I need help

[riggs10]

Im new to the whole building your own computer stuff. I was wondering if anyone could find me a computer that abides by these circumstances.

Minimum System Requirements

If there is a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM then it must have at least:

* 800 MHz processor or better
* 256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
* At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

If it has a non-T&L capable video card (an Intel Extreme Graphics or a Radeon 7000/VE Series) then it need at least:

* 2.0 GHz processor or better
* 256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
* At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

I dont know how to do any of that stuff, or what it means. Thats why I need your help. My price range is from the $500-900.00

I was thinking of using:
-seagate barracuda 7200.9 SATA NCQ 3GB/S 160GB 3.5" SATA 3.0GB/S Hard drive

-XFX GeForce 6600GT Video Card

-HP Pentium 3 processor 1GHz 133FSB

but once again I dont know anything about these products, except that they fit the desrciption I need. I have a monitor ( several, my bros a computer pro, but refuses to help me) keyboard, mouse,ect. All I need is the Tower.


IF you can help me out in any way please do so.

Thanks

[freakitchen]

Welcome to the forums!

Regarding the specifications you list, those are very much minimum, and any modern computer will better them easily

What do you want to use this computer for?

My first suggestion would be to broaden your knowlege in the area. Take a look at www.mysuperpc.com to get an idea of what sort of parts you'll need (though pay less attention to the author's specific parts suggestions, you can get better here on the forums).

FK

[blue60007]

For a modern PC, you'll want to look at these standards:

CPU: Intel - LGA775 socket, AMD - Socket 939/AM2
RAM: Intel - DDR2, AMD - DDR/DDR2 (939/AM2, respectively) (Corsair)
Video: PCI-Express (ATi - Sapphire, nVidia - eVGA)
Hard drives: Serial ATA (Seagate, Western Digital)
Power supply: Quality, 24-pin main connector (Antec, FSP, to name a few; in general, don't cheap out; you aren't getting a 500W PSU for $20)

[glc]

What is your budget for the tower? Do you have a preference for AMD or Intel?

[riggs10]

my price range is $500-900

[glc]

No problem. Here's an Intel build with approximate pricing:

Case: Antec Sonata II - $100
Motherboard: Asus P5LD2 - $110
Processor: Pentium D 805 - $140
Hard drive: The Seagate you have above - $75
Optical: Lite-On DVD burner - $40
Ram: Corsair Value Select 2x512mb kit DDR2-533 - $80
Windows XP Home: $90
Video card: Nvidia 7600GT - $165

That's 800 bucks. This totally blows away those minimum specs you have listed and it has room for future upgrades too.

[blue60007]

If you wanted an AMD build you could swap the mobo out for an ASUS A8N5X and a 3700+ for a CPU. Also, swap for some DDR400. It'd run a bit over $800 though.

Both builds are an excellent choice. The advantage of the Intel is that it has a dual core. It'd run you another $100 for a dual core AMD.