get, but at least I know it's what I want. I bought a set of round IDE cables off of ebay for $16. I'm hoping they work good, but we'll see. Comes with 2 3-connector IDE's, one short, one long, and a flopy cable, which I doubt I'll use. Instead of a new case, I might just clean this one up and get some new fans for it, etc. It seems like I couldn't find any cases that I liked that didn't already have a PS in em. Because my drives are both beige and I'd like a black and/or silver case, I was trying to find one with a door, but have so far been unsuccessful.

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #13 – December 12, 2005, 09:41:02 AM

This is the kinda case you need. This is the strongest best built case I have ever worked with. This model is two years old, I don't like the newer versions though. Oh and the steal version weighs in at about 50lbs empty! I own this case and Love it. Built in fan bus is nice too. works well.Case has 7 80mm fans that is comes with.

This is My other mod case. Its a Chenbro. This case is much lighter and very well built. I use it over the Thermaltake because if I lan game I like to be able to take the pc without using a dolly!

New computer Christmas wish list...

Reply #14 – December 12, 2005, 10:42:17 AM

Cool, yeah Ive noticed prices dropping alot, im purchasing a 4G too, I use the round IDE cables they are nice, allow the air to circulate better for colling purposes. Do upgrade your video when you can. BFG has some good cards out. Good luck with the buld and enjoy, you will be very happy with the 64bit processor.

In responce to the cases they are very nice, Im getting 1 similar to the first one but its in stainless and chrome Ill post pics when i get it.