• Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!

What do you guys think? (new system setup)

Overclockers is supported by our readers. When you click a link to make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn More.

Niku-Sama

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
ok a friend of mine in college wants me to bulid a computer for her in the $400-$500 price range but i need the thing to be stable so its not all freaking out because shes very NOT computer literate how ever she wants to be able to add to it in the future....any way heres what i got:

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=1091130

think it should be stable? thats what i am worried about mostly

only thing not on the list is the videocard which would be comming from a different store....she wants to play games but i know its going to be mostly black and white and/or age of mythology so i figures a FX 5500 128Meg (possibly 256meg) would be good enough for that and can always update it
 
2 Things:

Dont get a 5500. If anything get a 9600PRO

Second scrap your cooling. Stock cooling is perfectally fine for any A64 system save the $30
 
I wouldn't use that power supply for anything more than a paper weight. There's just no way a company can build a decent 400w PSU and include it in a mid-tower case for $35.50. Remember it's only a good value if it's inexpensive but still reliable. Additionally the system will be seriously hamstrung with only 256Mb ram resulting in alot of page file usage. An extra $30 spent for a 1x512Mb dimm would be money well spent.
 
i want the hard drive for the 3 year warranty and the price

like i said earlier i am not going for super speed i am going for price/future upgrade-ability...

it also came to the point where getting things like the samsung drive were to keep it in the price range

and as far as rosewill powersupplies go, i have one i bought, its much different (performance 500 or something like that, the aluminum one) and it works pretty well
 
Last edited:
you gotta go for 512 RAM....drop to a sempron if you have to, you need 512.
 
semprons cost more and suck *** why would i buy a sempron?

its come down to pinching pennies to keep it in the price range...lemme redo something i think i have an idea
 
Easy he's just trying to help and he has a point. If you have to cut many more corners I'd give serious thought to building a system around an XP-M processor. Your s754 setup with 256mb ram will not perform as well as a properly equipped overclocked XP-M setup w/ 512mb ram. Additionally that power supply isn't likely to get beaten up as badly by an XP-M as it will a newcastle.
 
mysubaruimp said:
is a rip-off.


There, I finished your sentence.

I think you went almost overboard for a computer-illiterate girl.

Processor, if you insist on AMD, get something lesser. 2800, imo, is too much power for someone that won't ever use 1/4th of it. An AMD Sempron 2400+ is only $62. Half the price, half the performance, but I honestly doubt she'll do anything more than web/email/chat. A 333mhz acer I threw away a few months ago can do all of that.

Motherboard, get a socket A mobo for the processor, save the girl some cash.

Ohh, sorry, I didn't read the original post, she wants to play games... that changes everything. I'd definitely go with more ram, then. 512 should be fine.
That's the only thing I'd change, the ram.
 
she wants to be able...or acually she wants me to be able to "make it better" in the future...

thats why i put the 754 socket on it, i was really thinking pci express but the total cost is way to much although would be more upgradable

i'll make a few different options
 
honestly, by the time she upgrades it won't be worthwhile to stick with 754. Your best bet is to get a nforce2 chipset with a socket A mobile and OC it with 512 RAM...upgrade to a 6800u later (or something better....AGP cards are gonna be made regardless of how many people think PCI-e is taking over).

Using a 2800+ and 256 RAM is like using a ferrari in the middle of winter in Alaska.
 
Agreed. For that budget you may well be further ahead going with an NF7-2 or DFI nForce2 ultra, 2x256 memory, and possibly a better vid card if budget allows. Despite all the rhetoric that gets out of hand at times a solid well thought out socket A setup can be quite fast and clearly an excellent value.
 
Last edited:
By the time she's ready to upgrade, s754 will probably be as obsolete as socket A is now, so why not go cheaper now? If you plan on over clocking, you'll want a new psu, probably.
 
heh i thought that would be an issue here....not for overclocking at all guys..none....needs to be stable as hell because i cant help people "tech support" wise because theyre dumb as hell when you tell them to click one thing they reset the computer to start over type of thing....i dont want to do that

edit:

ok i changed this one arround:
http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=1091130

going to make 2 more....the least expencive most expandable 939 settup and the fastest cheapest socket A...might be a while

Edit again:

PCI Express systemone 16xSlot due to cost other wise probally the most expandable system....missed the $500 mark by about $150 but any way
http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=1298056


starwars repubelick commando demo just finished wonloading so socket a will be....well it may never show up
 
Last edited:
So you want fast and stable, but overclocking is out whether it's 1Mhz or 600Mhz, but you insist on using *that* PSU? In my experience power supplies of that caliber seldom provide any kind of stability for very long. Really I think you're thinking about this incorrectly. Overclocking and stability do not have to be polar opposites if it's in a well thought out system.
 
sheesh man she likes the case, we can use the power supply to see how it is but if it needs something else its no big deal, i'm gonna burn in and test the system with the powersupply in it, if it no good i can get one and then replace it.....its really just an added bonus to buying the case....and you never know it might be the best powersupply in the world!!! MWA HAHAHA more than likely not because enermax powersupplies are the best.....but any way
 
the biostar only has 2 ddr slots...i'm kinda picky about having 3 or more...more room for more since its socket 754 i need not to worry about dual channle so over time i can just pack more and more into the sockets when she needs it
 
I agree and disagree

Niku-Sama said:
the biostar only has 2 ddr slots...i'm kinda picky about having 3 or more...more room for more since its socket 754 i need not to worry about dual channle so over time i can just pack more and more into the sockets when she needs it
Yes it only has two slots but with one stick 512mb then later another stick 512mb you would be at a 1024mb.By the time that you need to more memory you will be at the same position you are in now.Besides it is for a non-computer girl who will not notice one slot or two.But she will notice the change from 256mb to 512mb anyday of the week.
Good luck on you'r decision. :thup:

Remeber boys and girls fold :attn: You're life could depend on it :-/

MassRaptor
 
Back