So what I want or what I think I want is to be able to use two screens or a projector, three or four 500g hard drive, no lightscribe, dual boot either xp and vista or vista and mac, very fast, maybe a built in fire wall if thats possible, wireless internet, I do not care about electricity but I dont want it hot and i always leave it on, also what software because I do alot of downloading and internet browsing and dont want viruses. I know I sound like a total noob but I am and I need help so please dont tell me how stupid I am. I also want to be able to stealth on the internet and dont know what kind of hardware I would need for that
What's your budget? What is this machine built for (eg. gaming, video editing, etc.)? And what do you mean you want to "stealth on the internet?"
This is what I was going to ask. I almost feel like this is going into a car dealership and asking for a vehicle that'll do everything fast and to be stealth (like Kit from Knightrider series).
Mobo - p35 based, since it's fairly cheap and OC's well. Gigabyte DS3L/DS3R, Abit IP35-e/IP35/IP35pro, Asus p5k se/p5k.
DDR2 - 4 gb's of DDR2 800mHz CAS 4 stuff, good when OC'ing later. Corsair/Crucial/G.Skill/Patriot brands.
GPU - 8800gts (g92) at a minimum, but could go with better, if needed. All depends on what resolution your going to be running under.
Case - Antec 900/Cooler Master 690 to start with. Could go more expensive, but both of the cases are good and are around $100, depending on specials. Also they both have plenty of room and run cool.
PSU - Corsair vx550w or tx650w (non modular) or hx520w or hx620w (modular) PSU's/PCP&C 610w Silencer/Antec 550w NeoHE/Seasonic s12 550w. Just make sure you use one of the quality PSU's from the PSU Tier list that is in my signature. Tier 1-3 will be fine, Tier 1 being the preferred
HD's - Get Segate 7200.11's or maybe even the WD 640 gb model. There are plenty to get, so read the reviews.
All of these suggestions will easily fit into your $1500 budget.
e8400 is a nice chip. It'll generally OC to about 4 gHz on a nice solid p35 mobo. The AMD x2 6400 at 3.2 gHz for $160 is nice, but I'd go with the 5000+ Black Edition for $88 shipped!! It's stock at 2.6 gHz and comes with an unlocked multiplier, so you can easily get to about 3-3.2 gHz without even changing any voltages or the HT speeds. All you have to add is a $25 CPU HSF to the price (unless you already have a AM2 CPU HSF). The other bonus with the 5000+ BE is that it's a 65w CPU compared to the 125W CPU that the 6400+ is. This can be critical when/if you get a recent AM2+ mobo. Most of the recent AM2+ mobo's have been having issues with the 125w CPU's, so I'd try not to mate up those selections.
Edit: If your trying to save $ the AMD build will be cheaper, but not necessarily the faster option. At stock speeds the AMD build will be pretty competetive (depending on which setup you go with), but as soon as you OC either the Intel or AMD build, the Intel build will win pretty easily. Now with your $1,500 build limit, I'd consider the q6700 and a good p35 mobo (about $130-150) for your build. Plus with 4 gb's of DDR2 800 mHz CAS 4 stuff and a decent GPU (8800gts (g92) 512mb or possibly one of the newer GPU's coming out from AMD the 48xx's might be better). You will have a kick a$$ system for about $1200 or so. You can decide, but under that budget that is what I'd consider.
Message edited by lunyone on 04-28-2008 at 07:13:58 AM