Help! 1st time builder building Gaming PC

[tobeka]

Hello All. I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this type of question but I will give it a shot.

After about 12 years of computer experience, I have finally decided to break free of the chains of conformity and try to build my own computer. I have been doing A LOT of research on the internet and have gotten a lot of information off tomshardware.com, pricewatch.com, newegg.com and this website. But, it is still a little bit too much info for my brain to condense into the system that would be right for me. I was wondering if any of you could possible provide any guidance or help.

This is the first time I have ever tried to build my own PC from scratch. I have a decent amount of knowledge when it comes to computers (have installed memory, video cards, and network cards before).

What I am looking for is a gaming machine. The main thing I will be using this computer for is to play Everquest, and secondary, I will be using it to surf the net. Also, I will be doing a little bit of work on it with Microsoft Excel/Word.

The bad thing is, I only think that I have about $600 to spend. Is it possible to do this? I already have a Dell 19 inch monitor, Microsoft internet keyboard and optical mouse, and a Samsung CD-RW 48x-16x-48x. I will need to purchase all other parts.

I have some ideas, but everytime I try and build a system, the price goes way over $600.

Well, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

[DrZaius]

Hi tobeka, welcome to the PC Mech forums!

Here's some prices for components for a decent gaming system.

• EPoX EP-8K5A2 ($80)
• AMD Athlon XP 1700+ Retail w/fan ($57)
• Kingston 256MB PC2100 DDR ($70)
• Maxtor 30GB ATA/133 7200RPM ($70)
• ATI Radeon 8500LE 128MB ($100)
• Enlight 7250 ATX case w/300W PSU ($50)
• Sound Blaster Live! Value 5.1 ($30)
• Sony 1.44MB floppy ($12)

Total cost is $469 before tax and shipping, all prices taken from MWave. From here you can add more parts or improve existing ones (bigger drive, faster processor). Hope that helps.

[ktkendall]

Yes I believe that with Monitor Mouse and keyboard, and CDrw already in hand 600 dollars right now and you can have a screamin machine that will blow any dell compac or hp out of the water that cost way more.

[glc]

ENLIGHT Model# EN-72500AZ (BEIGE) ATX MID-TOWER CASE w/ 300Watt POWER SUPPLY - RETAIL
AMD Approved & Pentium 4 Ready One Year Warranty. Virtually screwless case assembly, universal I/O shields, more drive bay options than other cases on the market and more!
Specifications:
Material: 0.8 mm thick SECC rustproof & galvanized JIS steel
Drive Bays: External 4 X 5.25" - 2 X 3.5" Internal 1 X 3.5"
System Board: Full ATX 12" x 9.6"
Expansion Slot: 7 Slots
USB/IO: Dual USB on front
Standard Fan(s): 1 X 80mm Ball bearing fan (front)
Dimensions: 7.7" (W) X 16.7" (H) X 18.9" (D) Model#: EN-72500AZ Enlight Case EN-72370 250W Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping
$59.00

----------------------------------------------------------

On Sale! Asus A7N266-VM AA (AMD Assured Version) NVIDIA nFORCE 220 Chipset 266/200MHz FSB Motherboard Micro ATX- Retail
Socket A AMD Duron, Athlon, and Athlon XP up to 2100+
nForce 220D
FSB:266/200 MHz
Slots:3x PCI 1xAGP PRO 4x
Onboard LAN:10/100 Mbps
AC97and Dolby Digital (AC-3) Encoder Audio
Nvidia Nforce GeFORCE2 Video. Model#: A7N266-VM /LAN AA
Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping
$72.99

-----------------------------------------------------------

AMD Athlon XP 1700+/266 FSB Thorougbred Processor CPU 1700+/ 1.47GHz - Retail, AXDA1700BOX
3 Years Warranty with heatsink and cooling fan. The Ultimate Digital Media Experience in an x86 Platform.Tailored for Microsoft® Windows® XP. Featuring QuantiSpeed Architecture for Rapid Execution of Applications. Tomorrow’s Technology Today.The Power of a Reliable Partner.
Specifications:
CPU: 1.47 GHz
Type: 1700 XP
Cache: 256K
BUS: 266MHz
Micron: .13
Socket A (PGA) Retail (Box with Heatsink and Fan) Model#: AXDA1700BOX Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping
$65.00

------------------------------------------------------------

KINGSTON KVR266X64C25/512 512MB DDR PC2100 - OEMCL2.5 Six Layers High Quality Board 32x64 Requires DDR supported Motherboard - - Lifetime Warranty. Model#: KVR266X64C25/512 -OEM Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping
$129.00

------------------------------------------------------------

On Sale! WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Size: 80 Gigabytes
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Seek time: 8.9ms
RPM:7200
Cache 8MB
OEM(Drive alone) 3 Year Manufacturer Warranty --* Works With PC & Mac *-- Model#: WD800JB-OEM Special Free FedEx Saver Shipping
$114.00

------------------------------------------------------------

This is BARE MINIMUM - $440. This leaves you room for a GOOD video card (the onboard Nforce graphics are GeForce2 MX quality, but may be sluggish in EQ). You should add a floppy drive if you want one - those are less than $15 shipped - and a 80mm Sunon rear case fan ($11 shipped). If you are running broadband, the motherboard has an onboard NIC, otherwise if you need a modem a US Robotics 2976 is under $50 and is a GOOD hardware based modem, I would NOT recommend gaming with a software modem. If you need a better video card, the GeForce4 Ti4200 would squeak you in under your $600 limit, I recommend the 64mb Gainward "Golden Sample" for best performance, EQ doesn't need a 128mb card. The onboard sound is pretty decent, if it's not good enough you can get a Soundblaster 5.1 Live for under $40.

I'd build with the onboard graphics and sound, upgrade later if you have performance issues with either.

[glc]

Dr. Z - Everquest is a strange animal - it now requires 512 megs ram and it hates ATI. A customer proved that to me, Nvidia is the only way to fly here.

A note I forgot to add - the NForce onboard sound doesn't work right with Win98/ME, it needs 2K/XP or put a sound card in.

[tobeka]

Great!!! Thanks for the help!

I had always heard that crucial memory was the best...is it still good enough to go with the Kingston?

It looks like it is going to be a late night tonight

/drool

Can't wait!

[DrZaius]

glc: Thanks, had no idea it had problems with ATI cards.

I had always heard that crucial memory was the best...is it still good enough to go with the Kingston?

Both Crucial and Kingston are good, shouldn't have problems with either, Kingston is just cheaper sometimes.

Based on what I've seen of EQ, it'll be very slow on an GF2MX, so I'd definitely go for a GF4 Ti4200 at least to match the CPU and memory.

[glc]

It's playable but very jerky on a TNT2 M64. It goes "link dead" a LOT on a Radeon. I would expect a GF2MX to be smooth but slow.

[tobeka]

Would I be required to buy a separate fan or would the fan that comes with the Case (1 X 80mm Ball Bearing Fan (front)) be sufficient?

[Nuclear Krusader]

If you go the AMD route you will have to buy another 80x80mm case fan and put it at the upper back of the case, beneath the PSU.

If you go Intel you won't need it. Assuming you won't OC.