Questions about building a PC

[SanLorenso]

I’m considering building my own PC, but have some questions that I hope some one can answer.

I would like a PC that meets or exceeds the performance of a Dimension 4600, P4 @ 2.8 GHz, 800 FSB, nVidia GeForce FX 5200, 80 GB HD, CDROM. Quite basic system.

I see a lot of people that say building my own PC is more economical in many cases and will give better performance. So far, I have not been able to come up with component prices that will even match the price that I would pay for a comparable Dell system. I’m located in Canada. I’ve looked at outfits like tigerdirect.ca and local shops. Am I missing something? Any one know of a good/reliable on-line store in Canada that you recommend?

I’m considering one of the following MBs:
Asus P4P800
GigaByte GA-81PE1000MK
Intel D865PERL

The above boards are all P4 types. I’m not very familiar with AMD CPUs, but would like some suggestions. What MBs are the equivalent for AMD given the above list of P4 MDs? I can’t seam to find a good comparison between Intel & AMD CPUs that does not delve into endless specs – any one know of a simple basic comparison?

Which MB makes should I consider and which should I stay away from?
What is a good case that will be quiet and preferably tool less for a reasonable price?

Do the MBs usually come with the Chip set or do I have to buy them separately? I’m favoring the Intel 865PE.

Cost is my primary factor as long as the PC will meet the performance of the P4 system above.

Thanks for any and all help, suggestions, etc.

 

[Crashman]

I'd go with an Abit NF7-S motherboard, an AMD XP2500+, some PC3200, and a Radeon 9600XT. That would get you into low budget and provide similar performance (except the graphics, which would be around 200% better!). Then if you're not a total coward, I'd overclock that XP2500+ to get "free" performance increases. It's easy, and you won't harm a thing as long as you ask the experts what to do.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[miniklobb]

i run a p4 2.8c (c standing for 800mhz fsb with Hyper Threading, runs great i use a asus p4p800 with the 865PE chipset, chpsets are built in to the board and as far as i know can't be changed and are built in to the board for price the gigabyte is good but any of your choices will work. stay away from nividia cards if your into games at all. they do good with dirext X 8 but suffer badly with DX9, an ATI Radeon 9600 is better and not bad for price. as amd's go they out perform older p4 but seem to lose to any with the 800mhz fsb, the amd 64 dosen't seem to be worth the money as of now. stick with pc3200 ram and try to avoid samsung ram that sells like candy at computer shows. i got two stick of crucial ram for a total of 512 and it does great. i have over clocked to 3.3ghz with mostly normal cooling and it's an easy way to bet free gains but i would advise you to be careful at first and watch the system for any type of problems also to keep an eye on the cpu temps. the 80g drive is good but the 120 are going for less per gig sometimes. newegg i think ship to canada and they have alot of great reviews. for other places i would check out the service area of the forum. if you got any more ?s try to keep in the correct section of the forum as you usually get better answers good luck

 

[justaguy]

It's true that lower-end Dells offer good prices, especially when you consider the software. The higher performance you build, the more the $/performance ratio shifts to BYO. Crash's suggestions are good ones.

Athlon XP 1900 (11x200) 42C (Load w/AX-7 & 8cm Tornado) - MSI K7N2 Delta - Corsair Value PC3200 - Gainward GF3 @ 250/550 - 80Gb WD 8Mb Cache -

 

[o1die]

Nothing wrong with the dimension 2400, if the onboard video is all you need. But if you're into gaming, the 2400 has no agp slot, so you'll have to make due with a pci video card.

 

[SanLorenso]

Thanks for the great info to all.

On the over-clocking which I know little about, how does it work and what type/quantity of performance can be gained?

As for cases, I would like something that will be quiet like the D4600 or better - any suggestions without spending big bucks?

Thanks again.

 

[Crashman]

I'd go with an Enlight case with power supply. You might want a quieter CPU cooler, you'll have to ask around about those.

The PC3200 would let you overclock your CPU to XP3200+ speed.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[Badger86]

Where do you live? I know a bunch of Vancouver based stores that have websites, shipping is often free in the lowermainland, but if you live elsewhere it could ruin the savings.

acctech.ca
vibecomputers.ca
ncix.com
anitec.ca
atic.ca

check out pricenetwork.ca Search your components and it lists websites in Canada, ordering by price. It certainly has a limited db of websites but it will show you ones based nearer where you live which i dont know about.

The great thing about making your own beast is you can pick and chose components you want from multiple retailers to get the lowest price. Check about ebay.ca, but usually i find the prices are often higher then at a good retailer. GL

 

[SanLorenso]

Thanks for the websites. They all work except for vibecomputers.ca. I live in W. Lake.