Budget College Computer

[axehead1]

hello
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811119068

Sony NEC Optiarc Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache E-IDE / ATAPI DVD Burner - OE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827152076

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148140

EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814130062

Antec earthwatts EA430 ATX12V v2.0 430W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817371006

A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820211066

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813128059

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115013

total:$616.93 - $60 MIR=$556.92

I'm starting college and need a computer. My old emachine just died god bless its soul 4+ years running constantly everyday. Anyway I'm in need of a computer right and I wish i could wait for the 45nm but it must be done now . I've never built a computer but I've read alot about it and ripped apart my old e-machine and I have a pretty good idea how to slap one together. I just like to ask and confirm before i make any large purchases and i was wondering if theirs anything I'm missing?? any comments/build criticism appreciated!

 

[itotallybelieveyou]

if you aint gaming take one gig ram off

 

[axehead1]

Yeh I'll do some gaming mainly WoW and counter-strike but i would like to be able to play other games. It doesn't have to be all max settings but just so its smooth.

 

[aadamszc]

Overall, looks like a really good computer. You are obviously missing some small things, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Note: Not an Expert, that is why I won't say anything specific.

-I assume you will be using you old monitor, speakers, keyboard, & mouse.
- You will need an OS -- If you choose vista, I would go with at least 2gb or ram.
I would consider getting Radeon X1950PRO 256MB($136.99) or a NVIDIA 8600GT(~130.00)
However, your gpu should be fine for what you plan on doing.

Overall, nice build..don't really know how much of a budget you are working on though

 

[akhilles]

2nded.

You can pump the cpu down a bit to maybe an e2180 (newegg doesn't have it yet, how did I get mine? lol). e2160 isn't bad. I'm at 3.2ghz. Are you going to o/c it? I think you are.

 

[Solariscs]

Don't take ram out, ram it will slow down your computer when you have window's open. The more ram the faster.

Go with the X1950Pro, you can beat it for the money at the moment, its a lot better than the 8600GT.

 

[pbpenguins412]

You need the 2 GB RAM.

Like Solariscs said, X1950 is the best for the money right now. If you prefer Nvidia, go for the 7900GS, which you easily overclock to beat the X1950 PRO.

 

[sanjiwatsuki]

7900GS or the X1950PRO, ignore the 8600GT.

 

[rockyjohn]

Here is a BFG 7900GS OC on sale for only $100 AR. It should be about 50% better performance than the 7600GT for only a few dollars more.

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4970851