Help!!! Trying to build my 1st PC. How much am I looking at with these specs??

[qsda]

ok 1st of all im a poor graphic design student and trying to build my 1st pc. i got a budget which is around us $400total. here are my specs.

-athlon xp 2500+ or better
-512mb ddr ram
-at least 48x cd-rw
-40-80gb hd
-and motherboard which would allow me at least max 2gb+ rams and with cople of usb 2.0's. (im gonna be having a lot of other hardwares like printers and scanners +more graphics tools)
i guess not too cheap or expensive motherboard.
-and everything else can be avg.

with these specs is my budget too low? which company makes the good parts? pls direct me to websites where i can purchase cheap parts.

And can somebody take a look at this computer please? i found this company selling athlon xp 2500+ with my specs around $450. since im a newbie at computer hardware im not sure if their parts are good or what not.
http://www.zotechpc.com/cgi-bin/webc...312&p_catid=41

[ATW]

Don't go with that pre-build....it's not worth it.

Athlon XP 2500+
Asus A7V8X-MX
2x512mb Corsair PC2700
Maxtor 80GB 7200rpm
Lite-on 52x32x52
Foxconn case w/ 350w PSU

Totals $432.99 at newegg

That leaves you some left over to put at least a cheapo video card in it.

[bailey]

trust me on this , you do not want to use a cheapo video card for a graphics designer and the software will cost you a lot more than the computer will cost,
also you will need the largest and best monitor you can afford

[Joeberg]

Qty Product Item # Unit Price Qty x Price

Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)
Enermax X- Point CS-5281PW (Pearl White) Mid ATX Tower Case with Enermax 300W PS and LargeSide window
Specifications:
Form Factor: ATX
Color: Pearl White
Material: SECC 0.7mm
Drive Bays: 4 x 5.25",1 x 3.5",5 x 3.5"hidden
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: USB 2.0*2 / Audio in/out/ IEEE 1394(optional)
Power Supply: 300W
Cooling System: Front:8cm*2,Side:8cm*1,Rear:8cm*2(exhaust)
Motherboard Compatibility: Standard P4 ATX (12"x9.6")
Dimensions: 480 x 200 x 430 mm
Special Features: Aluminum shielded " X " mark with acrylic cover on bay area,Crystal light shielded inlaid on the " X " mark more info>
N82E16811124052 $59.00
$59.00

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
Lite On Black 52x32x52 CD-RW Drive, Model LTR-52327S, OEM
Specifications:
Write Speed: 52X CD-R,32X CD-RW
Read Speed: 52X CD-ROM
Interface: ATAPI / E-IDE
Buffer: 2MB
OS Support: Windows 95/98/NT/ME/XP/2000
Features: Innovated SMART-BURN technology
Remark: OEM pack (see pictures for details) more info>
N82E16827106197 $37.00
$37.00

Floppy Drives
SAMSUNG SFD321B/LBL1 Black 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, OEM Driver Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 1.44MB
Average Access Time: not specified
Interface: 34 Pin Standard Floppy Connector
Form: 3.5 inch
Media Type: All Standard 1.44MB & 720KB 3.5 Floppy Diskettes
Features: Easy to Install, Just Plug & Play, For IBM5 & 100% Compatible Computers
Remark: OEM 1 Year Warranty more info>
N82E16821103203 $5.99
$5.99 ea.@50+
$5.9 ea.@70+
$5.89 ea.@90+
$5.99

Hard Drives
Western Digital 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD400JB, OEM Drive only
Specifications:
Capacity: 40GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Features: High-performance with 8MB Buffer
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Remark: OEM Drive only more info>
N82E16822144126 $60.00
$60.00

Memory (System Memory)
Geil Value Series 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM
Specification
Manufacturer: Geil
Speed: DDR333(PC2700)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5 7-4-4
Support Voltage: 2.55V-2.85V
Bandwidth: 2.7GB/s
Organization: 32M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info>
N82E16820144507 $31.00
$62.00

Motherboards - AMD
Asus nForce2 IGP Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "A7N8X-VM" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon XP Thoroughbred/Barton Core Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 IGP + MCP
FSB: 333/266/200MHz
RAM: 2x DIMM support Dual Channel Non-ECC DDR400/333/266 Max 2GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 100/133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X(1.5V), 3x PCI
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,1xVGA,1xLAN,6xUSB2.0(Rear 4),Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel Codec
Onboard Video: GeForce4 MX GPU + TV encoder
Onboard LAN: Realtek 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet
Form Factor: Micro ATX
Others: NVidia nVIEW Dual Display Architecture more info>
N82E16813131466 $89.99
$89.99

Processors
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
Specification
Model: AMD Athlon XP 2500+
Core: Barton
Operating Frequency: 1.83GHz
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included) more info>
N82E16819103379 $90.00



Total: 403 before shipping from newegg.com

Never heard of FoxConn, and I haven't heard good things about Via Chipsets... Intergrated Sound/Graphics...

[ATW]

I wasn't aware there were cheaper versions of the A7N8X...and I wasn't sure about that power supply brand either. He wants a sh*tload of RAM, so 256 won't cut it. That WD hard drive is a bad choice also...the 80GB Maxtor is only $9 more than that 40GB. For his use the 8mb cache won't add up to much.

[bailey]

wrong
the 8 meg of cache will make a big differance in a system used for graphics design

true a lot of ram too, at least 1 gig

[qsda]

wow thanks for all your work. keep on building it cuz im carefully looking at each and every parts that you all listed.

any better suggestions (if there are any)?

seems like newegg is the cheapest place.

[qsda]

oh yeah i've heard there were some defects with the nForce2's is that right?

[bailey]

ya ive heard a lot of chatter on that too
but never used one myself

[Joeberg]

I didn't list 256 Megs of RAM, Its 512 (256x2, hence the $61 Price. It would actually be a better Idea now that I think of it to buy 2X of this http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1
This would bring your total amount of Ram to 1gig) The 8 Meg cache makes a difference in the Drive, as Bailey stated.
A friend of mine is using his nForce 2 board with no problems. Here are some customer reviews : http://secure.newegg.com/app/Custrat...em=13-131-466.

Newegg is indeed the cheapest place in many instances and has great customer service.

[ATW]

I do some graphic work myself and the extra RAM helped a lot more than an 8mb cache HDD did. With large files, lack of space on a 40 may come into play. But his money, his choice.

[bailey]

last inportant question would be
what operating system will go on this system

[Alfie]

This system is over your budget,but for what you want to use it for,would be a very fine system.
For your uses,you should be focusing on memory and video card.
This system would be a middle of the road,but offers ample memory to start(1gig+),an acceptable video card,mind you,the real video cards you may want to consider,run your entire budget!
The advantage of Sata Raid using 2 WD 10,000 rpm drives offers added speed.

SOLTEK KT600 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "SL-KT600-RL" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon/Athlon XP/Duron Processors
Chipset: VIA KT600 + VT8237
FSB: 400/333/266MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM for DDR400/333/266 Max 3GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 66/100/133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 4X/8X, 6 x PCI 32-bit
Ports: 2xPS2,2xCOM,1xLPT,1xLAN,8xUSB2.0(Rear 2),Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: 6-Channel AC97 Audio
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x Serial ATA, RAID 0/1
Onboard LAN: VIA VT6103 10/100Mbps
Form Factor: ATX more info-> N82E16813180047 $72.99 $72.99


POWERCOLOR RADEON 9600PRO Video Card, 256MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "R96-D3G" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: RADEON 9600PRO/400MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 256MB DDR/400MHz
BUS: AGP 1X/2X/4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+TV-Out(S-Video)+DVI connector
Support 3D API: DirectX®9, OpenGL®2.0
Cable/Accessories: VGA via DVI Adapter, 3 Cables, 2 CD, Manual
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
Retail Box (See pics for details) more info-> N82E16814131227 $155.00 $155.00


AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - OEM
Specification
Model: AMD Athlon XP 2500+
Core: Barton
Operating Frequency: 1.83GHz
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: OEM(Processor Only) more info-> N82E16819103378 $85.00 $85.00


Geil Value Series Golden Dragon 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM
Specification
Manufacturer: Geil
Speed: DDR400(PC3200)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Support Voltage: 2.55V-2.95V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 64M x 64 -Bit
Special Features: Wafer Level Chip Scale Package
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820144609 $88.00 $176.00


Western Digital 36.7GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD360GD, OEM Drive Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 36.7GB
Average Seek Time: 5.2ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 10000 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: Not specified
Manufacturer Warranty: 5 years
Remark: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822144200 $132.00 $264.00




Subtotal » $752.99

[kevinq]

that would be a very nice system....if i were u id wait a few more months to save up and go off of what alfie said

although that didnt have case and powersupply

[bigandy]

That is a nice system Alfie, but with the 2500+, there is no need going with PC3200 memory because it will only run at 333 mhz, instead of 400, unless you want to OC.

[qsda]

i could probably go 600 but not 700. im also buying a $500 printer.

so what do you look for in motherboard?

[Jimmy White]

Originally posted by qsda im also buying a $500 printer.

Wow

Originally posted by qsda so what do you look for in motherboard?

Asus seems to be the most popular motherboard brand

[bigandy]

Yes Asus is probably the most popular board maker here, but when you're buying a new MB, you want to make sure that it has what you need, and may need in the future. For example, if you want to build a PC with RAID and Dual Channel Memory Enabled, you are going to want to make sure that the MB supports it. If you want on-board video, you have to make sure that the MB supports that.

You want to get a MB from a reputable manufacturer with the features that you need.

[Alfie]

I chose the 3200 speed memory for overclocking,most AMD 2500 will run on a 400 fsb,if not that,it allows some headroom for tweaking.
3200 runs the same price and sometimes cheaper than 2700.
What to look for in a motherboard?
Stability.
Asus,Epox,Abit,Soltek make stable boards.
I use the Soltek KT600RL as it has native support for SATA raid,runs about as fast as the Nvidia2 chipset,is exceptionally stable,easy to set up and use,offers acceptable options for overclocking and is a pleasure to use.