Re: looking for parts recommendations for DIY desktop


"jb" <jbesser@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1187480377.327623.150540@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I want to build my next computer.
What I'm looking for are recommendations for a good configuration that
meets these criteria:

-- Reasonably fast, but not super speed; this computer will be used
mostly for word processing, Internet. No numeric operations, no
graphics-intensive applications

--reliable. If speed is not the priority, high reliability is,
especially for key components like the motherboard and power supply.

-- Lots of memory (2 G, I assume)

--Modest video. Don't play games, don't do Photoshop, I don't need
anything super, but also don't want anything that's going to slow Web
browsing

--OK audio. Just enough to listen to Internet radio.

-- Win XP, not Vista.

And did I mention reliability?

I'm looking for some groupings of components that meet these needs,
and will work well together.

THanks in advance


For your use a Dell might be the cheaper route than building one yourself. If you must build one I would suggest something like an E6600 processor for just over $200 US and a relatively newer chipset like the NV680i or a similiar Intel 35 series chipset and onboard sound. Those chipsets will give you at least one processor upgrade to a quad core if you want to do that in the future. Something that supports DDR2 rather than a DDR3 only board would save a few dollars too since prices on DDR2 memory are reasonable right now. There are a lot of PCI-E video cards out there now that will do what you need to do for well under $100. You will probably find that building your own will be a few hundred bucks more expensive than a prebuilt, but you can get the components you want. The only way you can save money on building your own is in the extremely high-end systems. I spent about $3700 on my present NV680i, GTX 8800 SLI system with a 24" monitor/HDTV and the closest thing that Dell had was in the $5000 range. A system like you need from Dell will be $1000 or so depending on monitor size and other things. I think Dell is still offering XP as an option to Vista for the near future. If you go with Vista 2gigs of memory is a must as far as I am concerned. 1gig will do you just fine with XP and your needs. Onboard sound is much better today than it was just a couple of years ago. My Asus board I use now has Soundmax OB 5.1 Dolby and it works great with my Logitech THX speaker system and subwoofer. Good luck whichever way you go.......

Ed

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: looking for parts recommendations for DIY desktop
    ... -- Reasonably fast, but not super speed; ... For your use a Dell might be the cheaper route than building one yourself. ... similiar Intel 35 series chipset and onboard sound. ... is still offering XP as an option to Vista for the near future. ...
    (alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt)
  • Re: My account was hacked, I would like to share my story to warn others.
    ... Vista at this early date. ... I have many Dell precision Workstations with dual ... My latest personal system is a maxed out Alienware Alx. ... I hope it is the most stable around since Alienware's support sucks, ...
    (alt.games.warcraft)
  • Re: My account was hacked, I would like to share my story to warn others.
    ... I think you confuse compatibility with proprietary. ... WHich is what many programs and drivers WON't have if you switch to ... Vista at this early date. ... I have many Dell precision Workstations with dual ...
    (alt.games.warcraft)
  • Re: Is Apple Finally Wising Up?
    ... Apple doesn't make half of what HP makes in a year. ... So in what way does Dell make more than Apple? ... Now let's look at HP's net income vs. Apple's. ... Not when you load Vista on em. ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: What do you think of THis PC?
    ... again i am the sort that find myself inside a machine upgrading stuff ... and if you tire of vista and want to install xp then that can be ... including CPU speed for VISTA Home ... 310-8025 1 Dell USB Keyboard ...
    (alt.sys.pc-clone.dell)