! Help ME prove HUBBY WRONG!

[junkmans_daughter]

Hi all!

Okay I've been posting like you wouldn't believe and boy I'm glad I don't have carpet tunnel syndrome or twisted fingers!

I wanted to upgrade my compaq presario 5304 but ditched that notion thankfully, now I've decided to go for it and build my own frickin pc..yea! My husband's besides himself with amusement...he's like we'll see. He's a telecom eng. but doesn't know a thing about hardware...so hey help me prove him wrong wontcha?

My needs are simple and my budget is tight.
* I will use my future PC mainly for net-surfing, dowloading MP3s and rippin CD's
* I don't do gaming so no fancy video card, on board sound and video would work fine
* No monstrous hard drive simple 20-40 gs would be fine
* MY BUDGET IS 300 MAX!!!!!!!!!!! (well, maybe 330)

Here's what I've come up with so far:
(at pricewatch, the good guys like googlegear etc):
ATHLON XP 1800 - $61
MAXTOR 60GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # 6Y060L0 - OEM, DRIVE ONLY - $69
CRUCIAL MICRON 256MB 32x64 PC 2100 DDR RAM - 36 bucks
ASUS A7N266-VM AA Mobo - 71bucks
FOXCONN SUPER CASE Front USB MID TOWER CASE 4200-G2-P4 **300W Power Supply AMD Listed*** $35.99
LITE-ON CD-RW - I will look it up.

Questions:
* Onboard NIC or do I need another one for DSL?
* Extra Case fans would make any diff?
* Anything else I'm missing u think will improve my system's performance?
* Can you suggest a cheaper mobo and hard drive?
* What cables, peripherals am I gonna need? *incl DSL

Thanks a bunch. Looking forward to all your posts!!!
CLOUD
(wannabe geek)

[Alienware_Dude]

That mainboard is perfect for what you need, with onboard video/sound; you aren't going to get any cheaper then that.

[Spyda]

if you got a motherboard with an nforce2 chipset, it would be highly upgradable for future, and also it has very good on board graphics(as onboard go) and 5.1 onboard sound comparable to about a £100 sound card

AWD --- ah

[homer15]

the lite on cdrw is probably like 50 bucks. check out the power supply that comes with that case and post the name back here. you don't want to skimp on that, because a faulty psu could damage your entire system. onboard nic will work fine for dsl, so you won't need another one.

if you wanted something faster (but with less cache) you could go with this:
Intel Celeron (Pentium 4 based) 1.7GHz 128K 400MHz - 53.50
MSI Motherboard for Intel Pentium 4 Processor, Model# 645E MAX-U (MS-6547-050) -Retail - 59
ATI XPERT 2000 PRO 32MB 4X AGP - 30

it'll add about 15 bucks to your current price. these prices are from newegg.com

[Cricket]

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter Questions: * Onboard NIC or do I need another one for DSL?

No, the onboard NIC will work fine.

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter * Extra Case fans would make any diff?

AMD recommends at least 2 case fans be installed...1 intake on the lower front of case and 1 exhaust on the back.

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter * Anything else I'm missing u think will improve my system's performance?

Floppy drive?

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter * Can you suggest a cheaper mobo and hard drive?

That hard drive prices looks pretty good already...not sure if you'll fine anything comparable for less. One important thing to remember...never go cheap on the motherboard. ASUS is about as good as you can get. I'd stick with that one.

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter * What cables, peripherals am I gonna need? *incl DSL

Drive cables will come with the motherboard. Peripherals? Whatever you need for whatever you're going to be doing.

One thing I would change is that case...it'll probably come with a DEER brand power supply (which are generally poor quality units...Foxxconn power supplies are rebadged DEER units) and since the power supply is such an important part of the computer, you should try to get a case that comes with a good quality power supply. Enlight makes nice cases that come with good power supplies and they're reasonably priced.

Cricket

[Dangermouse1]

I have same mobo and Amd Athlon xp 1800 and dont have a fan in the front of my case and my temps are fine. if cost is an issue you may want to try this first and then get another fan if you need it.

[raftero]

you did your homework,like homer&cricket said watch for the power supply,you can probably get a case at bestbuy or one of the other stores about the same price as order, cause you save shipping.i saw an antec with a 300w ps at bestbuy for around $60 a while back,you might check.you might check prices at newegg.com also sometime they have free shipping on some items.you can do it-i did-and its fun.

[reboot]

That board supports up to the Athlon XP2400 with BIOS version 1004, and the model 8 XP2600 (266mhz FSB).
Athlon XP 2000+ can be had for only $6 more...it's worth it, (IMHO). That's OEM, Retail is a little more...which were you pricing out?
Generic PC2100 RAM will work. It's only $15, so get two for 512 meg instead of 1. http://www.pcboost.com/store/listmem...IDCategory=100
Lite-on 48x16x48 CDRW $43 from http://www.maximpc.com/

Just some cheaper suggestions.

[Confused]

I presume you have a operating system. The recovery CD that came with your Compaq won't work to load a custom build.
Chas

[Redo40]

Here it is at Newegg:

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) more info>
N82E16811116122 $58.00
$58.00

On Sale! Lite On 52x24x52 CDRW Model LTR-52246S OEM Operating System : Windows 95/98/NT/XP/2000/ME
Full OEM Pack: w/ Full Software *See pic for details more info>
N82E16827106185 $46.00

On Sale! WD WESTERN DIGITAL EIDE HARD DRIVE 40GB 7200RPM MODEL # WD400BB -CAVIAR OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Size: 40 Gigabytes
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Seek time: 8.9ms
RPM:7200
Cache 2MB
OEM(Drive alone) 1 Year Manufacturer Warranty --* Works With PC & Mac *-- more info>
N82E16822140118 $69.00

On Sale! CRUCIAL MICRON 256MB 32x64 PC 2100 DDR RAM - OEM Offer Time Limit Will End Soon. 184-Pin, CL=2.5-Unbuffered 2.5V, 6-Layers CT3264Z265 Requires DDR supported Motherboard - Lifetime Warranty. OEM more info>
N82E16820145001 $34.00

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 2600+
Chipset: NVIDIA nFORCE 220D (IGP-64 and MCP-D)
FSB:266/200 MHz
2 DIMM sockets support max. 1GB unbuffered PC2100/1600 non-ECC RAM
Slots:3x PCI 1xAGP PRO 4x
Onboard LAN:10/100 Mbps
Integrated AC97and Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC-3) Encoder Audio
Integrated Nvidia Nforce GeFORCE2 Video.
2 onboard USB ports more info>
N82E16813131433 $72.99

On Sale! AMD Athlon XP 1800+/266 FSB Processor CPU 1800+/ 1.53GHz -0.13 micro Thoroughbred Core Retail, AXDA1800BOX
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: 1.53 GHz
Type: 1800 XP Thoroughbred
Cache: 256K
BUS: 266MHz
Socket A (PGA)
more info>
N82E16819103353 $66.00



Subtotal » $345.99
Shipping and Handling Charge »

Grand Total » $ 345.99

That's a good power supply in the case, also has one case fan on the front, but I usually move it to the rear blowing out. I haven't had any heat problems with that board using only one case fan..plus the fan the PSU has. The processor is retail so it has the stock heatsink and fan and all the shipping is free. I just built my third computer today using that setup, it's easy to setup, stable and has plenty of power for the non gamer. Good luck!

[i3OSS]

go with redos, that looks like a great budget build.

[junkmans_daughter]

Thanks a ton Redos and everybody else!!!

* Will the Athlon XP 1800 or even 1700 be compatible with Win98 SE??? (that's what I'm planning to get!)
* Are mobo-cpu comobs any good? Pls weigh in.

I will keep checking posts and learning as much as I can from all you geeksters so keep the suggestions flowing, I'll post back at the end of this month...when I begin assembling my first RIG (yeah tech speak, I like that...sweeeeet!!!)

GEEKS RULE!!!!
(Jesus God! I actually said that!)
Junky FunkY MONKEY.

[juppy]

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter * Will the Athlon XP 1800 or even 1700 be compatible with Win98 SE??? (that's what I'm planning to get!)

I don't know of any incompatibilities between those. Can I ask why you specifically want 98SE? At Newegg.com it's $91 but Windows XP Home with Service Pack 1 is only $2 more. Both of these must be bought with hardware.

* Are mobo-cpu comobs any good? Pls weigh in.

They're okay as long as you can find the one you want. Most of the time you don't really save that much by buying a combo. It's pretty close to what the price would've been to buy the mobo and cpu separately. And if you are doing it to get around having to install the heatsink on the cpu, some companies won't install the heatsink on the processor because of the weight. If the hs weighs enough it could get damaged by the bumping around in shipping or it could damage the cpu. Depends on the hs though.

[Spyda]

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter GEEKS RULE!!!! (Jesus God! I actually said that!) Junky FunkY MONKEY.

whos a geek?

[RudeDog]

I running Windows 98SE on my AMD 1800+ and I like it - no problems. I don't know how you feel about Microsoft, but I wouldn't touch their XP for any price - I don't like the 'intrusion' into your system that comes with it (it connects to MS and tells them all about system, and if you change hardware on your computer you have to convince MS that your not loading it on a different computer or else that won't reactivate it). Anyway, I've found 98SE to be stable, reliable, and runs everything I need (and I'm a gamer).

[Hazydeth]

That hard drive prices looks pretty good already...not sure if you'll fine anything comparable for less. One important thing to remember...never go cheap on the motherboard. ASUS is about as good as you can get. I'd stick with that one.

You may also want to look into an intel motherboard. Although they are a little more expensive they are EXTREMELY stable and for the kind of stufff you want to do they have everything you need. I owuld suggest the Intel D845GEBV2L. It has onboard video (GeForce 2 MX Quality) onboard sound and ethernet as well as USB 2.0 Support. For upgrading purposes it does have an agp slot if you ever want a better video card and if the onboard sound isnt good enough you can always put a sound card in.

[Cricket]

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter * Will the Athlon XP 1800 or even 1700 be compatible with Win98 SE??? (that's what I'm planning to get!)

Sure, why not? The "XP" designation in the AMD CPU description doesn't mean it's only for WinXP...it's a marketing trick to make you identify the AMD Athlon XP with WinXP. You can use the AMD Athlon or Duron CPU with any operating system you want (except those designed to only work with specific CPU's like ALPHA's or PowerPC's).

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter * Are mobo-cpu comobs any good? Pls weigh in.

Do you mean combo's from vendors? It depends on the combo...if the CPU is mated to the exact motherboard you want and the cost is a few bucks less than if you got them separately, go for it.

Originally posted by junkmans_daughter I will keep checking posts and learning as much as I can from all you geeksters so keep the suggestions flowing, I'll post back at the end of this month...when I begin assembling my first RIG (yeah tech speak, I like that...sweeeeet!!!)

I'll say this again...one thing I would change is that case...it'll probably come with a DEER brand power supply (which are generally poor quality units...Foxxconn power supplies are rebadged DEER units. DEER power supplies have a bad reputation because they die prematurely and suddenly...and they've been known to damage or kill other parts when they die) and since the power supply is such an important part of the computer, you should try to get a case that comes with a good quality power supply. Enlight makes nice cases that come with good power supplies and they're reasonably priced.

Cricket

[Hazydeth]

I have a sparkle 300 W and am ver happy with it. It costs about 30 dollars and is worth all 30 of it.

[TimPoet]

Sparkle is a good PSU manufacturer.