Is this a good setup to start with?

[bobcat031]

I currently had a Gateway P4 1.8 w/ 1024 Ram. But it's been locking up latly.
I wondering if I should think about getting another or try building one?
I need some help putting together a shopping list.
I want one to be able to download stuff. And Run various softwares for digital pics and some videos. Something that thats reasonable on the wallet. I seen this one seen to me fom Tiger Direct.

Asus A8N-SLI Socket 939 Barebone Kit:$349.99 after Rebates

Asus A8N-SLI NVIDIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ OEM Socket 939 OEM Processor
Maxtor 160GB 7200RPM SATA-150 OEM Hard Drive - Refurbished
Lite-on SHM-160P6Sl 16x DL DVD±RW
Ultra 512MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
Masscool AMD K8 Cooler Fan
Ultra Wizard MS-Blue ATX Mid-Tower Case
Ultra X-Finity 500-Watt SLI Ready Power Supply
Cantech Keyboard and Optical Mouse Combo

Is this worth looking at?

[Ghost(BOO!)]

to save even more money you should try to find out why your PC is locking up. It could be a quick fix like you might need a new stick of memory that will cost 40 bucks or you might have a virus or too much spyware on your computer

[bobcat031]

I've run my Norton Anti Virus and Spy Sweeper and everyting was okay there. I Tried using PC Pitstop to see if it would flag anything. And I had PC Doctor software that came with my Gateway. I ran that and it came back everything is okay? Could it be a processor or motherboard going bad? Is there anything else i can try that might help ? I'm open to ideas guys!

[glc]

I wouldn't buy anything from Tiger Direct.

[bobcat031]

Where should I look then? What do I need to make decent system?

[peekaboo]

Are you in Canada? Take a look at ncix.com.
they may not be the cheapest but they'll try to price match if you can find it cheaper somewhere else. their service is great and i do my shopping there.

I would never buy anything that's refurbished, especially electronic components.

i have no experience with sli boards but people here usually advise against them as not being worth the money.

you're probably better off getting 1 gig of ram (even though it obviously costs more than 512 megs).

norton's av takes a lot of resources so a clean install with something else should boost performance anyway.

finally, nothing refreshes a computer like a format.
if you can't be bothered troubleshooting, try that and if your computer still locks up it'll be more likely a hardware problem and then decide if you want a new computer.

[glc]

If you are in the US, look at Newegg, Zipzoomfly, and Mwave.

[bobcat031]

"If you are in the US, look at Newegg, Zipzoomfly, and Mwave."
I will check these site out. Does anyone have recomedations as to what brand motherboard and processor to go with?
I want to be able to download stuff and play a game once in awhile. And I would like to convert some of my home video over DVD.

[bobcat031]

What do you think of this setup? Please let me know if I'm headed in the right direction.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131569 - ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard $76.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103535 - AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 2000MHz HT 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail $99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130283 - eVGA 256-P2-N553-AX Geforce 7600GT CO 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - $149.99 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104954 - FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply $51.50

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...18#DetailSpecs - RAIDMAX Astro ATX-268WB Black 0.7mm Japanese SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $32.99

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...0&sku=ULT31664 - Ultra 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory $49.99 after rebate

I already have a LiteOn Dual DVD burner, flatscreen monitor,keyboard & mouse.
Is this a goo set up? Sould i go with more processor? Thanks

[kram 2.0]

No matter how cheap it is, I would go with a trusted manufacturer on memory (Corsair, Crucial, Kingston even still) than TigerDirect's housebrand, ULTRA. I just avoid TigerDirect entirely - Newegg has been too good to me. It wouldn't hurt to up the processor to an Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego or a 3800+ Venice if it's within price range - those are regarded as the "sweetspots" for the Athlon 64 line.

kram

[bobcat031]

Thanks for the advice. I like the 3800+ Venice @ $145 and will look into the Corsair Ram.
How does everything else look?

[bobcat031]

Would this ram work with this setup?
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX2048-3200 - Retail
$179.00
($129.00 after $50.00 Mail-In Rebate

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by bobcat031 Would this ram work with this setup? CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWINX2048-3200 - Retail $179.00 ($129.00 after $50.00 Mail-In Rebate

Looks like a good deal to me if you don't mind waiting on the Mail-in-rebate. The AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Venice should work fine - just make sure it is a retail purchase. Don't forget to purchase an operating system.

kram

[bobcat031]

I was just concerned if it would work. There were so many different PC3200 Corsair rams listed.