Help Me Spend $3000.00

I

ImStillDave

Weaksauce
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Feb 14, 2005
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I'm going to build myself and my fiance new computers in the next couple of weeks... and I've been out of the hardware loop for a couple of years.

I know I want to go with Athlon 64 processors and Nvidia video cards... beyond that I'm open to suggestion.

Help me build two identical machines, less keyboard, mouse, and speakers, on a 3000.00 budget.

We do need monitors... I was looking at the Dell 2001fp for both of us... I think I could get 2 shipped for around 1000.00 with our discount at work.

So... take that 2 grand and help me build a couple of nice machines please!
 
I will do it for you, give me a couple hours, I am going to see a movie, I will post the finished list here.


Nevermind, I did the list, look below.
 
It'd be helpful to know what the use will be, e.g. 1 all out gaming rig and the other an e-mail/web surfing machine?

Small Form Factor (SFF)? Mid-towers? Need alot of HDD space? Overclockability? Do they need to be extra quiet?
 
Donate the $3k to me? :)

No, really. I would suggest buying a $2000 computer, and putting the last $1000 towards either a really nice watercooling system+LCD or a 2405FPW.
 
Thanks iSkylla.

Well... this is the deal.

Both machines need to be the same. She'd kill me if mine was "better" than hers.

The only real gaming we do is World of Warcraft... but I'd like a fairly robust video card because our kids play some other games.

The case isn't a real issue... but I'd like to make sure we get decent power supplies.

I'm going to toss something on New Egg and let everybody critique it... may take a while since I'm at work.
 
Here you are, just double the price. I assumed you are not a [H]ardcore gamer. So I gave a video card that has more then enough juice for you. I also assumed you are not overclocking at all. Here is your list.

Antec LifeSyle Sonata II with 450W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155
$93.99

ASRock Dual SATAII ULi Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081
$68.00

AMD X2 3800+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562
$322.00

Patriot Signature 2GB RAM PC3200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220079
$160.50

WD Caviar SE 250GB Hard Drive SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144417
$99.75

BenQ Black DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101002
$36.99

BenQ Black Combo Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101664
$24.99

Connect3D X800GTO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814142052
$175.00

$981.22 w/o Shipping and Tax
 
For 3 grand you can do alot...

Straight System no monitor i would do this...

ABIT KN8 SLi MB
2-BFG 7800GTX 256 MB
Antec trupower 550w
AMD 64 fx 55
4 Gigs Corsair Value Ram DDR 400
WD 160 Gig SATA 7200 rpm HD
Soundblaster Audigy Gamer
Plextor DVDR
Lian Li PC65B case

That should keep you around the 2800.00 range and is a damn nice system.

For a LCD if you have ablity to get one the dell 2005 is top shelf.
 
Do you guys not read? He wants two IDENTICAL systems for the grand total of $3000. He is spending $1000 on monitors, two 2001FP. The remaining $2000 goes for two identical systems, each $1000 if you do the math.


Here let me break it down


3000-1000 = 2000

2000 / 2 = 1000 For Each Computer

Now that wasn't so hard...was it.
 
OK this is what I've thrown together at New Egg.

We will probably use these computers for a couple of years... so I'm trying to be as future proof as possible.

Please feel free to suggest changes, etc.

Thermaltake Soprano Case
DFI LanParty UT nF4 SLI-DR Mobo
XSX GeForce 7800GT 256MB
Antec Truepower 550 Watt PS
Athlon 64 3200+ Venice
Corsair XMS 512x2 DDR400
Sony 3.5 ( I WILL NOT BUILD A MACHINE WITH NO FLOPPY LOL)
Western Digital 250GB HDD, SATA 300 MB, 16MB Cache
NEC 3550 CD/DVD Burner

Plus the two Dell 2001fp monitors... is a hair over 3 grand.

Any suggestions?
 
Look what I gave you, I gave you dual core and 2GB of RAM but a worse video card. That will serve you better in the long run IMO.
 
I play Flight Simulator and we both play World of Warcraft... but we have kids that play other games so I went with a pretty expensive video card... Flight Simulator is pretty rough when you crank everything up and run a lot of add ons.
 
Seriously, I suggest scrapping the Dell 2001FPs and getting two Hyundai L90D+ LCDs (19" and 1280x1024 resolution, 8ms) I have one and it is just as nice as the Dell, nicer in my opinion. Take the extra $400 and take my setup, put in a 7800GT instead of the X800GTO. You will have a nice computer then :)
 
iSkylla said:
Seriously, I suggest scrapping the Dell 2001FPs and getting two Hyundai L90D+ LCDs (19" and 1280x1024 resolution, 8ms) I have one and it is just as nice as the Dell, nicer in my opinion. Take the extra $400 and take my setup, put in a 7800GT instead of the X800GTO. You will have a nice computer then :)
Click to expand...

I just can't stand Dell monitors.... I know several friends that have them and I RMA'd 2 of them myself before I gave up and returned it.... I now settled with the Samsung SyncMaster 930B. I have not found a better monitor yet. It's 19" with an 8ms response time. I would strongly suggest different monitors and spending the spare cash on a better procesor. The list you have now seems good except if I were to build a computer today, I would boost the cpu a bit. I built mine last year with that same CPU and it was already a day old....
 
I've re-worked the list... I'll post it in a few.

I like the idea of the dual core processor and 2GB of RAM.
 
OK here is the re-worked list...

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail

ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

XFX PVT70GUDE7 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail

Patriot Signature 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model PSD2G400KH - Retail

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 300 MB/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 940b-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - Retail
 
ImStillDave said:
OK here is the re-worked list...

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail

ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

XFX PVT70GUDE7 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail

Patriot Signature 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model PSD2G400KH - Retail

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 300 MB/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 940b-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - Retail
Click to expand...

Great system. The motherboard is the only weak link here. Why not go for the Epox 9NPA+ Ultra?
 
I would drop that ASRock mobo and get a cheap nForce 4. ASUS A8N-E comes to mind. Really the ASRock is for people with very little upgrade money, as it has an AGP and PCI-Express slot to make upgrading your video card easier. It will be a hair more $$$ for an nForce 4, but getting a better brand name on the chipset will be worth the money.

Seems Bona agrees with me.
 
This is what we look like now...

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail

ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

XFX PVT70GUDE7 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail

Patriot Signature 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model PSD2G400KH - Retail

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 300 MB/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 940b-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - Retail

Any suggestions? Changes? Criticism?
 
ImStillDave said:
XFX PVT70GUDE7 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Click to expand...
eVGA is less expensive, higher quality, and offers the best warranty of them all.

ImStillDave said:
Patriot Signature 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model PSD2G400KH - Retail
Click to expand...
I've never used Patriot RAM, but brand is pretty much irrelevant in RAM especially if you are not overclocking.

Other than both above points (which are both my opinions), it looks good.
 
ImStillDave said:
This is what we look like now...

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail

ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

XFX PVT70GUDE7 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail
Patriot Signature 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model PSD2G400KH - Retail

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 300 MB/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 940b-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - Retail

Any suggestions? Changes? Criticism?
Click to expand...

You hit everything straight on the head...dual core, 2 gigs RAM, 7800GT. Although, you may want to get an SLI motherboard for future expandibility.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188002

That should fit the bill nicely, and only a couple bucks more.
 
EgyptBoy20 said:
You hit everything straight on the head...dual core, 2 gigs RAM, 7800GT. Although, you may want to get an SLI motherboard for future expandibility.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188002

That should fit the bill nicely, and only a couple bucks more.
Click to expand...

Why bother with SLI? That's a stupid idea unless he plans on getting two cards at the outset.

Here are a couple more revisions I caught.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236 - Cheaper than the AN8-E and much better overall.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256 - Cheaper than the XFX version. Plus it has a copper heatsink and free Quake 4.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231036 - Cheaper than the Patriot stuff, and undoubtedly better.
 
Bona Fide said:
Why bother with SLI? That's a stupid idea unless he plans on getting two cards at the outset.

Here are a couple more revisions I caught.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236 - Cheaper than the AN8-E and much better overall.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130256 - Cheaper than the XFX version. Plus it has a copper heatsink and free Quake 4.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231036 - Cheaper than the Patriot stuff, and undoubtedly better.
Click to expand...
Good suggestions... 7800GT: free Quake 4, better warranty, etc.

I would get an SLI mobo...just in case ;)
 
EgyptBoy20 said:
Good suggestions... 7800GT: free Quake 4, better warranty, etc.

I would get an SLI mobo...just in case ;)
Click to expand...

In case of what? A free 7800GT falling from the sky? :p

Edit - Hey, it could happen. But not worth forking over an additional $30. Who pays $30 for a lottery ticket anyway? ;)
 
Bona Fide said:
In case of what? A free 7800GT falling from the sky? :p

Edit - Hey, it could happen. But not worth forking over an additional $30. Who pays $30 for a lottery ticket anyway? ;)
Click to expand...

hehe...just in case he felt like he needed another boost ;)
 
EgyptBoy20 said:
hehe...just in case he felt like he needed another boost ;)
Click to expand...
Hey man, when he has 3 or 4 kids, a second 7800GT on-the-cheap will look a lot friendlier than a new current-gen card and possibly motherboard. ;)
 
I don't think I'm going to worry about SLI for now... I'm just not comfortable with that eVGA board... has anybody used it? How does it stack up to the EPoX?

This is what I have now... how am I looking?

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail

EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail

(2) G.SKILL Value 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model F1-3200PHU1-1GBNT - Retail

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 300 MB/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 940b-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - Retail

Better now guys?
 
Also saved enough $ to put

BYTECC BT-618 16-in-1 IEEE 1394 and USB2.0 Internal Card Reader/Writer - Retail

in my fiances computer for easy transfers from the digital camera and stuff. She get's something extra I don't have... she will like that!
 
Thinking about the possibility of that eVGA SLI board now... can't find much info on that board though...
 
Here we go... it actually comes out cheaper with what appears to be a better video card with the free eVGA SLI motherboards...

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail

eVGA 133-K8-NF41 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

BYTECC BT-618 16-in-1 IEEE 1394 and USB2.0 Internal Card Reader/Writer - Retail

eVGA 256-P2-N518 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800BVBOX - Retail

(2) G.SKILL Value 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model F1-3200PHU1-1GBNT - Retail

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 300 MB/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 940b-Black 19" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail

NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3550A - Retail

That puts me at 2896.93 plus shipping...

Looks pretty good?
 
wow... I didn't know you could make such a nice system with a LCD monitor for only a grand...thats pretty sweet. I might be making an upgrade soon...
 
Well, that's 2 computers for less than 3 grand... so 1500.00'ish a piece.

But I think it's shaping up into a real nice machine for 1500.00!
 
We are going to go with the SLI... like somebody said earlier, we have 5 kids between the two of us... so money can always be spent on something better and we don't get to treat ourselves too often.

Down the road maybe we can add a second 7800GT for a little performance boost.

I think these machines will last us 48 months or so :)
 
ImStillDave said:
We are going to go with the SLI... like somebody said earlier, we have 5 kids between the two of us... so money can always be spent on something better and we don't get to treat ourselves too often.

Down the road maybe we can add a second 7800GT for a little performance boost.

I think these machines will last us 48 months or so :)
Click to expand...
:eek: Holy crap dude, how many times have you been married? :eek:
 
Lol!

My fiance was married once... she has two sons from that marriage.

I was married once... I have two sons and a daughter from that marriage.
 
System in sig cost me just a touch over $1000 (you'd have to exclude the PVR-150) including the CD/DVD/FDDs not listed.

I highly recommend the 7800GT + SLi Motherboard bundle from eVGA
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=322728

I bought it and got Quake 4 for free with it as well.

The Sonata II Case w/ included power supply is a solid choice as well, antec never lets you down.

-Dev

edit: spelling
 
Looking real good Dave, but a thing or two to consider -

The stock coolers are fine, but these are a fair bit quieter:
ZALMAN CNPS7000B-ALCU 92mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan - Retail $30, they make an all copper one too.

If you want a little more edge you could go with the Opteron 165 (with 2x1mb cache) and put a little (or ALOT! lol ) of overclock on it for about the same price, or hunt around for an OEM if you get the above Zalmans to save a few bucks. Opteron 165 @ Newegg (retail) $330

And do you need to add operating systems onto your total?
 
If SLI is the way you think you want to go. Make sure the PSU meets the requirments of the video cards. Problems might arise later on.
 
You've got me paranoid about the power supply. I could go with a different case/power supply... any suggestions on a good, affordable power supply?
 
I'm thinking...

ENERMAX Whisper II EG565P-VE FMA(24P) ATX12V 535W Power Supply - Retail
(this says it's SLI ready)

in a...

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Look better than the Sonata II? It's going to cost a little more... but I want to avoid issues.
 
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