Building an XP rig.. need a back-up computer an Retro gamer

[passn_thru2]

i tried to rebuild my old 256Mb Compaq Presario.. no dice.. it is dead and burning in hell where it belongs..

nothing really fancy.. but ya' all know there is always somethimg better for not that much more..

Both our fancy computers were down, mine an infinate loop BSOD crash curtacy of AVG's Win7 bug.. her's due to downloading some cute Smily Face program.. the Smily Faces were really diseased zombies, they devowered her OS. she can only do study programs and take her collage class tests on-line and had to drive on ice to the computer lab all week.

here is what i was thinking of..

i make cases... no problem

CPU--
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor ADX240OCGQBOX

MOBO--
GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-D3 AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a chipset Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-D3 AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a chipset Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

RAM--
GIGABYTE LIST too smal to read, looks like a 2x2 Gb Crucial ..LOTS TO CHOOSE FROM
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...el=GA-M68MT-D3


PSU-- UPDATED
Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply


CPU fan--
ZALMAN CNPS8000A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
Newegg.com - ZALMAN CNPS8000A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
or
EVERCOOL HPH-9525CU 95mm Ever Lubricate CPU Cooler
Newegg.com - EVERCOOL HPH-9525CU 95mm Ever Lubricate CPU Cooler

i plan to put it in a MOD case, like a deeper aluminum brief case an put a thin monitor inside the lid

[Staren]

Not a bad idea to have a back up rig for daily computing. Even if you have a couple in the house, this kind of stuff happens. Couple of comments on your parts list that should help.

CPU--
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Newegg.com - AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor ADX240OCGQBOX

MOBO--
GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-D3 AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a chipset Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-D3 AM3 NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a chipset Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

RAM--
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL8D-4GBHK

There has been some problems reported by PCMech members about the current G.Skill offerings. Anything DDR3 is currently suspect. Might be worth the money to go to the next quality name on the list.

PSU--
Ultra X-Connect 400W Power Supply Unit PSU Black XVS400 V-SERIES ULT33134
Amazon.com: Ultra X-Connect 400W Power Supply Unit PSU Black XVS400 V-SERIES ULT33134: Electronics or one like it..this model is discontenued

I'm not even going try to be nice to this company. These things are garbage. Check the thread What Power Supply should I get? How many Watts? Who made it? Guide Inside. for recommended brands. Seriously, Ultra is that awful. I'm not knocking modular PSU. I use one in my current system, but go Corsair or OCZ if you want one.

CPU fan--
ZALMAN CNPS8000A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
Newegg.com - ZALMAN CNPS8000A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
or
EVERCOOL HPH-9525CU 95mm Ever Lubricate CPU Cooler
Newegg.com - EVERCOOL HPH-9525CU 95mm Ever Lubricate CPU Cooler

Not up on the current aftermarket heatsinks, but Zelman definitely has the better rep as far as I'm familiar.

[glc]

Replace the ram with this:

Newegg.com - A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model AD3U1333B2G9-DRH

Get this PSU, it's high quality and will support a strong video card if you need to add one later:

Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Why a CPU cooler? The boxed processor comes with one.

[passn_thru2]

what is the minimum RAM for this board/cpu..?? my brother was asking.. i think he is wondering if he can use what he has now.. i dont know what that is..

DDR2 OR DDR3... i havent been keeping up with that. the Mobo can use either,

[Staren]

Here is the approved ram for this motherboard, DDR3 1666+/1333/1066/800. So DDR3 800 would be the minimum. Unless he builds pretty regularly or upgraded a fairly new system, I would guess what he has is DDR2. It looks like that Gigabyte board is DDR3 only.

[glc]

You should use DDR3-1333 ram with that board.

[jdeb]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211364

Newegg.com - Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1339