Hi - Need some advice.

J

Ju1ien~

n00b
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Jun 26, 2006
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I know these topics are probably far too common and beaten to death but I need some advice as to what computer to buy and/or what is a good combination of parts.

Basically what I'm looking for is a machine that will run games like WoW and Guild Wars while possibly running a couple other programs at the same time smoothly.

The computer I have right now (AMD XP2000 proc) is long dead.. or should be.. I am forced to run it @ 1250MHZ because it overheats (I believe) and shuts off by itself if it's any higher than that. I made the computer a few years ago and I'm pretty knowledgable when it comes to putting computers together.

My budget is about ~$700 give or take a bit. (the less the better) Ideally I'd like to buy the parts from newegg and build it myself because I enjoy building them and would like a new computer rather than used.

On the other hand though, I adknowledge that I may find a better deal with a used computer. If so, that may be the route I will take.

So, basically my question is: What complete setup would work best for my situation and last me a few years like my last one did? Or would I be better off buying a used computer from someone on the forum?

Any light shed on my situation would be greatly appreciated, and again I apologize because I know these topics are probably made far too often, but hopefully someone out there enjoys helping the innocent. :p
 
The advice you're probably going to get first is to wait a month or two. Intel will be releasing their Core 2 Duo chips at that time and AMD is going to counter with some very substantial price drops. So, if you're willing to wait a month or two, your $700 will go alot farther.

Also, can you re use any of your current computer? Case, optical drives, etc.?
 
Yeah I figure that's always the answer with computers... wait another month or two. :p Always something new coming out.

I'm not looking for a super duper machine just basically something that can run WoW smoothly without a hitch and will last me a few years (64 bit preferably).

And frankly I'm not willing to keep anything from my old computer because it's had so many issues in the past year... it's gone dead a few times due to blown up power supplies breaking other components and I just don't know what piece is even stable/good anymore.
 
I would purchase Socket 939 3200 or up and 2g of DDR ram since DDR2 is still very expensive. And we don't know if there is DRM crap in AM2 or no.

IMO, there is no need to upgrade. I am still running athlon 1200 and 1g of SDRAM, and I am very happy with it.
 
Yeah.. but at the moment my computer is dying/dead.

Anyway just randomly browsing Newegg I came up with this:


-POWMAX CP0327PL-4 Window Black/Silver SGCC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply - Retail

-ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
-AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Orleans 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA3200CNBOX - Retail

-Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model PDC2G3200LLK - Retail

-POWERCOLOR X800GTO256MBDDR3 Radeon X800GTO 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

-SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series HD160JJ 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

-LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHW160P6S04 - Retail


Comes out to less than 750 with shipping included, I just threw it together in about 10 minutes. Any suggestions on saving money/getting better deal for the price etc?
 
If you want something that'll last you a few years look into getting a better power supply. It's a crucial part. The one's that come shipped w/ cases tend not to be very good.
 
Yeah you're definately right about that. I had two stock ones short and break something/everything in my computer twice.

What about the proc/mobo/ram, are the ones I listed compatible? Is there a better deal for slightly more money? etc.
 
Hey I sent you a PM

The motherboard and processor you picked aren't compatible

One is socket 939, the other is socket AM2

The memory will fit in the motherboard though. Socket 939 utilizes DDR, Socket AM2 utilizes DDR2.
 
First off, these are the price cuts people were mentioning for 7/24. Also, after looking at a picture of that case, I'm wondering what quality it will be....all creaky plastic no doubt. Also, why buy an SLI motherboard with an ATi card?

Here's my ~$700 build:

Case: Centurion 5 @ $50

PSU: FSP 450 @ $51

Motherboard: Asus A8N5x @ $75

Vid Card: eVGA 7600GT @ $164

Memory: G.Skill Value 2x1GB @ $159

Processor: A64 3500+ @ $110

Optical: BenQ DVDRW @ $39

HD: WD SE16 250GB @ $90

Total: $738

If you'd like to drop the price significantly but not sacrifice performance in WoW or Guild Wars, trade out the 2 gig kit for this one. It'll save about $80, bringing your total to $656. If you mail in the rebate for the 7600GT you'll save another $30.
 
quadnad said:
First off, these are the price cuts people were mentioning for 7/24. Also, after looking at a picture of that case, I'm wondering what quality it will be....all creaky plastic no doubt. Also, why buy an SLI motherboard with an ATi card?

Here's my ~$700 build:

Case: Centurion 5 @ $50

PSU: FSP 450 @ $51

Motherboard: Asus A8N5x @ $75

Vid Card: eVGA 7600GT @ $164

Memory: G.Skill Value 2x1GB @ $159

Processor: A64 3500+ @ $110

Optical: BenQ DVDRW @ $39

HD: WD SE16 250GB @ $90

Total: $738

If you'd like to drop the price significantly but not sacrifice performance in WoW or Guild Wars, trade out the 2 gig kit for this one. It'll save about $80, bringing your total to $656. If you mail in the rebate for the 7600GT you'll save another $30.
Click to expand...

Perfect. I will probably get this exactly. Thank you!

edit: I see your point with the price changes coming in less than a month, I may wait it out but... I don't really think I'll need the dual core.
 
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