building a budget gaming PC....need memory suggestions

[MrWynd]

...a friend of mine wants me to build him a PC for gaming, etc. He wants a P4, not AMD. He wants it cheap with decent quality (games dont need to be on high quality)

I was looking at this motherboard:

Abit PT800 Motherboard for Intel Pentium® 4 Processors, Model "VI7" Retail

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-163&catalog=280&depa=1

If I get this motherboard, what type of memory should I get with it? Would it be better to go with a different motherboard for a budget PC?

[keto]

I really REALLY want you to get an IS7, which has the 865 Intel chipset, rather than the VIA chipset board, for multiple reasons:
-the user base is huge, if you or he have problems, tons of resources to draw from
-Intel chipset
-has Abit's version of PAT, a total system 'booster' normally found only on the more expensive 875 chipset boards

Yes, it's $35 more and if cost is THAT tight, well, it's that tight ie, if you HAVE to, go cheaper than the IS7.

Memory: if you go the IS7, you definitely want to run dual channel, so 2 DIMM's @ 256MB I'm gonna guess, PC3200 to run @ default fsb speed 1:1. The cheapest of the 'cheap' memory that anyone here would recommend is probably the $38 Buffalo PC3200 256MB - it's CAS3 tho, so if you can afford better in this configuration, do so. Buffalo's CAS2.5 is only a buck more per stick...Kingston Value RAM CAS 2.5 another 2 bucks...then if still below budget start looking at CAS2, probably Corsair & Kinston HyperX are going to be the cheaper CAS2 modules, both can be purchased as 'matched pairs'. I'd pass on the cheaper Geil and OCZ PC3200 CAS2 and go straight to the HyperX @ 58/stick.

[Thrax]

Cheap, Intel... Does not compute.

/me 's head explodes

Anyways. I urge the purchasing of the IS7, as the VIA chipsets for any platform currently worth buying are in cahoots with crappy performance.

I would also NOT cheap out on memory, and atleast get 256 of Corsair XMS/Kingston KHX memory. PC3200. Intel platforms love bandwidth and tight timings when possible.. Might as well give that to it.

Maybe a p4 2.6C, and a Radeon 9500 Pro if you can find it.

[SimGuy]

Stay away from the VIA chipsets for the P4 platform. For best performance with the 800MHz FSB P4 CPU's of today, choose a motherboard based on the SpringDale i865PE or CanterWood i875P chipsets.

The ABIT IC7, IC7-MAX3, IS7, Asus P4P800 or P4C800-E Deluxe are your premiere choices of motherboards. Skimping on the motherboard can lead to problems down the road, so its' best to invest in something reliable, which these 5 models are.

Memory wise? Minimum 2x256 MB of any PC3200 DDR SDRAM. Why? First, if your friend isn't overclocking, he doesn't need anything faster. Second, P4's love memory bandwidth and require that Dual-Channel DDR be engaged in order to get the best performance from the system. Single-Channel DDR cannot provide adequate memory bandwidth to the CPU, and your system will slow down due to the CPU being starved of data.

Memory brands? Buffalo, Corsair XMS, Kingston HyperX or, if you are in a pinch, even Apacer works.

CPU of choice: the 2.6 is the cheapest & slowest P4 available today (well, AFAIK they discontinued the 2.4).

Video card: Depending on budget, a 9500 Pro, 9600XT or a refurbished 9700/9700 Pro all make great budget cards and offer adequate performance (still damned impressive). :)

[Geeky1]

Tell your friend that he has a rectal cranial inversion problem, and that he may want to consult with a proctologist to aid in finding his head.

The P4-C is a decent CPU, but it is not a budget processor by any means. ANY other current Intel chip is a waste of money. The P4-Celeron is crippled, and the P4-B/-As are too slow for their price.

Regardless, if your friend insists on keeping his head up his @ss, get an ABIT IS7 and some good ram; I hear the Corsair XMS is great for the P4... Corsair is another obvious choice. Samsung ram is great, but it doesn't always overclock very well.

[SimGuy]

Geeky1 had this to say
Tell your friend that he has a rectal cranial inversion problem, and that he may want to consult with a proctologist to aid in finding his head.

The P4-C is a decent CPU, but it is not a budget processor by any means. ANY other current Intel chip is a waste of money. The P4-Celeron is crippled, and the P4-B/-As are too slow for their price.

Regardless, if your friend insists on keeping his head up his @ss, get an ABIT IS7 and some good ram; I hear the Corsair XMS is great for the P4... Corsair is another obvious choice. Samsung ram is great, but it doesn't always overclock very well.

Maybe this could explain my headaches...

[EgoShowcase]

If you want Cheap fast ram you could get geil ram. Its a reliable ram if you get a working stick.(havent tried it out tho, info from the reviews)
Or you could spend the extra $ and get Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200C2PT - OEM.
It hasent let me down yet and on a nf7s mobo ive got the timeings to 2-2-2-3

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?DEPA=1&sumit=Go&description=20%2D144%2D305&searchdepa=1

Edit: Link for Corsair.
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?DEPA=1&sumit=Go&description=20%2D145%2D420&searchdepa=1

[Geeky1]

Yeah, probably.

Don't get me wrong, SimGuy. I like the P4-C; I've been wanting one for a while. But spending $170 on a CPU for a system I'd build just for the hell of it is out of the question. I want one, but not that badly.

However, it is NOT a budget CPU. It's just not. Anyone that wants a budget gaming system should pick up a NF7-S, an 1800+ JIUHB DLT3C, a SLK-900, a 66CFM YSTech fan, a decent case & PS, and a Radeon 9500 or better.

[Geeky1]

Its a reliable ram if you get a working stick.

ROFL. ;D ;D ;D

[EgoShowcase]

Check the reviews. Like wining the lotery. Thers a chane of geting a good one

[SimGuy]

Some people just don't trust AMD. Don't ask me why they don't, as they make kick-ass products, but some people are set in their ways enough to only want Intel products.

An example of Marketing over Engineering at its finest.

Budget Gaming System? P4 2.0B, i865PE, Retail heatsink, dual-channel DDR266 and Radeon 9500 Pro.

[EgoShowcase]

Yea thay just want name brand products. I once was that was (ask clutch) but i have seen the light and it is AMD

[Geeky1]

You thought about just putting an AMD chip in it and not telling them, and seeing how long it takes them to notice?

By the way, I'm not arguing with your point on Geil RAM, I just think saying "it's great, if it works" is very funny.

[GHoosdum]

AMD is a name brand... ;)

AMD has actually been around longer than Intel.

[SimGuy]

GHoosdum had this to say
AMD is a name brand... ;)

AMD has actually been around longer than Intel.

Company creation dates,

Intel, July 18, 1968.

AMD, May 1, 1969.

;)

[Geeky1]

Actually, SimGuy, a budget Intel system is a:
1.7GHz Celeron
Via P4M-266 board
128MB PC2100
Integrated graphics, audio, LAN
20GB 5400RPM HD
52x CD
Cheapest case & ps you can find
No case fans

Hey, it's a gaming system... it'll run stuff at 320x240 in 16 colors :D

In all seriousness, if he HAS to have Intel, get him a P3. What is his budget? Are we talking a $300 budget system, or a $1500 "budget" system?

[SimGuy]

Geeky1 had this to say
Actually, SimGuy, a budget Intel system is a:
1.7GHz Celeron
Via P4M-266 board
128MB PC2100
Integrated graphics, audio, LAN
20GB 5400RPM HD
52x CD
Cheapest case & ps you can find
No case fans

Hey, it's a gaming system... it'll run stuff at 320x240 in 16 colors :D

In all seriousness, if he HAS to have Intel, get him a P3. What is his budget? Are we talking a $300 budget system, or a $1500 "budget" system?

And I suppose a comparable AMD budget gaming system would be a K5 PR133 processor with 32 MB of FP 70ns DRAM with onboard Rage Pro Turbo graphics?

Duron -vs- Celeron.
AXP -vs- P3/P4.
A64 -vs- P4, P4EE & Xeon.

Remember, the P4 2.0's don't get smacked by the Tualatin's @ 1.4. It's only under 2.0 that the P4's get smacked around, and even still that's only the Willamettes. The FSB bump and cache enhancements gave the P4 Northwood added strength to distance itself from the Tualatin, sealing the fate of the P3 once and for all.

Checked the price on a Tualatin and an FC-PGA2 motherboard lately? Oh yeah... SDR PC133 8ns really sucks for bandwidth. So does ATA/66.

Anyways, back on topic. Cheap Intel systems can be had, but not for as cheap as comperable AMD systems.

[Geeky1]

My Tualatin FC-PGA board was $90. It has DDR, supports dual CPUs, up to 4gb of unregistered DDR, AGP 4x, ATA-100, and 2 ATA-100 RAID ports. My Tualatin Celeron was $43. And it'll outperform a <2GHz P4.

[Bud]

Geeky1 where did you get the dual mobo and can celerons run dual normally or did you have to mod?

[Geeky1]

Newegg refurbished, and Celerons cannot run dual CPUs, period.

Only the early (~300MHz) slot Celerons could. Every one since then has been set up to not allow it, and there's no way to enable it.

I bought the dual CPU board so I could upgrade to dual P3-1.4S CPUs when they come down in price.

[SimGuy]

Umm.... remember the ABIT BP6?

i440BX dual Socket 370 motherboard?

You could run PPGA Celeron CPU's in dual on that board, all the way up 1000 MHz (max multiplier settings for the BP6 were 133x8.)

[Geeky1]

Hmm. My mistake. I didn't think the PPGA Celerons were SMP-capable. I know they locked them soon thereafter, though.

But to get back on topic, depending on your friend's budget, they may really be much better off with an AMD system. How much were they looking at spending?

[GHoosdum]

Wow looks like SimGuy got us both with the knowledge today! hehehe

Doesn't change the facts: AMD is lower priced for a similar performance level, 95% of the time.

[Josh-]

Geeky1 had this to say
Tell your friend that he has a rectal cranial inversion problem, and that he may want to consult with a proctologist to aid in finding his head.

The P4-C is a decent CPU, but it is not a budget processor by any means. ANY other current Intel chip is a waste of money. The P4-Celeron is crippled, and the P4-B/-As are too slow for their price.

Regardless, if your friend insists on keeping his head up his @ss, get an ABIT IS7 and some good ram; I hear the Corsair XMS is great for the P4... Corsair is another obvious choice. Samsung ram is great, but it doesn't always overclock very well.
Why Intel! :( WHY!

This budget system,..you know what the moneys going to right?
Look down..
\/ \/ \/

[MrWynd]

how bout this mobo:

ABIT Intel 848P Chipset Motherboard for Pentium 4 Processors, Model "IS7-V" RETAIL ($82)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-161&catalog=280&depa=1

and this memory x2:

Buffalo Technology 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM x2 ($38 x2)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-150-596&catalog=147&depa=1

[MrWynd]

if anyone would like to give an example of an AMD system to compare this setup to, I can show it to my friend.

[Geeky1]

What's his budget? I'll see what I can come up with if you'll give me a budget...

Regardless, if he ABSOLUTELY HAS to have a P4, get him an i865PE board, and the RAM is going to depend on the system... is he going to overclock?

[keto]

The IS7-V is the crippled/partially disabled SINGLE channel version of the 865, the chipset is known as 848XX so no go, or at least not recommended compared to dual channel.

[SimGuy]

MrWynd had this to say
how bout this mobo:

ABIT Intel 848P Chipset Motherboard for Pentium 4 Processors, Model &quot;IS7-V&quot; RETAIL ($82)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-161&amp;catalog=280&amp;depa=1

and this memory x2:

Buffalo Technology 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM x2 ($38 x2)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-150-596&amp;catalog=147&amp;depa=1

No. To put it bluntly, that motherboard is an underperforming piece of ****.

Like I said before, pair the P4 with an i865PE motherboard.

ABIT IS7 or ASUS P4P800.

The memory... it's fine. As long as you purchase 2 sticks of PC3200 for dual channel operation. If your friend isn't overclocking, that memory is good stuff. :)

[SimGuy]

GHoosdum had this to say
Wow looks like SimGuy got us both with the knowledge today! hehehe

Doesn't change the facts: AMD is lower priced for a similar performance level, 95% of the time.

That I can't dispute, as it's the cold, hard truth. :D

[Geeky1]

Simguy, when did they start disabling SMP in the Celerons?

[MrWynd]

this PC is for someone who is new to PCs so no overclocking or special functioning. so far the budget is 800 bucks. this includes an entire PC (monitor, mouse/keyboard...no printer)

doesnt need a modem, just a network card.

[Thrax]

$800 for the WHOLE shebang, and your friend wants an Intel?

<i>Bzzzzt.</i> That does not compute. <i>Bzzzzt.</i>

[MrWynd]

update: the budget is 900 to 1k, and hes already got a HDD for it.

[Geeky1]

Ok... you were going to get everything from Newegg, I assume?

[SimGuy]

Antec SX1040II SOHO Mid-Tower, 10 DB's, 400W PSU, Black, ATX
Antec TruePower 400W PSU Included With Chassis
ABIT IS7, I865PE, AGP8x, SATA, Audio, LAN, 2xDDR400, Socket 478, ATX
Intel Pentium 4 2600C, 800 MHz FSB, 512 KB L2, Socket 478, Retail
Retail Intel Heatsink & Fan Cooling Unit
256 MB PC3200 Corsair Value Select, CAS2.5
256 MB PC3200 Corsair Value Select, CAS2.5
Sapphire Radeon 9500 Pro, 128 MB DDR, AGP8x, Bulk OEM
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 PCI, OEM
Onboard Intel PHY 10/100 Network Interface Jack
Hard Disk Provided By User
Lite-On 16x DVD-ROM Drive, Black, OEM
Lite-On 52x32x52 CD-ReWriter Drive, Black, OEM
Samsung 3.5" Floppy Drive, Black, OEM
NEC/Mitsubishi DiamondPro 930SB 19" Aperture Grille CRT, 0.24ag, Black

The bad news? $1,073.00 USD in total (no taxes, shipping, special prices, etc.) All parts priced from NewEgg.com

[SimGuy]

Looks not too shabby from the outside either :D

[Geeky1]

I'll throw an AMD parts list together tomorrow morning, but for $1k, you should be able to get something around a 2400+, 9500 pro, and 1gb of ddr

[SimGuy]

For that money... probably an NF7-S, AXP 2600+ or 2800+ Barton, 2x512MB Corasair XMS3200-LL, SLK800 & ThermalTake SmartFan II, along with the rest of the setup, minus the sound-card.

[Geeky1]

Not from Newegg...

[SimGuy]

Well, not the SLK800 or the TT-SF2, but the RAM, board & CPU seem right on the money (as far as I can tell anyways...).. :confused:

I'm sure we could find an SLK800 & TT-SF2 that comes in under $78.00 USD, as that would eliminate the cost varience of the sound-card.

[MrWynd]

newegg yes...

some good onboard sound will be enough. this is a PC for a computer newbie.

[MrWynd]

oh and we've already got a CD-burner for em, dont need a DVD anything in this PC

[SimGuy]

Cut out the sound card and both optical drives and you are looking at $900 USD for the whole Intel shebang...

[drasnor]

Geeky1 had this to say
Simguy, when did they start disabling SMP in the Celerons?

I have a buddy with a BP6, and the basic consensus is only the PPGA Celerons are SMP-capable, though Intel says otherwise. They "fixed the error" in the FC-PGA Celerons.

The BP6 doesn't support dual Tualatins yet, but the P2B-DS does after a couple hacks (see http://tipperlinne.com/p2bmod)

-drasnor :fold:

[SimGuy]

drasnor had this to say
Geeky1 had this to say
Simguy, when did they start disabling SMP in the Celerons?

I have a buddy with a BP6, and the basic consensus is only the PPGA Celerons are SMP-capable, though Intel says otherwise. They &quot;fixed the error&quot; in the FC-PGA Celerons.

The BP6 doesn't support dual Tualatins yet, but the P2B-DS does after a couple hacks (see http://tipperlinne.com/p2bmod)

-drasnor :fold:

I remember the day's of my BP6 and dual PPGA Celeron 533's, tear-assing it up in Quake 3 with a GeForce 256 SDR on Win2K. :D

Humm...

Geeky, only the PPGA Celeron's (300 MHz to 533 Mhz) can be used in SMP mode.

[Geeky1]

What speed did they make the ppga celerons up to? 533? (I think that's what it was)

[SimGuy]

Geeky1 had this to say
What speed did they make the ppga celerons up to? 533? (I think that's what it was)

PPGA, Socket 370 Celeron A's (128 KB L2), code name Mendocino, were available at 300, 333, 366, 400, 433, 466, 500 and 533 MHz.

Only MMX. No SSE.

[Geeky1]

Eww. Well, there goes my hopes for upgrading my print server to dual celerons. 533MHz x2. Yuck.

[drasnor]

Geeky1 had this to say
Eww. Well, there goes my hopes for upgrading my print server to dual celerons. 533MHz x2. Yuck.

That's before the extreme overclocking. Those are 66MHz FSB processors, and the BP6 is jumper-selectable up to 133MHz.

-drasnor :fold:

[Geeky1]

I wouldn't buy a BP6. I've got a board I'd put them in already- a MSI Pro 266TD Master-LR, which is a Via Pro266A board. It has no voltage adjustments, so overclocking is somewhat limited at best.

[rdwitty]

These are things to look for when getting memory:
1. Check what kind is needed for the card (DDR seems to be the most popular today..but check the number after the name ex. DDR 400)

2.Check CAS latency
best way to go is CAS 2.5 or CAS 2 (CAS 2 is better performing)

3. Go name brand.
make sure the company is a known company(I've dealt with unknown memory companies with bad results)

[Geeky1]

Well, without knowing what state you're in, here it is without tax or shipping:

Cables - Round
Antec Cobra A26 Round 133 ATA Cable Model 77226 Retail
Specifications:
40-pin 80-conductor cable, ATA133/100/66/33 compliant for high speed data transfer
Highly flexible 26" round cable (16" + 10") with two device connections, one motherboard connector.
Wrapped with nylon mesh plastic tubing for maximum air flow improvement.
Shielded with aluminum foil and braided silver mesh with ground, for maximum shielding.
N82E16812105001 $12.00
$24.00

Antec Cobra F16 Round FDD Cable Model 77216 Retail
Specifications:
Highly flexible 16" round cable with one device connector, one motherboard connector
Wrapped with nylon mesh tubing for maximum air flow improvement
N82E16812105003 $7.00


Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)
Antec Performance Series II Mid Tower Case With 350W Power Supply,Model:SX835II,Retail.
Specification:
Case Type:Mid-Tower
Color: White
Material: 1.0 SECC
Drive Bays: 3x5.25'',5x3.5''
Expansion Slot: 7
Front Ports: USBx2,IEEE1394 x1
Power Supply: 350W(SL350)SmartPower
Cooling System: 80mm Fan Rear(Standard) x2,Front(Optional) x2,Sidepanel(Optional) x1
Mainboard Compatibility: Standard ATX
Dimensions: 20.6''x8.1''x18.6''(440x206x472mm)
Special Features: Removable Side Panels and Cages for 3.5'' drives.
N82E16811129119 $82.00

Fans, Heatsinks (Case, CPU, Chipset)
Thermaltake Highest Performance SMART and SILENT Volcano 9 CPU Cooler,Application for Socket A/370.
Specification:
Compatibility: Socket A/370
Dimensions: Heat sink:80x80x25 mm, Fan:80x80x77.3 mm
Bearing Type: Two Ball Bearing
Nominal Speed(RPM): 1300~4800
Max Air Flow:(CFM): 20.55~75.7
Max Pressure: 1.45~8.43 mmH2O
Heat Sink Material: Copper
Rated Voltage: 12 V DC
Connector: 3 Pin
Noise(dBA): 17~48
N82E16835106017 $21.99
$21.99

Thermaltake Smart Case fan II With "CoolMod",Variable Fan Speed Controlled by Temperature Sensor.
Specification:
Compatibility: Case
Dimensions: 80x80x25(mm)
Bearing Type: 2 Ball Bearing
Nominal Speed(RPM): 1300/4800
Max Air Flow:(CFM): 20.55/75.7
Max Pressure: 1.45/8.43 mm H2O
Heat Sink Material: N/A
Rated Voltage: 12V DC
Connector: 3 Pin
Noise(dBA): 17/48
N82E16835999113 $9.20
$9.35 @1pc
$9.3 ea.@2+
$9.2 ea.@5+
$9 ea.@10+
$46.00

Floppy Drives
SAMSUNG SFD321B/LEB 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, OEM Driver Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 1.44MB
Average Access Time: not specified
Interface: 34 Pin Standard Floppy Connector
Form: 3.5 inch
Media Type: All Standard 1.44MB & 720KB 3.5 Floppy Diskettes
Features: Easy to Install, Just Plug & Play, For IBM5 & 100% Compatible Computers
Remark: OEM 1 Year Warranty more info>
N82E16821103202 $5.59

Keyboards
Logitech Deluxe (Classic) Keyboard PS2 104keys --OEM
Specifications:
Interface: PS2
Number Of Keys: 104 keys
Wireless Technology: N/A
Palm Rest: detachable
Design Style: standard
Mouse included: N/A
N82E16823126134 $7.00

Memory (System Memory)
SimpleTech 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-2700 -OEM
Specification
Manufacturer: SimpleTech
Speed: DDR333(PC2700)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 2.7GB/s
Organization: 64M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime
N82E16820150316 $67.00

Monitors - CRT
Special!
AOC 9GLR (Beige) 19" CRT Monitor Retail
CRT Type: 19" (18" viewable), FST CRT
Dot Pitch: 0.21mm(h) mask dot pitch
Max / Optimal resolution: 1600x1200 @ 75Hz / 1280x1024
Frequency / Bandwidth:Horizontal: 30K~95KHz / 200MHz
Dimensions & Weight: 17.6"x17.2"x17.9" (WxHxD), 40lbs.
N82E16824160107 $145.00

Motherboards - AMD
Albatron nForce2 Ultra 400 Motherboard for AMD Processors, Model "KX18D PRO" Retail
Specifications:
Supported CPU: AMD Athlon/Athlon XP/Duron/Barton Processor(Socket A)
Chipset: nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP, Winbond W83627HF(I/O Chip)
FSB: 200/266/333/400MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM support DDR400/333/266/200 up to 3GB(Single Channel), up to 2GB(Dual Channel)
IDE: 2x ATA133 channels, up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 3.0 4X/8X, 6x PCI
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,1xLAN,6xUSB2.0(Rear 2),1xGAME and Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6 Channel Audio Codec
Onboard LAN: LAN PHY ICS1893AF 10/100Mbps Ethernet
Form Factor: ATX
N82E16813170113 $59.00

Mouse
Logitech MX310 Optical Mouse USB/PS2 --Retail
Specifications:
Interface: USB/PS2
Number Of Buttons: 6x Buttons + 1x Wheel
Optical/Ball: Optical/800dpi
Wireless Technology: N/A
Features: Logitech MX Optical Engine, Zip back and forth between open documents with the handy Quick Switch button, Use two convenient buttons to navigate forward and back in your web browser, Easily scroll through long documents, without having to move your mouse an inch
N82E16826104136 $28.00

Processors
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - OEM
Specification
Model: AMD Athlon XP 2500+
Core: Barton
Operating Frequency: 1.83GHz
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: OEM(Processor Only)
N82E16819103378 $86.00

Software - Operating Systems
**This item is NOT REFUNDABLE, exchange for same exact item only!!**
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack SP1a - OEM Designed exclusively for home computing. From digital photos, music, and video to building a home network, Windows XP Home Edition brings you into the digital age with ease. Built on the solid foundation of Windows 2000, Windows XP Home Edition also sets the new standard in efficient and dependable computing.
*Must be Purchased with Hardware!!*
N82E16837102141 $91.00

Speakers
Logitech Z-340 2.1 Speakers Retail
Specifications:
Configuration: 2.1
Power Output: 33 watts RMS(Satellite speaker power output:6.5 watts RMS per channel;Subwoofer power output:20 watts RMS)
Frequency Response: 35Hz -20kHz
Signal to noise ratio: >85dB
Remote: N/A
Features: Innovative subwoofer, Stylish satellites stand on desk or mount on wall, Satellite speakers provide smooth mid and high frequencies, Dual chamber subwoofer plays louder and goes lower for unbelievable bass
N82E16836121102 $43.00


Video Cards
SAPPHIRE RADEON 9500PRO, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, BULK
Specifications:
Chipset/Core Speed: RADEON 9500PRO/275MHz
Memory/Effective Speed: 128MB DDR/540MHz
BUS: AGP 1X/2X/4X/8X
Ports: VGA Out(15 Pin D-Sub)+TV-Out(S-Video)+DVI connector
Support 3D API: DirectX®9, OpenGL®2.0
Cable/Accessories: VGA via DVI Adapter, 2 Cables, Driver CD
Max Resolution@32bit Color: 2048X1536@85Hz
N82E16814102258 $178.00


Subtotal » $957.58

----------------------NOTES----------------------
The Antec case I chose is actually BETTER than the larger one SimGuy posted. It's closer to the one I have, which is the SX1240. The Advantage the 1240 and 835 have is that they have a third intake fan in the hard drive cage (the top hard drive cage, in the case of the 1240), so the ENTIRE motherboard is getting more-or-less direct airflow from the intake fans. With the SX1040/1080 etc., the lack of the third fan means that it does not cool as well as the 835/1240.

Also note that the 350w PS in that case is excellent. It's AMD approved, and it's a great PS. I've had a 2500+ to 2.37GHz on one of the Antec SL350 PSes before, and it would've gone higher, but it was motherboard limited. That PS is more than adequate for all but the most loaded systems. Even my dually (2 2500s, 4 7200RPM HDDs, R9700 Pro, 1GB DDR, 8 case fans, etc.) will run off of a 400w Antec PS (although I use a 550w TrueControl in it for daily use; the 400w is a backup unit).

If you can get the regular SmartFan2 as a case fan, do it. The difference is that the CoolMod is ~$0.75 more, and has LEDs on it. The LEDs are unnecessary, so I'd save the money. Regardless, the SF2 is THE BEST 80x25mm fan on the market, period. Set up all 5 with the thermal control feature, and do the same with the one on the CPU heatsink, and your friend will have a quiet system with a hell of a lot of cooling power should he ever need it.

The Volcano 9+ is a decent heatsink. It is NOT in the same league as Thermalright's SLKs, but it's a lot cheaper, and it does a fine job. I've run 1.4GHz Athlon Thunderbirds on it, and it keeps them below 45*C at all times. And the 1.4 T-Birds run hotter than any other AMD chip ever, except maybe the 2100+ Palomino and 2200+ TBred A (I've run the V9+ on a 2200+ TBred A, too, btw, and it's just as good on there).

I consider rounded cables a necessity for today's systems. I use them in ALL the systems I build and recommend to people, because they do have an impact on temperatures, and are very inexpensive.