MooseMan3000

Yep, it's that time again folks. This time, my grandpa wants to upgrade his desktop, and he's asked if I would consider building one for him. He likes to think he's a tech guru, so he laid out some specs he would like to see in it...

3 GHz processor
1 GB fast ram
DVD-ROM
CD-RW
At least 80 GB HDD
Floppy
Good Sound Card
Good Video Card
NIC and 56k
Decent cooling

So, I've been tossing some ideas around, and this is what I've come up with.

~ Athlon XP 3200 Barton Core - $200
~ Gigabyte GA-7S748-L motherboard - Max 400 MHz FSB (what the 3200 has), max 3GB PC 3200 RAM, 2x Ultra DMA 133 MHz, 1x AGP, 5x PCI, 2x PS2, 1xLPT, 2xCOM, 1xLAN, 6xUSB2.0, onboard 10/100 LAN, onboard audio - $55 (I can't find any without onboard audio that have the other things I want)
~ 1 GB 400 MHz (pc 3200?) Samsung or Micron DDR - $150
~ Lite-On/Samsung 16x DVD-ROM - $27
~ Lite-On/Samsung 52x32x52 CD-RW - $33
~ Seagate 80 GB 7200 RPM w/ 2 MB buffer - $70
~ Any floppy - $8
~ Any 56k modem - $13
~ Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB - $211
~ Sound Blaster Audigy 2 - $73
~ Antec Performance II Mini Tower w/ 350w PSU - $73
~ Extra for cables, fans, keyboard, etc... - $100
~ LCD monitor (he said he wanted one) - $350ish.
Total: $1383
If I remember correctly, these are all Newegg prices, just to stay consistent.


So I suppose what I'm asking is for you wonderful viewers out there to tell me why I'm wrong. He wants to keep the price within reason, so I figure this is a very respectable system for the pricetag, but maybe I'm wrong. What would you get? Is there anything I could/should scale back without a major performance drop? Does anyone have any brand loyalties that they'd like to pick a fight about?

Oh, and any advice about which LCD monitor to get (I think he's aiming for a 17") would be good. I have no experience buying them, and I've only begun to read about them, so I have basically no idea what to look for.

Thanks yall.

Moose

Fenton-J-Cool

Save him the money and get a 2500+ Barton, and clock it up to 3000+.

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wra

Redjake

everything looks good. I would maybe consider getting the Abit NF7-S instead of that Gigabyte motherboard.

Also, if you have the money (or if he has the money), I wouldn't "save him the money and get a 2500+ Barton, and clock it up to 3000+." The last thing you want is your grandpa's computer to be overclocked Just get the 3200+ and be done with it. That is, if money isn't the issue. Not to mention you would have to ditch that RAM and get some "good stuff." real good stuff. like Corsair XMS series (and pay twice as much for it). when you overclock, you have to upgrade your RAM to the stuff that will handle the overclock. I doubt that stuff you have listed would do it stabily

I would get an NEC or a Sony 17" monitor.

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Off the record, on the q.t., and very hush-hush.

Lasereth

Looks good! I'm glad you didn't go weak on the videocard like most people. A common misperception of computers these days is that if your processor is good enough, you don't need a good videocard. Wrong! That Radeon 9800 Pro is the best card you can get for the money.

-Lasereth

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert