Building a computer for a friend south of the border ... assistance needed....

H

Hyper_Psycho

2[H]4U
Joined
Mar 26, 2002
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Hey guys ... its really late and I need your opinions. My friend wants me to build a computer for him and he has given me a 2500 budget given that I ship the computer to Mexico. Now here is what I came up with.

CD/DVD Burners (RW Drives)
Lite On Black 52x32x52 CD-RW Drive, Model LTR-52327S, OEM
N82E16827106197
$38.00

Plextor Black 8X DVD-RW/+RW Drive, Model 708A-BPS/BL, OEM:
N82E16827131323
$198.00

Hard Drives
Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD800JB, OEM Drive Only
N82E16822144122
$74.00

Keyboards
Logitech Cordless MX Duo USB/PS2 104keys --RETAIL
N82E16823126124
$76.00

Memory (System Memory)
Kingston HyperX Series Dual Kits 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3500
N82E16820144127
$253.00

Motherboards - AMD
ABIT K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU, Model "KV8-MAX3" -RETAIL
N82E16813127165
$163.99

Power Supplies
ENERMAX Noisetaker Series EG425P-VE-SFMA. 420W Power supply.
N82E16817103445
$89.00

Processors
AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - Retail
N82E16819103426
$429.00

Speakers
Klipsch Promedia GMX D-5.1 Personal Audio System Retail
N82E16836119104
$220.00

Video Cards
ATI RADEON 9800XT Video Card, 256MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -RETAIL
N82E16814102317
$463.00

Extend my Standard Warranty on the above qualified items: $107.04



TOTAL $2,003.99


So if I get him this and get a Lian Li case from a local retailer (newegg does not have em any more) and get him to get a monitor in Mexico the 2500 would be taken.

What do you think of the system ? Is it good ? What should I change ? Is there a better DVD RW ? Better cooling unit then the stock one ? Go with pentium ? Go back to a 32 bit processor ? Any suggestions are welcommed.


PS: To check the item paste the N_______ in the search box on newegg.com .
 
The whole extended warrenty thing is probably a waste...seems most people on this forum agrees...but its up to you.

With that dvd burner you won't need the cd burner...its fast enough in my opinion
 
How long does this sysyem need to last him? If less then 2 years go with a amd xp based system and get more hard drive space. Is it for gaming, video editing,surfing the web?
 
lose those klipsch speakers, I think they only work with very specific inputs, only get those if your sound card supports the digital input that comes with those speakers. Otherwise you're just buying an expensive 2.1 system.
 
Originally posted by rally9x
The whole extended warrenty thing is probably a waste...seems most people on this forum agrees...but its up to you.

With that dvd burner you won't need the cd burner...its fast enough in my opinion
Click to expand...

I wanted to make it so that he can burn CDs on one device and DVDs on the other ... since he will need to burn more cds and if something fuxtors up he can replace the CD RW and still have a workable DVD burner ... + liteon rw = 40 bucks ; and thats cheap

Originally posted by Ben-mod
lose those klipsch speakers, I think they only work with very specific inputs, only get those if your sound card supports the digital input that comes with those speakers. Otherwise you're just buying an expensive 2.1 system.
Click to expand...

oh really ?
its not the standard green / back cables for 5.1 ?
weird, where can I learn more about this ?

Originally posted by iznuts
How long does this sysyem need to last him? If less then 2 years go with a amd xp based system and get more hard drive space. Is it for gaming, video editing,surfing the web?
Click to expand...

just games and internet so 80 gb is fine ...

Originally posted by Dagis
;poi;lsl;fughbofdkyt!!!!

Why the 3400+?
Click to expand...


why the hell not ? its fast ... its new ... its 64 bit
 
SATA hdd from wd. I unno if they have 120gb version but i know they have a 160gb SATA.

What about Windoze, doesnt have a "Mexican" copy over their?

I would say 9800Pro 128/256 mb designs not XT, too expensive

Get him mushkin lvl2 PC-3500 , Shit you need Regestered ram dont you???

Skip extended warrenty

Good mouse/keyboard combo and good mobo

What about a Vantec Stealth since BTX is suppost to use 24pin connectors when that design comes it. I got a Vantec Stealth 520 and i guess im btx ready for my next build.

Does the Thermalright SP-97 work on 64bit systems? <--- if so thats what you want to cool it,
 
Thats why the price of those speakers has dropped so dramatically, I know they look awesome, but im pretty sure they dont have the standard pci sound card connections. I would visit Klipcsh's site to get better info. But when the price of speakers drops from 400-200 or less in a few months, its because there just not selling at all, and for a reason.
 
About the 3400+ CPU:

Originally posted by Hyper_Psycho
why the hell not ? its fast ... its new ... its 64 bit
Click to expand...

Front page of [H]ardOCP, CPU review. 3000+ is far better price/performance, still 64 bit, and really only noticably different in benchmarks.


Think of it like this:

If you handed this computer over to your friend and said, "I spent an extra 200 dollars of your money for a 5% difference in performance that you won't even see except in heavy content creation", how would he react? (PS If your friend WILL be creating content, then I would draw into question why you would only include 80g of HDD space.)

Why not is not, imho, a decent excuse when using other peoples' money. Save kid in the candy shop for expeditions into your own wallet. Find the best out there, and go 3 or 4 steps down from it. That's where you'll find far better prices, and sacrifice very little performance.
 
Get him another hard drive. 80 gig isn't bad but it can fill up fast. Not to mention it's nice to have a second physical hard drive anyway.

Also, the Athlon64's do not have a dual channel memory controller. Get rid of the twin pack of RAM. Just get two 512 sticks since it's cheaper than the twin packs.

If he has to get a monitor in Mexico, it will probably come out of the $2500. Thus, you will need to cut down the prices of some of the things so you will have enough money to ship the system. I doubt shipping it down there will be cheap. If he gets a good monitor, it's going to cost and will probably come out of the $2500.

Also, as someone already mentioned, what about the OS? Does he already have a copy that he's going to use? If not, then you'll need to get a copy.
 
Case: Antec SLK3700AMB - $65.00 - Comes with 350W PSU
Mobo: Asus P4P800 Deluxe - $126.99
CPU: P4 3.2C - $395
Mem: Kingston HyperX Dual PC3200 - $159.75
HDD: Seagate 80GB SATA - $79
Video: ATI Radeon 9800XT - $463
CDRW: Samsung SM-352BRNS 52x32x52x + 16x DVD ROM: $58.50
DVD Rom: BenQ DW800A 8X DVD (+R +RW): $168.50 (can't find on newegg right now)

Total: $1515.74 (go with a P4 3.0C and it's $1392.74)

Gives you almost $1000 (or well over with a 3.0C) to get a monitor, keyboard/mouse and speakers.

Shell out a bit more for dual Raptors and a SATA Raid card and change that 80GB to a 160Gb WD IDE drive and you're looking at $1855.74 (~$1750 with a 3.0C)

That gives you a decent amount of money to buy software with (hey, all you need is XP and games, right? ;))
 
thanks on the suggestions guys

i guess I could downgrade to a 3000+ 64 .... what are some good cooling solutions for it ?

I thin that 80 GB is enough because last time when i installed all of his game it came out to like 30GB used ... and now he just got one new game so it should be the same ...

he already has windows and all the software needed ...

do the nforce 3 cards have dual channel ddr ?

also I want his dvd ram to be workable with all DVD blank media formats
 
Alright it would be USD since there is about 9 pesos per dollar

Math time

2500/9= $278 USD. He would be near the price range for a A64

Shit if he had 300 usd he would barly have enough for a shuttle case alone
 
Originally posted by SmokeRngs
If he has to get a monitor in Mexico, it will probably come out of the $2500. Thus, you will need to cut down the prices of some of the things so you will have enough money to ship the system. I doubt shipping it down there will be cheap. If he gets a good monitor, it's going to cost and will probably come out of the $2500.
Click to expand...

That's if it even gets there. Mexico has some serious theft/crime issues. The cops/officials are more corrupt than L.A.'s rampart district ever would have been.
 
Originally posted by Spidey329
That's if it even gets there. Mexico has some serious theft/crime issues. The cops/officials are more corrupt than L.A.'s rampart district ever would have been.
Click to expand...

wouldnt insuring the item help out ?
 
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