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Okay $850.01 to spend got a great idea, i should post this thread and have people make the ultimate system configuration for $850

Here are two websites that will be useful.

www. .com
http://www.pricewatch.com

here is basicly what "I" want and feel is the best configuration.

mobo with DDR ram (3+ slots for ram w/max of 1.5GIGs of ram) Socket A AGP, PCI, UDMA 100/133 if possible no intigrated sound. ( overclocking the poo out of the CPU so, yea you get the idea)

CPU Athlon XP 1800 to XP 2000

512Mb ram or more

ATI redeon 8500 DDR or better

40GB hDD or better

CDROM 52X or faster

350W power supply or better (ATX)

Case with lots of room and 'coolage' (may put watercooling in)

good soundcard (SBlive?)

10/100 NETwork card

56K modem (hardware modems only plz, no WINMODEMS)

Heatsink and fan ( watercooling? )

Just the box w/no monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc.:

Enlight 7237 with 350w PSU - $110
Iwill XP333-R - $130
256mb PC2400 - $80
AthlonXP 1700+ OEM - $125
SK6 heatsink for CPU - $35
2 - 40gig Maxtors in RAID-0 - $165
soundcard of your choice - $60-100
Pioneer 105s (16x DVD, 40x CD-ROM) - $80
________________
~$805

Good luck gettin' what you want for $850 Save up a couple more bucks and get yourself a nice video card and you'd be pretty good to go with the set above, I think. I have about $1k in my box. If you count my monitor and all that other jazz, probably around $1500....

ive already got a monitor (17" veiwsonic optiquest) keyboard and mouse. i am jsut talkin' bout the box.

i dunno what mobo is better one with a XP333 or KT266A chipset. take your pick

do i really have to shell out 110 clams for a case?! something about $70 would be about the same i would think.

im looking for a review of that power supply, none found as of now.

anywho i think this computer is looking nicer and nicer.

thanks for your help

Here's my attempt, everything priced at http://www.newegg.com w/o shipping

ENLIGHT EN-72370AZ MEDIUM TOWER w/ 340W PSU (AMD Approved) $60
PIONEER INTERNAL ATAPI 16X DVD-ROM MODEL 116 $54
Thermalright SK-6, ALL COPPER, Heatsink with Delta 60X60X25 38CFM fan $28
MAXTOR 60GB 7200RPM Model # 6L060J3 D740X (7200RPM, UDMA133) $99
OCZ DDR RAM 256MB PC-2400 300Hz (x2) $148 (both, 74 each)
IWILL XP333-R ALi MAGiK 1 Duron/ Athlon/ Athlon XP DDR 333 (PC 2700) MHz Highpoint Ultra ATA/133 IDE RAID Socket A ATX MOTHERBOARD - RETAIL $109
LINKSYS LNE100TX ETHERFAST 10/100 LAN CARD $15
AMD ATHLON XP 1800+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - OEM $138
CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY WITH 1394 - OEM $61
ATI Radeon 8500 64MB DDR AGP RETAIL $165


For a total of $877. No modem included.

Okay looking at both http://www.newegg.com and [url]http://www.pricewatch.com,[/url] im going to get the best prices nad configuration i can using all that I have leared on this post.

I think I can afford a geforce 4 4400 in this computer and still keep it around the buget.

(NOTE: All prices include $10 extra for S&H)

Chassis: Enlight 7237 $ 50

PSU: 400W generic AMD/P4 ready PSU $ 30

Mobo: IWILL XP333 $110

CPU: Athlon XP1800+ $145

RAM: 512MB ( one stick ) PC2100 DDR $130

GPU: Visiontek Xtasy Geforce4 TI4400 128MB DDR DVI TV Out AGP $315

SPU: on board

CONTROLLER: on board RAID ATA/133

HDD: 60GB 5400RPM 9.5MS seek $90

CDROM: 52X $30

Keyboard: not even gonna price it, probly everyone has a extra one anyway.

mouse: PS/2 MS Intellimouse $20

network: 56K PCI Hardware modem, 10/100 networkcard $20

total: $910.00

What a bummer, $910.00 thats $60 over my buget
any ideas on how to make the comp $870 or less?

I'm not so sure about the PSU, should I spend a little extra to get a name-brand PSU?

What do u guys think of the compuer now?!

drop the GF4 and put in an ATi Radeon 8500

ferengitech has deals where you can get that card for 120

so that'll shave 190 off you package

and using that money get some good ram (not generic, and something that's OC'able)

and i'd get a 7200 rpm HD. If you can afford it I'd get a WD 120 Gig Special Edition. Those things are so freaking sweet.

or instead of getting the WD, just up it to a 7200 RPM, a DVD (iffy) and a writer.

The onboard SC is okay, but you might wanna get an Audigy OEM.

What about speakers?

All prices from newegg...

Cases - PC
MAXTOP 147KG2F-USB BLUE **Cool Case**3 Additional Fans : 1 x on the Top Panel, 1 x on the Side Panel, 1x Power Supply Fan $49.00 (Very nice case for the price... Has 2 blow holes in the rear along with the PSU fan one 80-mm in the front and 1 92mm on the side and 1 92mm in the top Also comes with a 350 Watt PSU)

CD ROM
Lite On 52x Cd Rom - Model LTN-526 -RETAILE-IDE $30.00

Hard Drives - IDE
MAXTOR 60GB 7200RPM Model # 6L060J3 - OEM $99.00

Memory - PC (DDR) (Best HDD out there IMHO)
2 x CRUCIAL MICRON 256MB $164.00 (256 Meg sticks will overclock better than 1 512 meg stick and u won't need more than 512 megs 2 of these would work sweet.)

Motherboards
IWILL XP333-R ALi MAGiK 1 $109.00 (Damn Good Mobo.)

Network - Interface Cards
LINKSYS LNE100TX ETHERFAST 10/100 LAN CARD $15.00

Processors - AMD Athlon Thunderbird, XP, MP
AMD ATHLON XP 1800+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - OEM $138.00 (could go with a 1700+ and overclock it to XP2000+ which most i've seen hit that no problem.)

Sound Card
CREATIVE LABS SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY WITH 1394 - OEM $61.00 (could always use teh CMedia onboard sound on the XP333R to save 60

Video Cards
ATI Radeon 8500 64MB DDR AGP RETAIL $165.00 (ATI the only way to go!)

Subtotal » $830.00 (shipping iwll probably add an extra 35 to the total.)

First things first, what about a HSF?! what should i get?

I thought long and hard, about kicking out the Geforce 4 , so i did, im getting a geforce 3 TI500. I hear ATI cards dont get along with linux, so ATI is a 'no-go.'

ill go with what you said PreDator get 2 sticks of good name brand ram, i am going to check out that case as well, that will shave off a few bucks.

remember, this computer is for gaming, so no DVD players no CDburners nothing that wont make my framerates better.

i plan to use a headset for my gamin' as they do give you way better audio for gaming then normal speakers do.

i have two LINKSYS LNE100TX ETHERFAST's already! what a funny thing! they are great LAN cards nice latency and transfers are steady as hell.

FuNPoLiCe001 thanks ALOT for your input i think ill go for a 7200RPM like everyone wants me to do.

30MIN later.......


i read a review on the case, we have a new winner! that case will be used to house this system as of now

the HDD is a 60GB 7200RPM UATA/133 9.0MS seek MAXTOR harddrive, this should be a nice hdd!

As of now this is the current computer specs:

Chassis: MAXTOP 147KG2F-USB BLUE $60

PSU: 350W ATX (comes with the chassis)

Mobo: IWILL XP333 $110

CPU: AMD Athlon 1800+ $145

RAM: 2X 256MB MICRON DDR RAM $140

GPU: VERTO nVIDIA GeForce3 Titanium Ti500 64m AGP $270

SPU: onboard

Controller: onboard RAID UATA/133

HDD: 60GB 7200RPM 9.0MS seek UATA/133 HDD $110

CDROM: 52X $30

Mouse: PS/2 $5

Network: 56K PCI winmodem modem, LINKSYS LNE100TX ETHERFAST 10/100 $20

Total: $885

still over my buget, but i think i can push it for the extra moolah.

SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT NOW?

Ditch the ti500 and get a ti200... Most will overclock to the ti500 speeds anyways... And it will save you about 100 bucks... The MSI the Gainward ti 200's are good choices... Any of them with ramsinks are a good choice... That will put ya under 800 more than likely. if your just using headphones the onboard sound on the Iwill XP333R will work just fine... I always use my headphones when gaming... It works great for that... Do yourself a favor and get a Lucent Winmodem... Not sure if the one you choose is a lucent or not... They are by far the best winmodem out there... I had one for a year and loved it went through abou 5 other modems before i found that one... it was reliable never got disconnected and would connect at 48k all the time... As far as heatsinks go... I'm using the The Coolermaster HHC-001 i think... The Heatpipe one... My temps at load overclocked to 1.7 gig 1.95v's are 109f at stock speed 1.46 gig 1.75 v's load temp was 94.... And that HSF will fit on these XP333 motherboards... its also only 28 bucks at newegg... That Maxtop case for the price you can't beat it plus it has Front USB... Comes with the side and top fan and one 80mm fan in the back with room for 1 more 80 in the rear and an 80 in the front so cooling shouldn't be too much of a problem with that case... I bought one for my girlfriends computer and nice and roomie... The fans move a decent amount of air and are not that noisy which is good!

I'd have to agree, drop to a Ti200 instead of a Ti500 and you can overclock the Ti200 to Ti500 speeds most likely. If you are gaming minded and concerned with Linux they really don't mix. In my experience my frames per second sucked major ass in Linux as compared to Windows.

I looked at your heatsink in a review predator, its nice. i think i'll use it as for the videocard issue, if im going to kick out the geforce 3 TI 500 then ill jsut pop in a redeon 8500 DDR, even though it wont get along too well with my OS, i will just have to use it. I was already going to get a good ol' U.S. Robotics modem, but i think ill give one with a lucent chip a chance.

System configuration as of now:


Chassis: MAXTOP 147KG2F-USB BLUE $60

PSU: 350W ATX (comes with the chassis)

Mobo: IWILL XP333 $110

CPU: AMD Athlon 1800+ $145

RAM: 2X 256MB MICRON DDR RAM $140

GPU: ATI Radeon 8500 DDR (64MB) $170

SPU: onboard

Controller: onboard RAID UATA/133

HDD: 60GB 7200RPM 9.0MS seek UATA/133 HDD $110

CDROM: 52X $30

Mouse: PS/2 $5

Network: 56K PCI winmodem (lucent), LINKSYS LNE100TX ETHERFAST 10/100 $20

Total: $785

WOOOOOOO HHOOOOOOOO!!! i am under my buget!!!! this means i can get something upgraded, what shoudl it be? i was thinking of upgradeing to a Athlon 1900, or a little more ram.

OH, can someone tell me or show me a link that tells me how to unlock a Athlon? being this is my first athlon system, i will need some help.

I wouldn't worry about unlocking the Athlon XP... The Iwill XP333 motherboard is known for extreme FSB overclocking... My 1700+(1.46 Gig) Is crusing at 1.7 gig 11x155. I never unlocked this and don't plan on it... You might wanna upgrade to some Kingmax PC2700... That will cost ya 7-8 more bucks a stuck. Its also true PC2700 and not stuff that has been tested to run that high. As far as upgrading to a XP 1900+ i wouldn't waste the money... That 1800+ should hit 1.7 gig no problems and even higher... And as Busby said. If you plan on running Linus your gaming isn't going to be all that great anyways.... Might just consider running WinXP or 2k... Cause Linux is a PITA IMHO I know MS OS's are a pain but when it comes down to it we're all pretty much stuck with it...

Actually Predator there is no true true PC2700 standard as of now. But we won't get into that.

knight: I remember ur thread about troubles with Windows, you seriously might want to look into Windows 2000 or even Windows XP. They are generally less of a hassle than the Win 9x kernel OS. As with any OS it's a guess. Some have trouble w/ 9x or NT or Linux, some don't. Also your gonna get a Winmodem and yet ur gonna use Linux, for some reason that doesn't make too much sense.

Oh and the drivers I used in Linux (Mandrake 8.0) were nVidia drivers made by nVidia released for Mandrake.

you guys are right, Windows will give better gaming performace then Linux, i may jsut have to duelboot. I however refuse to get XP 2K or ME all three are, in my experience, the worst windows ver's I'll stick to 98SE if i have to use windows. as for the software modem, i read that lucent's work fine under Linux.

I think what i will do is upgrade to a XP1900 now i know you advised against it Predator, but I feel a 1900 will probly hit 1.9Ghz or so. that would be sweet to burn a 2.2 Ghz Pen 4 out of the water hell if i want i could get a t-bird and then get a Geforce 4 4400 again! (im not really gonna do that though )
i think i can afford some of that pc2700 even if it does just 'run high' it garentiees me that FSB speeds will be able to get kick ass clocks and after all i would be extreemly happy with this current system config, its a HUGE change from my current computer (400Mhz k6/3 tnt/2 160MB ram SB live) witch i get about 30-40 FPS on Q3A with most of the setting disabled.

Final computer specs:


Chassis: MAXTOP 147KG2F-USB BLUE $60

PSU: 350W ATX (comes with the chassis)

Mobo: IWILL XP333 in combo with CPU

CPU: AMD Athlon 1900+

RAM: 2X 256MB MICRON DDR RAM $140

GPU: ATI Radeon 8500 DDR (64MB) $170

SPU: onboard

Controller: onboard RAID UATA/133

HDD: 60GB 7200RPM 9.0MS seek UATA/133 HDD $110

CDROM: 52X $30

Mouse: PS/2 $5

Network: 56K PCI software modem, LINKSYS LNE100TX ETHERFAST 10/100 $20

Total: $850

mobo/heatsink/CPU are in a combo $310


I would like to say thank you to all of you for your wonderful help!!!!!! i will post benchmarks and such once i buy the parts and build !!!!

THANK YOU!

It really depends on the hardware configs as to the problems that arise and sometimes user error. Personally only 98SE has given me trouble, 2k and XP have given me no problems at all.