first try - hoping to build a cheap system

[sunflowerx]

This is my first try, so if there's newbie mistakes go ahead and tell me. I don't mind changing anything on the list if you have any suggestions.

GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADO4400DDBOX - Retail

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864AA53E - OEM

Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

ASUS 18X DVD±R LightScribe Burner with QuieTrack Tech Beige PATA Model DRW-1814BL BG - OEM

RAIDMAX Scorpio ATX-868WUP Blue Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail

I just want to have a computer to replace my old one, and later on I'm thinking of adding an outside sound card and video card. i'm also going to be using this with ubuntu.

 

[sunflowerx]

is it that bad that nobody wants to reply T_T what should i change?

 

[avarice]

The build is ok....Not Top of the line - but you knew that.

The MB, CPU are mid-range, but workable. The Memory is frankly a bit slow, but also workable. If you can get DDR2 800 - there are solid chips on the market, and good prices as well....especially compared to a year ago when I bought mine. This is opinion - which you can ignore if you wish.

The question of - 'whatcha gonna do with this setup?' comes to mind.

You are obviously going to use the onboard video - with is rarely reccomended. It's ok if you plan on adding a good video card later on - and simply don't want to spend the cash now. But you are not likely to be breaking any records in any serious games with onboard video. If you do not plan to have a spare video card around - onboard is a good backup if your PCI video needs to be sent back to the manufacturer - so in that respect it's not a terrible decision.

Onboard sound is a slightly different story - the quality is generally quite good compared to a few years ago - and doesn't use all that much in terms of CPU cycles. You can always replace it with a PCI card if you like.

The drives are good enough - The Seagate Perp recording hard drives are good technology and it provides some good response and data density - something to consider.

The biggest problem I see is the case/power supply....Friends do not let friends by generic power supplies - so - Friend - please reconsider. If you love the case go ahead and buy it, but buy a better power supply. If you don't love the case - then get something without a power supply, and get a solid performer such as FSP - even their lesser models are rock solid. Think of it like this - your computer needs good food (power) on a constant and consistant basis. A good power supply will do this - a cheap one can give it indigestion....to extend the metaphor.

Plan on spending at least $50 on a power supply and make sure it has a solid name brand. DO NOT buy crap. Everything else will work better and last longer if you make a good choice instead of a bad one.

If you must buy a case and powersupply as a bundle - the only brand I would consider is antec - and even then the PS is not as good as I would want.

I wish you the best of luck in this.

Cheers.

 

[sunflowerx]

Thanks for the reply. I'll definitely get a better power supply, and I'm thinking about maybe 450W, is that's enough if I want to use it later? Mostly, this system is going to be used for just getting by when my old laptop breaks down until I can afford to upgrade to a faster, better sytem.

 

[zenmaster]

Actually the built-in PSU should not be that bad so long as he does not try to run a heavy duty GPU on this box which it looks like he is not.
Most likely just a real low end one.

These cheapo PSUs when over-loaded can take a whole system with them, but I don't think he is risking that.

You may be able to save a couple dollars with the Brisbane 4000+.
It should clock up the same.

Here is a nice PSU if you trust the rebate.....
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153028