Help me build a new PC

[BioHazard.89]

I will be comming across some money this summer because I am finally working. I want to build a new computer and use the one in the sig as my 2nd LAN Party server. I earn about 200$ a week and don't have any thing really important to spend it on. I've been wanting to get a new PC with a SATA Raid with some decent space because I will have tons of media (music / movies / et cetera) on it. I also do some high end gaming and programming / web design as well.

I've built computers before but with all the new tech comming out, I want to know what would be a good investment. I already have the monitor / keyboard / mouse as well as a case. It's one of the Chieftec Matrix cases and came with a 350w PSU.

I use more than one monitor on this PC as well, 2 right now, hoping to score another one later in the year.

Some basic stats of what im looking for is

3ghz+ speeds - either by stock or OC
1gb RAM
DVD-ROM
DVD-RW
Video card similar to a AIW ATI card - would like to do some tv in here =)
6.1 sound
I also need XP Pro + a Linux Distro to boot well together on this machine

Debating wheter or not to do A64 right now.

I dont want to wait til school picks back up so I'm looking within the 800 - 1400 dollar range.

thanks Fellahs

//bio.89

 

[JSClark]

I'm thinking Pentium 4, Asus Mobo, ATI AIW 9800 Pro, WD Raptor 10k SATA in Raid0, Lite-On DVD and DVD burner, and either Kingston or Corsair Memory. That all should run a little over a G, possibly up to 14? Check newegg for their prices (I can't ATM, I'm at work).

 

[BioHazard.89]

Thanks for the response

Why a P4? and 10K - 10,000GB worth of space?

Not looking to spend exactly 800- 1400 but thats what I can "play" with. I will be doing a lot of gaming and TONS of media ripping..... sucks - I just lost 50gb worth of music in a XP Pro format / installation.....

 

[Dirty B]

Thanks for the response

Why a P4? and 10K - 10,000GB worth of space?

Not looking to spend exactly 800- 1400 but thats what I can "play" with. I will be doing a lot of gaming and TONS of media ripping..... sucks - I just lost 50gb worth of music in a XP Pro format / installation.....

10k = hard drive RPM speed. 10K RPM is faster then the standard 7200 RPM and older 5400 RPM. Its faster for performance and will help read/write times, seek times, and will help with your gaming.

 

[Liam]

Thanks for the response

Why a P4? and 10K - 10,000GB worth of space?

Not looking to spend exactly 800- 1400 but thats what I can "play" with. I will be doing a lot of gaming and TONS of media ripping..... sucks - I just lost 50gb worth of music in a XP Pro format / installation.....

First of all, you dont need to go the p4 route and if you're gaming get an a64. Secondly, 10k means 10k RPM. They are very fast, but they cost $110 for a 36 gig and $200 for a 74gig. And if you wanna run raid you'll need 2 of them. You'd also want a drive for mass storage, like a 200gig WD SE drive.

 

[dextrous]

For gaming, I'd definately go with an a64... just look at the benchmarks on hardocp. Also, if you need lots of storage and want some RAID goodness, a couple of 200GB SATA drives would do nicely. However, WD has a smokin' fast lineup with their raptor series if you want/need the performance and are willing to pay for it. Also to consider is maxtor's new MaXLine III drives that sport 16MB of cache and NCQ. It has 250GB and 300GB capacities and perform on par with the raptors for the most part. I don't think they have hit the shelves just yet though.

 

[DocSavage]

Fast hard drives will only help you load levels faster in gaming. A 160 gig 7200 rpm drive should be fast enough and at $89.00 much cheaper than raided raptors and what not. You can then put the money you save into one of the new generation video cards... or into a hardware mpeg capture card such as the Hauppage PVR 250.