THE Budget Computer :) Help Needed! (long)

[AlexK12]

I've been using the original iMac for 4 years now. Specs are 233 mhz G3/4 GB HD/64 MB RAM/OS 9.1/24x CD-ROM. Now tell me that's outdated. And I'm a gamer...really I am! I've been getting along these past 4 years playing perhaps the best PC game ever, StarCraft. However, with Warcraft III out, I soon found out what I had already known, my iMac just wasn't cutting it anymore. So the search began for a new computer. I found out early on my quest that building a PC was the way to go. Cheap, customizable, and cool. Like Queen, I'm just a poor boy, every dollar counts for me. So here I am, with a list of components that were cheap and to my liking (for the most part). I'll hopefully be ordering the parts within the next 10 days. Check it out.

Case : Evercase E4252W005A 10-bay Case Retail -Black-
$26
$15 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=11-127-003

Power Supply : Heroichi Electronic corp. Power Supply 350watt HEC-350LDT-R
$44
$0 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=17-104-003

Motherboard : EPoX EP-8K5A2+ w/RAID, LAN, USB 2.0 & AUDIO
$99.51
$8.51 Shipping

http://direct.mwave.com/mwave/doc2/a16117.html

Processor : AMD Athlon XP 1600+ 1.4 GHz OEM -AGOIA Cores-
$52.99
$0 Shipping

http://newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=19-103-303&DEPA=1

Heatsink/Fan : Taisol CGK760092 Copper Insert
$15
$5 Shipping

http://www.kdcomputers.com/eui/prime/profile/87/78/component.htm

Thermal Paste : ARCTIC SILVER III 3G
$6
$6 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=35-100-003

Memory : Samsung IC Chipset 512MB DDR333 PC2700 OEM
$127
$0.50 Shipping

http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80040

Kingston 512MB DDR333 PC2700 Retail
$127
$0.50 Shipping

http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80065-K

Hard Drive : WD Western Digital "Special Edition" 80GB 7200 RPM EIDE Model #WD800JB
$108
$0 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=22-144-122

Video Card : ATI Radeon 8500LE 64MB DDR
$89
$0 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=14-102-226

CD Burner : Lite On 40x12x48 CDRW Model: LTR40125S Retail
$57
$0 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=27-106-176

Speakers : Logitech Z540 5-Piece Speaker System
$57
$12 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=36-121-103

Keyboard : Compaq Black "Lite-On" Multimedia Internet PS/2 Keyboard
$6.99
$8.24

http://www.enpc.com/cgi-bin/enpc/KB-SK-2850C.html

Mouse : Pine Group Optical Scroll Mouse w/Red Light Scroll button
$7
$6 Shipping

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=26-150-001

Subtotal : $695.49
Shipping : $61.75
Total : $757.24

Here are my concerns:

1) The case. Will it fit these components? Will it have good airflow? What extra case fans should I get with it?

2) The power supply. Eventually I think I want to put in a DVD-ROM drive, so will the 350W be enough?

3) The memory. I listed the same memory (512 MB DDR 333) from two different manufacturers, Kingston and Samsung. I'm torn as to which to get. I am going to be, ideally, overclocking this 1600+ to 1.75 GHz. Therefore is this memory going to be sufficient for this, they are both CL 2.5 CAS 2.5? What brand will be the better for oc-ing?

4) The heatsink/fan. This came highly recommended from Insane3d, and even though I highly respect that man, I just want to make sure about this. Will it be enough for the overclock? And will it fit on my mobo (EPoX 8K5A2+)?

5) The keyboard/mouse. Anyone got any better recommendations at comparable prices?

The last thing I have to say is that this will be my first experience building a PC, anyone got any other suggestions for me?

Pleeeease comment freely on anything and everything!

 

[CitrixEngineer]

1) The case should fit the components, but at that price it probably wasn't designed with great airflow in mind - you should find some good articles on airflow at arstechnica.com, or there are some good links in my FAQ on how to make your computer run cooler.

2) 350W should be fine, but beware of using cheap PSUs. There was a good article on tomshardware.com recently about this. Spend a few more pennies on a "branded" PSU, like an Antec.

3) Recoup those pennies by buying PC2100 RAM instead of PC2700. The performance difference really isn't too much, and if you buy Kingston, Crucial or Mushkin you can probably get good overclocking results - although after your iMAC, you won't feel the need to overclock this setup immediately - it will be PDQ!

4) Mikhailtech's review of that heatsink combo is worth a read;

http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/heatsinks/cgk760092/

Looks good to me. Just make sure you've got some Arctic Silver (or similar) and get rid of that pad.

5) No. Those are pretty cheap! I bought a Samsung mouse and Cherry "multimedia" keyboard cheaply through scan.co.uk, and I must say that the quality of these components make them a joy to use. What I'm saying here is you get what you pay for - I've had cheap keyboards and mice that just get annoying to use after you've lived with them for a while.

Budget is one thing, false economy is another! You're right to collect comments before purchasing, IMO. Overall, good budget selection. Personally I'd look around for a Maxtor hard disk, but that's my preference really.

Last suggestion; Make sure you've got good tools before you start building, and keep posting to Tek-Tips CitrixEngineer@yahoo.co.uk

 

[Kalisperas]

Sounds like you're in the same boat I am! I, too, have been using an iMac for some time now, and although it can still do everything else under the sun, including 3D modelling and video editing, it just can't handle the more recent games, so I'm now building my first PC too. I've been asking around this and other forums, and reading every review and article I can find, and it looks like your choice of parts is pretty similar to my own. I went with an MSI KT3 Ultra2 for my motherboard, and an MSI GeForce4 Ti4200 128MB for my vid card. I got a generic power supply with my case, but I'll be upgrading it to an Antec or Enermax, since everything I've read says that the power supply is perhaps the most important part of the system, and a cheap one can crap out, and possibly take other components down with it. As far as the more expensive vid card, I figured since I was building it for gaming, I'd rather go with a more expensive card now, instead of buying a cheaper one now and replacing it in a short time. As far as RAM, I found that you can get GeIL PC2700 CL2 for cheaper than CL2.5 from other makers. I haven't heard much about GeIL, but what I have heard wasn't bad. Something to think about anyway.

 

[JerryUSA]

Looks good I also would switch the ram to PC2100 No big difference that you'll notice..
if you are going to overclock (which I doubt you can get It that high) you maybe better off getting a 400 Watt Power supply.You'll need it & also an extra fan. The DVD will suck more power so the 400 Watt would be a good idea.
The athlon you are getting is a 1600+ that does not mean it's 1.6 Gig it is actually more like 1.2 or something like that. The 1600 is very misleading in the athlon name scheme.

Spend the extra 30-40 bucks for a better keyboard/mouse That is the one piece of equipment you will use & notice a difference if its cheap!!
IMHO this is my changes, have fun and let us know what happens.....Jerry
Http:\\

http://www.Jerrys-Computers.Com

"It's the 21st Century I was promised a flying car! Where is my flying car?"

 

[ceh4702]

I am not familiar with that power supply manufacturer. For an Athlon, make sure that the power supply is an AMD approved power supply and it is approved for the speed you are going to overclock to. In other forums I have seen recommendations for Enermax, Antec, and Sparkle power supplies. Just never buy a DEER or Foxconn power supply, as they have been known to damage some system boards and peripherals when they quit working. It is a power supply that keeps on giving in the worst way. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[denzilla]

I like western digital HDD myself. Got a used 40gig Maxtor from a friend (who takes care of his stuff) and it died less than 2 months after buying. I would go with a DVD CDRW combo drive if I were on a budget. I saw a nice Samsung unit at the local Best Buy for 129.99. Kingston is also a good choice for Ram. I've heard some horror stories about AMD stuff in the past few months. I chose a 1.2Ghz P3 for my setup. It does everything I want it to. Asus makes great motherboards. Here is my setup:

P3 1.2Ghz 167.00
512 Megs of PC133 SDRAM 80.00
Radeon 7500 4x AGP DDR 64meg 99.00
Asus motherboard with built in sound 127.00
WinXP Home OEM 100.00
Samsung CDRW 40 read 24x write 89.00
40gig Western digital HDD 100.00 at the time

 

[denzilla]

I would definitely ask some xperts about going to XP though for your new setup. As of late, I'm not having too much fun with it. I think I was better off with Win98SE for games.

 

[gargouille]

And after your experience with the ATI card...denzilla...ya' didn't even gig him on it?