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02-06-2006, 08:39 PM
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#1 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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computer pc
hey everyone, i am new to the site, but i really really want to build my own pc. i am typing this on a crappy old acer computer with about 265 mb of ram, a terrible video card, and about a 5 year old monitor. i love playing games, such as battlefield 1942, call of duty 2, brothers in arms, and i love battlefield 2 but i cant play it due to my terrible pc. my parents want to buy a new pc, but since i want to build one, they are making me get everything on my own. i have about a $700, and i want a pc that can play a hhigh end game like battlefield 2. i can always upgrade anything at a later time, bbut right now i want something that will get me off the ground. i looked at the selection of items from tiger direct and newegg, and they are overwhelming. i have no idea where to start, but i would like about a gb of memory, a 80 gb hard drive, and a pretty decent graphics card. i also have expierence with many electronic applications, robotics etc. so i am not a complete noob. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks, james
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02-06-2006, 08:50 PM
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#2 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,557
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First decision: Intel or AMD?
For Hard Drives, I prefer Seagate (5 yr. warranty) Ram will depend on the Motherboard you choose (DDR or DDR2} but Corsair has some very good deals on both. |
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02-07-2006, 01:13 AM
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#3 |
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Forum Administrator
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Join Date: May 2000
Location: Joplin MO
Posts: 37,765
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If your parents are gonna spring for the bill if you get a prebuilt, take advantage of that!
Hit them up for a Dell XPS 600. This one is $1799. |
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02-07-2006, 03:18 AM
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#4 |
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Member (12 bit)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,509
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$700 won't get you the parts for a decent gaming machine.
OS $100 Case and PSU $100 Monitor $300 minimum for a 19" LCD That is $500 there without Motherboard, Processor,
Memory, Hard Drives, Optical Drives, Floppy Drive, Keyboard, Mouse, and Video Card. Last edited by jayb1234; 02-07-2006 at 05:46 AM. |
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02-07-2006, 10:00 AM
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#5 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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ok ok i was looking to go for intel, i do not need a monitor, im getting one from a friend, and i do not want to buy a prebuilt. i dont want something that i can play games perfectly on, but just something that i can turn the knobs up a little to play games. like i said, i can always upgrade in time and i just want something that will get me off the ground. now i am raising my price range to $800.
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02-07-2006, 12:51 PM
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#6 |
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Forum Administrator
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Location: Joplin MO
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I think we can JUST squeeze one in for you at $800 - but the video card won't be the greatest. Prices are approximate, including shipping.
Antec Sonata II case - $120 Asus P5PL2 motherboard - $100 Intel 630 processor - $180 Corsair Value Select 2x512 DDR2-533 - $80 Seagate 80gb SATA hard drive - $65 Lite-On DVD burner - $40 Windows XP Home OEM - $90 eVGA GeForce 6600GT PCI-E - $120 after mailin rebate |
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02-07-2006, 05:56 PM
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#7 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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hey thanks! today i was at my dads office, and he had an old tower that he doesnt use any more, so he said i could take it apart. i dont know what it is running, but do you think i can use the case? i think it is a solid aluminum one, with no windows, and it has a 24x cd rom drive, although i would probably upgrade to a burner. if i dont have the crazy lights or anything, can i use the power supply? something is telling me it is about 350-400 watt. if i can use the case i might be able to get a better video card. just a few thoughts....
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02-07-2006, 06:42 PM
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#8 |
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~ Ryan ~
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Jackson TN
Posts: 3,516
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I would reuse the case, but buy a quality PowerSupply, like one from Antec or Enermax - I would get minimum 420Watts. The 6600GT is a decent card, but for playing more of the games comming out with good quality you will want to look at the 6800GT - which is Nvidia's Best-Bang-For-The-Buck card at the moment.
__________________
RiotCats.com, an internet domain specifically fabricated and visually erected for the appreciation of the feline kingdom! |
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02-07-2006, 07:24 PM
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#9 |
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Member (10 bit)
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: brooklyn, ny
Posts: 920
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best of the buck card is really 6800GS, the next one is 7800GT. 6800GT is like the "bad middle of the road" between the two
__________________
"Young people everywhere have been allowed to choose between love and a garbage disposal unit. Everywhere they have chosen the garbage disposal unit." Guy Debord |
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02-07-2006, 07:27 PM
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#10 |
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Forum Administrator
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The 450 watt XClio PSU at 50 bucks would be a good way to do it if you reuse that old case. I highly doubt the case has a 24 pin ATX 2.0 power supply unless it's less than a year old. That would free up 70 bucks for a better video card. I'm assuming that in addition to a monitor, you have a keyboard and mouse already?
That doesn't quite get you a 6800GT, but it *will* get you a 6800GS or one of the ATI X800 variants. |
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02-07-2006, 08:19 PM
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#11 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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ok no, glc the case is a little more than a year old, but what would be another cheap case to buy in case this one doesnt work? and i was thinking about buying the mobo and cpu in a combo from intel, theres quite a few on tigerdirect.com. and about how much do all these video cards cost? i have heard many many people say that ati is better than nvidia, but everybody is naming nvidia cards to buy? (i personally did think the nvidia cards looked somewhat better)
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02-07-2006, 08:25 PM
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#12 |
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Member (9 bit)
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 379
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Nvidia is actually better than ATI in my opinion during 2005, and present day. ATI used to be the top runner with the 9700, 9800 Pros, but not anymore with their late and clumsy X1800 series, 1900 series compared to the superior 7800GTX.
I would go with a thermaltake 430 watt. It runs my 4000+, sata, 7800GT evga, etc, with 5 case fans... it runs it easily... with no problems the 430 watt at newegg cost 30 dollars. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153023 Newegg I've noticed is relatively cheaper than tiger direct's products.. EVGA 7800GT - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130247 (275) it's the chaepest 7800GT you can find. 6600GT will defintely not run bf2 at high settings. |
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02-07-2006, 08:47 PM
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#13 | |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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Quote:
__________________
DFI Infinity 975X/G, Intel C2D E6600 (@3.4Ghz), 2 Gb DDR2 800 GSkill HZ, Powercolor X1900XT, 74 Gb Raptor SATA, 250 Gb Seagate SATA, Audigy 2 ZS, FSP Epsilon 600 watt PSU, NEC 3540 DVD-RW, ASUS DVD ROM, Thermalright SI-128, Thermalright HR-05, Lian Li PC65 case, Samsung 940B 19" LCD |
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02-07-2006, 08:58 PM
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#14 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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wow ok that gets me a power supply. this is a really good forums site, you guys are all really fast in replies. but anyways, wut is the difference between amd and athalon processors? im still new at this, so forgive me if i ask some rather dumb questions.
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02-07-2006, 09:01 PM
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#15 |
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Forum Administrator
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An X1900 is way out of this guy's price range, let's not get this thread off topic. If you are going to play the ATI vs. Nvidia game, do it with cards between $175 and $200 because that's all he has to spend if the rest of the system is gonna be any good. The 6800GS stands out in this price bracket - but let's compare that to a X800 variant - that's more fair competition.
My prices were based on Newegg. If the old case is an ATX case, just use it, take the power supply out, and put an XClio in. I do NOT recommend the Thermaltake that was mentioned, because it's only single rail with 18 amps on it. Maybe it runs what you have, Fire - but I won't recommend it for this build. I'll recommend it all day for AGP boards. I advise you to stay away from Tiger Direct. |
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02-07-2006, 09:03 PM
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#16 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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o i forgot, wut are some good cheap cases to buy?
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02-07-2006, 09:09 PM
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#17 |
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Forum Administrator
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If you have to buy a case, you will be back in 6600GT territory...........go check out that old case first! Post what it says on it - and take some pics if you have a digicam. Shipping costs on cases can be a killer. Your best bet if you must have a new case is the Sonata II as I already indicated.
An Athlon is an AMD processor, just like a Pentium is an Intel processor. A direct price and reasonable performance comparison to my recommendations in AMD would be an Asus A8N5X motherboard and a Athlon 64 3200+ Venice processor. Ram will be a tad more expensive because that uses DDR400. End cost will be a wash. |
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02-07-2006, 09:10 PM
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#18 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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wow i just was looking on newegg and there are a lot of cases that are like $15. does the case realy matter that much? if i can, i would like to get a cheaper case and better components. im sorry for all these questions, im just finding new stuff out in between posts.
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02-07-2006, 09:15 PM
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#19 |
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Forum Administrator
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Yeah - $15 for the case and $17 to ship it..........go check out your dad's case first - it may be a gem - if it's aluminum it might be a Lian-Li.
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02-07-2006, 09:41 PM
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#20 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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glc,
Sorry, you are correct. Okay, here we go. I'll offer an alternative IF, and I understand that's a huge IF, you went AMD instead of Intel. I think we can get you equal or more performance for the $$$. My choices for a good performing budget build: Mobo: ASUS A8N5X $87 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131569 CPU: AMD 3200+ Venice core $169 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103535 Memory: Corsair ValueSelect 1GB (2X512Kb) $78 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440 Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 80Gb 7200rpm SATA $59 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148040 Optical: Lite-On Black DVD-RW $38 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106014 Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 $45 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119047 PSU: XCLIO 450 watt $44 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817189003 OS: Windows XP Home OEM $89 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16837102059 The total so far is $609, not including shipping. Now, the vid card. I think in your range you need to go with either the 6600GT or the 6800GS. If you can swing a tick more $$, I'd grab the 6800GS in a heartbeat, it's a MUCH better performer. Here's the candidates: 6600GT: eVGA 6600GT 128 $135 ($115 after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130214 6800GS: eVGA 6800 GS 256 $179 ($164 after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130267 Grand total before shipping is somewhere between $744-$788, excluding rebates. I think this would make a very nice system that could play any game currently out there well, and play most of them VERY well. Obviously, my opinion would be to get the 6800GS card, as it is superior and would delay the need to upgrade longer. This PC would also be upgradeable over the next 1-3 years to continue to be a solid gamer into the future. JMO. |
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02-07-2006, 09:42 PM
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#21 |
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Member (5 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 28
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Check out the SONATA II at zipzoomfly. It's $98.99 - $15.00 rebate. The cheapest shipping was about $18 for me, so the rebate helped a lot with that. Rebate is only good for purchases by Feb. 13.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...uctCode=140122 Also, it's worth noting that zipzoomfly offers free 2day Fed Ex shipping on a lot of computer parts. However, I don't know how their customer service compares with newegg. I know newegg is supposed to be great. |
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02-07-2006, 10:22 PM
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#22 |
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Good job, jfk - and note that the Intel 630/Asus P5PL2/DDR2-533 setup will cost essentially the same. It also proves that a bare case and an XClio would be essentially the same as a Sonata II costwise.
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02-08-2006, 12:01 AM
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#23 | |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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Quote:
PCgamerX, I think if you look at this thread, many folks have offered up some good suggestions. The ball is in your court. Think about it, refine it, then ask questions as needed. There are few things more gratifying than when you fire up your first home built computer and have it all come together. Last edited by jfk; 02-08-2006 at 12:04 AM. |
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02-08-2006, 02:10 PM
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#24 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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wow thanx everybody. im going to take pics of the case, and i hopefully will post them in the next 2 weeks. also, i was thinking today, and is it possible to buy a cd and dvd burner combo for under $80 or would i have to buy the cd burner as one drive, and the dvd burner as another? and can a dvd drive always play cds? just a few thoughts....
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02-08-2006, 04:16 PM
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#25 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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A DVD burner will burn and read BOTH DVD's and CD's. I would not waste my money on a CD burner, as that would be repetitive. If you want to budget a few more dollars, get a DVD-RW like shown above and a DVD-ROM. Using the DVD-ROM for playing DVD's and CD's will help prevent premature wear on the burner, which is more expensive. A DVD-ROM will add about $25 on to the costs I listed.
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02-09-2006, 04:29 PM
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#26 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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ok.... what r some good ones to look/buy? what is the typical price range?
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02-09-2006, 05:33 PM
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#27 |
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Member (11 bit)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Owosso, MI, USA
Posts: 1,283
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Look at the one I posted in the system specs I laid out for you above.
 The nice thing with the Lite On is it comes with Nero DVD burning software. Most, other than a Plextor, will run around $40. The Plextor is probably the best available, and will be up over $100.
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02-11-2006, 12:11 PM
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#28 |
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Member (7 bit)
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 74
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ok thanks.... i want to start this build soon. i think i have a good understanding of what i need to buy. thank yo uall for your help. if you have anymore comments/suggestions, please post, it will help me immensly.
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