[Krom]

I have got the go ahead from the wife to get a new computer with part of my bonus I get in March (The other part goes to siding the house). I have a pretty good idea what I want, but I know you guys have a lot more knowledge them me. I would appreciate ideas, observations, opinions, critisizims and just general information. My budget is $1500, but I may be able to go as high as $2000.

Here is what I'm looking for:
Processor - 2.4Ghz or faster AMD or Intel
512 MB or more memory (type ?) I currently have RDRAM, but it's so damm expensive.
Motherboard (???) needs to have following:
166 or faster bus
8x AGP Video support
USB 2.0
IDE Raid 0 stripping
I will continue using my ATI Radeon 8500LE, but may be getting a 9700 pro shortly.
Sound Card ???
I have Altec Lanseng Speakers (L+R+Sub)
DVD/CD-ROM Player
DVD/CD-ROM Burner
Continue using my 19" Princeton Monitor
Windows XP, Home or Professional
A case that is sturdy, and easy, to haul to LAN parties.
Hard Drives (???) 2 needed for stripping.
I have a 3Com 3C905C 10/100 Ethernet card.

Thanks in advance.

[technoarch]

this is hellwalkers rig:


http://home.earthlin...son/system2.htm


this is a great place to start on looking at components.


tech

[HandofG]

yeah hw and Bubba like to stay on the cutting edge so their rigs are good top of the line examples.

[Hellwalker]

That page needs to be updated as often as my system.

New additions include the TDK 48/24/48 and Dell 1900FP LCD.

I recommend all those parts. If you looking at an AMD system you might want to ask RR what he just got.

[Krom]

I would like to know about motherboards. I definitly want one that supports IDE Raid 0 stripping and has at least a 133 bus speed. Should I look at boards with sound built in, or get a seperate card for that?

Also, what memory is good and cheap? I know SDRAM is super cheap, but RDRAM RIMM is better, but much more expensive. Comments?

[technoarch]

i am not the comp expert here but i would def. go with a sperate sound card and go with ddr ram

tech

[ZetetiC_ElencH]

NV2 is the way to go.

http://www.vnroundup...&id=ep8rda8k9a2

it seems the days of the sound card are falling behind.

[Krom]

Thanks RamRod! I'll email you about my decision. Like I said I probably won't be buying until March. But in the meantime, I can plan and dream.

I do have a couple of questions:

Does the GA-7VAXP control the fan speed of the cooling fans for the case, CPU and power supply? A friend said his motherboard does this and it really help cut down the noise by not having the fans run full blast all the time.

Would you be running the XP2600 OCed? I read that it runs at a factory default of 2.13GHz. Would the 2800+ be better at 2.25GHz? I would really like to push the 2.4-3.0 GHz barrier if possible. I know jack about OCing, so I would be completely dependant on you guys to help me. My rule of thumb is not to buy a new system unless I can at least double the speed of my old one.

Is the built in sound sufficient, or should I go with the SB Live? I already have an SB Live in my current system I could re-use and put a cheaper card in when I reformat it for my wife.

As I type this my bud came through! I'm getting an ATI Radeon 9700 pro tomorrow! They just sent him new 9700 pro all-in-wonder cards, so he's giving me the old 9700 pro! (Thanks Jim! ) So I won't need a GPU. I also think I'll hold off on buying the DVD burner for now too.

I read the motherboard supports DDR400 memory. Is there any advantage in getting this over the DDR333? Can I get the 512MB on one strip?

Can I get XP Home through you too since you can usually get a good deal on the OS with a new system, or should I just buy an upgrade for $95?


Thanks again!