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Hey, whassup everyone! I haven't been to [H]forums here in quite a while (back when I built my own rig). But now i'm back, and probably with plenty o' questions too.
Story goes like this:
My parents need a new computer. Their current system is an old piece of junk. 500mhz P3, 128mb ram, etc. It sucks pretty badly (why do you think I built my own?
). They're finally getting to the "we need a new computer" stage though, which is why they've called on me to build one for them. I started thinking about what they'd need, and what some problems would be. One of the problems is space - currently their computer desk is overflowing with crap (printer, scanner, tower, monitor, phone, god knows what else...). So I figured, hey, a mATX case would be perfect for them! So I dug around at NCIX (since i'm Canadian) to start roughing things out here. The two things they'll use their computer for is the internet, and the Sims 2. Yeah, my sister and mother are hardcore fanatics *sigh*. So as long as it can handle the Sims 2 (and undoubtedly the dozens of expansions) it should be good. It will have to last them for a few years though, since they probably won't upgrade for quite a long time (their current computer is like 3-4 years old I think).
So here's what i've been thinking so far:
Antec Aria case, w/ 300wPSU
I've noticed this case seems to be fairly popular, so it seems like a good choice. Plus its so very sexy!
My big concern is how it handles heat. I've heard it doesn't ventillate so well with a video card in it (even with the PCI blower). Is there any room to drop in a spare 80mm or something?
Athlon 2600
Should be fairly sufficient for their needs. I've had pretty good luck with AMD's, so i'm considering overclocking this one slightly. I think i'd shoot for about 2ghz (10x200), mostly for the faster FSB. Assuming she can handle it anyways. I probably won't be able to con them into buying an aftermarket HSF, so this would have to be done on the stock fan in that cramped little case. Think its possible? Our basement is usually pretty cool, even in summer...
Motherboard...?
Here's where i'm completely up the frikkin creek. I've looked at a couple different mobos, but I just can't decide. Basically all its got to have is onboard audio. LAN would be nice, but not nessecary (since i've got like 6 spare NIC's in my parts bin, yeesh). Something that supports a 200mhz FSB would be nice too, for obvious reasons. Onboard video isn't needed, but it seems to be standard on damn near everything. USB is pretty much a given on any mobo too. Firewire isn't needed though (i've got firewire on my system... haven't used it once). Otherwise, i'm open to suggestions. Based on my past experiences, i'd lean towards an nForce2 chipset, so I was looking at the ASUS A7N8X-VM. I've got a A7N8X-Deluxe, so i'd be right at home here. Only thing is, i've seen lots of people complain about parts compatibility with the board. Maybe they're just idiots though, I don't know. The only other mobo's that've caught my eye so far have been the SOLTEK 75MIV2-L because of its price (i'm not a fan of VIA chipsets though), and the SHUTTLE MN31L since its an nForce2 (and I recognize the name). But like I said, i'm completely open to suggestions here.
2x512 SAMSUNG DDR400 RAM
Just something cheap and plentiful, since I don't plan on pushing the FSB any faster than PC3200 speeds. I'm just worried about compatibility issues, since i've never used cheap(er) ram. I'm a Corsair man, through and through, but I just can't justify spending that much cash on memory that'll never be pushed.
RADEON 9600XT 256MB
Should handle the Sims 2 nicely, especially with the quarter gig of memory. Nothing smoking fast, but it should suffice for the little bit of gaming duty it'd see.
LITEON DVD+-RW (8/4/8/4, 40/24/40)
Since the Aria only has one 5" slot, I figure its best to go all out and get something that'll pull both read and write duties. I've always liked LiteOn drives, and I hear this one has the ability to be firmware modded to being dual-layer capable. Plus its nice and cheap.
All else
Everything else is pretty much covered. I know where I can pick up a nice 160gb Maxtor HD for cheap, since I just bought one myself two days ago. Their monitor works fine for now... I can always look at getting them an LCD later on. Mouse works, keyboard works (could use a cleaning though). Might need new speakers, but any cheap old 2.1 system will do for them. They've already got a UPS (my old one), a scanner, and a printer (the legendary BJC-4000 series... its like 8 years old and STILL FUCKING GOING!! LOL!). So yup, just the basics for today.
Anywho, feel free to drop a comment or two to help me along here. Some mobo suggestions would be especially handy. I'll talk things over with my parents and see what all I can get them to agree to. So far this system is weiging in at around $1100ish CDN, which is probably a good ballpark price for them. But we'll see how things turn out.
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any advice you guys can spare me
-MD
Story goes like this:
My parents need a new computer. Their current system is an old piece of junk. 500mhz P3, 128mb ram, etc. It sucks pretty badly (why do you think I built my own?
). They're finally getting to the "we need a new computer" stage though, which is why they've called on me to build one for them. I started thinking about what they'd need, and what some problems would be. One of the problems is space - currently their computer desk is overflowing with crap (printer, scanner, tower, monitor, phone, god knows what else...). So I figured, hey, a mATX case would be perfect for them! So I dug around at NCIX (since i'm Canadian) to start roughing things out here. The two things they'll use their computer for is the internet, and the Sims 2. Yeah, my sister and mother are hardcore fanatics *sigh*. So as long as it can handle the Sims 2 (and undoubtedly the dozens of expansions) it should be good. It will have to last them for a few years though, since they probably won't upgrade for quite a long time (their current computer is like 3-4 years old I think).So here's what i've been thinking so far:
Antec Aria case, w/ 300wPSU
I've noticed this case seems to be fairly popular, so it seems like a good choice. Plus its so very sexy!
My big concern is how it handles heat. I've heard it doesn't ventillate so well with a video card in it (even with the PCI blower). Is there any room to drop in a spare 80mm or something?
Athlon 2600
Should be fairly sufficient for their needs. I've had pretty good luck with AMD's, so i'm considering overclocking this one slightly. I think i'd shoot for about 2ghz (10x200), mostly for the faster FSB. Assuming she can handle it anyways. I probably won't be able to con them into buying an aftermarket HSF, so this would have to be done on the stock fan in that cramped little case. Think its possible? Our basement is usually pretty cool, even in summer...
Motherboard...?
Here's where i'm completely up the frikkin creek. I've looked at a couple different mobos, but I just can't decide. Basically all its got to have is onboard audio. LAN would be nice, but not nessecary (since i've got like 6 spare NIC's in my parts bin, yeesh). Something that supports a 200mhz FSB would be nice too, for obvious reasons. Onboard video isn't needed, but it seems to be standard on damn near everything. USB is pretty much a given on any mobo too. Firewire isn't needed though (i've got firewire on my system... haven't used it once). Otherwise, i'm open to suggestions. Based on my past experiences, i'd lean towards an nForce2 chipset, so I was looking at the ASUS A7N8X-VM. I've got a A7N8X-Deluxe, so i'd be right at home here. Only thing is, i've seen lots of people complain about parts compatibility with the board. Maybe they're just idiots though, I don't know. The only other mobo's that've caught my eye so far have been the SOLTEK 75MIV2-L because of its price (i'm not a fan of VIA chipsets though), and the SHUTTLE MN31L since its an nForce2 (and I recognize the name). But like I said, i'm completely open to suggestions here.
2x512 SAMSUNG DDR400 RAM
Just something cheap and plentiful, since I don't plan on pushing the FSB any faster than PC3200 speeds. I'm just worried about compatibility issues, since i've never used cheap(er) ram. I'm a Corsair man, through and through, but I just can't justify spending that much cash on memory that'll never be pushed.
RADEON 9600XT 256MB
Should handle the Sims 2 nicely, especially with the quarter gig of memory. Nothing smoking fast, but it should suffice for the little bit of gaming duty it'd see.
LITEON DVD+-RW (8/4/8/4, 40/24/40)
Since the Aria only has one 5" slot, I figure its best to go all out and get something that'll pull both read and write duties. I've always liked LiteOn drives, and I hear this one has the ability to be firmware modded to being dual-layer capable. Plus its nice and cheap.
All else
Everything else is pretty much covered. I know where I can pick up a nice 160gb Maxtor HD for cheap, since I just bought one myself two days ago
. Their monitor works fine for now... I can always look at getting them an LCD later on. Mouse works, keyboard works (could use a cleaning though). Might need new speakers, but any cheap old 2.1 system will do for them. They've already got a UPS (my old one), a scanner, and a printer (the legendary BJC-4000 series... its like 8 years old and STILL FUCKING GOING!! LOL!). So yup, just the basics for today.Anywho, feel free to drop a comment or two to help me along here. Some mobo suggestions would be especially handy. I'll talk things over with my parents and see what all I can get them to agree to. So far this system is weiging in at around $1100ish CDN, which is probably a good ballpark price for them. But we'll see how things turn out.
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any advice you guys can spare me
-MD