Check This For Me Please

[Solid Lifters]

I'm putting together a cheap PC, to get me used to the idea of putting together a computer. I plan to build my own HTPC, but I'm still waiting for advances in technology to start building it. But, since I never assembled a PC before, I thought this would be a good excersie.


However, I'm not very computer knowledgable. I did my best to learn, generaly, how things work, and what is needed for them to work, but I'm sure I'm missing a step or two. So, I ask you, the compter savvy, to go over what I plan to purchase and assemble together. Anything you see wrong, please post a reply. Thank you.


Cheap Computer
* * * *
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QtyProduct Description*Unit PriceExtended Price Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)
APEX SUPER CASE Mid Tower Case With 300W Power Supply, Model "PC-115" -RETAIL Item#N82E16811154014
Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$22.00
$22.00
* Extended Warranty Coverage
CD/DVD ROM Drives
LG Electronics 16X DVD-ROM, Model GDR-8162BI/8161BI, Interface: E-IDE/ATAPI Buffer 256K DVD-R/RW CD-R/RW RETAIL Item#N82E16827136020This item has a quantity limit of 1 Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$32.00
$32.00
* Extended Warranty Coverage
Hard Drives
Western Digital 40GB 7200RPM IDE ULTRA ATA100 2MB Buffer Hard Drive, Model WD400BB, OEM Drive Only Item#N82E16822140118 Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$55.00
$55.00
* Extended Warranty Coverage
Keyboards
Kobian KOB 2401 Mercury Office Keyboard PS2 104Keys -RETAIL Item#N82E16823170104
Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$5.00
$5.00
$5.00 Mail-In Rebate
Purchase this Item and Receive a $5.00 rebate by mail. Rebate form may be downloaded here.* Extended Warranty Coverage
Memory (System Memory)
Kingston ValueRAM 184 Pin SDRAM 128MB DDR266 PC-2100 - OEM Item#N82E16820140003
Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$32.00
$32.00
* Extended Warranty Coverage
Motherboards - AMD
PCChips "M811LU" KT266A Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket A KT266A + VT8235 FSB 200/266MHZ-RAM 2x DIMM DDR200/266 MAX 2GB IDE 2x UltraDMA 133 Up To 4 Devices SLOTS: 1xAGP 4x, 5x PCI Ports 2xPS/2, 1xLPTxCOM, 6xUSB 1xLAN, Audio Ports Onboard Audio VIA VT1612A Audio Codec, Onboard LAN-VT6103 10/100mbps Form Factor ATX CPU -RETAIL Item#N82E16813185010 Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$29.00
$29.00
* Extended Warranty Coverage
Mouse
Designer White Scroll Optical Mouse PS/2 -RETAIL Item#N82E16826129007 Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$5.50
$5.50
* Extended Warranty Coverage
Processors
AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 266 FSB, 256K Cache Processor - 1.67 GHZ Operating Speed 1.65V Socket A, Heatsink and Fan Included Retail Item#N82E16819103383
Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$57.00
$57.00
* Extended Warranty Coverage
Video Cards
HIS Hightech ATI RADEON 7000 Video Card, 32MB SDR, 64-Bit, TV-Out(S-Video),4X AGP, Model "RV1-13" -RETAIL Item#N82E16814161112 Save To Buy Later Remove Item
$30.99
$30.99
* Extended Warranty Coverage
* Extended Warranty: $0.00
Product total:*$268.49* Shipping & Handling:*$ 24.00
*Total (Before tax):*$ 292.49
availability.subtotal:*$0.00

 

[Race Idiot]

Pc Chips, wouldn't be my first choice of motherboard.

And i'm not a big fan of the Via chipsets either, but it will probably be ok for doing normal PC things.

 

[emad]

What the idiot said

Get an Asus motherboard. The via controller isn't that great (I had too many headaches with the VIA KT333 - not sure how the current ones are), Go for an NForce based mobo if money allows.

 

[Burnout]

I recently built a PC for a client from PC Chips and it also had the KT266 in it. My mother board, XFX Mach4 KT400ANB, has the KT400 in it. Haven't had to deal with the KT333, though. So far, on both of them, the Vias have worked well, and the PC Chips one seems to be holding together great.

You wont be finding a mobo with Nforce chipsets unless you are willing to spend atleast double that ammount on one, which I don't think you are. As long as you don't buy el cheapo, then you'll be fine. As it would turn out, I used a 256MB stick of that Kingston ValueRAM in the computer I was mentioning earlier. It should be good to go.

[edit]You know, you might be better off scratching the mobo and video card and getting an Nforce mobo with onboard video. Since Nvidia made the chipset, they are one of the few kinds of onboard video that are decent.

For example:
BIOSTAR "M7NCG 400" nForce2 IGP Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
-----------
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon/Athlon XP/Duron Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 IGP + MCP
FSB: 200/266/333/400MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM support Dual Channel DDR333/266/200 Max 3GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 3x PCI, 1x CNR
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,1xVGA,6xUSB2.0(Rear 2),1xLAN,1xGAME,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel AC97 CODEC
Onboard Video: GeForce4 MX
Onboard LAN: Realtek 8201BL 10/100Mbps
Form Factor: Micro ATX
-----------
Price: $65.00

If you looked around for something like that, then you'd be a lot better off than buying a ATI7000 and ViaKT266a mobo. If you live in the US, then buying that item from NewEgg has free shipping, so it wouldn't cost you extra there.



[edit...again...]

Cases (Computer Cases, ATX Form)
CODEGEN Black/Silver ATX Mini Tower Case, Model "CAT-3308-CA" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Case Type: Mini Tower Case
Color: Black/Silver
Material: Steel
Drive Bays: 5.25" x 3/0, 3.5" x 2/1 (external/internal)
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: Dual USB 2.0 and Audio In/Out
Power Supply: Codegen 300W
Cooling System: N/A
Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX, ATX (up to 12.5 x 9.5 inches)
Dimensions: 16.75 x 7 x 16.5 inch (DxWxH) more info>
N82E16811182535 $22.00
$22.00

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
Sony Black 52x32x52x16 Combo Drive, Model CRX320E Black, OEM
Specifications:
Write Speed: 52X CD-R, 32X CD-RW
Read Speed: 52X CD-ROM, 16X DVD-ROM
Interface: Internal EIDE/ATAPI
Buffer: 2MB
OS Support: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Features: PowerBurn Buffer underrun protection technology
Packaging: OEM Bundle (see pictures for details) more info>
N82E16827106819 $43.00
$43.00

Hard Drives
Western Digital 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD400BB, OEM Drive only
Specifications:
Capacity: 40GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 2MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Features: Quiet Drive technology
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year
Packaging: OEM Drive only more info>
N82E16822140118 $55.00
$55.00

Keyboards
KEYBOARD-2000 SMART 1 Multi-Media KB Combo PS/2 107keys Black -RETAIL
Specifications:
Interface: PS/2
Number Of Keys: 107 keys + 15 function keys
Palm Rest: N/A
Design Style: Standard
Mouse included: Standard
Color: Black
Features: 15 function keys, 520 dpi mouse, 3 button more info>
N82E16823157013 $10.00
$10.00

Memory (System Memory)
Kingston ValueRAM 184 Pin 128MB DDR PC-2100 - OEM
Specifications:
Manufacturer: Kingston
Speed: DDR266(PC2100)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 2.1GB/s
Organization: 16M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info>
N82E16820140003 $32.00
$32.00

Motherboards - AMD
BIOSTAR "M7NCG 400" nForce2 IGP Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon/Athlon XP/Duron Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 IGP + MCP
FSB: 200/266/333/400MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM support Dual Channel DDR333/266/200 Max 3GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 3x PCI, 1x CNR
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,1xVGA,6xUSB2.0(Rear 2),1xLAN,1xGAME,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel AC97 CODEC
Onboard Video: GeForce4 MX
Onboard LAN: Realtek 8201BL 10/100Mbps
Form Factor: Micro ATX more info>
N82E16813138234 $65.00
$65.00

Processors
AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 266 FSB, 256K Cache Processor - Retail
Specifications:
Model: AMD Athlon XP 2000+
Core: Thoroughbred
Operating Frequency: 1.67GHz
FSB: 266MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included) more info>
N82E16819103383 $57.00
$57.00


Subtotal » $ 284.00
Total After Shipping and Handling to California: $301

So, for the extra $9 he gets a much better mother board, much nicer video, a CDburner/DVD player, and stuff. So, that might be something to look into.

👍

 

[Acid X]

I've had lag issues in games with the nForce chipset... I wouldn't reccommend it. Right now i have a Gigabyte board running the VIA KT-600 chipset, and it works awesomely.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Thanks for the help and the suggestions. I do appreciate it greatly.

Burnout, thanks for the help. I would like to change the motherboard, but I really can't. I need a video card instead of onboard video because I'm going to connect this to a TV set, only. I need TV out, with S-video, and I can't find a motherboard with onboard video that has TV out. But, thanks so much for the suggestions.

What do I do about a operating system? Any suggestions? Remember, it's not for gaming, just web surfing.

 

[Shannon]

What do I do about a operating system? Any suggestions? Remember, it's not for gaming, just web surfing.

Windows 2000 Pro is probably the best Windows OS ever. It'll do you well whether you just want to do basic computer operations or whether you want to play hardcore 3D games. You could be retro and go with a Linux distro (most of which are free and stack up fairly well to Windows), but you might run into problems with software compatibility and such.

 

[2ez2KiLL]

I think you would need more than 128 mbs of ram. Try buying 2 256 mb modules or 1 512 thats at least a PC2700, thats if your mobo allows it. You shouldn't really cheap out on your ram because its always in use and you dont want to have full load even while idling.

 

[Shannon]

I think you would need more than 128 mbs of ram. Try buying 2 256 mb modules or 1 512 thats at least a PC2700, thats if your mobo allows it. You shouldn't really cheap out on your ram because its always in use and you dont want to have full load even while idling.

I think the general rule is 512 for Windows 2000/XP and 256 for everything else...

 

[2ez2KiLL]

I think the general rule is 512 for Windows 2000/XP and 256 for everything else...

But what about for those memory hogging video editing programs and games?

 

[Burnout]

Guys, come on.

Budget PC. Key word there, if you didn't notice, budget. 512MB ram is not budget. 256MB might be something to do in the future, but I was on an XP Home machine for a few years with only 128MB RAM that was PC100! He'll be fine for web browsing with that.

General Rules is more for the things you run on the OS rather then the OS itself. For example, yes, 98SE uses a few less resources than 2000, and yes XP uses a few more than 2000, but they're quite minimal. As a matter of fact, with a little tweaking on XPs part, it can be just as mean and lean as 2000.

2ez2KiLL, those memory hogging video editing programs and games aren't usualy run on a budget PC...If you know what I mean...

For your OS I'd go with either 2000 or XP. Considering they'll have to end up looking the same and pretty much performing the same after tweaking, whichever is cheaper is generally the better choice.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Yikes! I looked into the Windows XP, and they want $200 for it. Crazy! It would be cheaper for me just to buy a Dell el cheapo, and change the video card to a TV out card. I guess that's what I'm going to have to do, even thhough I was looking forward to building my own PC.

Linux for free sounds like a reasonable price, but doesn't it take a lot of computer language skills inorder to operate it? Remember, you talking to a computer illiterate, here.

 

[Shannon]

Yikes! I looked into the Windows XP, and they want $200 for it. Crazy! It would be cheaper for me just to buy a Dell el cheapo, and change the video card to a TV out card. I guess that's what I'm going to have to do, even thhough I was looking forward to building my own PC.

Linux for free sounds like a reasonable price, but doesn't it take a lot of computer language skills inorder to operate it? Remember, you talking to a computer illiterate, here.

Well, it is the latest OS. Did you check the 2K prices? Oh, and 👎 to name brand PCs. You'll regret buying one when it comes to formatting, changing hardware, etc.

That depends on what distro you choose. Some require a lot of configuration and some are fairly straight forward. I don't know much about linux, but Fedora is supposedly a fairly easy distro to get up and running...

 

[Solid Lifters]

Well, it is the latest OS. Did you check the 2K prices? Oh, and 👎 to name brand PCs. You'll regret buying one when it comes to formatting, changing hardware, etc.

Well, I looked into the the Win 2000, and the three places I looked for it, didn't have it.

On the subject of name brand PC's, I think this might be the way for me to go. SR1000Z Why do you say they're very hard to change hardware for? I was planning on adding, to the available AGP slot, a 64MB TV out video card. Now, you've got me worried. Don't they come already formatted?

Note: I tested the link, and nothing happened. So, I have the link and address below.

HPShopping.com - New! SR1000Z series
Address:http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/cto/computer_customize_start.do

 

[Solid Fro]

Windows 2000 with SP3 ($140.25) http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=37-102-138&depa=6