This computer will be use for programming, multimedia, web surfing,napster, mp3 webserver, gaming using Cedega, and many more. Is there anything I should change before buying today?

Asus M2N-E Motherboard $95.99
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Dual Core Processor$70.35
Caviar WD800BB 80GB Hard Drive$46.00
XFX GeForce 8600 GT 512mb Video Card$109.95
Ultra / V-Series / 500-Watt Power Supply $50.55
Cooler Master Elite 330 Mid Tower $42.76
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)$34.00
Ubuntu Gutsy (free)


tax/shipping total: $449.6

An XFX 8800GT 512 would be a whole lot better.

I'd suggest one of these 2 mobos. They're AM2+ so easy upgrade to Phenom in the future if you decide to go there. If by multimedia you mean video/photo editing suggest a better CPU, ideally the standard 6400+. If your budget is tight even if not editing I'd up the CPU to the either 5000+ or better the 6000+. Reading on another thread that Ultra isn't the best of PSUs. Look at Antic, FSP, Seasonic, or OCZ.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128081

The DS3 wins hands down for the same price: up to 16gb ram, more usb ports, etc.

The 8600GT is craptastic at best. I understand Linux users prefer nVidia GPUs to Ati's for driver/module support. An 2900Pro costs about the same, but performs better.

do not get the PoS 8600GT

gosh, how the hell was that supposed to be a midrange card?

The 8600GT is perfectly fine so long as you keep to 1280x1024 and dont need super high detail.

It's all fine and dandy to say, "Spend another $100-$150" on a GPU, but clearly this guys budget is limited.

However, you should be able to gind a good 8600GT for the $80 range with 256MB of DDR3 from a good company. There is absolutely no need for 512MB of RAM on a 8600GT. It does not have the processing power to make use of it.

I second the Seasonic Nomination. You should be able to get by with a mild 400W PSU if you're really on a budget, however Seasonic makes some of the best models of PSU for Other companies like Corsair.

I personally would get an ATI HD 3650 for the money. the other option is to wait for the 9600GT and see how it goes, as it will be G92-based iirc, and budget priced.

For the OS i will be running i prefer an nvidia card over ati due to lack of drivers and open gl. To play games on linux it requires an open gl video card wish is nvidia. Im not on a tight budget, but for those who dont know, linux does not require monstrous power like vista or xp. With an amd x2 2.2 system will run faster smoother compare to a windows machine equip 4gb, and mid range intel cpu.Also, i really dont need a very powerful gpu. Will be gaming at 1280x1024 games from 2007 below.To let you know people, I have no intention switching to windows.

I've actually used an 8600GT, and it's a great card, despite what others like to say about it. It's not an 8800GT by any means and it is not a monster card, but keep in mind that the 8800GT is over TWICE THE PRICE.

"You're using a GeForce 5200? Three 8800 Ultra's in 3-way SLI would give you better performance for only $2000+!"

I would upgrade the HDD as 80gb won't get you anywhere with media and it will cost you in the range of $20-40 to upgrade.

Ultra / V-Series / 500-Watt Power Supply $50.55
Consider a more reputable power supply.

If you can catch them, Earthwatts 380s can be found for $5 to $15 AR. Mine runs a 8800GT, P35-DS3L, 2HD, and a e2160@3GHz without issue.

Probably worth upgrading the HD mostly due to the trivial marginal cost involved. Even if you don't store much media. (Yes, I know that Linux software tends to have a smaller footprint)

heh. last time i tried gaming in linux i had the lovely Quake3Arena tin, installed it, only to find that the installer had overwritten it's own executable script...what kinda OS does that? you might as well get a 7900GT...