Switching to the Dark Side

[Soulja]

Ok, I'm going to be building a PC soon. And I need some advice...

This is what I have so far, and I have no idea if it works or not, so let me know....

-Corsair TWINX1024-3200C2PT 1GB DDR400 XMS3200 Dual-Channel Memory w/Platinum Heat Spreader ($105.00)
-Western Digital WD Caviar WD1600JD 160GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive ($101.00)
-ATI Radeon X700 Pro PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card w/HDTV-Out & DVI ($168.99)
-Asus A8N-SLI nForce4 SLI Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA( $123.50)
-AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Processor (San Diego) Socket 939 ($231.90)
-Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-350 350W Power Supply ($50.99)
-Asus CB5216AG DVD 16x + CD-RW 52x32x52 Combo Drive (Black) ($39.00)
-Antec Solution Series SLK2650BQE Quiet Mid Tower Case($69.99)
-Acer AL1716b 17in LCD Monitor (Black) ($214.99)
-Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (Full Version) Single-Pack OEM($89.99)

Total is at $1195.35.

Am I buying the right stuff? Whats goin on? Just lemme know because I need to save as much money as possible, and still have a decent machine.

All of the components came from ZipZoomFly.com, so if you have anyother websites that have low or lower prices let me know.

Thanks

[Dr.Feelgood]

Ok, I'm going to be building a PC soon. And I need some advice...

This is what I have so far, and I have no idea if it works or not, so let me know....

-Corsair TWINX1024-3200C2PT 1GB DDR400 XMS3200 Dual-Channel Memory w/Platinum Heat Spreader ($105.00)
-Western Digital WD Caviar WD1600JD 160GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive ($101.00)
-ATI Radeon X700 Pro PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card w/HDTV-Out & DVI ($168.99)
-Asus A8N-SLI nForce4 SLI Athlon 64(FX) Skt939 DDR ATX Motherboard w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA( $123.50)
-AMD Athlon 64 3700+ Processor (San Diego) Socket 939 ($231.90)
-Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-350 350W Power Supply ($50.99)
-Asus CB5216AG DVD 16x + CD-RW 52x32x52 Combo Drive (Black) ($39.00)
-Antec Solution Series SLK2650BQE Quiet Mid Tower Case($69.99)
-Acer AL1716b 17in LCD Monitor (Black) ($214.99)
-Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (Full Version) Single-Pack OEM($89.99)

Total is at $1195.35.

Am I buying the right stuff? Whats goin on? Just lemme know because I need to save as much money as possible, and still have a decent machine.

All of the components came from ZipZoomFly.com, so if you have anyother websites that have low or lower prices let me know.

Thanks

Idea: change out to XPProfessional and the video card is pretty...well, blargh. Nvidia based cards do better in UT overall, so maybe a 6800GT may be in your range of consideration

[Yrrek]

First: I get all my parts from http://www.newegg.com I don't know if it is cheaper or not. I DO know that you can find cheaper RAM than that. Speaking of, is that 1 stick or 2? I would go with 2 sticks because then you can take advantage of the dual channel feature of your Mobo.
Second: Like Doc said, get a better video card. I bought the X800 XT when it was still $500 (little over a year ago). There are definitely better ones for that same price that will last you longer. http://www.tomshardware.com is a great place to look for video card reviews and buying guides.
Third: Screw that PSU. For all that gear you are going to want AT LEAST a 400W. I reccomend 500W if not more. Antec makes good PSU's, so does thermaltake.

Lastly: Don't forget a floppy drive. They ALWAYS come in handy. Trust me.

[law.of.averages]

I'd price individual components at different placess...

check http://www.pricewatch.com

you may end up placing a dozen orders, but save a couple of hundred doing so.

Only deal with companies with a good rep.

I'd also up the PSU to a name brand 400w... get the individual output ratings from the 350, and make sure the 400w is better in every way

[Soulja]

ok, thanks guys...

[nonstop]

Everything looks solid except vid card. I saw a 6600gt, which outperforms the x700, down to like 115.00 someplace recently. Newegg and zipzoomfly have pretty good prices.

Good mb choice and the processor is a great one as well.

[Soulja]

Thanks man, I'll look into it. I've been out of the loop for a bit! But this should be completed within the next three weeks!

[Avaris]

Unless it's out of range, check out the 6800 GS which is better overall than the new X800 GTO's and is priced at about only $10 more. Unless $190 (might be less now) is out of your range, that's my recommendation for the vid card.

[Soulja]

well I bought a case and powersupply tonight...

Here ya go, heres the rest (gonna get a 6600GT)

I'm gettin the
-ASUS A8N nForce4
-6600 GT (XFX)
-Gig of Corsair
-AMD Athlon 3700+
-160GB SATA HD
-All ready got a powersupply and case
-Home(dont wanna pay anymore for Professional)
-NEC 17inch LCD display

[law.of.averages]

CompUSA had segate 160 SATA's for $69 after rebate yesterday

[Soulja]

I don't tred on that ground anymore Law...I used to work there! LOL

[pewterdragn]

You escaped the devil!

[Soulja]

When you have a temper like mine, working retail sales isn't the best thing in the world. lol...

[nonstop]

:shock:

You escaped the devil!

Bump

Unless it's out of range, check out the 6800 GS which is better overall than the new X800 GTO's and is priced at about only $10 more. Unless $190 (might be less now) is out of your range, that's my recommendation for the vid card.

Agreed

from extremetech.com: "Though there's been some general price depression all around, our conclusions from the previous "best GPU bang for the buck" shootout still hold true: GeForce 6600GT and Radeon X700 Pro cards are good for the $150 range, but while their price/performance ratio is high, they don't offer the kind of raw speed necessary to let you really enjoy games like F.E.A.R. and Quake 4 the way they're meant to be played. The real deals are the GeForce 6800 GT and Radeon X800 XL, especially since both have now fallen in price to under $300. Either card will give you all the features and performance necessary to play all of today's games without turning all the detail levels down.

Is there a better option? Nvidia thinks there should be, so the company is adding a new SKU just in time for the holiday season, ahead of ATI's new Radeon X1600 cards (expected to ship at the end of this month). The GeForce 6800 GS aims to offer the best performance at the most reasonable price. Is this our new price/performance champ? Continued... "
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1 ... 758,00.asp

You can get the 6800gs for 129.00 after a rebate at newegg"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127179

[law.of.averages]

I don't tred on that ground anymore Law...I used to work there! LOL

Personally I'd rather have the $30 difference in *my* pocket than someone else's ... event if it means going undercover