Hey All,
been hunting around Tom's (awesome site by the way) for a couple weeks now doing research and comparisons on components and came up with a machine that will mostly be used for gaming purposes and photo-editing every once in a while(not an Overclocker or LANer). My old comp just comes up short with the newer games coming out like Farcry, D3 and HL2, and whatever else comes down the line.
But since this is my first attempt to build a computer, need a little advice from those who know the in's and out's. My price range is $1000 to $1100, too much more and my wife will kill me unless I have good reason.
Here's what I came up with:
CASE: Thermaltake VA3000 Tsunami with transparent X side panel - $136
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512 l L2 Cache (Newcastle) - $215
MOBO: MSI nForce3 250 Socket 754 KN8 NEO PLATINUM - $126
RAM: CORSAIR XMS Xtreme Memory Speed Series 184 pin 512mb DDR PC-3200C2P - $121
HD: Western Digital Caviar WD1600JD 160gb Hard Drive - $105
GRAPHICS: EVGA nVidia GeFORCE FX5900SE, 128mb DDR, 256-bit 8X AGP - $183
DVD/CD: Lite On 8X Double Layer DVD+/- RW Drive with NERO and Power DVD Software #SHOW-832S - $76
PSU: Thermaltake Silent PurePower 480W Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan # W0014 - $56
OS: WIN XP Home - (oem) $90
I looked a long while before I found a case that I really really liked, so am not changing that even though a little pricey.
Reason for the only 160 gig HD is I dont' really keep that much on my comp, no MP3's, AVI's, etc. I don't burn much except for personal info or backups, so I don't think I need much, but I do typically play 4 to 6 games at a time, have full Office Suite, etc etc. I have seen some posts here where 200 gig is not enough - crazy!
Only 512 on the RAM right now. I plan on getting another stick when my wallet allows it.
Reason for the 5900 nVidia is because the 6800GT is just too expensive right now for me, and it seemed like the next best nVidia. I do prefer nVidia over ATI.
Prices are mostly from NewEgg; wondering if Ebay is alright to hunt for quality unused unopened components or not as it might drop price a tiny bit.
Does everything on this list marry up to everything else? was a little confused about the whole SATA, Sockets etc at first, but think I got the basics now. Or is there something better or am missing thats within my budget you would recommend?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Prepare for Ramming Speed!!!
been hunting around Tom's (awesome site by the way) for a couple weeks now doing research and comparisons on components and came up with a machine that will mostly be used for gaming purposes and photo-editing every once in a while(not an Overclocker or LANer). My old comp just comes up short with the newer games coming out like Farcry, D3 and HL2, and whatever else comes down the line.
But since this is my first attempt to build a computer, need a little advice from those who know the in's and out's. My price range is $1000 to $1100, too much more and my wife will kill me unless I have good reason.
Here's what I came up with:
CASE: Thermaltake VA3000 Tsunami with transparent X side panel - $136
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+, 512 l L2 Cache (Newcastle) - $215
MOBO: MSI nForce3 250 Socket 754 KN8 NEO PLATINUM - $126
RAM: CORSAIR XMS Xtreme Memory Speed Series 184 pin 512mb DDR PC-3200C2P - $121
HD: Western Digital Caviar WD1600JD 160gb Hard Drive - $105
GRAPHICS: EVGA nVidia GeFORCE FX5900SE, 128mb DDR, 256-bit 8X AGP - $183
DVD/CD: Lite On 8X Double Layer DVD+/- RW Drive with NERO and Power DVD Software #SHOW-832S - $76
PSU: Thermaltake Silent PurePower 480W Xaser Edition ATX 2-Fan # W0014 - $56
OS: WIN XP Home - (oem) $90
I looked a long while before I found a case that I really really liked, so am not changing that even though a little pricey.
Reason for the only 160 gig HD is I dont' really keep that much on my comp, no MP3's, AVI's, etc. I don't burn much except for personal info or backups, so I don't think I need much, but I do typically play 4 to 6 games at a time, have full Office Suite, etc etc. I have seen some posts here where 200 gig is not enough - crazy!
Only 512 on the RAM right now. I plan on getting another stick when my wallet allows it.
Reason for the 5900 nVidia is because the 6800GT is just too expensive right now for me, and it seemed like the next best nVidia. I do prefer nVidia over ATI.
Prices are mostly from NewEgg; wondering if Ebay is alright to hunt for quality unused unopened components or not as it might drop price a tiny bit.
Does everything on this list marry up to everything else? was a little confused about the whole SATA, Sockets etc at first, but think I got the basics now. Or is there something better or am missing thats within my budget you would recommend?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Prepare for Ramming Speed!!!
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram