Suggestions for new PC

[chevincublime]

I'm thinking about building a new PC. What specs should I be directing my attention towards? I would be using the PC mostly to browse the net, play games, burn DVDs/CDs, and maybe record TV programs with a tuner card. Would a media center PC be a good idea? The kinds of games I play don't need incredibly intense graphics. Some I play are Empire Earth 2, Age of Mythology, and other games like that. I'd like to be able to play the newest of those types of games without having slow loading times. As for burning DVDs/CDs I'd probly be buying the best DVD+-RW drive there is, maybe even two. My goal is to get the best deal possible with those features. I'm looking to spend about $800. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks.

[glc]

1. Does the $800 include a monitor, keyboard, mouse, operating system, and printer?
2. Decide first whether you want AMD or Intel for your processor, and ATI or Nvidia for your graphics. We are not going to discuss here which is "better" because there is no "better", they are all quality processor and video card manufacturers with competitive performance and pricing.

[chevincublime]

No I meant 800 just for the PC. I guess I'll go with an AMD processor, and ATI graphics.

[Klutz_atlantis]

Desktop:
I got these items around Thanksgiving time for about 700$ just to get me going and I've upgraded since. I purchased these items from NewEgg. Of all the items listed I'm most happy with the Antec Sonata. The case is quiet and comes with a power supply (380 watts if I remember correctly) at the time of purchase it was 100$ /w free shipping. What ever case you get try to find one /w a good power supply (or buy seperate) and if it's made out of non aluminum try to get free shippage. It really saves you when time comes to tally the total.

Antec Sonata|A7N8X-E Deluxe|AMD 2600+ "Barton"|1024 Kingston Hyperex PC3200|Roswill Ati 9600|120gig Samsung 'Cuda| 52x CD-ROM

Since I initially put this together I've gotten a DVD-Burner...I'm currently in the process of getting an IBM 19" UXGA CRT flat screen...It on its way I hope it turns out good.

I'm not as seasoned as the more advanced members, but I hope this information helps.


Kev

[glc]

Newegg prices (approximate):

Asus A8N-E $125
Athlon 64 Venice 3000+ $155
Corsair value select PC3200 2x512 $80
ATI X600 Pro all in wonder $190
Seagate 160gb SATA NCQ $95
Liteon 1693S DVD burner $60

This leaves you about 100 bucks for a case and power supply, and a floppy drive if you want one. If you get a case with no power supply, the Thermaltake TR2 430w is about 50 bucks, you need a ATX 2.0 unit with a 24 pin ATX connector. Most cheaper cases (and some expensive cases) that come with power supplies have substandard power supplies.

[Hi Ho]

Here is a system that would work very well and is right in line with your budget.

Case
COOLER MASTER Cavalier 3 Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case, Model "CAV-T03-UK" -RETAIL - $56.50

Motherboard
ASUSnForce4 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU, Model "A8N-E" -RETAIL - $124.00

Video Card
XFX nVIDIA GeForce 6600GT Video Card, 128MB GDDR3, 128-Bit, Dual DVI, PCI-Express, Model "PVT43GND" -RETAIL - $163.00

Power Supply
Thermaltake Silent PurePower, 420W ATX power supply.UL, CSA, TUV, CE Approved. Intel Pentium 4 Compliant - $36.99

CPU
AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor - Retail - $148.00

RAM
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - OEM - $77.00

Hard Drive
Seagate 120GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA with NCQ Hard Drive, Model ST3120827AS, OEM - $84.25

Optical Drives
NEC Silver 16X DVD+/-R DVD Burner support Dual Layer, Model ND-3520A SV, OEM - $48.99

ASUS Silver 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model DVD-E616P3 SLVR, Retail - $27.00

Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 -OEM - $91.95

SUB TOTAL: $860.67
SHIPPING: $29.92
TOTAL: $890.59

I added XP in there at the last minute and it threw off the perfect fit with the budget but if you already have a copy you can take that off. The case is personal preference. I just chose a decent looking one of good quality. I noticed you said ATI graphics but I don't think ATI has anything that will compete with the 6600GT PCI-E in this price range. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

EDIT: GLC beat me to it and his suggestion of the X600 AIW may be a good one. However, the 6600GT outperforms it graphics wise and I thing it would be better to go with a seperate tuner card such as THIS one if you want to do TV. It ends up being the same price as the X600 AIW.

[Antistupid]

Originally Posted by Hi Ho GLC beat me to it and his suggestion of the X600 AIW may be a good one. However, the 6600GT outperforms it graphics wise and I thing it would be better to go with a seperate tuner card such as THIS one if you want to do TV. It ends up being the same price as the X600 AIW.

If you don't play games, you won't notice any difference between the two cards.

[glc]

The 6600GT is a better gamer than the X600 Pro AIW, but I just want to point out that the AIW is not a BAD gaming card and you do get all the functions including a tuner in one card. It comes with cables and breakout boxes that do just about anything you need.

[Hi Ho]

The X600 Pro certainly isn't a bad gaming card. I was thinking ahead. Looking at the type of games he plays I'd say he'll probably want Age of Empires 3. That will be one amazing game but I'll be it needs a lot of power to run at it's full potential.