Building a Computer

By yanowhiz
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yanowhiz

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I'm building 2 computers, and currently since my mom is funding it (she is willing to pay like anything, hehe). One of the 2 computers will be for me and the other will be for my brother. I was wondering what should I look for in buying a computer case?

This is what I want them to be (about):

AMD Athlon XP 3200+ (i think that is the highest they have)

1-80GB HDD (for my brother), 2-120GB HDD for me

I'm not sure what Video Card to get here is a couple of the ones I've had my eye on...

connect3D Radeon 7000 32MB DDR AGP 2X/4X Video Card - Retail

Albatron Geforce FX5500 256MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail

JATON Geforce FX5700LE 256MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Video Card - Retail

connect3D Radeon X700PRO 256MB GDDR3 PCI-Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Also what exactly kind of ethernet card should I get; I want to be able to still use my RoadRunner connection and home network with games on the home network. (I was thinking a Giga-bit)

Also I'm not sure, would it be worth it getting a DVD-Burner? or just get a cheap CD-Burner and wait to just buy a Blu-Ray Burner in like a year?

And what about USB cards (internal) what kind should I get and where could I get these. Mostly I've been looking at www.newegg.com for this stuff.

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velkymx

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OK -

Case - I would like for one you like, style wise, and one that exeeds 400 Watts. I wouldn't go with a case under $40

Processor - look into either the AMD 64 (which should be cheaper than the XP) or P4

Video card - this will depend on your Motherboard - AGP or PCIe - personally I would go with a 9800 PRO (on AGP) for $140

Ethernet - this should be built into the Motherboard

Roadrunner - this depends on how you are routing the system. Check out routers by Linksys and DLink.

DVD Burners should only run $50 and will burn both CDs and DVDs.

USB - most modern Motherboards come with a least 4 USB 2.0 ports.

Hope that helps!

V

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Cyrilix

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I hope you know that the Radeon 7000 and the X700 Pro are 3 generations of video cards apart...be more specific, do you actually want to spend money on a video card or do you just want some crap (like the Radeon 7000)?

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chconline Veteran

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Holy crap... you are last century.

Get AMD Athlon 64.

Get a more decent, latest generation video cards, not some crap from 3 years ago (I thought this thread was resurrected from 2003 until I saw the posting date).

What hard drive are you getting?

USB cards? What kind? Why do you need it anyway? You should have heard of something called a USB Hub.

And also, network card? You know all motherboard today comes with integrated network.

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chconline Veteran

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AMD Athlon 64 FX-55

DFI Lanparty SLI

Some OCZ ram

PC Power & Cooling 510W SLI

2x BFG Nvidia Geforce 6800Ultra

Sound Blaster Audigy 4

2x Pioneer DVR-109

2x 74GB WD Raptor 10000rpm RAID0

2x WD 320GB 7200RPM RAID1

Some really expensive Lian Li case

Now build 2 of those :laugh:

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yanowhiz

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Here is what I've found so far, that I'm thinking about getting. :)

For the case:

http://www.colorcases.com/products/product...id=13&prodid=54

is the one I want to get, I'll get one color and my brother will get another.

Motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813131490

Video Card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814240015

Hard Drive:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16822148033

DVD-Burner: ( I want a DVD-Burner so I don't have to buy 2 CD Burners and 2 DVD Drives)

Still Looking

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Mx

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AMD Athlon 64 FX-55

DFI Lanparty SLI

Some OCZ ram

PC Power & Cooling 510W SLI

2x BFG Nvidia Geforce 6800Ultra

Sound Blaster Audigy 4

2x Pioneer DVR-109

2x 74GB WD Raptor 10000rpm RAID0

2x WD 320GB 7200RPM RAID1

Some really expensive Lian Li case

Now build 2 of those :laugh:

585948592[/snapback]

:laugh: :pinch:

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stncttr908 Veteran

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Alright, I think you need a lesson in the latest computer hardware here. The first few parts you listed are all over the place. You went from a 4+ year old card to a brand new card, and some in between. All were AGP except for one. The Athlon XP is now low-end. Practically all (if not all) motherboards these days have integrated ethernet controllers. Many even have Gigabit ethernet, which is overkill for a small home network. You won't need a USB add-in card either. Most boards have at least six USB 2.0 ports. Some have as many as eight.

The parts you listed in your later post are also obsolete. You seletect a Socket 754 motherboard, but Socket 754 is going to be phased out. The Radeon 9600 Pro is still a decent card, but it's a generation old and severely underpowered when compared to the latest generation of cards. And that case for $185? You're nuts.

Here's what I think:

1) Get a motherboard based on the nForce 4 Ultra chipset. MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, and DFI are great brands.

2) Get an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939 Venice core CPU.

3) Get something along the lines of a Geforce 6600GT video card, if not higher. The X800XL is another great choice at $300.

4) Serial ATA hard drives like the Seagate you chose are excellent.

5) For a DVD Burner you can't go wrong with the NEC ND-3520A at just over $50.

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yanowhiz

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1) Get a motherboard based on the nForce 4 Ultra chipset. MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, and DFI are great brands.

2) Get an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Socket 939 Venice core CPU.

Aren't those the same isn't the AMD Athlon 64 3200+ socket 939 Venice core CPU isn't that the Motherboard, or where could I find a motherboard that came with that?

Also I'm having trouble finding a computer cases that come with power supply units... any help plz.

Edited by yanowhiz
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-hurley18

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AMD Athlon 64 FX-55

DFI Lanparty SLI

Some OCZ ram

PC Power & Cooling 510W SLI

2x BFG Nvidia Geforce 6800Ultra

Sound Blaster Audigy 4

2x Pioneer DVR-109

2x 74GB WD Raptor 10000rpm RAID0

2x WD 320GB 7200RPM RAID1

Some really expensive Lian Li case

Now build 2 of those :laugh:

585948592[/snapback]

if your not paying and your mother got money, this will be your next pc :yes:

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yanowhiz

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Ok I just did a price check on the AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 and found out it liks $800 dollars! My mom kinda put a limit on the 2 computers. $3000 for both of them together. But I'm still lost on what motherboard to get. If someone could please provide links to some of the stuff your recomending, that would be great. :)

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Pox

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lol the fx55 is a top end chip, there mucking around.

for $1500, you should be able to get:

AMD64 Venice Core 3500+ (thats a processor) $272

DFI lanparty nf4 Ultra-D UT (thats a motherboard) $132

PowerColor ATI Radeon X800XL (video card) $279

Geil 1gb DDR high performance (memory) $115

Pioneer DVR109 (cheep but good) $56

250gb WD Caviar SATA (hard drive) $124

TOTAL=$978

well, well, we can put together that with some nice case, speakers, kb, mouse and monitor...

Logitech Cordless Desktop LX700 $59

Altec Lansing 5051 surround sound :drool: $105

NEC Flat CRT 19" $169 (get a LCD if u want, but this is perfect for gaming :yes:)

ThermalTake Tsunami ATX Case with fans $106

Zalman 400W PSU $70

SO THE GRAND TOTAL IS... *drumroll* ... *start>run>calc.exe* ...

$1487 for a kick-ass gaming rig. so 2 will be $2,974. Well within budget :happy:

Edited by AMDPOX
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gogosama

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What's so bad about that?

585948625[/snapback]

check the price on that one kiddo :happy: :whistle: :woot: :woot: :woot: :woot: :p :ninja:

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dt26

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Aren't those the same isn't the AMD Athlon 64 3200+ socket 939 Venice core CPU isn't that the Motherboard, or where could I find a motherboard that came with that?

Also I'm having trouble finding a computer cases that come with power supply units... any help plz.

585948756[/snapback]

uh-oh. You do know about the different parts of a computer right? The difference between those two components is one is the motherboard which all your other parts plug into and the other is the CPU which sits in the motherboard. Unless Newegg do bundles you have to buy a motherboard and a CPU for each PC.

As for the case/PSU thing, I'd advise you to choose whatever case takes your fancy regardless of whether it has a PSU or not then buy a new one from a reputable company such as Antec.

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gogosama

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AMD Athlon 64 FX-55

DFI Lanparty SLI

Some OCZ ram

PC Power & Cooling 510W SLI

2x BFG Nvidia Geforce 6800Ultra

Sound Blaster Audigy 4

2x Pioneer DVR-109

2x 74GB WD Raptor 10000rpm RAID0

2x WD 320GB 7200RPM RAID1

Some really expensive Lian Li case

Now build 2 of those :laugh:

585948592[/snapback]

minor alterations

AMD Athlon 64 FX-55

DFI Lanparty SLI

4 gig OCZ ram

PC Power & Cooling 510W SLI

2x BFG Nvidia Geforce 6800Ultra oc 512mb pci-e

Sound Blaster Audigy 4

2x Pioneer DVR-109

2x 74GB WD Raptor 10000rpm RAID0

2x WD 320GB 7200RPM RAID1

Some really expensive Lian Li case

Now build 2 of those please :D :D :D

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yanowhiz

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lol the fx55 is a top end chip, there mucking around.

for $1500, you should be able to get:

AMD64 Venice Core 3500+ (thats a processor)

DFI lanparty nf4 Ultra-D UT (thats a motherboard)

ATI Radeon X800XL (video card)

2x 512mb Geil, Corsair or OCZ ram (memory)

Pioneer DVR109 (cheep but good)

250gb WD SATA (hard drive)

585949172[/snapback]

I know almost nothing about hardware. I'm more of a computer user than a computer builder that is why I am asking for help.

So lemme get this straight I'm gonna have to buy a processor chip and a motherboard? wow. This is going to be tricky.

Thank you.

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Pox

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you could probably get newegg to put it together for you... they'd probably only charge $30 a system or something. but as long as you get rid of all your static and hadle it carefully, computers are quite easy to put together.

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yanowhiz

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Ok I think I got it this time. :)

AMD64 Venice Core 3500+

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16819103532

DFI lanparty nf4 Ultra-D UT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813136152

ATI Radeon X800XL: I got several results, not sure which one... :rolleyes:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....=&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

2x 512mb Geil, Corsair or OCZ ram: Would it be recomended buying 2 of the (2-512MB) making it 2Gigs of RAM since the motherboard can support up to 4Gigs?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16820144309

Pioneer DVR109

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16827129161

250gb WD SATA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16822144179

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mikeboy

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the venice and san diegos are just underclocked FX-55! so you should be able to achieve FX.55 speeds with a san diego. get them at newegg.com

edit: I would change to two HDs, 2 of 120gb on RAID 0 configuration will run much faster than the 250gb one

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