Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)
After taking hand-me-down computers from friends for the past several
years, I've finally decided to take the plunge and build my own
monster for the first time.
My present dinosaur is:
Intel 200MHz
4MB Diamond Stealth II video card
2 HDDs ~1GB each
Soundblaster 16 (I think -- it was ripped from an old 486)
64MB RAM
Windows 98SE
Very little could be salvaged from this system, so I'm keeping it
intact and starting from scratch, except for a spare floppy drive I
have sitting around, current monitor, keyboard and mouse. Obviously
_anything_ I end up building would be a vast improvement. I have no
need for brand-spanking-new, whiz-bang, overclocking, souping up,
etcetera. I just want a sturdy system I can hopefully count on for a
few years, with good parts that can be the basis for future upgrades.
Budget is about $400-500.
The machine would mostly be used for internet, graphics/photo editing
(for digital camera), simple sound editing, and older games (my
grandest designs are on The Sims and Ultima VII-IX -- likely no
MMPORPGs or recent 3D games). Sometime in the future I'd also like to
add a TV tuner for video capture.
I'll also be moving up to Windows XP Home (probably OEM).
Reading here has been very helpful, especially the advice given to not
break the bank with motherboard/processors since upgrade of one will
more than likely mean upgrade of the other. But can the same be said
for video cards? That's where I'm needing the most advice. I'd like
to be able to get a card that can last through a couple of
processor/mobo upgrades if possible...but I have no idea which one
might be best for that.
I'm going with an AMD processor, considering a Sempron. I'm not
locked in to any particular one because of my uncertainty about the
video card...and of course video card choices depend on the
motherboard. It's all very Escherian. So can anyone suggest a good,
forward-designed video card for my desired activities that would go
with an AMD-compatible motherboard, hopefully less than $150?
Or is this an impossible order to fill?
Any advice appreciated. Thanks so much!
After taking hand-me-down computers from friends for the past several
years, I've finally decided to take the plunge and build my own
monster for the first time.
My present dinosaur is:
Intel 200MHz
4MB Diamond Stealth II video card
2 HDDs ~1GB each
Soundblaster 16 (I think -- it was ripped from an old 486)
64MB RAM
Windows 98SE
Very little could be salvaged from this system, so I'm keeping it
intact and starting from scratch, except for a spare floppy drive I
have sitting around, current monitor, keyboard and mouse. Obviously
_anything_ I end up building would be a vast improvement. I have no
need for brand-spanking-new, whiz-bang, overclocking, souping up,
etcetera. I just want a sturdy system I can hopefully count on for a
few years, with good parts that can be the basis for future upgrades.
Budget is about $400-500.
The machine would mostly be used for internet, graphics/photo editing
(for digital camera), simple sound editing, and older games (my
grandest designs are on The Sims and Ultima VII-IX -- likely no
MMPORPGs or recent 3D games). Sometime in the future I'd also like to
add a TV tuner for video capture.
I'll also be moving up to Windows XP Home (probably OEM).
Reading here has been very helpful, especially the advice given to not
break the bank with motherboard/processors since upgrade of one will
more than likely mean upgrade of the other. But can the same be said
for video cards? That's where I'm needing the most advice. I'd like
to be able to get a card that can last through a couple of
processor/mobo upgrades if possible...but I have no idea which one
might be best for that.
I'm going with an AMD processor, considering a Sempron. I'm not
locked in to any particular one because of my uncertainty about the
video card...and of course video card choices depend on the
motherboard. It's all very Escherian. So can anyone suggest a good,
forward-designed video card for my desired activities that would go
with an AMD-compatible motherboard, hopefully less than $150?
Or is this an impossible order to fill?
Any advice appreciated. Thanks so much!