So, I'm trying to build my own computer.

[imported_Grev Drasen]

To make a long story short, my HP is outdated and pretty much useless for gaming. I thought I'd take it into my own hands to build up a PC, but since it's my first time doing something like this and I know jack about computer parts, I thought I'd post here before throwing away a few hundred bucks.

Antec SLK3700AMB case (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-122&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
Western Digital 80GB harddrive (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-102&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
Abit NF7-S motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-166&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
AMD AthlonXP 2600 processor (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-417&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
Rosewill 512MB DDR PC-2700 ram (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-223-006&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)

That's all I've got so far, at a total of $371. I know I'm lacking a video card, but I won't have the funds to pick one of those up until the end of the year. So if I'm missing something vital or the set-up above just sucks, let me know.

If you can save me some money on something, that'd be nice too.

[Pierce Tondry]

The first thing you need to look at when buying a computer is budget. How much are you looking to spend? Is it fair to say your limit is at $400?

[imported_Grev Drasen]

I'd be willing to spend $500 or less.

[Slayn Cloak]

http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=6


I have that same board... It's good, darn good. The intergrated aound isn't bad at all so you can hold off on a sound card, and unless you're going to be playing really demanding games, like doom3 you can get a cheap o budget card for now.

[imported_Grev Drasen]

Originally posted by Slayn Cloak
I have that same board... It's good, darn good. The intergrated aound isn't bad at all so you can hold off on a sound card, and unless you're going to be playing really demanding games, like doom3 you can get a cheap o budget card for now.
By the time I invest in a graphics card I won't have much of anything to put towards audio, so it's good to hear that the onboard sound is decent. The main games I'm looking to play are Unreal Tournament 2004 and Knights of the Old Republic (as well as the sequel).

Hopefully the system will be good enough to play Halo 2 when it's released.

edit: How am I as far as power supply goes? I was told 350W should be the minimum.

[Droo]

After reading this thread I was inspired to do some fantasizing of my own and decided that shortly after my birthday I hope to have built myself a new computer. And it's a l33t h4x0r mofo.

http://www.swforums.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=751&password=&sort=1&cat=501

[Figrin D'an]

350W should be able to handle what you'll be putting into the system. If you're worried about having enough power for future upgrades, you can go for 400W, but it's not a must.

Western Digital HD - make sure you get the SE version of that drive. It has an 8MB cache instead of 2MB. It'll provide a small but nice performance boost for a minimal increase in cost.

RAM - 512 MB minimum, especially running XP. PC2700 is fine.

Processor - 2600 is a good chip... the Barton core was one of the best cores AMD made, especially for overclocking. Just make sure you either get the retail version of the processor, or get a good heat sink and fan (the one you have linked is the OEM version... processor only.)


Video Card - If I were to buy a new video card today, it would be this one...

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=14-102-268&DEPA=1

Cheaper than the XT or the Pro 256MB version, it provides some of the best "bang for your buck" that you can find right now. It is almost $200, but you won't need to upgrade it for a while. If you check out the performance charts at Tom's Hardware (http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/index.html), it stacks up very well against cards that are newer and more expensive.

But, there are a lot of good choices, and by the end of the year, prices will be different as the PCI Express interface starts to ramp up. There should be some good deals on AGP cards by then.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by Grev Drasen
To make a long story short, my HP is outdated and pretty much useless for gaming. I thought I'd take it into my own hands to build up a PC, but since it's my first time doing something like this and I know jack about computer parts, I thought I'd post here before throwing away a few hundred bucks.

Antec SLK3700AMB case (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-122&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
Western Digital 80GB harddrive (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-102&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
Abit NF7-S motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-166&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
AMD AthlonXP 2600 processor (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-417&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)
Rosewill 512MB DDR PC-2700 ram (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=20-223-006&depa=0&manufactory=BROWSE)

That's all I've got so far, at a total of $371. I know I'm lacking a video card, but I won't have the funds to pick one of those up until the end of the year. So if I'm missing something vital or the set-up above just sucks, let me know.

If you can save me some money on something, that'd be nice too.


Decent enough specs. Follow Figrin's advice and you wont go wrong.

[Darth Viscera]

you can reliably overclock the 2600 barton with the retail HSF? maybe i should try that with my 2500.

I like my Abit NF7-S' integrated audio much better than my old Audigy Platinum, which was just pure hassle.

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Darth Viscera
you can reliably overclock the 2600 barton with the retail HSF? maybe i should try that with my 2500.


I built a system last year for my brother with a 2500 Barton core and the retail heat sink/fan, and was able to overclock it with no trouble. It has such a great surface area relative to the heat flux that it runs pretty cool under normal conditions. Put better cooling in it, like a Volcano or Coolermaster with some Arctic Silver thermal grease, and you can make those suckers fly with ease.

[imported_Grev Drasen]

Originally posted by Figrin D'an
Processor - 2600 is a good chip... the Barton core was one of the best cores AMD made, especially for overclocking. Just make sure you either get the retail version of the processor, or get a good heat sink and fan (the one you have linked is the OEM version... processor only.)
If I go with the retail version and get the heatsink & fan would you recommend trying to overclock it to 3200?

[Darth Viscera]

Originally posted by Figrin D'an
I built a system last year for my brother with a 2500 Barton core and the retail heat sink/fan, and was able to overclock it with no trouble. It has such a great surface area relative to the heat flux that it runs pretty cool under normal conditions. Put better cooling in it, like a Volcano or Coolermaster with some Arctic Silver thermal grease, and you can make those suckers fly with ease.

what did you OC it to?

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Grev Drasen
If I go with the retail version and get the heatsink & fan would you recommend trying to overclock it to 3200?

Probably not that much. You should be able to overclock it by another 150-200 Mhz with standard cooling (the retail heak sink and fan). If you were to get a different cooling setup, you could overclock it more. I know of people who have overclocked the 2500 Barton (1.8 Ghz standard) to about 2.4 Ghz, which is actually faster than the 3200. You need to have the right cooling setup though (copper heat sink, top-notch CPU fan, good airflow though the case).

It's best to overclock in small increments, though. Bump it up a little bit, let it run and make sure it's stable, then bump it up a little more. Your other hardware plays a role in how far you can push the processor, so nothing is guarenteed.

[imported_Grev Drasen]

One more thing before I head off. Do I need to look into cooling for my RAM and eventual video card? The case comes with a single 120mm fan, but should I look into RAM sinks or anything like that?

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Darth Viscera
what did you OC it to?

IIRC, we took it up to between 2-2.1 Ghz, with retail cooling and Arctic Silver, but we probably could have pushed it more. The space for the case wasn't the greatest for airflow, though, so we didn't want to push it too much.

If you were to put say a Coolermaster Jet 7 on the thing, though... 2.4 or 2.5 Ghz would be attainable.

[Darth Viscera]

great googley moogley!

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Grev Drasen
One more thing before I head off. Do I need to look into cooling for my RAM and eventual video card? The case comes with a single 120mm fan, but should I look into RAM sinks or anything like that?

If you are really serious about overclocking (ie. pushing it to 2.4+ Ghz), you'll probably want to look into some good PC3200 RAM, and get some sinks for it, yeah. Otherwise, you should be okay.

You'll want additional fans for your case. Good airflow is key to successful overclocking.

Video card... you should be fine for that. It is possible to overclock the ATI and nVidia cards, but if you get a solid card, you probably won't need to. Things like the hard drive will be a far greater limiting factor on performance than the video card.

[imported_Grev Drasen]

I probably won't be doing too much overclocking, in fact I probably won't do any at all. I just figured if I could overclock the processor with its heatsink & fan I'd go for it.

If I don't plan on overclocking will the one fan and the processor's cooling do the job, or will I need more fans anyway?

Also, as far as the RAM is concerned... I noticed the Crucial PC3200 was only $16 higher than the Rosewill PC2700. Would I be better off going with the Crucial, or will the difference not make too much of a difference?

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Grev Drasen
If I don't plan on overclocking will the one fan and the processor's cooling do the job, or will I need more fans anyway?

Yup, you should be fine then.



Also, as far as the RAM is concerned... I noticed the Crucial PC3200 was only $16 higher than the Rosewill PC2700. Would I be better off going with the Crucial, or will the difference not make too much of a difference?

Some people really like Crucial memory, and the PC3200 will be faster then the PC2700, but if you aren't going to be overclocking, it isn't a big deal. But, it's your choice. Buying RAM is, in most cases, all about personal preference.

[Demon-Kieran]

Originally posted by Darth Viscera
great googley moogley!

"Great googley moogley"? *eyebrow raises*

[imported_Grev Drasen]

Originally posted by Figrin D'an
Some people really like Crucial memory, and the PC3200 will be faster then the PC2700, but if you aren't going to be overclocking, it isn't a big deal. But, it's your choice. Buying RAM is, in most cases, all about personal preference.
Sounds good. Thanks for all the help.