New system for a friend.

[HitMan-sC]

A very good friend of mine talked to me recently, and he needs a new computer - one that will last him next year in college. Opting to go with a desktop, he asked me to build him one. His dad OK'ed it, and he will probably want to build it soon. The budget is set to $2000, I believe, including monitor and speakers. I sat down with him, and this is what I believe he will use it for and what he needs:

- He's a big musician (he's also my band's drummer), and we both listen to the same type of music. Sound quality would be a priority. One the same note, he said he'd prefer a good 2.1 speaker system for college.

- Storage - plenty of it. Space for movies and music.

- He's not a hardcore gamer, but it'd be nice to be able to experience the power of his new rig with some Half-Life 2 .

- He'd also like a nice, big LCD. I think I have picked out a good one for the job.


So far, this is what I have pieced together from newegg:

Case: Thermaltake VA3000 - $99 + $13.99 FedEx Saver

Power Supply: Antec Tru430 - $75 + $4.99 FedEx Saver

Motherboard: MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum SLI - $179 + $5 FedEx Saver

Processor: Athlon64 3500+ - $281 - Free FedEx Saver

Memory: PQI 1GB (512 x 2) PC-3200 - $156.50 + $4.33 FedEx Saver

Video Card: Leadtek 6600GT 128MB PCI-Express - $211 + $3.99 FedEx Saver

Hard Drive: Maxtor 300GB SATA NCQ - $185 + Free FedEx Saver

Sound Card: Creative Audigy2 ZS PCI - $69.99 + $4.99 FedEx Saver

DVD Burner: LiteOn DVD Dual Layer DVD+/-RW - $66.99 + Free FedEx Saver

DVD/CD-RW Combo: LiteOn 52x32x52x16 Combo - $39.99 + Free FedEx Saver

Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 - $149.99 + Free FedEx Saver

Monitor: Hyundai L90D+ 19" - $389 + $10 FedEx Saver



Total: $1,949.75 Shipped



So, what do you guys think? I could really use some input on this, and I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Snobok]

Pretty much everything looks good to me. I don't understand why your friend only wanys 2.1 speakers when he could opt for a set of 5.1 speakers for about the same money (think Logitech Z-5300e speakers). Also, I would opt for a different case as Thermaltake cases are ok, but not a personal favorite for being like premod cases. Besides, you could get a Cheiftec (antec clone) case for cheap. Tigerdirect has a special on the silver ones for $30 pluss shipping. When I got a red Chieftec Matrix case, it was $42.66 shipped to AL and $30 unshipped. Other than those two beefs of mine, it all looks fine to me.

 

[HitMan-sC]

He'd prefer 2.1 speakers to save space in college. As for the case, it's construction is solid, and it's the least tackiest thermaltake i've ever seen .

 

[gwai lo]

have looked around much for pricing? newegg has been pushing their prices up now that they've got the reputation...so ><

other than that....can't see anything right away that's a bad idea

 

[HitMan-sC]

Does anybody know anything about the memory? Anything else?

 

[Mojo]

Doesn't need a 3500, go with a 3000.

And this ram is more reliable: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-440&depa=1

 

[Qwertyman]

memory is good, pqi merged with pmi which i use so its fine, it should fit him well. The only thing that you should note is the powersupply, i'm pretty sure that your going to need an adapter for the 20pin to 24pin switch or a different psu all together (i would check in the psu forum)

 

[altec]

Power Supply: Antec Tru430 - $75 + $4.99 FedEx Saver

Thats the only thing i don't know about.

 

[Mojo]

The Antec True 430w is a wicked PSU. Definitely a good piece of equipment, but it might be overkill for this system. From what I can see, 350w would easily suffice, but a bigger PSU is always better, and more futureproof, so go for it.

 

[HitMan-sC]

Woah, completely forgot about the ATX 2.0 spec. Thanks for the heads-up guys. Any recommendations on a good 24-pin power supply?