Reply With QuoteI really would go with a gig of RAM if I were you. 512 megs is quickly becoming not enough (for example, Battlefield 1942, and WOW in BattleGrounds).
<Rampant Fronting>
I guess it's not really *new*, since I'm going with a P4. The cheapest 800 FSB/HT P4 NewEgg has in stock. I'd prefer to get an Athlon 64, but it, and the other stuff it needs (better mobo, at least 1GB of ram) are more than what I want to spend. My budget for the main stuff (listed below) was $600. I came in just under the wire.
Pentium 4 520 Prescott @ 2.8 ghz
ECS Socket T Intel 915P mobo
Corsair 512MB (256x2) DDR2 dual-channel ram
Sapphire Radeon X600Pro 256MB PCI-Ex16
Seagate Barracuda 80GB SATA150 hard drive
Sony DVD-rom drive
Sony DVD burner
Codegen case w/400W power supply
Total - $577. I still need a copy of Windows (blargh), mouse, keyboard, and speakers. Those I can get at Wal-Mart or Staples. I already have a monitor.
If anyone can suggest better DVD-rom/DVD-RW drives that can read/write subchannel data (for bad, bad things) and do not cost an arm and a leg, I'd appreciate it. Also, what brand of system RAM would you reccomend? I picked the Corsair because the name is familiar and it was cheap. I only put 512 in there since the vid card has 256. Figured that would be enough for last-gen games like Morrowind. Have any of you ever used an ECS mobo? I've never heard of the company. I picked that one because it was the cheapest LGA 775 with a PCI-Ex16 slot. Should I spend the extra money on one of the Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, or Abit models?
Overall what, do you think? I won't be playing HL2 or Doom 3 with max settings (not with only 512 system ram), but I figured it would be a decent start, considering I have to build completely from scratch (except for the monitor) and keep costs down. I haven't ordered this stuff yet, but I probably will tomorrow, so any comments or suggestions are appreciated.
can't wake up
I really would go with a gig of RAM if I were you. 512 megs is quickly becoming not enough (for example, Battlefield 1942, and WOW in BattleGrounds).
Lover, I Don't Have Time
I agree with Diffx. 512mb is practically now the minimum requirement for today's PC's. Heck, when I get around to building another rig, I'm just going for 2GB and getting it over with.
I would also suggest that you pick up a power supply. Yes, the case you're getting comes with it but it's almost never a good idea to stick with the stock PSU. It's the most important component in your PC and to have a crap PSU in there is a real risk.
Play Guitar Hero //
Old Country Doctor
You also don't need 2 dvd drives. The writer will read DVDs just fine. That'll save you 60 bucks or so. Spend that $60 on another 512mb of ram.
Sure ain't. I recently upgraded my RAM total from 1.2 gigs to 1.5...(and I STILL want more).Originally Posted by diffusionx
<Rampant Fronting>
It's only $30 more for the 512x2 set from Corsair. I'll definitely be getting that instead.
Good point. I read that I should use a 24-pin power plug on the mobo I picked out, and I doubt that stock PS has one. Rosewill power supplies seem to be popular. I'll check them out.I would also suggest that you pick up a power supply. Yes, the case you're getting comes with it but it's almost never a good idea to stick with the stock PSU. It's the most important component in your PC and to have a crap PSU in there is a real risk.
can't wake up
Im currently brainstorming a PC, here are the specs Im throwing out. I plan to have it finalized in September:
AMD Athlon64 3000+ (itll be the last component I buy, so Ill get the one that is fastest within my price range at the time).
MSI K8N Neo-4 F mobo (PCI Express)
2 gigs of RAM - PC3200.
250gig Hitachi Deskstar
Antec Sonata PC case
Nvidia GeForce 6600GT card
Zailman CPU fan
DVD burner I have in my system now
This is dead on what I am eyeing later this year or early next year as well, except I am sticking with an ATI GPU.
can't wake up
ATI can eat my nuts.
That is quite possible.
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