My new box

MisterMike · Nov 13, 2004

I'm starting a new PC from the ground up. My current PIII 450 is about 6 years old + . Haven't really done this before but here's the starting point:

Case: http://www.xoxide.com/bluvreclca.html

Hard Drive: sticking with my 80GB Maxtor IDE

I'm going to dump my current stuff into this case but the next big items to get will be the Motherboard, Processor and RAM.

After that I'll get a new video and audio card and that's about all I Can think of for now.

I'm trying to keep it all well under 1 grand. I thought I'd track my progress here and if anyone has any input one way or the other it's appreciated. I've always been an Intel guy but the AMD's are lookin pretty good now too.

Anyone have a preference?

PeachMonkey · Nov 13, 2004

MisterMike said:
I'm trying to keep it all well under 1 grand. I thought I'd track my progress here and if anyone has any input one way or the other it's appreciated. I've always been an Intel guy but the AMD's are lookin pretty good now too.

I like to start with the reviews and recommendations at Ars Technica. For instance, check out the "Budget Box" from their buyer's guide:

http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-09-21-2004.ars/2

For price-to-performance ratio, AMD is really the leader.

Chronuss · Nov 13, 2004

some of the new Intels with the 800mhz bus and one meg of cache look very appealing. combine that with a few sticks of DDR running at 400mhz, and that'd be a nice machine. or if you really wanna splurge, I'd grab two sticks runnin' at 533...just make sure your board can handle it.

Cryozombie · Nov 14, 2004

MisterMike said:
I'm trying to keep it all well under 1 grand. I thought I'd track my progress here and if anyone has any input one way or the other it's appreciated.

www.pricewatch.com

A little bit of a pain to navagate, but i found some killer deals there when I built my last box.

MisterMike · Nov 14, 2004

Thanks all,

A co-worker of mine is always on the ARS site. I used to be a big fan of Tom's Hardware.com for reviews and performance charts between processors.

I'm probably gonna stay with the P4 this time around

I'll keep an eye on pricewatch too

Chronuss · Nov 14, 2004

you can get some good deals off tigerdirect.com, too, especially on video cards and RAM...tis where I got my GeForce4 MX 400...not the top of the line, but 128MB of DDR is very nice indeed playing UT2k4.

MisterMike · Nov 14, 2004

Chronuss said:
you can get some good deals off tigerdirect.com, too, especially on video cards and RAM...tis where I got my GeForce4 MX 400...not the top of the line, but 128MB of DDR is very nice indeed playing UT2k4.

Yep. I've been looking on there too. 128 MB will definitely have a seat on my video card as well

I also scoped out an audio card by Creative - it sported THX and I think 6.1 (?) surround sound with a remote control for around $199 at best buy. I've got some catching up to do on the specs and lingo but it looked pretty darn nice.

mj_lover · Nov 14, 2004

i personally would take the amd over the intel anyday, cheaper, equal or better performance. the one thing you do not want to skimp on is the mainboard. i did that, and my amd xp2400 will only run at 1.6ghz..board can't handle the speed. you shouldn't have to much problems building a good system for under $1000, just hunt for deals.I'm done my rambling..bed time now. good luck, and happy hunting.

5 hand swords · Nov 14, 2004

MisterMike said:
I'm starting a new PC from the ground up. My current PIII 450 is about 6 years old + . Haven't really done this before but here's the starting point:

I'm trying to keep it all well under 1 grand. I thought I'd track my progress here and if anyone has any input one way or the other it's appreciated. I've always been an Intel guy but the AMD's are lookin pretty good now too.

Anyone have a preference?

you mention price and some hardware constrants but don't really say what you want to use it for OS etc - gameing or buisness?

Andrew Green · Nov 14, 2004

Ok, does anyone else use the "New posts" option and find this thread title a little odd?

This is a martial arts forum, and posting about your "New Box" is really not the best wording

MisterMike · Nov 15, 2004

5 hand swords said:
you mention price and some hardware constrants but don't really say what you want to use it for OS etc - gameing or buisness?

I'll be using it for web, email, my son's games (which can be memory and graphics intensive), all of which run on Win XP Pro.

I had been using Fedora for the past 8 months or so and I'm not sure if I will create a dual boot or not to keep running that or stay with just XP.

In the end, I'm figureing on only 256 MB ram with an empty slot for more later if I need it.

I'm pretty savvy on system requirements and what not, but was more looking for what brands people prefer.

Thx!

Chronuss · Nov 15, 2004

since Win XP Pro is a major resource hog, and if you want the graphic intensive gaming, you might wanna look at two sticks of 512 DDR running at about 400mhz, or if you really wanna splurge you can prolly grab two sticks running at 533mhz for a little extra cash. at least two 256 sticks...just a single and your VM will eat up your hard drive space real fast with the size of the paging file Windows'll make to compensate for lack of RAM.

mj_lover · Nov 15, 2004

256 is minimal if you want to keep up with the new games. doom3 requires 300-ish (not sure on the # but its high) so i would go with 512 mb 400mhz min.

MisterMike · Nov 15, 2004

OK, I can see myself getting some more RAM in the future. Here's what I picked up:

ASUS P4P800 SE i865PE Chipset for Socket 478
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-484&depa=0

P4 (Northwood) 2.4 Ghz

500W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-148-001&depa=0

PC3200 DDR400 Ram - 256MB

Price before shipping was $320

plus I spent around 80 on my case and fans - so Im at about $400 so far.

For a computer that will be roughtly 6 times faster than what I currently have. My home PC right now has 96MB RAM and it still plays Age of Empires II just fine. It also could handle Jedi Knight Outcast with the graphic turned down a bit. The video card was a 32 MB TNT2. Maybe that helped.

What's left is probably a DVD burner, front memory stick drives, and a newer video card to take advantage of the AGP 8X.

I'll keep ya posted.

Chronuss · Nov 17, 2004

I'd still consider upping the RAM while your building rather than later. having more RAM can never be bad.

MA-Caver · Nov 17, 2004

MisterMike said:
I'm starting a new PC from the ground up. My current PIII 450 is about 6 years old + . Haven't really done this before but here's the starting point:

Case: http://www.xoxide.com/bluvreclca.html

So, umm,

you're gonna show off your...err hardware huh?
Ohhh-kay.

MisterMike · Nov 17, 2004

MACaver said:
So, umm, you're gonna show off your...err hardware huh?
Ohhh-kay.

Just for the ladies :ladysman:

he he he

Chronuss · Nov 17, 2004

with a thread name like this...:idunno:

mj-hi-yah · Nov 17, 2004

MisterMike said:
Just for the ladies :ladysman:

he he he

:lurk: :lurk: um... interesting computer thread!:uhyeah:

Chronuss · Nov 18, 2004

mj-hi-yah said:
:lurk: :lurk: um... interesting computer thread!:uhyeah:

and everyone says tech geeks aren't interesting...hehe.

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