Need a parts list. $2000

[Zen]

THE RUN DOWN:

Budget: ~$2000

Primary Use: E-mail, Word, Excel, Surfing, Chatting
Secondary Use: Gaming (I want this rig to have the capability of gaming without problems)

Dual core would be nice --- as long as their is an evident benefit of dual core to single core (is there?).

AMD or Intel - Doesn't matter.

If anyone would be so kind to draw up a parts list, I'd be very grateful.

[flanzig1]

Would this be a build from scratch?(monitor,keyboard,mouse,OS)
If needing a monitor,how big?
Sound quailty?
How much HD storage wanted?
Case-fancy, plain Jane, size?

[Zen]

I need a 17-19" flat planel (probably dell, they're pretty cheap + good quality)
I want decent sound quality - but nothing out of this world.
I think, since storage is relatively cheap nowadays, 150GB - 200GB should be okay.

I don't like cases that too fancy. Something plain and simple that doesnt take up TOO Much space should suffice.

[thefultonhow]

The way I see it, with that price range you can slice your money a couple of different ways:

1. Get a high-end single-core chip (i.e. Athlon 64 4000+) and a top-of-the-line video card (i.e. GeForce 7800GTX).
2. Get a midrange to high-end dual-core chip (i.e. Athlon 64 x2 4400+) and high-mid-range video card (i.e. GeForce 7800GT)
3. Get the single-core chip, high-mid-range card, and dual 19" monitors.

Either way your other components could be high-end (2 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drive, two DVD burners or one bunrer, orn DVD-ROM, 5.1-channel TXH-certified speakers).

I would perosnally recommend the thrid option. Dual monitors is really nice to have, and you don't need an ultra-high-end card. A dual-core chip is also only necessary if you do heavy multitasking or content cration.

Another possibility is to bump the chip down another notch and get a Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW, or two 2001FPs.

[Zen]

I think I want to go dual-core. This is going to be a long-term machine and I have a feeling that software will begin to utilize this technology.

[thefultonhow]

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ dual-core -- $458.99
Asus A8N5X Motherboard w/ nVidia nForce4 Chipset for AMD Socket 939 CPU (Retail) -- $91.98
CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory -- $154.80
eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT 256MB VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card -- $289.89
Antec Solution SLK3000-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -- $67.99
XClio GoodPower ATX 500W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply w/ PCI-E Compatibility -- $54.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 250GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive -- $104.99
2x Lite-On SHM-165H6S 16x DVD+/-RW/RAM Dual-Layer Burner with LightScribe -- $111.96
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Sound Card -- $127.99
Logitech THX Z-5300e 280 Watts RMS 5.1 Speakers -- $134.98
Hyundai L90D+ Silver 19" 8ms LCD Monitor -- $313.50
Logitech MX3000 2-Tone USB + PS/2 Wireless Desktop (keyboard + mouse) -- $70.97

TOTAL -- $1983.03

There are also a couple of rebates on items that will bring the price down a bit if you send them in.

[glc]

Agree with all but the Goodpower model on the PSU - get the regular 480 watt XClio or an Antec SP500.

[Zen]

Don't I need fans?

EDIT: I see the case comes with a fan in the back. Is this enough to keep my rig cool?

[freakitchen]

The Antec case comes with a rear 120mm fan. This should be adequate case cooling, though there'll be space at the front of the case for an intake fan. I'd only get one if your temperatures are higher than average.

Your CPU comes with a heatsink and fan.

FK