Lurker finally posting for double-check on new build

[marknsaw]

Hi All,
I am soooo glad to have found this site! Don't know where to start this, but I don't want to ramble-on too much.
Old System
PSU:Antec 350W ATX
Mobo: MSI KT3 KT333 Ultra
CPU: Athlon XP 2000+
RAM: 1GB pc2700/333Mhz DDR
Vid: Gainward Geforce4 ti4200 GoldSample 128MB (4xAGP)
HD: Maxtor 40GB UDMA133
OptD1: Artec 16XDVD-ROM
OptD2: Artec 48x12X48 CD R/RW
FDD: Sony 1.44MB
OS: WinXP OEM

Anyway...too make a long story short. This ole beast has treated me pretty well the last 2 and 1/2 years BUT, I do believe it's time for a decent upgrade. It hit me like a ton of bricks 3 weeks ago when I went to buy CIV4 and I didn't even meet min specs While I knew it was gonna come around eventually I didn't forsee certain recent personal problems ( i.e.- divorce/child support ) that have left me pretty cash strapped. And so I am here, hoping to get a real good "Core" system that I can slowly upgrade over the next couple years and still retain some semblence of performance. Mind You! I am not looking to build an Uber Ultra Performance Gaming rig. I am just trying to get something that will get me through CIV4, NWN2 and the near future games like these ( at good framerates w/ eyecandy of course! ).

New "Core"
PSU: Ultra V-Series 500W ATX2.03 (@ $65.00 )
Mobo: Asus A8N-E ( @ $110.00 )
CPU: AMD Athlon64 3500+ ( @ $200.00 )
RAM: 1GB Micron pc3200/400MHz dual channel DDR ( @ $70.00 )
Vid: EvGA GF6600LE 256MB DDR PCI-E or ATI X700 256MB DDR (?)
@$90.00 for the GF, and @ $110.00 on the ATi
I plan on recycling the HD, and both Opticals ( is there anything else worth recycling (?) ) until I can piece together the cash for better components. Eventually I would like to have 2x40GB Sata HD's, a DVD/CD R/RW combo ( i'll drop the CD R/RW out), and 2 GB of DDR Ram. In the end, the system will be pulling about 350Watts ( FYI ).

I also plan on getting a new case, but I have hit a wall trying to find a decent, non-flashy ( I don't need all those led's, lights, and such), well cooled, w/o supplied PSU, case for around $50, or cheaper! Any help here would be appreciated!

Over the past 9 years I have owned 3 systems and have plugged in, yanked out, and troubleshot(sp) most hardware. I have never tried to do this steep of an upgrade ( I am a noob builder! ) so be gentle :-). I was also wondering if I needed to purchase WinXP again or if I could re-install/recycle it into this new system?

After lurking in here for a few weeks :-) I believe I have come up with something that is pretty good and will (hopefully) support my wants. Basically, I just need a double check on these components to make sure that they are all compatable! Also, any suggestions or recommendations ( or cheaper prices ) would be appreciated.

When/If anybody wants to make any suggestions/recommendation keep in mind that I pretty much have a hard-cap of $650.00 dollars ( that's what Uncle Sam and The Natural State owe me! ) I'll be able to throw about $500-$600 in to this system at tax-time every year ( bigger VidCard, LCD monitor, etc...)

btw: I checked all the prices from www.pricewatch.com and got the prices from dealers that were at least 4 of 5 stars and within my price range(s) for the components I chose. What I am proposing is roughly $585- $600 dollars

Thanks for your time,

Mk

[cmheath]

I would highly recommend the Cooler Master Centurion 5. (See the review)
I ordered this case from Cooler Master without the PS and got the windowless version. It cost around $50. It is a great case with good airflow.
My AMD Athlon64 3500+ CPU runs consistently at around 45 Celsius.

C. Heath

[Dark Nova]

Well firstly welcome to PCmech, new memeber.
Your specs looks good, but i suggest a diffrent company for the ram, such as Kingston or Corsair. So your looking for a case, Antecs make very good cases.
Yes you need to buy a new version of WindowsXP 1liscence/PC.

[freakitchen]

Hi Marknsaw.

Concur with the suggestion to change the RAM brand. Go with Corsair Value Select - it has proven the most reliable standard memory recently. Kingston has shown too many cases of compatibilitiy issues.

Re: The graphics card, there's nothing to stop you going for either Nvidia or ATI here, although for a gaming system, i would recommend nothing less than a Nvidia 6600GT model - this is the most important aspect of the system for games. If cash is tight, you should downgrade the processor to improve your video card.

Re: The power supply. Although Ultra is on the 'quality' list, I've heard too many horror stories about them to ever recommend one for a new build. Consider changing it to another, better brand, such as Antec / Enermax / XClio.

RE: Windows. If your old computer is going to be fully retired (I assume so, since you're stealing things from it (!), then you can use that version of XP for your new build. Keep in mind that if you're transplanting the hard drive to the new system, you'll need to do a repair install from the Windows CD, in order for the installation to recognise the new hardware and boot correctly.

Freakitchen

[marknsaw]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

Gonna go with the Centurion case, the corsair RAM, and the Xclio PSU.

Mk