Hi,
Well, it's in the mail (or, more likely, in UPS or FedEx). What I ended up ordering is somewhat different from the first cut choices I posted last week. Most of those changes were made because of your comments and suggestions. And for that I thank you all very much, these will be much better computers for your input. So, here's the parts list, comments follow:
OS:
Windows XP Home w/SP2
2 at $81.00 Total: $162.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...tegory=230
Case:
Skyhawk AL-ATX4377DT-BK All Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case, Black
2 at $34.99 Total: $69.98
http://www.dealsonic.com/sk43allalatx.html
PS:
Thermaltake Silent PurePower ATX 12V 2.0 Plus EPS (W0049)
2 at $140.00 Total: $280.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-W0049&c=pw
Mobo:
ASUS A8N-E
2 at $112.00 Total: $224.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDet...pricewatch
CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
2 at $218.00 Total: $436.00
http://store.yahoo.com/pcmemory-stores/c...64939.html
CPU cooler:
ThermalTake CL-P0075 AMD Athlon 64 FX55 939pin CPU Cooler W/Heatpipe
2 at $34.00 Total: $68.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=FAN-CLP075&c=pw
Memory:
Kingston KIN-KVR400X64C3A/512 400MHz DDR (2 sticks for 1 GB)
4 at $47.49 Total: $189.96
http://www.3gplaza.com/estore/control/Co...s?id=31822
Video:
AOpen Geforce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
2 at $299.00 Total: $598.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...rds#DetailSpecs
HD:
Western Digital 160GB SATA 7200rpm 8MB OEM WD1600JD
4 at $69.00 Total: $276.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...=GO&Page=1
DVD-RW:
NEC ND-3520A
2 at $47.00 Total: $94.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?Pag...ROD&ProdID=2928
Floppy:
Sony 1.44 FLOPPY W/BLACK BAZEL
2 at $8.50 Total: $17.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...rodID=1479
S&H from Best Bargin PC: $4.90
S&H from Deal sonic: $23.29
Total spent: $2,443.13
Surplus from $2500: $56.87 (Just enough for some Scotch to lubricate the assembly process :)
OS: I could have done better here if I'd bought one without the 'Certificate of Authenticity', but I figure the software pirating countries are doing well enough without my infinitesimal aid. ;)
PS: Following the good advice of Roland, and after looking at the abysmal performance of many power supplies tested at THG, I bit the bullet and paid almost 50% more for a PS that will (I hope) do the job.
Mobo: After waffling back and fourth between SLI and non-SLI motherboards, I went for the non-SLI after deciding to go with a single video card (more under 'Video' below). Because I tend not to mess with stable systems, the potential for expansion just wasn't really worth it.
CPU: Dropping from the 3800+ to the 3500+ freed up almost $90 which I used to beef up the PS and video. The performance hit was minimal (thanks to Dozer, Quark, and Concillian for that discussion).
CPU cooler: Minor change that saved a couple of bucks. Besides, I couldn't find the CL-P0200 again when I went to buy it. Necessity's a mother ;)
Memory: This may eventually get upgraded, in spite of what I said above.
Video: Going from the 6600 to the 6800 was quite a hit in the wallet and soaked up he savings on the CPU. Thanks to the input from Concillian, I revisited the video card game data on THG. I was ready to go the 2x6600 SLI mode, but closer examination makes me think that the single 6800 route is better for the games I play.
HD: Decided to go the RAID 0 route after all. Two of these drives give me about 20GB more than the single Seagate for $15 per system less. While RAID 0 does not seem to improve game performance, neither should it hurt it. Sorry, Concillian. I guess this is one time when I'll have to get bitten before I become shy. :)
As always, comments, etc., appreciated. But remember, these decisions have now been cast in the stone of shipping and restocking fees. After everything gets here, I'll make one or more posts about how things have gone and are going.
--Pete
Well, it's in the mail (or, more likely, in UPS or FedEx). What I ended up ordering is somewhat different from the first cut choices I posted last week. Most of those changes were made because of your comments and suggestions. And for that I thank you all very much, these will be much better computers for your input. So, here's the parts list, comments follow:
OS:
Windows XP Home w/SP2
2 at $81.00 Total: $162.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...tegory=230
Case:
Skyhawk AL-ATX4377DT-BK All Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Case, Black
2 at $34.99 Total: $69.98
http://www.dealsonic.com/sk43allalatx.html
PS:
Thermaltake Silent PurePower ATX 12V 2.0 Plus EPS (W0049)
2 at $140.00 Total: $280.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-W0049&c=pw
Mobo:
ASUS A8N-E
2 at $112.00 Total: $224.00
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDet...pricewatch
CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 3500+
2 at $218.00 Total: $436.00
http://store.yahoo.com/pcmemory-stores/c...64939.html
CPU cooler:
ThermalTake CL-P0075 AMD Athlon 64 FX55 939pin CPU Cooler W/Heatpipe
2 at $34.00 Total: $68.00
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=FAN-CLP075&c=pw
Memory:
Kingston KIN-KVR400X64C3A/512 400MHz DDR (2 sticks for 1 GB)
4 at $47.49 Total: $189.96
http://www.3gplaza.com/estore/control/Co...s?id=31822
Video:
AOpen Geforce 6800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
2 at $299.00 Total: $598.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...rds#DetailSpecs
HD:
Western Digital 160GB SATA 7200rpm 8MB OEM WD1600JD
4 at $69.00 Total: $276.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...=GO&Page=1
DVD-RW:
NEC ND-3520A
2 at $47.00 Total: $94.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?Pag...ROD&ProdID=2928
Floppy:
Sony 1.44 FLOPPY W/BLACK BAZEL
2 at $8.50 Total: $17.00
http://www.bestbargainpc.com/index.asp?P...rodID=1479
S&H from Best Bargin PC: $4.90
S&H from Deal sonic: $23.29
Total spent: $2,443.13
Surplus from $2500: $56.87 (Just enough for some Scotch to lubricate the assembly process :)
OS: I could have done better here if I'd bought one without the 'Certificate of Authenticity', but I figure the software pirating countries are doing well enough without my infinitesimal aid. ;)
PS: Following the good advice of Roland, and after looking at the abysmal performance of many power supplies tested at THG, I bit the bullet and paid almost 50% more for a PS that will (I hope) do the job.
Mobo: After waffling back and fourth between SLI and non-SLI motherboards, I went for the non-SLI after deciding to go with a single video card (more under 'Video' below). Because I tend not to mess with stable systems, the potential for expansion just wasn't really worth it.
CPU: Dropping from the 3800+ to the 3500+ freed up almost $90 which I used to beef up the PS and video. The performance hit was minimal (thanks to Dozer, Quark, and Concillian for that discussion).
CPU cooler: Minor change that saved a couple of bucks. Besides, I couldn't find the CL-P0200 again when I went to buy it. Necessity's a mother ;)
Memory: This may eventually get upgraded, in spite of what I said above.
Video: Going from the 6600 to the 6800 was quite a hit in the wallet and soaked up he savings on the CPU. Thanks to the input from Concillian, I revisited the video card game data on THG. I was ready to go the 2x6600 SLI mode, but closer examination makes me think that the single 6800 route is better for the games I play.
HD: Decided to go the RAID 0 route after all. Two of these drives give me about 20GB more than the single Seagate for $15 per system less. While RAID 0 does not seem to improve game performance, neither should it hurt it. Sorry, Concillian. I guess this is one time when I'll have to get bitten before I become shy. :)
As always, comments, etc., appreciated. But remember, these decisions have now been cast in the stone of shipping and restocking fees. After everything gets here, I'll make one or more posts about how things have gone and are going.
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?