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computer sugestions

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aeiou

Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2004
Location
Madison, WI
I am building a computer for somebody at work (budget $700-800). I found these parts that I thought would work well Just looking for any sugestions you have. I could go for an athlon xp with a better video card, but I just wanted to get a bit newer stuff than that. I know s754 is about dead, but I tried configuring s939 and it was a bit too expensive. Here's the parts:


Rosewill Silver ATX Mid Tower Case with 400W Power Supply & Side window, Model "R114A SILVER" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Case Type: ATX Mid-Tower
Color: Silver
Material: Steel
Drive Bays: 5.25" x 4/0, 3.5" x 2/4 (external/internal)
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: 2 x USB2.0, 2 x Audio
Power Supply: 400W
Cooling System: 1 x 80mm Top UV LED Fan, 1 x 80mm Side Panel UV LED Fan
Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX, ATX Size up to 11" x 12"
Dimensions: 16.5" x 7.8" x 17" (DxWxH) more info-> N82E16811147005
$45.00

$45.00

Thermaltake 120mm Ball Bearing DC Cooling Fan, Model "A1280" -RETAIL
Specification:
Compatibility: PC CASE,POWER SUPPLY and PROJECTOR
Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25 mm
Bearing Type: Ball Bearing
Nominal Speed(RPM): 2000
Max Air Flow:(CFM): 78.0
Max Pressure: 2.97 mmH2O
Rated Voltage: 12V DC
Connector: 3 Pin
Noise(dBA): 34
more info-> N82E16811999113
$7.49

$7.49

ASRock "K8Upgrade-1689" ALi M1689 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket 754 AMD Athlon 64 and Sempron Processors
Chipset: Single Chip ULi (ALi) M1689
RAM: 2x DIMM supports DDR 266/333/400 Max 2GB
Slots: 1x AGP, 4x PCI, 1x ASRock Future CPU Port (Yellow): Flexible Socket 939 upgrade interface for ASRock 939CPU board
Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x COM, 1x LPT, 6x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1x RJ45, Audio Ports
IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
SATA: 2x SATA with RAID 0,1,JBOD
Onboard LAN: Realtek RTL8201 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC850 7.1 Channel
Form Factor: ATX more info-> N82E16813157069
$59.00

$59.00

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600PRO Advantage Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-Bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "100561 GR" -BULK -OEM
Specifications:
Chipset: ATI Radeon 9600PRO
Memory: 128MB DDR
BUS: AGP 4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub) + TV-Out (S-Video) + DVI
Support 3D API: DirectX 9, OpenGL 1.5
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
Cable/Accessories: S-Video adaptor, DVI to VGA adaptor, Driver CD
PCB: Green more info-> N82E16814102408
$103.00

$103.00

AMD Athlon 64 2800+, 512KB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - Retail
Specifications:
Model: AMD Athlon 64 2800+
Core: Newcastle
Operating Frequency: 1.8GHz
FSB: Integrated into Chip
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/ 512KB
Voltage: 1.5V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 754
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail(Heatsink and Fan included) more info-> N82E16819103452
$128.00

$128.00

Rosewill 184-Pin 512MB DDR PC3200, Model RW400/512 - Retail
Specification
Manufacturer: Rosewill
Speed: DDR400 (PC3200)
Type: 184-Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 3-4-4
Support Voltage: 2.6V ~ 2.7V
Bandwidth: 3.2GB/s
Organization: 64M x 64-Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820223009
$61.27

$61.27

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
Packaging: OEM Drive only more info-> N82E16822144126
$56.50

$56.50

LITE-ON SK-900U Beige Multimedia Keyboard USB 104keys -RETAIL
Specifications:
Interface: USB
Number Of Keys: 104 keys + 19 Function keys
Wireless Technology: N/A
Palm Rest: Detachable
Design Style: Slim
Features: Elegant & fashion design, Low noise, low profile key switches for quiet and easy typing more info-> N82E16823107131
$5.25

$5.25

PHILIPS 107E61 17" CRT MONITOR - RETAIL
Specifications:
CRT Type: Flat Square Tube
Dot Pitch: 0.27mm
Max / Optimal resolution: 1280 x 1024 / 1024 x 768
Frequency: fh: 30 - 71kHz; fv: 50 - 160Hz
Features: Outstanding front of screen performance, Great convenience, Green Design
Dimensions & Weight: 15.6" x 15.1" x 16.5" (WxHxD), 29.5 lbs
Manufacturer's Warranty / Phone No.: 3-year warranty with a 1-year 48-hour advance swap guarantee / 877-835-1838
more info-> N82E16824133139
$107.00

$107.00

Logitech MX310 Optical Mouse USB/ PS/2 -RETAIL
Specifications:
Interface: USB/ PS/2
Number Of Buttons: 6x Buttons + 1x Wheel
Optical/Ball: Optical(800dpi)
Wireless Technology: N/A
Features: Logitech MX Optical Engine, Zip back and forth between open documents with the handy Quick Switch button, Use two convenient buttons to navigate forward and back in your web browser, Easily scroll through long documents, without having to move your mouse an inch more info-> N82E16826104136
$19.00

$19.00

Rosewill 52x32x52x16 CD-RW Cool Gray Combo Drive, Model RB-321, Retail
Specifications:
Write Speed: 52X CD-R, 32X CD-RW
Read Speed: 52X CD-ROM, 16X DVD-ROM
Interface: ATAPI/E-IDE
Buffer: 2MB
OS Support: Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE
Features: Buffer under run errors prevention
Packaging: Retail (see pictures for details) more info-> N82E16827190008
$30.50

$30.50

Masscool 80mm Clear Crystal Case Fan, Model "FDC08025S1M" -Retail
Specifications:
Compatibility: Power supply, second case fan or other
Dimensions: 80 x 80 x 25mm (l x w x h)
Bearing Type: Sleeve bearing
Nominal Speed(RPM): 2700 +/- 10%
Max Air Flow(CFM): 37.87 at 2700 RPM
Rated Voltage: 12V DC
Connector: 3 / 4 Pin, mainboard
Noise(dBA): 26.5 more info-> N82E16835150044
$3.69

$3.69

Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 -OEM
Specifications:
Designed exclusively for home computing. From digital photos, music, and video to building a home network, Windows XP Home Edition brings you into the digital age with ease. Built on the solid foundation of Windows 2000, Windows XP Home Edition also sets the new standard in efficient and dependable computing
*Must be Purchased with Hardware!!* more info-> N82E16837102151
$92.50

$92.50
 
Hmmm there's things I would change, such as the motherboard. The RAM I would swtich to Kingston just for the lifetime warrenty and chancing at getting good chips. I would forget about the fans and case and just snatch a Antec SLK3700AMB, decent power supply, solid case and comes with an exhaust fan. Get a liteon Burner, they make solid burners for kick butt prices. For the harddrive I'd pay a few bucks more and get a bigger size. A good rule of thumb for harddrives is not to pay more than $1 a gig. A 80gig drive around my area costs about $70cnd 120 cost $90cnd.

If you can't get a really good A64 Combo try looking at a P4 Setup based around the S478. Where I am they usually are cheaper than a A64 even the S754.
 
hmmm.. there's some mushkin memory with the same specs as the rosewill for just a few dollars more... maybe I'll put that in. Also, do you think maybe I should just go with an athlon xp to save him some money? I he's only going to be doing lite gaming, so it shouldn't hurt him there too much.
 
maybe xp wont save money. I tried different mobo/processor (xp 2800-3200 and a7n8x) and it was actually quite a bit more.

BTW- I read some reviews on asrock motherboards. They seem to be quite good. Evidently, they are a low cost division of asus that hasn't done a whole lot in the states yet.
 
oh, and I checked the prices on the p4's- for just the processor, the lowest price I saw on newegg for a 2.8ghz p4 (a good comparison to the athlon 64 2800, I think) was $160. The 2800 and motherboard I had were $190 together. I didn't check any p4 mobo prices, but I'm sure they are more than $30. Plus, I'd rather pu in an athlon anyways.
 
Yeah, thats a decent setup cpu/video card/HDD. But I would also go for a nicer motherboard and maybe the next step up in memory if possible. I have that same video card and it actually runs games VERY well (even with AA and AF);)
 
yeah, I'm going to go with wome mushkin ram that I found for just a few dollars more. I think the motherboard should be fine, as I found many praising reviews on it and it is built by asus. It also has the ability to upgrade to a s939 mobo (although I'm not sure how well this works, as it looks like they use somthing similar to a sloket adapter to do it).

I also decided to go with a refurbished 9600XT, as it is just $0.50 more.
 
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