Ok, so my friend and as of next week, roomate, talked his parents into letting me build him a comp, instead of a $500 Dell. He wants a cool computer, good enough to last for a while untill he saves up some money of his own and can upgrade probly the ram and the video card and maybe the monitor. Pre-pimped, nothing to fancy, good enough to run games decently, but not high end. Budgets $1k. He's kinda a n00b, so overclocking is a no, cuz i dont wanna be messing with his comp every other day... Here's what i've got for the build.

Case~
ASPIRE X-Sonic Black ATX Mid-Tower Case Model "ATXA4KW-BK/350" [newegg.com]
$56

Power Supply~
SleeveRight™ Green UV 500W Power Supply [frozencpu.com]
$59

Motherboard~
SOYO "SY-KT600 DRAGON Plus v.2.0" VIA KT600 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU [newegg.com]
$54

Processor~
AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 400 FSB, 512K Cache Processor [newegg.com]
$140

Memory~
Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 [newegg.com]
$79

Hard Drive~
Western Digital Special Edition 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1200JB [newegg.com]
$85.49

Video Card~
SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9600 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "ATLANTIS RADEON 9600" [newegg.com]
$94

DVD Drive~
Samsung Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive, MODEL SD-616EEPB [newegg.com]
$29

CD Burner~
Samsung Black 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive, Model SW-252FENB [newegg.com]
$31

Floppy Drive~
SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model MPF920 [newegg.com]
$10.99

Monitor~
NEC/MITSUBISHI 750F-BK 17" CRT Monitor [newegg.com]
$119

Keyboard~
Black Keyboard/Optical Mouse Combo [frozencpu.com]
$29

Cooling
ZALMAN CNPS6000-Cu Pure Copper CPU Cooler for Socket A/ 370 [newegg.com]
$28.99

Quad Green LED 80mm Fan x3 [frozencpu.com]
$10, $30

Quad Green LED 92mm Fan [frozencpu.com]
$12

Misc~
18" Glow In The Dark Rounded Dual Device ATA-133 Cable x2 [frozencpu.com]
$9, 18

10" Glow In The Dark Rounded Floppy Cable [frozencpu.com]
$7

Sicuro RW-350XL 2.1 Speakers Black [newegg.com]
$53

80mm Rubber Fan Silencer x4 [frozencpu.com]
$3, 12

Power Supply Rubber Silencer [frozencpu.com]
$9

Vantec Nexus NXP-301 Fan & Light Controller [case-mod.com]
$32.99

VANTEC 12" SPECTRUM UV Cold Cathode Fluorescence Lamp, DC12V (LAMP ONLY)(GREEN), Model "SP12CCFL-GR"[newegg.com]
$4.99, $9.98

$999.44

I already have the PSU, because i needed it for mine untill i got my X-connect, but they ended up ariving the same day... Other than that, i'm semi-open to suggestions. I'll probably be getting the cables and fans at case-mod.com instead of FCPU to save a few bucks...

CSE: Good
PSU: OK
MTB: Bad, get the much better Shuttle AN35N for $5 extra instead
CPU: Bad, get the 2500+ Desktop instead and clock it to 3200+
RAM: Lame, get the 512MB Mushkin PC3500 for $73 instead
HDD: Good
GPU: OK, if he does not game much
DVD: Lame, get the LiteOn DVD/CDRW Combo instead
CDR: Lame, get the LiteOn DVD/CDRW Combo instead
FPD: OK
CRT: OK
KBD: Lame, get the MS Corded Optical Desktop instead
HSF: Bad, get the CNPS7000A AlCu for $2 more @ SVC
FAN: 80MM: Bad, get them for $4 each @ SVC
FAN: 92MM: Bad, get it for $7 @ SVC
MSC:
-IDE: Bad, and you'll never see them glow, get them for $3 each @ SVC
-FPD: Bad, and you'll never see them glow, get them for $3 each @ SVC
-SPK: OK, if you don't care about clarity
-QUT: Bad, silencers cheaper @ SVC
-CTL: Bad, same controller for less @ SVC
-CTD: OK, but remember that CCFL's emit fugly light

Hope this helps

If I were you, I'd shop around a little more for speakers. We've had a lot of threads lately with nice speakers for dirt cheap. If you keep an eye out for deals you could land your rommate something pretty sweet

Quote: Originally Posted by TekXoID CSE: Good PSU: OK MTB: Bad, get the much better Shuttle AN35N for $5 extra instead CPU: Bad, get the 2500+ Desktop instead and clock it to 3200+ RAM: Lame, get the 512MB Mushkin PC3500 for $73 instead HDD: Good GPU: OK, if he does not game much DVD: Lame, get the LiteOn DVD/CDRW Combo instead CDR: Lame, get the LiteOn DVD/CDRW Combo instead FPD: OK CRT: OK KBD: Lame, get the MS Corded Optical Desktop instead HSF: Bad, get the CNPS7000A AlCu for $2 more @ SVC FAN: 80MM: Bad, get them for $4 each @ SVC FAN: 92MM: Bad, get it for $7 @ SVC MSC: -IDE: Bad, and you'll never see them glow, get them for $3 each @ SVC -FPD: Bad, and you'll never see them glow, get them for $3 each @ SVC -SPK: OK, if you don't care about clarity -QUT: Bad, silencers cheaper @ SVC -CTL: Bad, same controller for less @ SVC -CTD: OK, but remember that CCFL's emit fugly light Hope this helps

agreed go with his list and you'll be fine!!! yah wanted my input , so there yah go!

I'm getting all the fans and cables from case-mod.com, they're as cheap as, or sometimes cheaper than svc. I have to get those lights because they'll work with the bay-bus, i really dont want to spend time on this, so getting the lightswitch built into a fan controller, and thats the only one i could find like that. I'll probly go with the mobo and kb/mouse combo you reccomended, i was up in the air on the soyo, my friend has one and its rock stable, but i've heard some horror stories. As for the proc, i said i dont want to OC this, and the 400MHz fsb'll be good. I'll def be getting a better video card if i can get the total price down, probably a 9600XT. As for the cooler i'm gonna get a 6000 just to piss you off Tekx But no, i dunno if the 7000'll fit because its a midtower, but if it will, i'll suggest that as an upgrade sometime, but i need this stuff to ship tomorrow, because we move in on monday.

Damn, lookin good so far, i got everything on the list, changed a few things, but only $707.66 so far, with shipping. Time to splurge on the video card. 9600XT? Maybe a gig of ram too...

How about this?

9800's are only $200 (Pro) and I believe the 256bit SE's (can be modded to Pro's via BIOS flash or Omega soft-mod) are far better than 9600's.

As for the cooler; the 6000 series really is pretty awful; if you dont like the 7000 series look at just using stock (your not OC'ing so whats the point?).

Finally; a 2500+ (desktop or mobile) to 3200+ OC is fine on stock cooling, sometimes stock voltage (1.75 is perfectly safe on stock cooling though) and has a 99% success rate and it saves you a nice chunk of cash.

for a gig of ram corsair value select cas2.5 is $152 for 2x512mb PC-3200
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...145-440&depa=1

Agreed on going with a 2500+ Athlon, spent 75 on a mobile one for my friend's setup and clocked it at 3200+ speed, no problems at all.

Quote: Originally Posted by Cyno01 I'm getting all the fans and cables from case-mod.com, they're as cheap as, or sometimes cheaper than svc. I have to get those lights because they'll work with the bay-bus, i really dont want to spend time on this, so getting the lightswitch built into a fan controller, and thats the only one i could find like that. I'll probly go with the mobo and kb/mouse combo you reccomended, i was up in the air on the soyo, my friend has one and its rock stable, but i've heard some horror stories. As for the proc, i said i dont want to OC this, and the 400MHz fsb'll be good. I'll def be getting a better video card if i can get the total price down, probably a 9600XT. As for the cooler i'm gonna get a 6000 just to piss you off Tekx But no, i dunno if the 7000'll fit because its a midtower, but if it will, i'll suggest that as an upgrade sometime, but i need this stuff to ship tomorrow, because we move in on monday.

OHHH NOOOO!!! Not Case-Mod, I ordered from them once. I bought a whole bunch of UV stuff, I thought it was a great deal since it was the lowest price. Well, when my stuff came the UV lights were just white lights with purple strips on the tube. All the round cables weren't UV reactive and neither was the sleeving I bought. THe worst of all was 5 UV halo fans I bought at $8 a peice (was the cheapest at the time). When they arrived they weren't the ones pictured and had an inverter with 2 switches (I still don't know why), and the piece that held the UV halo on would fit in the back of the case since it was massive (un like the pic). After I contacted them they sayed all sales where final after the product has been used. Then they flt pity I guess and sent me 2 UV cathodes and they were UV this time, but they sent them to the wrong address. So after about 3 weeks worth of shipping they got here and one was broken. I think this has been the biggest joke of a comany ever.

I've ordered a lot from them, i've never gotten burned. Their stuff is cheap. Just cheap. I got UV SATA cables from them and they're silver and give off a nice blue glow under UV, i got Glow in the Dark round cables from them, and as you can see in my gallery they glow in the dark. Odly enough their brand name LED fans (coolermaster) are cheaper than the no name fans. I bought the cables and fans from there tonight (and my blue uv IDE and floppy cables, since they had 'em in stock now). I got the fan controler from SVC, since they had it in black, never ordered from them before, hope it goes well. Got everything else from newegg, i went with the shuttle board Tekx suggested and caved to peer pressure and'll be OCing My first OC might as well not be my own incase it gets screwed up... I'm such a bastard. Had to go with a no-name CRT, but its flatscreen. I also went with the Sapphire 9600XT.

Just got back from a parrttaaay if you don't like my list shove it because you know it's the best for the money (or less)

Zalman will fit. and if it dosent, then make it fit...

well , he also said its not his its his roomies, & hes a newb so oc'n is a newb, sooooo, him gettin a 2500 @ 3200, would be a NO

Quote: Originally Posted by FrosTofDeatH well , he also said its not his its his roomies, & hes a newb so oc'n is a newb, sooooo, him gettin a 2500 @ 3200, would be a NO

Wrong. Cyno will be setting the minor clock increase, if he gets the 2500 + like he should.
It's not even stressing the chip to clock from 11x166 to 11x200. No voltage increase required.

If youre looking for speakers always check out www.woot.com they get speakers through there pretty often

Ahh, damnit. The fan controller i ordered from SVC (who i havn't gotten so much as an e-mail from... so much for everyone else's favorite), is cheaper on newegg, and i know their shipping rocks. I didn't even check last night because they didn't have it last time. Also the fans i ordered from case-mod are on backorder, but it also says my red alien eye fan is on backorder, which i didn't order, so maybe i get a free fan... Yeah, my buddy's not gonna have a comp next week...or will at least have to run side-panel off and fanless.

dont get the 9600 XT get the 9800 non pro 256bit for 10 bucks more, or get the oem one for the same price. It would double his gaming speed

Yes, listen to mot19, get the 9800NP!! And DON'T get the 9800SE, because those are reserved for lucky gamblers ( Like me), or losers who don't know about softmodding, but think its better than a regular 9800Pro!