First Time Builder

[PantsMan]

this will be my first build i read some books and looked at sites about building.
i am fairly confident that i can do it, but i want to make sure these parts are compatible.
if anyone has any advice for a first timer that would be appreciated.

ASUS i865PE Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU, Model "P4P800 SE"
ANTEC Life Style Series Black Case With 380W Power Supply, Model "SONATA"
Northwood Intel Pentium 4/ 2.4C GHz 800MHz FSB, 512K Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail
ATI RADEON 9800PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -RETAIL
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 8T - OEM
Seagate 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model ST340014A-RK, Retail
Asus Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive, Model DVD-E616P1 Black, Retail

 

[sdk]

whats your budget

i am sure some 1 can get you a better comp than that

 

[PantsMan]

i want to spend 1000 to 1500

 

[sdk]

you can get a comp thats twice as good for that budget, i can't help you but I am sure some 1 else will

if no 1 has repsonded I will do one 2nite

maybe a a 64 with a gt?

 

[BillLeeLee]

What will it be used for? If gaming, an Athlon 64 would be better.

Otherwise...why are you getting the slowest of the Pentium 4 C chips? I have one too, but I bought it way back when. I'd say a 3.0 C is the least you should get now.

Regarding the current motherboard: Get an Abit IS7.

Also, DVD/CD-RW combo drives are not much more expensive than the drive you chose (Asus 16x DVD ROM)

More criticism to come, just answer my question first.

 

[PantsMan]

yes i want to play games like hl2 or doom3

 

[4keatimj]

That's a pretty decent system you have there. The only objection I have is the DVD-ROM drive - ASUS don't make good drives. And you could upgrade the vid card to a 6800, which would still be within your budget.

You could actually buy an Athlon64 system for less money than that system would cost you:
Processor: Athlon64 3000+ socket 754 (roughly $200 US)
Mobo: ASUS K8V (about 150-200$ US)
RAM: At least 1gig, I would suggest Kingston or Corsair, and the price depends on the retailer and the time you buy it.
Vid card: NVIDIA 6800 (GT or Ultra). The price depends on what manufacturer you buy it from (Leadtek, ASUS etc.) and the reseller. You could look at [H]ardOCP to see what sorts there are.
Hard Drive: You could keep the drive you have, but I would look for at least 60gig of hard drive space. I would also suggest Wester Digital drives as well.
You might want to consider a CD burner too.
And you will need at least a 400W PSU to go with it (think Antec)

Hope this helps. Luck.

 

[sdk]

AMD 64
Good 64 Mobo, I r teh intel
6800GT
36G Raptor
120G WD Drive
2 x 256 3200 - kingston mushkin or corsair-
any hsf, and a case
should be under 1500

 

[BillLeeLee]

yes i want to play games like hl2 or doom3

Then we're definitely giving this system a makeover, while staying under $1500.

CPU - AMD Athlon 64 Socket 754 Newcastle core - $218
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-483&depa=0

Motherboard - MSI K8N Neo Platinum - $127
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-457&depa=0

Case - Antec Sonata like you had will be good - $100

Video card - XFX 6800 GT - $439
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-150-069&depa=1

RAM - to play new games, no less than 1 GB.
2x512 Crucial PC3200 - $160

Optical drive - I don't know if you actually need a burner, but...
Teac combo drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM (yes, Teac makes nice drives) - $47
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-139-022&depa=1

Hard drive - Seagate OEM 80 GB drive - $65
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-015&depa=1

NOTE: I don't know which 6800GT is the best model, so someone else can chime in hopefully.

Well, let's see what the damage is.
GRAND TOTAL = $1156

Good enough?

 

[molson3530]

I would say the same as BillLeeLee except for the HD. If you have anything left in your budget, I would go for a Western Digital Raptor.

 

[PantsMan]

thanks you guys rock