Russ's Guide to Hardware

[Russ]

Hi everyone. This is the second revision of...
Russ’s Official Guide to Buying a Computer with General [H]ardware

Recently, I have been making a lot of scattered posts here in General Hardware, commenting on various people’s attempts at picking out DIY (Do It Yourself) computers. In this thread, I am going to centralize all the advice and good deals that I came across. I am also going to point out all of the mistakes that I have seen, and save everyone a little time, trouble, and money. I may miss some things, and if you see a component you think should be included, please feel free to tell me.

The main internet retailers that I will be taking my prices from are the “Big Three:” Newegg, Zip Zoom Fly, and Monarch Computer’s. These three e-tailers are regarded as being very dependable, and all have their strengths.

This guide will start off with some general possibilities for all the parts in your home built computer. Next, I am going to branch off into budget-limited guides, covering several different levels of spending and habits. Lastly, I will try to explain my reasoning for the hardware that I have selected. Let’s get started!

Note: If you want to skip to a certain section, press “Ctrl + F” and enter the number of the section enclosed with parentheses. Example: searching for “( 7)” without that space and pressing enter twice would bring you to the Hard Drive section.

Table of Contents.
I. The Catalog
(1) Processor (CPU)
(2) Memory (RAM)
(3) Graphics Card (GPU)
(4) Motherboard (mobo)
(5) Case
(6) Power Supply (PSU)
(7) Hard Drive (HDD)
(8) Additional Cooling
(9) Keyboard
(10) Mouse
(11) Speakers
(12) Monitor
(13) Operating System (OS)
(14) Optical Drives (DVD/CD Burners)
(15) Floppy (FDD)
(16) Other Accessories

II. Preconfigured DIY Computers: Budget Builds
(B0) Section Introduction
(B1) $650 for Budget Non-Gamer any or no OC
(B2) $750 for Budget Gamer with any OC
(B3) $1,000 for Low End Gamer with any OC
(B4) $1,000 for Low End Gamer with no OC
(B5) $1,500 for Mid Range Gamer with any OC
(B6) $1,300 for Mid Range Gamer with no OC
(B7) $1,800 for High End Gamer with high OC
(B8) $2,000 for High End Gamer with little or no OC
(B9) $2,500 for SLI High End Gamer with high OC
(B10) $2,500 for SLI High End Gamer with little or no OC

III. Discussion of Catalog and Budget Builds
(C0) The Catalog
(C1) The Computers

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(1) Processor (CPU)
I will not be using any Intel processors for the moment.

1. Retail AMD Sempron 2200+
Price: $63.00
Shipping: $0.99
Core: Thoroughbred B
Stock Speed: 4.5 x 333Mhz for 1.5Ghz
Pros: Cheap, T-bred B core so should OC well.
Cons: Very budget, so doesn’t have the performance people might desire.

2. OEM AMD Athlon XP-M 2400+
Price: $81.00
Shipping: $1.99
Core: Barton
Stock Speed: 6.5? x 266Mhz for 1.8Ghz
Pros: VERY good OCing, Unlocked multi. Cheap.
Cons: Not many. Limited performance overall simply because it starts low.

3. OEM AMD Athlon 64 3000+
Price: $119.95
Shipping: $0.00
Core: Venice
Stock Speed: 9 x 200Mhz for 1.8Ghz
Pros: Cheap, good performance for the price. Overclocks well.
Cons: If you don’t overclock, you may not get the performance you desire. Also, may require watercooling to reach the overclocked speed of other Venice cores.

4. Retail AMD Athlon 64 3200+
Price: $190.00
Shipping: $0.00
Core: Venice
Stock Speed: 10 x 200Mhz for 2.0Ghz
Pros: Overclocks well with inexpensive cooling. Not too expensive.
Cons: Much more expensive than the deal on the 3000+ because the 3000+ is supposed to be $150. May not be worth it to pay an extra 60% for the 10x multiplier.

5. Retail AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Price: $525.00
Shipping: $0.00
Core: Manchester
Stock Speed: 11 x 200Mhz for 2.2Ghz
Pros: Least expensive Dual-Core CPU. Will overclock the most with adequate cooling.
Cons: Much more expensive than most single core processors. Will be eclipsed in value by the upcoming 3800+ X2.

6. OEM AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+
Price: $615.00
Shipping: $6.80
Core: Toledo
Stock Speed: 11 x 200Mhz for 2.2Ghz
Pros: Less than $100 more than the 4200+ X2. 1MB cache in each core.
Cons: Same speed as the 4200+ but more money. Expensive.

7. OEM AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+
Price: $950.00
Shipping: $5.90
Core: Toledo
Stock Speed: 12 x 200Mhz for 2.4Ghz
Pros: Arguably the best stock CPU released right now.
Cons: Expensive. Won’t overclock much farther than other X2 processors.

(2) Memory (RAM)
There won’t be many choices in this section. If you read the guides that people like (cf)eclipse have written about Athlon 64s and memory, you will know that your timings and memory speed don’t matter. Now here’s the memory:

1. Crucial Value DDR400 512MB
Price: $45.00
Shipping: $3.83
Size: 512 MB
Pros: Tightens its timings and OCs like a champ.
Cons: Value series, so performance may vary more than usual from buyer to buyer. Only 512 MB.

2. Crucial Value DDR400 1024MB
Price: $106.00
Shipping: $3.83
Size: 1 GB
Pros: Tightens its timings and OCs like a champ. Large capacity.
Cons: Value series, so performance may vary more than usual from buyer to buyer.

3. Mushkin Speed Premium DDR400 1024MB
Price: $89.95
Shipping: $3.83
Size: 1 GB
Pros: Cheap. Might be the same chips (and therefore have the same OC results) as Crucial Value.
Cons: Unconfirmed by any buyer that these are the same as Crucial Value.

(3) Graphics Card (GPU)
For the Brief Specs section, the first two numbers are the GPU core clock and the Memory clock (“core/memory”). Then comes the memory size and interface (“#Mb #bit”). Then the memory type (example: “GDDR3”) and finally the interface (“PCI-E” or “AGP”).

1. Rosewill 9200SE
Price: $37.99
Shipping: $4.99
Brief Specs: 200/333 128mb 64bit DDR AGP
Pros: Cheap, good for non-gaming applications
Cons: DX8, so if you want to game, get the 9800 pro.

2. MSI 9800 pro
Price: $99.00
Shipping: $1.00
Brief Specs: 378/676 128mb 256bit DDR AGP
Pros: Cheap. Might flash to 9800XT.
Cons: Refurb. It is $120 (+$4.99 shipping) new here

3. XFX 6600GT
Price: $160.00
Shipping: $0.00
Brief Specs: 500/1000 128mb 128bit DDR3 PCI-E
Pros: Good budget PCI-E card. Has DDR3.
Cons: Slightly more expensive than it used to be (but more expensive everywhere).

4. 6800NU (Non Ultra)
Price: $188.00
Shipping: $0.00
Brief Specs: 325/700 128mb 256bit DDR AGP
Pros: Unlockable Pixel Pipelines/Vertex Shaders. Good performance for the money.
Cons: Unlocking might not work.

5. Connect3D X800 XL
Price: $259.00
Shipping: $0.00
Brief Specs: 400/980 256mb 256bit GDDR3 PCI-E
Pros: 256mb GDDR3 ram, good price.
Cons: Not many. 6800GT possibly a better value. No dual video card option right now.

6. XFX 6800GT
Price: $296.00
Shipping: $5.00
Brief Specs: 350/1000 256mb 256bit GDDR3 PCI-E
Pros: Good value. Great price! Can do SLI.
Cons: $50 Mail-In Rebate.

7. eVGA 7800GTX
Price: $500.00
Shipping: $7.70
Brief Specs: 450/1200 256mb 256bit GDDR3 PCI-E
Pros: Cheapest 7800GTX from the Big Three. Comes with BF2. Step-up program.
Cons: Not the highest clock.

8. XFX 7800GTX
Price: $545.00
Shipping: $0.00
Brief Specs: 490/1300 256mb 256bit GDDR3 PCI-E
Pros: Fastest clocked 7800GTX.
Cons: Slight price premium for something an overclocker could do himself or herself. Not much in the way of extras.

(4) Motherboard (mobo)
One low end, then modern non-SLI and SLI of OCing and non-OCing versions about sums up this section.

1. Biostar M7NCD Ultra nF2
Price: $52.00
Shipping: $2.50
Features: 1 AGP 4x/8x slot, DDR, SATA, socket A
Pros: Cheap, reportedly good Ocing
Cons: Outdated (sA and AGP), capacitors reportedly close to CPU socket

2. DFI nf4-DAGF
Price: $89.00
Shipping: $0.00
Features: 1 PCI-E 16x slot, NO SLI
Pros: Cheap, has the well-known DFI Overclockability, including the high RAM voltage.
Cons: Not as stable as some boards at stock speeds.

3. DFI Lanparty UT nf4 SLI-DR
Price: $165.99
Shipping: $2.50
Features: 2 PCI-E 16x slots, SLI
Pros: SLI. And of course lots of OCing because it’s DFI.
Cons: Price to an extent. Also not as stable as some boards if at stock settings.

4. Asus A8N-E
Price: $113.99
Shipping: $0.00
Features: 1 PCI-E 16x slot, NO SLI
Pros: Stable non-SLI board. Asus will replace chipset fan free.
Cons: Chipset fan might act up. Not as good for OCing as DFI. Slightly expensive compared to DFI’s offering.

5. Asus A8N-SLI
Price: $135.99
Shipping: $0.00
Features: 2 PCI-E 16x slots, SLI
Pros: Stable SLI board. Cheap SLI! Asus will replace chipset fan free.
Cons: Chipset fan might act up. Not as good for OCing as DFI.

(5) Case
A case is largely a personal choice. I find it hard to recommend a particular case for someone. Good things to look for are 120mm fans in the front and back, a window if you want on, and side and top fans if you want them. Saying that, here are a few cases you might be interested in (I still want you to look for your own).

1. Antec Sonata
Price: $68.99
Shipping: $12.99
Features: Black, 120mm fan rear, 120mm empty fan slot front
Pros: Cheap, for now! VERY quiet.
Cons: $30 Mail-In rebate. Limited time MIR offer! You are paying for a PSU too though.

2. Antec SLK1650B
Price: $65.00
Shipping: $15.99
Features: 350W Antec PSU, 120mm rear fan, 120mm empty fan slot front
Pros: Cheap for a case AND a good PSU.
Cons: ATX mobo is hard to fit in, but can be done (suggestion made of temporarily removing HDD case)!

3. Antec SLK3000B
Price: $46.00
Shipping: $15.99
Features: Black, 120mm fan rear, 120mm empty fan slot front
Pros: Cheap! Will be a good buy once Sonata MIR expires. Same case as Sonata but with different front bezel and no PSU. Quiet.
Cons: Front bezel regarded as flimsier, looks worse than the Sonata’s.

4. Lian Li PC-6077B
Price: $121.50
Shipping: $15.99
Features: Black. Three 80mm fans included (Two in back, on in front).
Pros: Not too expensive for a Lian Li! Available for $16.50 less in a Silver version. Front drive bays can be removed (more on that later).
Cons: Out of Stock at the moment. No 120mm fans. No window (could be bad or good).

5. Cooler Master Stacker
Price: $158.99
Shipping: $16.45
Features: Eleven drive bays (removable). 120mm front and rear fan. 80mm top fan. Available in black (-$1.20 shipping). “Cross flow fan” can also be purchased for $32.99.
Pros: Big. Lots of Air flow. Can fit up to 3 120mm fans in front. Two PSU slots (top and bottom). E-ATX and BTX compatible.
Cons: Big. No fancy exterior (good or bad). Drive bays exposed.

6. Cooler Master Stacker 810
Price: Unreleased (Scheduled for Late July)
Shipping: Unreleased
Features: 2 rear 120mm fans and 120mm front fan and 80mm Top fan. 11 Drive bays. Black.
Pros: 2 rear 120mm fans. First of its kind! Can fit up to 3 120mm fans in the front.
Cons: Unreleased. No fancy exterior (good or bad). Exposed Drive bays. No longer has two PSU slots.

7. Gigabyte 3D Aurora
Price: Unreleased (Scheduled for August)
Shipping: Unreleased
Features: 2 rear 120mm fans and 120mm front fan. See a review here.
Pros: 2 rear 120mm fans. First of its kind! Sleek silver exterior. Customizable lighting in front (projects image). Rubber mounted watercooling tubing holes in rear.
Cons: Unreleased.

(6) Power Supply (PSU)
Only three for now. If you want another to be put up, ask.

1. Antec TruePowerII TPII-430
Price: $69.99
Shipping: $6.99
Stats: 430W, single fan (120mm?), “>70% efficiency.” 12v@34A
Pros: Cheap, 24 pin, high 12v rails. Single fan.
Cons: Wattage low, or maybe I’m just spoiled by Seasonic.

2. Aerocool Turbine Power 550W
Price: $99.99
Shipping: $0.00
Stats: Modular, 550W.
Pros: Cheap for the wattage. HIGH 12v rails (20A and 18A).
Cons: Aerocool not as well known for PSUs as Antec, Enermax, etc.

3. Seasonic S12-500
Price: $105.00
Shipping: $7.00-$12.00 (varied)
Stats: 500w, single 120mm fan, ~80% efficient. 12v@36A
Pros: Quiet, efficient, powerful 12v. Cheap.
Cons: None. Maybe a little watt starved in very power hungry SLI systems.

4. Seasonic S12-600
Price: $130.00
Shipping: $7.00-$12.00 (varied)
Stats: 500w, single 120mm fan, ~80% efficient. 12v@36A
Pros: Quiet, efficient, powerful 12v. Cheap.
Cons: None. A little overkill in low-power, non-SLI systems.

(7) Hard Drive (HDD)
Simply put, these are the only hard drives I’d ever buy unless I needed SCSI. Just get the one that suites your price and storage needs.

1. Maxtor DiamondMax 10
Prices:
$155.00 for 300GB
$114.00 for 250GB (Best Value)
$97.50 for 200GB
Shipping: $0.00
Interface: SATA150
Stats: 7,200 RPM; 16 MB Cache, 3 year warrantee.
Pros: Fast (thanks to cache), large storage capacity, cheap (just as expensive as 8mb drives).
Cons: None. You can pay for the MaxLine III version and get a 5 year warrantee if you want..

2. Maxtor DiamondMax 10
Prices:
$162.00 for 300GB
$115.00 for 250GB (Out of Stock)
$104.00 for 200GB (Out of Stock)
Shipping: $0.00
Interface: Ultra ATA133
Stats: 7,200 RPM; 16 MB Cache, 3 year warrantee.
Pros: Fast (thanks to cache), large storage capacity, cheap (just as expensive as 8mb drives).
Cons: None. You can pay for the MaxLine III version and get a 5 year warrantee if you want.

(8) Additional Cooling
This section is quite disorganized. Fans, air CPU cooling, and water cooling all go into this thread. I hope you can excuse me for just dumping a few links in here for now (and not all of the ones I want to give you yet), but I have to finish up, so this is all you get for now. I’ll tidy it up later. O, and shipping isn’t included with the watercooling. Sorry! I have to think of another way to present it.

1. Panaflo M1A 120mm fan

2. Thermalright XP-90 w/ Panaflo 92mm Med. & AS Ceramique $38.94

3. water cooling:
CPU Block and Pump: DD TDX and DD12V-D5 combo $108.75
GPU Block: Low Profile Maze4 $46.45; . 8 BGA Copper RAMsinks $9.95
Radiator: Black Ice Pro II $35.99; . Panaflo 120mm M1A $9.75 x2 = $19.50; . Radiator Mounting Kit $4.95
Reservoir: CrazyPC single 5 1/4" bay $15.99
Tubing: Tygon 3/8" ID 9/16" OD 10 ft x $1.95 = $19.50
Fittings: 1/4 NPT Fittings for 3/8" ID tubing $1.00 x 4 = $4.00; . Polypropylene "Elbow" 2 x $1.75 = $3.50
Clamps: Metal Worm Clamps – buy at hardware store
Other: MCT -40 water additive $0.00 (gift w/ >$100 order); . 6" Velcro $2.49 x 2 = $4.98
watercooling total: $273.56

 

[Russ]

(9) Keyboard
Several different kinds of options here. Mayn of the cheap keyboard mouse combos had bad mice. You might want to get a mouse (one of the high end onds I suggest below) as well as one of these.

1. LITE-ON SK-1788/BS
Price: $5.25
Shipping: $5.50
Stats: Standard Wired PS/2.
Pros: Cheap. Company name is known.
Cons: No function keys. Spacebar may rattle (but that's very common).

2. Keyboard-2000 Dynapoint KD-558B/PS2
Price: $5.50
Shipping: $5.20
Stats: Standard wired PS/2. 15 function keys.
Pros: Cheap, function keys.
Cons: I don't trust Keyboard-2000 as a company very much. Haven't heard of them.

3. KEYBOARD-2000 SMART
Price: $10.25
Shipping: $5.10
Stats: Standard Wired PS/2. 15 function buttons, 3-button optical scroll (3bos) mouse
Pros: function buttons, mouse, cheap.
Cons: a little cheap, some people expressed mouse problems.

4. Logitech Cordless 967320-0403
Price: $24.95
Shipping: $6.99
Stats: Standard RF wireless PS/2. 10 function buttons. 3bos mouse included. Both 2 tone.
Pros: Cheap for wireless. Known name. Function buttons (real ones, not an "F lock")!
Cons: Mouse has given gamers some problems.

5. Microsoft Ergonomic K99-00001
Price: $30.99
Shipping: $4.99
Stats: Ergonomic Wired PS/2. 3bos mouse included. 2 tone white and black. 17 function keys.
Pros: Cheap, comes with mouse. Lots of function buttons.
Cons: A few reviewers called it "a little flimsy."

6. Microsoft Wireless Ergonomic N90-00073
Price: $43.00
Shipping: $5.99
Stats: Ergonomic Wireless USB. 3bos mouse included. 2 tone white and black. 17 function keys.
Pros: Cheap, comes with mouse. Lots of function buttons.
Cons: Mouse may be inadequate for games.

(10) Mouse
If you don’t get some generic 3-button wheeled optical...

1. Logitech MX518
Price: $38.99
Shipping: $0.00
Stats: Wired, 8 buttons and a wheel. 1600 adjustible dpi
Pros: All of it's stats.
Cons: Nothing but the price. And even that isn’t much.

2. Logitech MX1000
Price: $57.99
Shipping: $0.00
Stats: wireless, 8 buttons and a wheel.
Pros: lots of buttons, long battery life. If you need wireless, get this.
Cons: More expensive than the MX518.

3. Razer Plasma Diamondback
Price: $55.00
Shipping: $4.99
Stats: 7 buttons with wheel, wired, USB.
Pros: lots of buttons. Can be left OR right handed. Non-plasma comes in red and green for $12 less.
Cons: Buttons are said to stick occasionally. Side buttons are hard to reach on side without thumb.

(11) Speakers
I don’t pretend to know what it takes to have quality sound for an audiophile, but if you are one, you probably know what you want. If you aren't, then check these out:

1. Logitech X-530
Price: $54.99
Shipping: $9.24
Features: 5.1 system. 70 watts.
Pros: Cheap! Good sound for the money.
Cons: Some say the cords are short.

2. Logitech S-100
Price: $12.00 - $5.00 Instant = $7.00
Shipping: $5.99
Stats: 5 Watts, 2.0
Pros: Reviewed well, cheap.
Cons: instant rebate might expire any time, big shipping.

(12) Monitor
If you don’t want a CRT or something extravagant to use those brand spanking new $1000 of video hardware, then get a 19” LCD with 16ms response. Otherwise...

Dell Small Business has a 35% off coupon for the 2405fpw (also works for the 2001fp and the 1905fp I believe)
The 2405fpw comes out to $780 before taxes and other bonuses such as FC, use the following code: 629P2JKBS7CWWD

1. Dell 2405FPW
Price: $779.35
Shipping & Taxes: Varies
Stats: 24” LCD Widescreen, 1920x1200 native resolution
Pros: Cheaper than usual (w/ that coupon)! Large res for those large GPUs.
Cons: Still very expensive. Might have to RMA it (as with all LCDs) a few times b/c of backlight leaking or dead pixels.

2. Dell 2005FPW
Price: $486.85
Shipping & Taxes: Varies
Stats: 20.1” Widescreen, 1680x1050 native resolution
Pros: Very cheap from that coupon. Cheaper than a 2405.
Cons: Not as big as 2405. Lower resolution.

3. Samsung 19” CRT
Price: $179.00
Shipping: $25.00
Model: 990DF-Black
Stats: 18” viewable, 1920x1440 max resolution. 40.0 lbs.
Pros: Good price for a large res. and size. CRT .
Cons: Heavy, large.

(13) Operating System (OS)
Not much choice here. If you want to go Linux, be my guest.

1. Microsoft Windows XP Professional w/ SP2
Price: $145.95
Shipping: $0.99
Pros: It’s professional! And maybe some networking thingy-s that no gamer ever uses.
Cons: Price. And SP2 (I like SP1).

2. Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2
Price: $88.95
Shipping: $0.99
Pros: Price!!!! Cheap to the max!
Cons: Nothing wrong with home. I have it.

(14) Optical Drives (DVD/CD Burners)
Not much competition here. All DVD drives are pretty much the same.

1. NEC DVD Burner
Price: $42.00
Shipping: $2.00
Model: ND-3540A (Black).
Speeds: DVD+R DL 8x, DVD family 16x, CD family 48x, etc...
Pros: Very popular, so you know it’s reliable. Fairly cheap. High burning speeds.
Cons: Silver model is $43.99 with $4.00 shipping.

2. Lite-On DVD-ROM
Price: $25.00
Shipping: $0.00
Model: SOHD-16P9S BLK (Black).
Pros: Cheap. 16x DVD read. Known name.
Cons: none.

3. Lite-On DVD-ROM
Price: $18.00
Shipping: $4.00
Model: SOHD-16P9S (Beige).
Pros: Cheap. 16x DVD read. Known name.
Cons: Beige.

4. Toshiba DVD-ROM
Price: $21.00
Shipping: $4.00
Model: SD-M2012C-TA (White).
Pros: Cheap. 16x DVD read.
Cons: none.

(15) Floppy (FDD)
Do you really need help with a floppy? Get an internal, since FDDs are mainly used for startup or raid problems, where a USB one won’t have been recognized yet.

1. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2”
Price: $8.99
Shipping: $2.50
Features: black, internal.
Pros: Same as any other FDD. But maybe a little cheaper (than the others on Newegg).
Cons: Same as any other FDD.

(16) Other Accessories
There isn’t much to go here. I was thinking of Cold Cathode kits or something, but right now I have to finish the keyboard and cooling sections....

 

[Russ]

(B0) Section Introduction
Now for the fun stuff! You can use the same system as the catalog to find a particular part, ctrl+F and search for the “(B#)” that you want to find. B is for Budget.

I’m going to include parts for everything I have above except a monitor (because they can be so very expensive yet varying), keyboard, and mouse, so you may end up spending more if you need more parts, or less if you don’t need some other parts (like OS, speakers, Opticals).

There are several different focuses of the budget builds. You would want to buy different things depending on if you wanted to overclock heavily, mildly, or not at all. Also if you were a gamer or not (the not category is big, but for my purposes it means you don’t need graphical power. I can’t advise you in audio matters though, remember).

Shipping IS included!

(B1) $650 for Budget Non-Gamer any or no OC
1. Retail AMD Sempron 2200+ $63.99
2. Crucial Value DDR400 512MB $48.83x2 = $97.66
3. Rosewill 9200SE $42.98
4. Biostar M7NCD Ultra nF2 $54.50
5. Antec SLK1650B $80.99
6. PSU included in case
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 200GB SATA $97.50
8. Additional cooling: none
9. KEYBOARD-2000 SMART $15.35
10. Mouse included with keyboard
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2 $89.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $636.39

(B2) $750 for Budget Gamer with any OC
1. OEM AMD Athlon XP-M 2400+ $82.99
2. Crucial Value DDR400 512MB $48.83x2 = $97.66
3. MSI 9800 pro $100.00
4. Biostar M7NCD Ultra nF2 $54.50
5. Antec SLK1650B $80.99
6. PSU included in case
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 200GB SATA $97.50
8. Additional cooling:
. .Arctic Silver
. .Heatsink
9. KEYBOARD-2000 SMART $15.35
10. Mouse included with keyboard
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2 $89.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $712.41

(B3) $1,000 for Low End Gamer with any OC
1. OEM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $119.95
2. Crucial Value DDR400 512MB $48.83x2 = $97.66
3. XFX 6600GT $160.00
4. DFI nf4-DAGF $89.00
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Antec TruePowerII TPII-430 $76.98
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 200GB SATA $97.50
8. Additional cooling:
. .Arctic Silver
. .Heatsink
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2 $89.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $886.50

(B4) $1,000 for Low End Gamer with no OC
1. OEM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $119.95
2. Crucial Value DDR400 512MB $48.83x2 = $97.66
3. XFX 6600GT $160.00
4. Asus A8N-E $113.99
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Antec TruePowerII TPII-430 $76.98
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 200GB SATA $97.50
8. Additional cooling:
. .Arctic Silver
. .Heatsink
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2 $89.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $911.49

(B5) $1,500 for Mid Range Gamer with any OC
1. OEM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $119.95
2. Mushkin Speed Premium DDR400 1024MB $93.78x2 = $187.56
3. eVGA 7800GTX $507.70
4. DFI nf4-DAGF $89.00
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Seasonic S12-500 ~$115.00
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 250GB SATA $114.00
8. Additional cooling:
. .Panaflo M1A 120mm fan (for case front)
. .Thermalright XP-90 w/ Panaflo 92mm Med. & AS Ceramique $38.94
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2 $89.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $1,417.56

(B6) $1,300 for Mid Range Gamer with no OC
1. Retail AMD Athlon 64 3200+ $190.00
2. Mushkin Speed Premium DDR400 1024MB $93.78x2 = $187.56
3. Connect3D X800 XL $259.00
4. Asus A8N-E $113.99
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Seasonic S12-500 ~$115.00
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 250GB SATA $114.00
8. Additional cooling: none
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Home w/ SP2 $89.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $1,224.96

(B7) $1,800 for High End Gamer with high OC
1. OEM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $119.95
2. Mushkin Speed Premium DDR400 1024MB $93.78x2 = $187.56
3. eVGA 7800GTX $507.70
4. DFI nf4-DAGF $89.00
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Seasonic S12-500 ~$115.00
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 300GB SATA $149.50
8. water cooling:
CPU Block and Pump: DD TDX and DD12V-D5 combo $108.75
GPU Block: Low Profile Maze4 $46.45; . 8 BGA Copper RAMsinks $9.95
Radiator: Black Ice Pro II $35.99; . Panaflo 120mm M1A $9.75 x2 = $19.50; . Radiator Mounting Kit $4.95
Reservoir: CrazyPC single 5 1/4" bay $15.99
Tubing: Tygon 3/8" ID 9/16" OD 10 ft x $1.95 = $19.50
Fittings: 1/4 NPT Fittings for 3/8" ID tubing $1.00 x 4 = $4.00; . Polypropylene "Elbow" 2 x $1.75 = $3.50
Clamps: Metal Worm Clamps – buy at hardware store
Other: MCT -40 water additive $0.00 (gift w/ >$100 order); . 6" Velcro $2.49 x 2 = $4.98
watercooling total: $273.56
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Professional w/ SP2 $146.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $1,744.68

 

[Russ]

(B8) $2,000 for High End Gamer with little or no OC
1. Retail AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Price: $525.00
2. Mushkin Speed Premium DDR400 1024MB $93.78x2 = $187.56
3. eVGA 7800GTX $507.70
4. Asus A8N-E $113.99
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Seasonic S12-500 ~$115.00
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 300GB SATA $149.50
8. Additional cooling: none
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Professional w/ SP2 $146.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $1,901.16

(B9) $2,500 for SLI High End Gamer with high OC
1. OEM AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $119.95
2. Mushkin Speed Premium DDR400 1024MB $93.78x2 = $187.56
3. eVGA 7800GTX $507.70x2 = $1,015.40
4. DFI Lanparty UT nf4 SLI-DR $168.49
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Seasonic S12-600 ~$140.00
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 300GB SATA $149.50
8. water cooling:
CPU Block and Pump: DD TDX and DD12V-D5 combo $108.75
GPU Block: Low Profile MAZE4 GPU block $46.45x2 = $92.90; . 8 BGA Copper RAMsinks $9.95x2 = $19.90
Radiator: Black Ice Pro II $35.99; . Panaflo 120mm M1A $9.75 x2 = $19.50; . Radiator Mounting Kit $4.95
Reservoir: CrazyPC single 5 1/4" bay $15.99
Tubing: Tygon 3/8" ID 9/16" OD 10 ft x $1.95 = $19.50
Fittings: 1/4 NPT Fittings for 3/8" ID tubing $1.00 x 4 = $4.00; . Polypropylene "Elbow" 2 x $1.75 = $3.50
Clamps: Metal Worm Clamps – buy at hardware store
Other: MCT -40 water additive $0.00 (gift w/ >$100 order); . 6" Velcro $2.49 x 2 = $4.98
watercooling total: $329.96
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Professional w/ SP2 $146.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $2,413.27

(B10) $2,500 for SLI High End Gamer with little or no OC
1. Retail AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ $525.00
2. Mushkin Speed Premium DDR400 1024MB $93.78x2 = $187.56
3. eVGA 7800GTX $507.70x2 = $1,015.40
4. Asus A8N-SLI $135.99
5. Antec SLK3000B $61.99
6. Seasonic S12-600 ~$140.00
7. Maxtor DM10 7K.16 300GB SATA $149.50
8. Additional cooling: none
9. Pick yourself in the keyboard section.
10. Pick yourself in the mouse section.
11. Logitech S-100 $12.99
12. Monitor section of the catalog.
13. Microsoft Windows XP Professional w/ SP2 $146.94
14. NEC DVD Burner $44.00
. .Lite-On DVD-ROM $25.00
15. Samsung 1.44MB 3 1/2” $11.49
16. Other Accessories: none

Total: $2,455.86

 

[Russ]

and finally, the discussion....
(C0) The Catalog
I left out 3500+, 3800+, 3700+, and 4000+ out for a reason. I don't think they are worth the money. Might as well either overclock or get an X2.

As I said, you don't need $300 ram to have a good computer! The difference between a computer with 2-2-2 200mhz ram will outperform the same system with DDR400 and the crappiest timings in the world (within reason) AND 2T by about 5%. Just check out the Memory and AMD processor forums.

I think my gpu suggestions are very good. Lots of different budgets can be included. But I always encourage people to get the 7800GTX if they have an even halfway decent cpu. Graphics power is very important.

For mobos I see it as either DFI or ASUS, depending on if you are OCing or not. No MSI b/c they are oppcupying the same niche as ASUS, stock stability, but I feel that ASUS does it better. If you come up with some really good prices and such for MSI or whoever, and can back those up with stability stories, then I'll add in more. I want to keep this simple though. The biostar is there because the reviews indicated that it had some good overclocking options, but stability too. Also it was cheap. I didn't want to go with the Abit NF7 or something because it was like $82 PLUS shipping, practically equal to the nf4-DAGF.

The cases there are just a tidbit of the multitude of enclosures that are out there. Use the internet! Find the perfect case. Nothing makes your computer "you" like an original case.

So few PSUs mentioned? Yes, I am going for bang for your buck in all categories. I feel that Seasonic offers amazing performance for low prices (at that website, no others have them anywhere near that price). I admit I don't know much about good PSUs that are well under $100. If someone wants to suggest some, then I just might add it in. A good PSU is important so you can keep the rest of your computer alive though, so they had better be darn good PSUs! The Antec goes in there because it has 17A and 17A on it's 12v rails, and one of the reviews mentioned a real 24 pin plug. There was an Enermax on sale for hte same price, but someone said it had a "short pin for my motherboard" or something like that, which seemed to indicate to me that it wouldn't serve well on a DFI.

Same with the HDDs. I just see not reason to get a 7K drive that is slower than the Maxtor at the same price point. Raptors aren't that much better, but they cost 4x as much per GB. Bleah. And don't get your HDDs from Newegg! They ship them in bubblewrap, which allows the HDDs to be damaged en route. No major HDD manufac allows RMAs to be shipped in bubblewrap, to give you perspective. ZZF is much better about their shipping methods, and the shipping's almost all free.

Yea, about the cooling section. It's a shambles because it's too big. I think I'll find a good socket A cooler, slap that in there, leave the XP-90 (VERY good cooler for the money), and focus the rest on water cooling. Don't worry, I'll have other blocks and rads in there before you know it! I just wanted to get a working list out there for B8 and B10.

I got bored of the keyboard section because there are just too many different ones! It's not hard to pick a good one, they are basically all good at what ever price they are at. Just look around in your preferred style (wired/wireless and slim/standard/ergonomic). Don't worry though, I'll add some choices eventually.

I think the MX518 is too good to be true. If you are thinking of gettting anything more than the bare minimum, get this. It's worth every penny. And no worries about weight, batteries, or delay like with a wired mouse.

These speakers (X-530) are very popular. It's one of the few things that newegg was cheapest in (along with DVD drives, cases, and maybe keyboards). Newegg of course has the best layout though. I just picked the cheapest 2.0 speakers that were a brand I recognized for the other suggestion. Feel free to sub in the X-530s in any of the builds. I'll get a link on the Audigy 2 ZS soon and add that to the section. Not that you need it, onboard sound ain't bad these days.

I don't like 16x12 or 12x10 (about) max res on most LCDs. If I buy a 7800GTX, I want to be able to run it to the wire! 20x15 or 19x14 all the way! Widescreen is ok (definitely at least ok at 24"). That's why I brought up the great deals Dell is having right now, especially on the 2405fpw. And as I said, I like high res with a low price, so I went searching for a CRT.

I was amazed as the fall in prices of XP and the difference between prof. and home. I hadn't looked at them since I bought it for my computer about a year and a half ago. They were both $200 then, but I was able to snag a upgrade copy for $100. Anyway, Home is now like $90! Full version! Prof is $150. If you can stomach Home (I don't see why you couldn't, I don't notice any difference in everyday use between the two), then jump on that baby if you need XP.

Burners only differ slightly in price and performance. I think I picked good ones though. 2-4 are only different in color, and they are just DVD-ROMs.

a floppy is a floppy.

(C1) The Computers
Now, the budget builds. Interesting name huh?
$650 for Budget Non-Gamer any or no OC:
Basically this was the minimum I felt one should spend to build a computer. I went with a retail proc, the cheapest offered. The mobo is one that I found a while ago on Newegg, and it has some pretty positive feedback. I felt that RAM would be important to anyone, so 1GB it is. The video card is extremely cheap, but not too bad. Don't expect to play Doom3, but some older games won't be too bad. I decided on a standard for the FDD, opticals, OS, and speakers. The keyboard was a very cheap kb and mouse combo. I also feel that HDDs space is important with modern computers, so I went with a pretty big one that is very fast.

$750 for Budget Gamer with any OC
This build was very similar to the non-gamer build. I gave it a better video card, one that should be able to play Doom3/HL2 and such. Better proc for OCing, same mobo b/c there was some positive OCing feedback, and it is very cheap. The other stuff was the same.

$1,000 for Low End Gamer with any OC
This is the are minimum that I could come up with for a PCI-E and socket 939 system while staying with name brand products and a good conscience. I stayed with 1GB b/c this is a lower end 939 system, so I had to save money wherever possible. The 3000+ is a steal, a 6600GT is a very good budget GPU, the Antec should give you good power on the 12v rail (very important), and the other stuff has been discussed before.

$1,000 for Low End Gamer with no OC
This is exactly the same as the OC except for the mobo, which is exchanged for stability instead of OCability.

$1,500 for Mid Range Gamer with any OC
This is the build that I advise (this or B7), it goes for value over a perhaps lower price. 2GB of ram will last you for a while, the proc is still good with an XP-90 to cool it to new highs, The PSU is very efficient and reliable, the HDD is a better value/GB, and the 7800GTX will keep you gaming happily, if you OC the 3000+ to keep up.

$1,300 for Mid Range Gamer with no OC
A 7800GTX is out because the proc will bottleneck it, so I added a very good value X800XL, but a 6800GT would serve you just as well for $50 more. I upgraded the proc to be sure it would do well, you could get a 3500+ if you REALLY don't want to OC but have some money to burn. The other stuff is similar to the mid range OC build.

$1,800 for High End Gamer with high OC
This is a "best performance" type thing. It sacrifices a little more money for some quality OCing. Basically the only thing that is added from the Mid Range model is watercooling and XP Pro.

$2,000 for High End Gamer with no OC
This sees a massive upgrade from B6, the major things is the 4200+ X2 and a 7800GTX. A larger HDD is also added just to make sure you don't need raid.

$2,500 for SLI High End Gamer with high OC level
This is the ultimate in performance (almost, I still have my eye out for what uses your money well, as always). SLI 7800GTXs, watercooled. That and the mobo are the only changes from B7. O, and the PSU is bumped up 100w.

$2,500 for SLI High End Gamer with no OC level
This has very similar components as B8, but adds a new mobo, PSU, and another 7800GTX

That's all folks! Thank you for reading (if you read it). And thank you for using it if you did! I can really recommend any of these to whomever is in the bracket that fits each particular build. You might toss a few sections (by reusing old stuff), or sub in a different proc or video card, and of course a keyboard, mouse, and monitor, but in general I hope you'll stick to what I've suggested. Your wallet will thank you!
---------------

And if you see any mistake in my numbers or links, please tell!

 

[xonik]

I never understood these "guides." Every person has a different budget and set of criteria. To try to generalize this is in my opinion useless. It is much more useful to a person if you select components for them on a case-by-case basis.

 

[Russ]

Ah, but I'm NOT generalizing. First off I am providing everyone with links to parts for every different level of spending (well, the low end might be suffering a bit at the moment, but not when I'm finished!)

I am also going to have specific builds (so you don't have to look through this huge list of parts) for all kinds of different budgets. All from the parts in the first part of this thread.

 

[Killer69]

1. DFI nf4-DAGF
Price: $89.00
Shipping: $0.00
Features: 1 PCI-E 16x slot, NO SLI
Pros: Cheap, has the well-known DFI Overclockability, including the high RAM voltage.
Cons: Not as stable as some boards at stock speeds.

3. Asus A8N-E
Price: $113.99
Shipping: $0.00
Features: 1 PCI-E 16x slot, NO SLI
Pros: Stable non-SLI board. Asus will replace chipset fan free.
Cons: Chipset fan might act up. Not as good for OCing as DFI. Slightly expensive compared to DFI’s offering.

That is not a fair comparison...its a different chipset. The A8N uses the NF4-Ultra while the DFI uses the NF4-F.

 

[Russ]

Well, the General [H]ardware guide is open for business! You'll see that I have changed a lot, including adding TEN different pre-configured systems. As I see it, about the only thing I left out is a high end non-gamer. Bit of an oxymoron? Yeah yeah, I know, all you "encoding" and "design" people. If anyone wants to spent a lot of money on a computer to game, then tell me, and I'll hurry up the budget I'm planning out for that sort of thing. I have to read up on all the different Intel stuff out now, it's all the same to me right now. Don't worry though, it's coming!

Ok, so besides that, anyone have a request? I'm not making on just because you want a "Mid Range Gamer w/ OCing" that doesn't have a 7800GTX or something. That's simple, just swap it out in your own build. I realize this stuff will probably be a lot less expensive for most folks, because they will probably be buying from only the first 8 categories. That's fine, just look at something slightly above your budget and cut out the parts you aren't buying any of (i.e. OS) and see where it gets you.

So, everyone knows how to use the table of contents and the search thingymadoodle? It isn't too complicated, us net-nerds cracked out baby teeth on I.E. and learning stuff like ctrl+F (those of us that aren't 50 now that is).

Have fun!

 

[Rembrandt]

I’m one of those oxymoron’s that is a non-gamer, that encodes, designs and in the 50 years old bracket. I never thought I would put someone on my ignore file but it has one now. Everything is fine again.

 

[PCJ]

You have too much time on your hands.

Also, some stuff you might mention:

Mice
-Some people might want wireless. Suggest the MX1000
-Some people are lefties or just don't like Logitech. Suggest the Diamondback

Keyboards
-Suggest MS Natural Keyboard. They are pwnage

Memory
-Why Crucial? They were the number one choice like 5 years ago. Now, Corsair offers better RAM for less money.

 

[Russ]

Yea, like I said the mouse, keyboard, and cooling sections aren't done.
Thanks for the tips, I was planning to put a natural keyboard in, as well as a high end wireless mouse.

Well, I suggest Crucial because (cf)eclipse recommends it, mostly. I bow down to him in matters of memory . His 1024mb Crucial Value can do 3-3-3 250mhz. I would assume that means the 512mb sticks can only do better (he recommends those too). And you don't get much lower than $45. Also, I don't like Corsair, too many stories of impossible to OC chips. Most other manufac's chips can do better than advertised, but not really Corsair. I guess I should put them in the non OCing builds if they are a lot cheaper. It seems hard to get cheaper than the Mushkin for a 1GB stick though. And the Mushkin SP is supposed to be the same stuff as the Crucial, just cheaper.

I’m one of those oxymoron’s that is a non-gamer, that encodes, designs and in the 50 years old bracket. I never thought I would put someone on my ignore file but it has one now. Everything is fine again.

did I offend you? I'm just a lowly teenage gamer with no experience in that area. That's the only reason I didn't suggest something for you, not because I was trying to be rude. I was just joking when I put encoding in quotes. I am working on a good build for non-gamers like you, but I have to do more research, that's why I don't have one now.
And my only comment on 50 year olds was that you weren't young when IE came into existence. Not slurring you in any way. And I don't really understand what you said. By "fine again" do you mean you are ignoring me now?

 

[WhyYouLoveMe]

That is not a fair comparison...its a different chipset. The A8N uses the NF4-Ultra while the DFI uses the NF4-F.

However... both chipsets perform EXACTLY the same. The NF4U has the addition of SATA II and some have dual GB nics.

 

[Russ]

yea, does anyone really need dual gigabit onboard nics? One is fine for me. And the drives are SATA150. I think there's aSATAII version, but it's a lot more expensive. Not worth it when the drives are already fast.

---

Updates:
Added a lot of keyboard/keyboard & mouse combos. Added a few mice options (notice there are the links to three Razers in that one entry).

Added the $500 ($507.70 shipped) 7800GTX at Monarch. THAT is a deal!

I changed the budget builds so that I didn't specifically reccomend a keyboard & mouse in any but the lowest. I left the headroom in the overall budget to add one while staying under the advertised amount.

I will be added another monitor option or two, maybe a gaming one and a budget one. Won't be including any, because I'm sure some of you don't need em and the other might be able to squeeze in a lower priced one.

Still haven't sorted out the cooling section, that's a whole other ballpark.

I think that's all there really is besides routine maintainence for prices (and adding new products). O yeah, Corsair... ug. I'll look into it.

---

If you are just getting started with this thread, read the part before the catalog starts and section B0.

 

[Vtecaddict]

Looks like a very nice guide. Good work.