Building a new system

[Mark Holtz]

Well, it looks like I'm going to have to build a new box. The e-machine that I'm currently using will be going to my mother, and since I prefer building my own custom system rather than buying a pre-packaged system. Since it's been a while I need some recommendations, and I'm going by Pricewatch prices...

Here's what I'm looking at so far:
CPU: Looking at spending ~$150. This gives me a Athlon XP 2100, MP 1600, or a Pentium 4 1.8 GHz
Memory: probably 2x512MB sticks
Drive Allocation:
Primary Master-I will be reusing an old EIDE hard drive (Quantum 13 GB) until I can upgrade to a larger drive. I think it's a ATA/66 drive. However, the drive will be located in a removable drive bracket for other OS experimentation.
Primary Slave-None
Secondary Master-LG Electronics GCC-4120 Combo-Retail package.
Secondary Slave-CD-ROM drive that I have laying around
Motherboard: Any recommendations? No on-board video, maybe on-board sound if it's good. I should be able to upgrade the CPU when the prices drop. Legacy support for Printer and modem. Have had good experience with ASUS motherboards.
Video Card: MPEG-2 Decoder for DVD playback. Possible video still capture. Possibly some game playing.
Soundcard: Playback of MP3 files, audio from DVDs.
Monitor: Will use existing monitor.

Help!!!!

[MarkA]

"CPU: Looking at spending ~$150. This gives me a Athlon XP 2100, MP 1600, or a Pentium 4 1.8 GHz"

The Athlon XP 2100+ by far!

"Memory: probably 2x512MB sticks"

Nice, get DDR2100 for the best deal

"Primary Master-I will be reusing an old EIDE hard drive (Quantum 13 GB) until I can upgrade to a larger drive. I think it's a ATA/66 drive. However, the drive will be located in a removable drive bracket for other OS experimentation.
Primary Slave-None"

If that's enough space for you. With that much RAM, you might as well drop it to 512 and put the money towards a decent sized drive.

"Motherboard: Any recommendations? No on-board video, maybe on-board sound if it's good. I should be able to upgrade the CPU when the prices drop. Legacy support for Printer and modem. Have had good experience with ASUS motherboards."

MS K7T266Pro2 (I think that's the model). It's nice. Very nice. No onboard video. Crappy onboard sound, so disable it and get a real sound card (they all have onboard sound these days, but it's easily deactivated in the BIOS)

"Video Card: MPEG-2 Decoder for DVD playback. Possible video still capture. Possibly some game playing."

For capture, get an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 7500 (I LOVE it!!!), for cheap, get an ATI Radeon 8500

"Soundcard: Playback of MP3 files, audio from DVDs"

Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. No choice. It's cheap ($79) AND the best sounding.

[Mark Holtz]

Yeah, some of the stuff is compromose. I really DONT want to skimp on some of this stuff, however, this came all of a sudden. Rather than try to patch my mothers Pentium 200 machine, I'm going to let her have my e-machine. (Long story, I prefer to build my own boxes).

You're absolutely right. 13GB will not be enough long term, but will get me up and running in the short term. I will need to upgrade the hard drive.

So far, I've read some good reviews about the ASUS A7S333 (http://usa.asus.com/mb/socketa/a7s333/overview.htm). It includes on-board sound (C-media, not AC97), and has no on-board media, plus can handle practically any processor that AMD puts out. Still looking at a few other manufacturers.

Still looking.... I've got a few weeks.

[Steve Mehs]

FWIW, I have a 13GB HD and have only used 4 gigs, 1gig of which are MP3's. But it all depends on what you do and what you save to your HD. I save hardly anything to my HD but rather I packet write on CDRWs.

[Bogy]

Go for the RAM initially and do the HD later. Wait a month or two and you'll get another 40 gigs for the same money. :D

[MarkA]

"C-media, not AC97"

Even the Cmedia is processor intensive and bad sounding. Put out the $79 for a Santa Cruz, you won't regret it (it's an awesome card). Just know the vXd drivers are terrible, but as long as you're using 2000 or XP (WDM drivers, and a far better OS) this isn't an issue.

[Mark Holtz]

Anyone got any suggestions for Socket A motherboard that also has serial, parallel, and PS/2 keyboard/mouse ports?

[MarkA]

Try the MS K7T266Pro2, or the MSI KT4 Ultra if you want to go all out.

[Mark Holtz]

I'm doing some more research. Fortunately, I don't have to rush on this....

Tom's Hardware (http://www17.tomshardware.com/mainboard/02q2/020509/kt333-18.html) gave very high marks to the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP. Once again, it has a on-board sound, but it's a Creative CT5880 audio. Motherboards.org (http://www.motherboards.org/articlesd/motherboard-reviews/1152_1.html) also gave the board high marks. ExHardware (http://www.exhardware.com/reviews.php?Id=86) also gave it a good review. Tweaktown (http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=211) said the same thing. Any comments about this manufacturer?

What makes it annoying is that, unlike video card reviews, it's harder to find reviews for motherboards.

I also did some looking around. So far, I like one mid-size case that not only has enough drive bays, it also has a detachable door which is lockable and two additional fans in the back-a must.

[Mark Holtz]

Hmmm.... a list of reviews is at http://www.mbreview.com/links.php?op=viewslink&sid=156

[MarkA]

Don't worry about onboard audio. They almost all have it, but it just takes one click in the BIOS to disable it, and you can use a real card like the Santa Cruz.

[Mark Holtz]

I'll probably add the sound card later. We'll see.

[Mark Holtz]

Just because it was the fourth of July was a good excuse to do some looking at the computer stores....

What I'm upgrading from: A Celeron 566 eMachine upgraded from 64MB to 256MB of RAN. It has both a regular CD-ROM drive and a combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive. However, it doesn't have enough omph for what I need it to do. Since my mother's Pentium 200 is starting to fail, I'm going to five her the e-machine and build my own box. The parts from her old box will give me yet another box to play around with for networking.

Case: I saw a NICE mid-sized ATX case with a 300W power supply at a computer shop. It has four 5" slots and two 3-1/2" slots for drives, plus two internal fans to keep things cool. After 15 years of unscrewing cases, this one has a nice removable side panel.

Motherboard:
Primary choice: Gigabyte GZ-7VRXP (http://www.mbreview.com/links.php?op=viewslink&sid=156)
Secondary choice: ASUS A7V333 (http://www.mbreview.com/links.php?op=viewslink&sid=158)
Both motherboards seem to be top-ranked motherboards, and have RAID support as well. Slight edge to the Gibabyte because of the internal Creative audio chip rather than the C-Media chip and a on-board LAN. If worse comes to worse, I can always disable the audio and go to a secondary audio board.

CPU: Probably Athlon XP 2100 (~$167). However, if things prove tight, I can downgrade to a slower processor and upgrade to a faster one later.

Memory: 512MB PC2700 $93. Looks like I don't need a pair of memory sticks unlike previous motherboards.

Video: Probably a Retail Boxed ATI Radeon 8500. $194 according to Insight. Tempted by the GeForce 4 cards, but I'm not a hard core gamer. The Radeon should provide omph to play back DVDs plus be powerful enough for some game playing.

Hard drive: Will reuse a Quantum 13GB ATA/66 HD for now, upgraded to a faster speed drive later. Will mount drive internally.
CD-ROM: Will reuse a 50x CD-ROM drive. Will add a CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive.

OS: Windows XP OEM, probably Home Version. Heck, I might as well get familiar with it if Microsoft forces it down our customer's throats.

Monitor: Will reuse a MultiSync M500.

Future upgrades:
* CD-RW/DVD ROM combo. LG electronics seems to have a good drive.
* ATA/133 removal HD drive bracket. I fully intend on working on Linux, and I prefer drive swapping.
* Soundcard? Lets see how the internal one works first.

[MarkA]

"Case: I saw a NICE mid-sized ATX case with a 300W power supply at a computer shop. It has four 5" slots and two 3-1/2" slots for drives, plus two internal fans to keep things cool. After 15 years of unscrewing cases, this one has a nice removable side panel."

Cool

"Motherboard:
Primary choice: Gigabyte GZ-7VRXP (http://www.mbreview.com/links.php?op=viewslink&sid=156)
Secondary choice: ASUS A7V333 (http://www.mbreview.com/links.php?op=viewslink&sid=158)
Both motherboards seem to be top-ranked motherboards, and have RAID support as well. "

You really should check out MSI - awesome performance, great service, low prices. WWW.MSI.COM.TW

"Slight edge to the Gibabyte because of the internal Creative audio chip rather than the C-Media chip and a on-board LAN."

The C-Media is a lot better than that Creative.

"CPU: Probably Athlon XP 2100 (~$167). However, if things prove tight, I can downgrade to a slower processor and upgrade to a faster one later."

Good idea. The 2000+ is almost as fast, and a large amount cheaper

"Memory: 512MB PC2700 $93. Looks like I don't need a pair of memory sticks unlike previous motherboards."

No, of course not. You only need pairs with SIMMs, not DIMMs (and DIMMS replaced SIMMs a LONG time ago - your eMachine don't need pairs either, the Pentium 200 MIGHT)

"Video: Probably a Retail Boxed ATI Radeon 8500. $194 according to Insight. Tempted by the GeForce 4 cards, but I'm not a hard core gamer. The Radeon should provide omph to play back DVDs plus be powerful enough for some game playing."

Good choice. That Radeon is as powerful as a GeForce3 Ti500 for games, has better quality DVD and 2D video than any nVidia-based card.

"OS: Windows XP OEM, probably Home Version. Heck, I might as well get familiar with it if Microsoft forces it down our customer's throats."

Good choice, XP is significantly better than 2000 (and if you're still using 9x/Me it's infinitely better). One thing, the Pro is better, but not $100 better for most people. (I have pro though, and I'm glad)

"Soundcard? Lets see how the internal one works first."

Go all out, spend $79 on the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz. It's THE best sounding card available (though it doesn't have as good of on-the-fly positioning for games as the Creative crud (Creative cards have a lot of distortion), but it does have it).

[Mark Holtz]

MS K7T266Pro2 - http://www.mbreview.com/links.php?op=viewslink&sid=79
MSI KT4 Ultra - Can't find the exact motherboard match, but the list is at http://www.mbreview.com/links.php?op=viewlink&cid=14 . The manufacturer website is crashing at the moment.

Also, anyone know the difference between the OEM version of the CPU and a retail boxed CPU?

[MarkA]

Retail boxed CPUs are heatsink-fan combos.

[cnsf]

You also get a nice sticker (and a logo box).....

[Mark Holtz]

So, in the end, I would be paying the same because I have to add the heat sink grease and a cooling fan.

[MarkA]

Correct. For the CPU you might as well get a boxed one unless you want to overclock (need a bigger fan)

[MarkA]

"MSI KT4 Ultra - Can't find the exact motherboard match" That's because it's brand new. It's the KT400 chipset for 400MHz DDR SDRAM (which is why I said if you want to go all out)

[Mark Holtz]

Hmmmm.... what kind of a performance hit will I see if I go with 266MHz memory instead of a 333MHz?

[James_F]

Originally posted by Z'Loth
Hmmmm.... what kind of a performance hit will I see if I go with 266MHz memory instead of a 333MHz?

Check your Fry's ad, the 333Mhz is on sale here in Phoenix...

[CoriBright]

If you already have a couple of DIMMS and aren't ready for the DDR Simms, you could go for something like the ECS K7S5A motherboard which has two slots for PC133 Simms and two slots for faster DDR Simms. The slots can't be used simultaneously, but for $s saving, it will take any AMD processor (Socket A), has onboard sound and LAN. 1 4x AGP slot, and 5 x PCI slots. It's an excellent compromise if you have the SIMMS already. It will take up to 512mb SIMMs. more info at http://www.ecsusa.com

Definitely go with the build-your-own one. The pre-manufactured PCs (unless you go completely customized like Alienware which are pricey) are a load of c**p.

[MarkA]

Don't do it. DDR isn't much more, and you'll be happier in the long run if you set it up properly with DDR SDRAM. 266 vs 333? Not much in it for the price.

[James_F]

Originally posted by Mark
Don't do it. DDR isn't much more, and you'll be happier in the long run if you set it up properly with DDR SDRAM. 266 vs 333? Not much in it for the price.

Marks right (as usual), just buy what is cheaper. The bottleneck isn't with the RAM on these motherboards.

[Mark Holtz]

Kingston Memory-that should still be a good brand of RAM, right?

[Mark Holtz]

Hmmm.... there is a good resource for AMD motherboards at www.amdmb.com .

The Gigabyte appears to be experiencing some early revision glitches. A rev 2.0 should be available shortly. Fortunately, I don't have to buy the system immediately. :)

[Steve Mehs]

I picked up some RAM by PNY. Best Buy has 128megs for $50, that came out to $15 after rebates, I got 2 sticks to fill my machine up. Im going to install them tommorrow.

[MarkA]

Crucial is cheap mail order memory. And it's a good brand. As for Steve, that's a great deal! I do need somemore RAM. I would like to stick with Crucial, as it's what my box already is filled with.

[Hacker]

If you haven't bought anything for the new system yet and if you're gonna buy it online I suggest you check out www.newegg.com They have real nice prices and you can order alot of OEM parts for cheap, fast shipping also. If you are wishing to upgrade your OS now they have Windows XP full version for $90 with hardware purchase.

I recently built a computer using the MSI K7T266Pro2, very nice mobo for the price. Look up some reviews for a Soyo Dragon mobo, eveything I read about them has been very possitive, I wish I would have gotton a Soyo instead of an MSI. Crucial PC2100 DDR ram tested faster than other brands by Maximum PC magazine.

Has anyone ever been to www.pcpowerandcooling.com? I bought my case and power supply from them. It's a nice standard white case, I don't like those different color one's to much, with a removable modo tray which comes in very handy when installing mobo's.

-Mark

[Steve Mehs]

I browsed newegg before, great prices! TDK 16X DVD-ROM for $39! Cant beat that.

[gcutler]

It seems to me that the hot device is a very fast CD-RW or Combo DVD-ROM & CD-RW. So stand along DVD-ROMs like regular stand alone CD-ROM drives are very much becoming the lowest cost device to use (Perhaps becoming extinct compared to the combo units or stand alone CD-RWs???).

Can you even find a regular CD-ROM drive now a days?

[MarkA]

Hacker, I have heard the Soyo Dragon is good also - but I've heard it's not worth it, and has some bugs (I don't remember what so don't take my word for it). As for the RAM speed, it doesn't really matter how fast different brands are, they are all run at the same speed unless you overclock.

[Mark Holtz]

Sigh.... building a system from scratch is annoying, especially when the on-site reviews are geared for the hard-core gamer types who think the GeForece 4 is the greatest thing since sliced bread and who rank motherboards in terms of overclockability. Well, I'm not a hard core gamer type, but I think I know what direction I want to take...

Now, remember, with a few minor exceptions, NOTHING IS SET IN STONE and is subject to change.

Motherboard - Primary choice: Gigabyte GA-7VXRP Rev 2.0, Secondary: ASUS A7V-333

If you know what you're looking for, you can find a whole series of good boards, and the MSI boards aren't bad boards. ASUS has been a pet favorite, but got edged out by the Gigabyte because of the Creative sound chip, built-in LAN card, RAID (which I won't use, but if I decide to turn it into a server in a few years), and one particularly nice feature: Two BIOS chips. There is a main one which you can flash, and a backup read-only one which has a copy of the original BIOS. So, in case of a bad flash, it's recoverable. Also, you can flash upgrade the ROM and even do real-time performance tweaks through windows. However, the requirement is a revision 2.0 board--rev 1.x boards had some voltage problems that 2.0 fixed, plus, the new motherboard uses the internal thermal diode. However, I'm going to wait and see on this. I've got time.

Processor - AMD Athlon XP. I prefer to go to a 2100, but we'll see. Saw a nice demonstration of what happens if you don't put a heat sink on it.

Memory - Going with some 512MB DDR333/PC2700. Keeping an eye on Crucial here.

Video Card - Radeon 8500-RETAIL VERSION. I dropped the video capture part, and decided that I didn't need it that badly. I'm not that hard core of a game player, so I don't need a GeForce. What I want most is smooth playback from DVD. (Yeah, yeah, I already have a DVD player, still...)

Monitor - I'm still using my old reliable NEC M500 monitor. Those LCD displays look nice, though.

Sound Card - I'm going to wait and see. I don't forsee going beyond stereo sound, but one never knows whats going to happen. This is a computer, not home theater.

Hard Drive - Quantum 13GB AT/66. This is one of those items that at the top of list to replace.

CD-ROM-Secondary Master - I've got a 50x IDE CD-ROM that is collecting dust. Since some of those CD-ROMs prefer to look for the first CD-ROM, we'll put that there.

CD-ROM-Secondary Slave - LG Electronic GCC-4120 CD-RW/DVD Combo. Slower drive. Cheap drive. Good drive. Nothing fancy.

Case/Power Supply - Again, I saw some nice cases, some with power supplies, some without. I'm thinking that I will need at least a 300w, and if possible, 400W. I'm going to pick up a mid-tower with four 5-1/2" drive bays and two 3-1/2" drive bays that are user accessable. In addition, the internal bays hold up to six additional 3-1/2" drives, and are easily removable with a flick of the level.

OS - Initially, Win XP Home. But, I will be putting in a removable hard drive bay so that I can install Linux on another hard drive. (No drive partitioning for me).

ETA for purchase: August 12th.

[James_F]

Sounds great, I hope it works out. I'd like to see a DVD-ROM drive, but you can always add that later. I think we are going to see more software out on DVD because of space over the next year... My subscription for Microsoft MSDN Universal came on DVD this year rather than the 40 CD-Roms that it usually came on. That was a huge improvement....

[MarkA]

"What I want most is smooth playback from DVD. (Yeah, yeah, I already have a DVD player, still...)"

Well you picked the right card. I have an AIW Radeon 7500 and can tell you DVD is as smooth as imaginable, and that image quality is just incredible.

"Saw a nice demonstration of what happens if you don't put a heat sink on it."

Fun, isn't it:) All processors generate that much heat running full speed. It's just the Pentium 4's automatically downclock when they start to overheat.

"Creative sound chip"

Again, the C-Media chip is a BETTER sound solution than the very low end Creative. The Creative brand name means nothing (okay, in the case of the high end products it means it's overpriced crud compared to competition like Turtle Beach - even the top of the line Audigy Platinum eX suffers from massive distortion and noise. I thought about buying one, then heard one in the store on nice speakers, and read reviews. I got the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz after hearing it and reading reviews. I couldn't be happier - and it was only $79)

"Keeping an eye on Crucial here."

Good choice.

"one particularly nice feature: Two BIOS chips."

MSI also has that on the new boards I believe. Good idea if you ask me (though I've only ever destroyed one mainboard and it was quite a few (4) years ago, and even then it was an old board)

"Those LCD displays look nice, though."

They are. But they're far from perfect. Yes, you have outstanding geometry, and it's far easier on your eyes. But color quality suffers somewhat, as does possible viewing angles.

[Mark Holtz]

Originally posted by Mark
"Creative sound chip"

Again, the C-Media chip is a BETTER sound solution than the very low end Creative. The Creative brand name means nothing (okay, in the case of the high end products it means it's overpriced crud compared to competition like Turtle Beach - even the top of the line Audigy Platinum eX suffers from massive distortion and noise. I thought about buying one, then heard one in the store on nice speakers, and read reviews. I got the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz after hearing it and reading reviews. I couldn't be happier - and it was only $79)

"Those LCD displays look nice, though."

They are. But they're far from perfect. Yes, you have outstanding geometry, and it's far easier on your eyes. But color quality suffers somewhat, as does possible viewing angles.

So, the C-Media is better than the Creative chip? Okay, I'll keep that in mind. IIRC, both solutions are still better than AC97, which is more processor intensive. Still, I should be able to disable everything through the BIOS, so I can always add the sound card in later. Again, my decision isn't final until I pull out the plastic.

As for the LCD displays, they look nice, but have limited resolution and expensive. I would rather pick up a new CRT monitor than a LCD.

One thing that has changed from when I did motherboard hunting a few years is that the ISA slots have completely disappeared. About time too. Next on the disappearing list is the serial/parallel/keyboard/mouse ports--they have gone completely USB. Sorry, not yet for me.

Also, a few years ago, a friend purchased at a computer show a motherboard called a "Top Gun" motherboard. He later regretted the purchase, as there was no way to get BIOS updates. It would keep on activating the on-board sound even though it was disabled in the BIOS. We couldn't even locate the manufacturers web site. It eventually was pawned off to someone else.

[Bogy]

A few months ago I got a new keyboard with the USB connection. One little problem, its difficult to get into setup when the keyboard hasn't loaded yet. Left me with two choices, use an adapter to keep doing things the old-fashioned way, or keep an old keyboard around for when I had to use setup.

[MarkA]

"So, the C-Media is better than the Creative chip? Okay, I'll keep that in mind. IIRC, both solutions are still better than AC97, which is more processor intensive."

Correct. AC97 is a bad joke

"As for the LCD displays, they look nice, but have limited resolution and expensive. I would rather pick up a new CRT monitor than a LCD."

Good choice!

"One thing that has changed from when I did motherboard hunting a few years is that the ISA slots have completely disappeared. About time too."

Definately, for a long time they just served as a waste of space

"A few months ago I got a new keyboard with the USB connection. One little problem, its difficult to get into setup when the keyboard hasn't loaded yet. Left me with two choices, use an adapter to keep doing things the old-fashioned way, or keep an old keyboard around for when I had to use setup."

Enable USB legacy keyboard and mouse support in the BIOS when youcan, then you should have no problem.

[Bogy]

Mark, USB wasn't even a dream when my motherboard was built. :D You were in Jr. High when my motherboard was built.

[MarkA]

LOL, maybe time to look at a new one then:)

[Bogy]

On my list of things to do. :D Actually, it is, and I am trying to decide if its going to be another "upgrade," or a complete fresh start for a change. This thread has been interesting for me because of that.

[Mark Holtz]

I hate to say this, Bogy, but if your system is so old that it doesn't have USB ports, then you are probably looking at a complete replacement. Some of the changes in motherboard design alone include:

* Complete elimination of ISA slots.
* Memory has completely changed. 30 and 72 SIMMs are gone, and are simply too slow.
* The motherboard power connector has changed from a two-piece power connector (AT) to a one piece power connector. Instead of switching on and off the computer, the computer powers itself off at shutdown.
* More components built on the motherboard itself instead of seperate components. In some cases (on board drive controller), this is good, in others (on-board video controller and sound), this isn't so good depending on your needs.

The good part is that everything is cheaper. Even the off-the-shelf computers that you pick up at CompUSA, Office Depot, Costco, etc., is cheaper and faster than a year or so ago, even though they tend to use low-end components, while assembling a computer yourself will allow you to choose exactly what you want. The hard part is getting the actual danged reviews.

One thing is certain: I have not said that I'm saving money by building my own box, just that I'm making certain compromises by reusing some older components.

[Bogy]

I don't have USB on the MB, but I did add a USB card when I went to Win 98. I know I need a minimum of a new case/power supply, MB & processor, and memory. Basically, a bare bones. My current board is an Intel, and has the sound on the MB.

Among parts I could keep:
I put in a 40 gig HD at the first of the year (so I am actually ahead of your here) :D
At the same time I installed a 48x CDRW.
My video card is a Voodo 3000 PCI, which I could use for a while until I got a AGP.

At this time every one of my PCI slots is full. I cannot remember what I have in ISA slots (I should, I've had them out enough), but I won't lose much.

It really comes down to that at most I would be transferring a HD and burner, possibly the video card. It all depends on just how much I have to spend. (the same situation you are facing.) I might just leave the old one as it is and let my son have it. Today I can buy a 120 gig HD for less than I spent for my first HD, which was a whopping 30 meg. It will still be a little while before I do anything. Got a daughter going off to college in a month, and the school for some reason wants some money.

[Mark Holtz]

Originally posted by Bogy
I don't have USB on the MB, but I did add a USB card when I went to Win 98. I know I need a minimum of a new case/power supply, MB & processor, and memory. Basically, a bare bones. My current board is an Intel, and has the sound on the MB.

Among parts I could keep:
I put in a 40 gig HD at the first of the year (so I am actually ahead of your here) :D
At the same time I installed a 48x CDRW.
My video card is a Voodo 3000 PCI, which I could use for a while until I got a AGP.

:lol: You're better off than I am. The HD is probably ATA/66 or ATA/100 (check the docs), and the CDRW is definately transferrable. You should also easily be able to transfer the license to Win98 over. :) Just make a backup of everything in case you have to do a fresh install.

In a worst case scenario, a AGP board can be hard for cheap.

As for your daughter, since she will be a full-time student, she should be able to pick up software packages "not for commercial use" well below MSRP.

[Mark Holtz]

Incidentally, ATI just introduced the Radeon 9000 and the 9700 today. Their web site is swamped. This can only mean one thing... price cut for the older boards! :welcome:

[Bogy]

My HD is ATA-100 (currently doing business as an ATA-33).

I wish Microsoft did better on their Academic Software pricing. Between my wife and kids I've got 2 Masters students, one Undergrad, and a High Schooler. (and no money) Corel gives significant academic discounts. Last year we did pick up Office 2000 for a pretty good price.

[Mark Holtz]

Originally posted by Bogy
Between my wife and kids I've got 2 Masters students, one Undergrad, and a High Schooler. (and no money)

With the exception of the money part, congratulations. I hope they graduate with honors.

[Bogy]

Oldest daughter who is now working on her master's (took a whole week off) graduated in May Summa Cum Laude. She is in an accelerated program and will have her MSW next May. Second daughter graduated from hs in May with "highest distinction" somewhere in the top 20 in a class of 500. The youngest, my son squeaked through eighth grade, not because he isn't smart, but because he's bored. Hopefully HS will be more of a challenge. My wife is doing fine, except she's getting really tired of being a student, mother, wife, etc. I think she won't mind still being a wife and mother, and even having a job, but she is really looking forward to not being a student anymore. She would have been done last spring, but we moved and now she will be done next spring. Obviously the kids get their smarts from their mother. :D

[Mark Holtz]

AnandTech (http://www.anandtech.com/) has put out several buying guides for systems. Worth a perusal.

[cnsf]

So, what vendors are most recommended? Hard to find decent selections at AccessMicro and TigerDirect.

[Mark Holtz]

For what? Motherboards, CD-ROMs, Hard Drives, Memory?

[James_F]

Dude, stay away from TigerDirect. Bad, bad expirence! :bang

[Mark Holtz]

New plan....

Originally posted by Z'Loth
CD-ROM-Secondary Slave - LG Electronic GCC-4120 CD-RW/DVD Combo. Slower drive. Cheap drive. Good drive. Nothing fancy.

ETA for purchase: August 12th. [/B]

The GCC-4120 has been dropped by LG Electronics, and many suppliers are backordered. The replacement drive is the GCC-4320, but it's not widely available yet. So, it's being dropped for now.

Power supply: Enermax power supply. Expensive but durable.

ETA for purchase: September 15th.

[cnsf]

Sites for motherboards, bundles, memory. I'd like to hit just one site. Also had a bad experience w/Tiger Direct.

How about Directron, NewEgg, googleGear?

[gcutler]

Originally posted by James_F
Dude, stay away from TigerDirect. Bad, bad expirence! :bang

Tiger direct never seemed to have as good prices as they claimed to. It may have been a few years since I've even looked at them, but any purchase thru them could have been done better with a little more research via another site???

[Mark Holtz]

Yes, I just noticed that Crucial finally released a 512MB PC2700 module. Memory can disguise some problems.

The most annoying part is that the places that have the best prices, (www.newegg.com, www.mwave.com) are also located in California. :bang

[Mark Holtz]

Sigh.... so much for September..... I'm now looking at either October or November. While this means that I will benefit from lower prices, it means some hardware changes....

* CD-RW/DVD Rom drive - LG Electronics has released a 8320 that's better than the 8120. Basically, it's faster. :)
* ATI Radeon 8500 Retail - DISCONTINUED. The 9000 that ATI offers is 64MB when I want 128 MB, and the 9700 is out of my price/performance range. So, now what? GeForce cards?
* I am picking up the case next week sans power supply.


A lot of this is dependent on how long my mother's computer continues functioning. So, a slight delay simply means that I can pay a little less and get faster components. After all, who needs bleeding edge technology when leading edge will do?

[Mark Holtz]

Like I keep saying, very few items are cast in stone until I pull out the credit card. Which, brings up another change....

Motherboard - Switching from the GigaByte motherboard. Considering the Soyo KT333 motherboard package which is slightly more expensive.