Am I on the right track?

[strick9]

Hello,

Thank you for reading my post. My old Win 98 PC just isn't cutting it anymore, so I was considering attempting my first build. I've been working on assembling a parts list, but considering my tight budget, I'm starting to have second thoughts. I'm a networking guy by trade, so I can replace a basic piece of hardware if it breaks, but I have never under-taken a project like this before. If you would be so kind as to scrutinize my parts list and let me know......most importantly......will all these parts work together, and secondly let me know if I am cutting corners somewhere I shouldn't be.

This is what I use my PC for:
Music (MP3's, burning CD's, just got an IPOD for X-mas)
Surfing the web
Word Process
Light Gaming (nothing top of line or w/ high-end graphics)
Pictures (My girlfriend just got digital camera for X-mas)

These are parts I was looking to buy:
Motherboard
CPU
Case
Power Supply
Memory
Hard Drive
CD Burner
CD-ROM (For making Copies of CD's)

I will be recycling:
3.5" floppy
Modem
Keyboard
Mouse
Monitor
Printer
Speakers

I was planning on loading Windows 2000 Pro, but will reluctantly go to Windows XP Pro if I have to. My budget is about $600 - $800. Would I be better off just going to DELL and getting a pre-fab machine? Thanx again for reading my long post.



Bryce

[blue60007]

I wouldn't get that motherboard...VIA chipsets aren't all that great. Look at an Intel or ASUS board (with Intel chipset) - yes it'll be more expensive, but it will be more stable.

That's a horrible quality power supply. Pick out a quality ATX 2.0 (24 pin main motherboard connector). Again, it'll run you a little more, but you won't such a large risk of the power supply dieing on startup and taking out your system, and it'll be more stable.

You won't need XMS RAM. Get some Corsair Value Select. It'll perform just as well and save you money to spend on the power supply.

Get an SATA hard drive.

I would go ahead and get a DVD-Burner and a DVD-ROM...you never know when you might want DVD capabilities.

If you decided to go with XP, you only need XP Home, unless you need some specific feature of Pro.

[strick9]

I wouldn't get that motherboard...VIA chipsets aren't all that great. Look at an Intel or ASUS board (with Intel chipset) - yes it'll be more expensive, but it will be more stable.

I was afraid of someone telling me to scrap the mobo......that is what I had my doubts about. It was my understanding that ASUS was not a reliable manufacturer. I will look for a different mobo.

That's a horrible quality power supply. Pick out a quality ATX 2.0 (24 pin main motherboard connector).

Is ATX a brand name? If not what are some quality brand names? The power supply I chose was the only option I had for a 350 watt P/S for a micro-ATX (but come to think of it I don't know why I chose a micro-ATX in the first place.......

Get an SATA hard drive

I read that there is not much of a difference between a PATA and a SATA drive.......what is the reason I should get a SATA drive?

I would go ahead and get a DVD-Burner and a DVD-ROM...you never know when you might want DVD capabilities.

I appreciate the suggestion, but I really have no desire to play movies on my PC.

I'm going to go back to the drawing board.....thanx for the reply.

[BigRed CC Dually]

strick9,

Because you have selected an Intel CPU, blue60007 recommended a motherboard with Intel chip sets vs the VIA chip sets. ASUS is a very good mfg. of motherboards.

The link in blue60007's reply to the PSU, lists the good PSU's....ATX is a form factor not a mfg.

SATA is a quicker transfer rate for HDD's and is becoming the norm.

As far as the DVD burner that blue60007 commented on, for about $40 you can get a Lite-on burner that will do every thing, play and burn all types of cd's and DVD's as well. Even though you have no desire to watch movies on your computer it will give you the additional flexibility to record DVD's in the future without having to go out and buy another optical drive.

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by strick9 I was afraid of someone telling me to scrap the mobo......that is what I had my doubts about. It was my understanding that ASUS was not a reliable manufacturer. I will look for a different mobo.

It's not ASUS, it's the VIA chipset that has the spotty reputation.

Originally Posted by strick9 Is ATX a brand name? If not what are some quality brand names? The power supply I chose was the only option I had for a 350 watt P/S for a micro-ATX (but come to think of it I don't know why I chose a micro-ATX in the first place.......

Nope, ATX is the form factor. The power supply you'll need is a true ATX2.0 unit, (24-pin main molex connector). Some good quality brand name PSU's off the top of my head are Antec, XClio and Sparkle.

Originally Posted by strick9 I read that there is not much of a difference between a PATA and a SATA drive.......what is the reason I should get a SATA drive?

There is a significant set of differences between PATA and SATA. Thinner and neater drive cables, no need for priority jumpering since it's one driver per channel (Hence the fact that they are Serial-ATA) and data transfer is faster.

Also, for the DVD Burner, in my opinion it's a good idea. You can read/burn both CDs and DVDs with the one drive.

[strick9]

Thanx for the suggestions.....I'm still trying to pick out new parts......

[strick9]

Alright I found some different stuff. Please......be brutal.

Motherboard (new)
CPU (same one)
Memory (new)
Case (new)
Power Supply (new, double check this one, not sure if works)
Hard Drive (new)
DVD Burner (new)
CD-ROM (same one)
Video Card (same one)

[blue60007]

If I were you I'd get a motherboard with PCI-E and DDR2. DDR2 is a bit cheaper than DDR right now, and might save you a few bucks.

ASUS P5GD2-X
SAPPHIRE 100118L-RD Radeon X550
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200)

The power supply should work...but it's a bit on the light side. Try this.

Oh, and I'd say for a few more dollars, get a DVD-ROM.

[strick9]

You want me to pick a video card that no one has review?? How do you know it's not a piece of junk?

[RazorDX]

Honestly, I'd say stick with the card you have already chosen (FX5200). Alot of people I know use that GPU and it performs very well for the price. They all play quite a few games and of course it doesn't run Battlefield 2 or anything, but for most of the games were released over a year ago it will run at playable framerates.

As for the hard drive, I say go with SATA because it's neater and easier to set up. I recommend this hard drive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822135106

I have two of that same line (that specific one and the 160GB version) and they are awesome hard drives. If you're concerned about ratings... 417 reviews with 5 eggs. It's virtually silent and has great performance.

On a side note, I'd pick up a hard drive cooling system. Hard drive heat isn't an obvious issue, but it's known to slowly kill hard drives. Getting a fan for your hard drive(s) will help to prevent failure and prolong the life of the drive. I've put something like this on every build I've done, and since I started I have never gotten a complaint from someone about a hard drive failing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835888501

[strick9]

Thanx for the reply.....

I can't go with that original video card because the ASUS Mobo that was recommended to me has a PCI-E slot instead of a AGP slot.......

I didn't really see any vid cards that I liked (within my price range) that were designed for the PCI-E slot......

Maybe I should go back and look at the Mobo again.