Help me build a budget AMD 939/AM2 system (1st time build)

[Phosphate]

I'm extremely interested in overclocking, but I want the first computer I build to be as cheap as possible (I would rather stay away from Dell and Gateway anyway)

I am thinking of going either the AM2 or 939 route. Yeah I know Conroe is better, but I can't afford a E6600 anyway. I'm sure at some later point the 65mm AMD k8L stuff will be good enough for a possible upgrade path from AM2.

My parts:

-Antec P160 case.

What I am thinking of buying:
- Antec True Power or Neo lower wattage unit. I see 430-480 watt versions of these going for $30-$45 in new condition all the time on Ebay while the 500 watt and higher versions are basically going for full price. Besides I don't care about SLI with this machine.

Now for Motherboard/CPU/Memory:

- Single core 3500 or 3800 venice (AM2/939 is the same price)

- Memory: I know nothing about DDR2 memory, but It seems buying it rather than new DDR makes more sense. Now that I said that I've seen Samsung branded PC3200 memory for $110 for 2 GB on ebay . Is there anything comparably priced in DDR2?

- Motherboard: This is where I really need help. I would prefer to get integrated graphics initially but able to add PCI-E video card later on (probably 7600 GT or something)

So what do you think?

I'd like to keep all this under $400 (excluding the the case which I have already bought)

 

[o1die]

I'd go for am2 with an nforce 6100 chipset board. For memory, shop around, and get what you can afford. You can start out with 2 sticks of 512 and add 2 more later for a total of 2 gigs, so your motherboard needs to have 4 slots. I use Fry's or newegg, but you can search for other deals on pricewatch or any search engine. 800 fsb ddr2 will cost you more, but give you a better chance of overclocking, if that's what you want to do. I'd search the manufacturer's website for support before ordering. Some no name brands like foxconn or biostar offer little or no support (bios updates or direct rma). Msi, abit, asus and epox are pretty good.

 

[Phosphate]

I'm thinking the AM2 makes more sense like you say I just need to research memory costs (pretty much I have various DDR prices memorized, but DDR2 I am completely clueless about)

If I was going to go 939 I was thinking of the Biostar 6100 board (it has good reviews on New egg).

Besides Memory and mobo this is what I have planned out so far:

PSU: Sparkle 400 watt (18 amps on both 12V rails) $29 at Ewiz
Hard drive: Hitachi 250 GB Sata II $76 at Ewiz
DVD Burner: NEC 3550A retail kit $40 at Ewiz
Floppy drive: NEC $5 at Ewiz

 

[yeason]

Something to consider: since you want to go cheap and you are interested in overclocking have you considered the Intel D805 http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/05/10/dual_41_ghz_cores/. I also personally favor the AMD's but for an overclocker this would be a good option. should you blow it up by accident it would be pretty cheap to replace: $106 (newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819116001 )
THG even ran a guide on a build it yourself system using this cpu.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/06/12/your_diy_gaming_rig_for_720/

This is just an idea as an alternative, if you are set on AMD go for it, they have some pretty solid and reliable cpu's imo.

 

[Phosphate]

Thanks that was some awesome info. I knew nothing about intels till I read that.