New System Suggestions

[Guest]

I am trying to price an entire new system. I will mostly use it for personnal accounting/banking, web browsing, chatting and report writing/word processing. I also want to be able to play any of the latest games for a long time to come. I have basically come to the conclusion of an AMD Duron processor and GeForce2 MX video card for the main parts. I want to get the best deal possible and I am wondering if anyone out there has purchased a similar system to this with good results. I am debating whether or not to purchase the parts at a computer show and put it together myself or order a complete system from one of the vendors on pricewatch. I don't want to get cheap components. I want easy upgrade capabilities.

My current computer has no parts that can be scrapped since it is a Pentium Classic 120 MHz.

Any suggestions for complimentary parts would be appreciated too.

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Another question is whether or not the AMD Processors are truly difficult to install with a heat sink. I would certainly not want to damage a new system!

 

[Tempus]

Well if you want to be able to play top-of-the-line games for a long time to come, maybe you should consider a Geforce2GTS or Pro. I can also get you any computer for a price unheard of! (inside connections).

- "I forgot my shirt, but I had body glitter."

 

[Guest]

And I bet I could still beat those prices Tempus

(I am an inside connection )

 

[Guest]

If you use any heatsink designed to fit on the Socket A chips, you should have pretty much no problem.

I recommend getting a retail chip. You'll spend a bit more, but you'll get a heatsink (which naturally is guaranteed to fit) and a 3 year warranty. The heatsink is VERY tight on the chip, especially with the 1 GHz Athlon I just got (it was a major bitch to finally get that heatsink on), so don't be afraid to use a bit of force. I know I was, seeing as I've heard of people crushing their chips.

From what I've heard though, is that most of the 'chip crushing' have been from people trying to put Socket 370 heatsinks on, and not Socket A. In my experiences though, I have never crushed a chip, despite the sometimes rather large amount of pressue I need to put on the heatsink to get it on.

 

[Tempus]

I smell a challenge, Alan. But who knows, maybe you could get one cheaper than me (but I highly doubt it unless the people you get it from give it to you for free!).

- "I forgot my shirt, but I had body glitter."

 

[Arrow]

Make sure you put an adequate amount of RAM to match with the rest of your machine.

Rob
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[lakedude]

Just a couple of minor points:

Tom’s has been saying that a full-fledged Athlon is priced the same as the Duron so why not step up? If you build it yourself you will have full control over everything that goes into the box but it will probably cost a bit more, plus you will not only be paying shipping on each item but also waiting on each item separately. There is a good chance that you will be short a component and by the time it shows up you will see better prices on components you have already purchased. Still, building is the best way to get exactly what you want. If you want to do anything fancy like OC then you almost need to build because the cheaper mobos that come with factory built computers will not be having all the voltage and frequency settings of a custom machine. If you are lazy or unskilled or just want to save money then a factory built can save money and you will get everything in one box with one dealer to complain to. I have done both and now personally prefer to choose and assemble each part myself but when I was new to the biz a factory built was the better option.

PS: Don’t take anybody’s word for granted if they are trying to sell you something.

PSS: Look everybody I recommended an AMD product!

PSSS: If you buy AMD make sure the motherboard has thermal sensing/protection for the CPU cause it is not built into AMD chips.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the suggestions. It seems as though my best bet would be to build it myself and suck it when when installing the heat sink.

The reason for going Duron as opposed to T-bird is because of price, so if the prices are the same, then I will certainly get a T-Bird.

Bye

 

[phsstpok]

AMD has a good article at their site for installing a heatsink on an Athlon/Duron.

http://www1.amd.com/athlon/config