Advice on my New CPU

[Burst]

Well, after 3 years of using an old 450mHz piece of junk, I'm set on making my leap into the crazy world of computers, by making my own custom computer. With the help of some good friends, I think i have come up with a good adequate system to fuel my Pure-Gaming desires, while keeping my wallet free for other things, and leaving my options open for further upgrades.
Where I live, cheap parts are hard to find, and it took me a while to find what I was looking for, and I have yet to go out and buy my parts, but....

But this is what I am looking at:

1)Monitor: NEC MultiSync FE990SB 19" .24mm $425

2)Processor: Athlon XP 2100+ (to keep me satisfied until better versions of the 2600+ come out) $239

3)MotherBoard: Gigabyte GA-7VRXP vKT333 (until better versions of the KT400 come out) $169

4)Hard Drive: Maxtor 40GB HB 9.6MS 7200RPM AA 133W/2MD Cache $135

5)Memory: I'm not totally sure about what RAM is compatible with my Motherboard, but i was looking at Kingston 168PIN DIMM 512MB SDRAM (PC133 CL3) $133

6)Video Card: Microstar MSI G4TI440-VTD Geforce 4 TI4400 AGP W/128MB DDR Memory $380

7)CD-ROM: I was thinking of getting a CD-RW/DVD Combo but thought better and decided to go with a simple CD-ROM ASUS IDE 52x $50

8)Miscallaneous: Power Supply (not sure what PS to get) Case (doesn't really matter), D-Link Splitter Card because that will allow both computers in my basement to have a cable connection.

Any Constructive Critisism would be Fantastic, any Disadvantages or Advantages that you see. Remember that I intend to upgrade to the KT400 chipset, so this system is basically introducing me to the real world of computers, since i can't wait any longer.

Cheers

 

[LancerEvolution7]

Where are you getting these prices from? You are paying almost double for every part. A xp2100 only costs about $120, $140 if retail. The hard drive should cost somewhere in the $60 range. The video card should cost no more than $200. The motherboard should cost around $120. Your're paying way to much for ram not even supported by the motherboard. It only accepts ddr ram and 512 of that would cost about 140.

"If you sign up for AOL now, we'll give you 1024 hours of slow service and disconnects free of charge"

 

[baldurga]

Hey man, I'm sure Burst don't live FOR SURE in USA nor Canada. My guess is he's European ...

As I already write in other threads, American people are really lucky cause they can buy good components at competitive prices. So unlucky the others :-(

And be sure to buy DDR333, it will be worth, specially if you are looking to upgrade to Barton lately.


DIY: read, buy, test, learn, reward yourself!

 

[halkebul]

If ya have this much money to spend on a computer, then I suggest the following components. You reached the tomsHardware website so obviously you can reach online computer hardware vendors. You will save a substantial amount of money by buying from online computer hardware vendors as opposed to your local electronics store. The below recommendations are what i would get if i were building a computer TODAY. I'm sure others in these discussion boards will have there own recommendations.

"1)Monitor: NEC MultiSync FE990SB 19" .24mm $425"
Replace this with MITSUBISHI 19" DP920 CRT Monitor $340

"2)Processor: Athlon XP 2100+ (to keep me satisfied until better versions of the 2600+ come out) $239"
Replace this with Intel 2.5GHz Pentium4 with 400MHz FSB Retail(includes cooling) $255
- OR -
(if ya don't want to overclock)Intel Pentium 4 / 2.53GHz Northwood 512K Socket 478 Processor 533MHz Processor Bus Retail(includes cooling)$252

"3)MotherBoard: Gigabyte GA-7VRXP vKT333 (until better versions of the KT400 come out) $169"
Replace this with Asus P4T533 i850E (not the P4T533-C version if ya go with 32-bit rambus!) Motherboard $179

"4)Hard Drive: Maxtor 40GB HB 9.6MS 7200RPM AA 133W/2MD Cache $135"
Replace this with WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE $105

"5)Memory: I'm not totally sure about what RAM is compatible with my Motherboard, but i was looking at Kingston 168PIN DIMM 512MB SDRAM (PC133 CL3) $133"
Replace this with (2) Samsung RIMM 4200 32-Bit (make sure it's 32-bit rambus memory if you get Asus P4T533 motherboard!) 256MB (512MB total) RAMBUS Memory $120x2 = $240

"6)Video Card: Microstar MSI G4TI440-VTD Geforce 4 TI4400 AGP W/ 128MB DDR Memory $380"
Replace this with ATI RADEON 9700 PRO 128MB TV/DVI 8X AGP RETAIL $347

"7)CD-ROM: I was thinking of getting a CD-RW/DVD Combo but thought better and decided to go with a simple CD-ROM ASUS IDE 52x $50"
Replace this with LG ELECTRONICS 32X/10X/40X + 16X CDRW/DVD-ROM COMBO DRIVE (Retail) $99

"8)Miscallaneous: Power Supply (not sure what PS to get) Case (doesn't really matter)"
Choose CHIEFTEC Server Chasis Model DH-01W with Foxconn 400W power supply $57

The Asus P4T533 motherboard does not contain onboard LAN, so get this if you don't already have a detachable Ethernet Adapter:
Dlink DFE-530TX+ Fast Ethernet Adapter 10BT/100BTX - OEM $9

Floppy disk Drive:
use your floppy disk drive if ya still have it. if not get this:
PANASONIC 1.44 MB 3.5 INCH HIGH DENSITY FLOPPY DISK DRIVE $9

Modem:
If you connect to the internet via modem and you don't already have a detachable modem, get this:
Aceex V.92 Full Duplex FaxModem Voice, Data, Fax Modem 56000bps $14

Sound Card:
Philips Acoustic edge $55

Speakers:
Klipsch 4.1 Speakers $240

Tweaks:
The 2.5GHz processor overclocks to above 3GHz quite easily. If ya don't want to overclock, go with the Intel Pentium4 2.533GHz processor mentioned above.

Notes:
The system does not have a firewire port. If you need firewire, ya might want to get a sound blaster audigy sound card with firewire port ($60) but in my opinion the philips sound card is superior and should not be sacraficed just for the sake of firewire. An add-on Orange Micro PCI firewire card ($45) is also an option.

Vendors:
newEgg.com, www.mWave.com (monitor and cd\dvd drive only), pcStop.com (sound card)

"Who drunk my apple juice?!"

 

[halkebul]

And if ya don't live in USA nor Canada, i agree with baldurga.

"Who drunk my apple juice?!"

 

[Burst]

Thanks for your ideas guys. But i think I'm gonna stick with the system i have now. I actually do live in Canada, but as for buying things online, I have no Credit-Card (I would get in debt too easily at my age). So therefore i must go through the local Electronics stores. As i said in my post, good parts are actually hard to find in the stores. I only know of 2 good stores that provide good products and cheap prices (cheap being a relative term).
If your curious, where i live, a store called CompuSmart offers their GEFORCE4 TI4400 128MB DDR for $459.99, a crazy amount of money for that card, whereas a store called BCom offers the same product for $380. I've done my research, so this is the best system i can get in my area, for a good price. While a good price to you might sound like way too much, for me its ok. And i did take your advice and change my Memory to DDR NON-ECC 184PIN PC2700 512MB Memory 333mHz for $209 (cheapest i could find). Since, like you said SDRAM is not compatible, i was curious about that.

And yes you guys are lucky you can buy stuff online, but I must make due with what I got over here.

As for the monitor, I couldn't find any vendors that sell that monitor around here (MITSUBISHI 19" DP920 CRT Monitor $340). So i guess I'll stick with my NEC MultiSync FE990SB 19" .24mm $425

Thanks for suggestions

 

[AndrewT]

find small computer/parts stores. big name stores ask for an arm and a leg even though they get parts pretty cheap since they buy bulk.

a good place to find stores near you is The Computer Paper, it's a free monthly paper with lots of stores in it. Just have to find a place where they give it away.

Or can try a yahoo search using your town's name and computer store, like montreal computer store, montreal computer, computer montreal..... got the point.

Good luck.

p.s.
the Samsung 955DF (19" .20mm flat screen) cost just over 300$ Canadian in almost every store here

<font color=red>Got a silent setup, now I can hear myself thinking.... great silence</font color=red>

 

[Burst]

Yeah, all the local computer stores are here:http://www.members.shaw.ca/michael.jh/edmonton_computer_stores.htm

and the only good ones on that list are Bcom and Best Computers (small computer stores), where I'm buying all my parts from.
As for the Monitor, that is a sweet monitor. But the only ones in quantity are NEC and Viewsonic Monitors over here, but Ill try to find that monitor, cause that is a sweet deal.


I just finished looking and I found a LG Studioworks 995E 19" .22mm Monitor for $340, so I'm gonna go with that monitor instead, Much easier on my eyes during long gaming sessions. <P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Burst on 09/20/02 03:08 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[slvr_phoenix]

but as for buying things online, I have no Credit-Card (I would get in debt too easily at my age). So therefore i must go through the local Electronics stores.

Why can't you just use money orders/casier's cheques for online purchases?

<pre><A HREF="http://www.nuklearpower.com/comic/186.htm" target="_new"><font color=red>It's all relative...</font color=red></A></pre><p>

 

[jihiggs]

or use your parents cc, i think they are still screwed in canada because of the tax thing.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[chuck232]

Hey, I recently ordered parts from Canadacomputers.com. I don't live near Ontario, but just get them to ship it in and you can pay by C.O.D, which is cash on delivery.

They have good prices too.

...And all the King's horses and all the King's men couldn't put my computer back together again...

 

[icy_oblivion]

If you are going to pay cod you should look into atic computers [link] http://www.atic.ca [/link] they charge a lot less than canada computers.

<font color=red> Alcohol </font color=red>and <font color=green>calculus </font color=green>don't mix. Never <font color=red>drink </font color=red>and <font color=green>derive.</font color=green>

 

[MeTaLrOcKeR]

Ok one thing 168 pin DIMM's r SDRAM...cant use that in the board u wanted....

therefore here are my recomendations for you...

AMD Athlon XP 2100+ RETAIL $219.00
ASUS A7V333 Motherboard $165.00
256MB PC-2700 DDR CL2 $105.00
IBM DeskStar 60GB HDD $139.00
ASUS GF4 Ti4400 128MB $329.00
NEC FE991SB-BK 19" Monitor $439.00
ASUS 52X CD-ROM $45.00
D-Link 10/100 538TX NIC $19.00
Linksys EtherFast 4-port Router $105.00
Antec SX1040 (w/ 400w TruPower) $179.00

Thats canadian pricing......
What do u think ?

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=13597" target="_new">-MeTaL RoCkEr</A>