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

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Comments

  • edited December 2003
    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.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    $800 for the WHOLE shebang, and your friend wants an Intel?

    <i>Bzzzzt.</i> That does not compute. <i>Bzzzzt.</i>
  • edited December 2003
    update: the budget is 900 to 1k, and hes already got a HDD for it.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    Ok... you were going to get everything from Newegg, I assume?
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    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
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    Looks not too shabby from the outside either :D
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    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
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    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.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    Not from Newegg...
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    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.
  • edited December 2003
    newegg yes...

    some good onboard sound will be enough. this is a PC for a computer newbie.
  • edited December 2003
    oh and we've already got a CD-burner for em, dont need a DVD anything in this PC
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    Cut out the sound card and both optical drives and you are looking at $900 USD for the whole Intel shebang...
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    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:
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    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 "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:

    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.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    What speed did they make the ppga celerons up to? 533? (I think that's what it was)
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited December 2003
    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.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    Eww. Well, there goes my hopes for upgrading my print server to dual celerons. 533MHz x2. Yuck.
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    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:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    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.
  • rdwittyrdwitty Upstate New York
    edited December 2003
    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)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    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.
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