What should my new computer consist of?

[schmike]

Hello

I´m going to buy a new computer and could use some help and tips on what to buy. I´m prepared to pay a little extra to get good stuff, but I don´t need the very best. I will mostly play games and beside that use it for less demanding things. I have done some researching and come up with the following ideas. Will this configuration work? Are there any better parts? I would be grateful for any answers!

CPU: AMD K7 Athlon 900 MHz (Thunderbird or not?)

CPU fan: rather a quite one

Motherboard (ATX, slot a, KX133, agp 4x): Asus K7V

RAM (SDRAM PC133): 2x128 MB or 1x256 MB (or maybe less?), brand or no brand, i.e. Kingston Technology?

Harddrive: IBM Deskstar 75GXP 30,7 GB

Graphics card: Asus AGP-V7700 (alt. Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS 32MB/64MB(?))

Soundcard: Diamond Monster Sound MX300 (alt. SB Live!Value or SB Live!Player)

Floppy: brand or no brand?

DVD: Pioneer DVD 16/40 IDE Slot-in

CD-RW: Iomega ZipCD 650 (alt. HP CD-Writer plus 9110i or HP Cd-Writer plus 9310i)

Case: brand or no brand?, Athlon requires more power, right?

Monitor: Nokia 447 Pro 17"

Keyboard: can you play with a natural?, is Keytronic good?

Mus: Microsoft Intellimouse Intellieye, another expensive mouse or no brand?

Network card (PCI, 10Mbit Ethernet, TP- and BNC-contacts): ?


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/Schmike

[ixl]

Seems like pretty good choices at first glance. Personally, I would not get a Slot A motherboard at this point, so sticking with T-bird or Duron makes sense.

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Charles M. Kozierok
Webslave, The PC Guide (http://www.PCGuide.com)
Comprehensive PC Reference, Troubleshooting, Optimization and Buyer's Guides...
Note: Please reply to my forum postings here on the forums. Thanks.

[ptandjb]

I'm in the same boat, but even earlier in the process. I'm rather lost, struggling on the web to learn how to comprehend tech talk and to specify components. I found this site at 3AM and diverted to post while plowwing thru this "1,000,000 word" site.

I want to get the CPU complete from a single vender. The list here is very close to my wish list to replace my 3 year old Pentium I machine. I also am looking to base my system around the Thunderbird/Athlon(?) chip, and the price sweet spot seems to be around 900 MZ. I will be using top-end voice recogntion software, which has incredible CPU/RAM requirements, well beyond our 200MMX 64MRAM machine.

Additionally, an internal zip drive, 56K limited video cam, more parallel ports for printers-scanners-tape backup. I also want to to be able to share disks with other computers that have a zip. I also will want to network with the old pentium after I upgrade it with cheap stuff.

I've been told to get 7200 rpm hard drive. http://www.target-sale.com/ seems to be an example of a place to allow picking out and specifying a computer. Any help is appreciated, as well as useful links. Will also get a monitor. This is a top priority, will learn as rapidly as possible to make an intelligent choice then do it. Now I'm going back to the site to keep reading.

[StoneDragon]

I just bought a system from Transcend Pc (http://www.transcendpc.com). It arrived Just yesterday as a matter of fact.

While I haven't had time to put it through any obstacle courses or make it jump through any burning hoops, my first impression based on popping the case open and firing the machine up is that these folks invested a lot of attention and care into putting this machine together for me.

I knew exactly the parts and pieces that I was looking for and how I wanted the machine set up, but I have never assembled a machine from scratch, so I decided to have them put it together for me. They charge an extra $125 for assembly and 3 year warranty, but make up for it by not charging shipping for an assembled computer. They also pick up the tab if I have to ship it back.

For the machine I wanted to put together, Transcend had very competitive prices.... a little higher at first glance, but once you add in shipping, they were actually lower than other places I had checked out.

After having talked with them several times on the phone and having them deliver a machine that was very well packed, assembled and configured to my exact specifications, I have to say that my experience with them thus far has been absolutely pleasurable.