First time -- again!

[MysticMel]

This is a wonderful site to discover. I am truly impressed with the site ethics and monitoring. I retired , moved and therefor lost contact with my old computer buddies. Every one to two years I build a new system. Things have changed since my last build (dual/quad core) many months ago. Would someone mind advising me on my latest adventure?

The system is for my son-in-law, who is an accountant. Stability is primary for his tax business. Based on my readings of your threads. Here is my list.

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe Technology Beige ATAPI/E-IDE Model LH-20A1H-184 - OEM

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 Power Supply - Retail

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X1024-6400C4 - Retail

ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Orleans 2.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA3200CNBOX - Retail

SAPPHIRE 100173L Radeon X1550 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

He will supply monitor, keyboard............etc.

Expense is a concern. If you have a money saving suggestion it would be welcomed. Stability takes preference. Games and multimedia is low.

I would also like to add a TV tuner as a surprise. Good idea? Any suggestions?

Do you suggest RAID or just a backup system? (This would be my firsts attempt with RAID)

I have always transfered my on OS on a new build. What is the best way of installing an OS on a system for someone else? In other words. What do I buy. The complete OS or start with mine and upgrade with a new XP upgrade. Do I move him to Vista? If so, there is that previous dilemma.

Thanks in advance

[minsonngo]

I would go with a SATA interface optical drive instead.

Raid 1 is not really worth the cost in general computer use. And Raid 0 is not worth the risk.

You should purchase an OEM version of Windows XP. See if you can find one with a coupon to upgrade to Vista. I would wait for until the first service pack is released before upgrading to Vista.

As for a TV tuner... I love the Hauppauge lineup of tuners. You may want to consider getting Windows XP MCE if this build is going to serve as an HTPC also.

[kwbbpc]

vista or xp is more or less up to you - shouldn't matter too much which one, but xp will be cheaper. A clean install of an OS is usually the best way to go.

[LeftyAce]

If stability is the primary concern, don't get Vista yet. I'd follow Minsonngo's advice and get XP with an upgrade coupon. Wait for the first service pack on Vista so they can get some of the wrinkles ironed out.

As far as backups, RAID is tricky, and won't protect you from viruses; everything that happens on one disk is immediately written on both. That, and the backup solution isn't isolated electrically from the rest of the computer; if an electrical problem fries the harddisk, it fries the backup at the same time.

Enough gloom and doom, what DO I recommend?

Get an external backup solution. It's cheapest to get an internal harddrive and put it in an enclosure such as this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817362002

You get a longer warrenty this way, and the enclosure comes with backup software.

[vernon]

hi ,completely agree with minsonngo and leftyace i just finished an m2n-e build it has 6 sata 2 ports and 1 ide and i also used xp home as i wont change to vista yet and as an aside i"m positive that vista home premium has the features of mce built in

[MysticMel]

Thanks to all of you for the helpful advise. I'll order the parts right away. Now you have me ready to upgrade my own system. Have a great week end!

PS - I look forward to the day I can be one you with answers


MysticMel

[minsonngo]

Have fun with your new build and let us know if you need anything else!