New computer - need suggestions

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DarthKirby

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I'm making a list of computer components I'd like to buy to build a computer, hopefully sometime this summer. Here's what I have so far:

Mobo: a7n8x Deluxe
CPU: Athlon XP 2400+
RAM: 512MB PC2700 Corsair XMS Series
Monitor: Samsung 19"
Hard drive: WD 80GB

Do I need a sound card or is the sound on the a7n8x good enough quality?

I'm considering the GF4 Ti4600 and the Sapphire Radeon 9500 pro for the video card, but I'm not sure which is better.

I'm not sure what's the best case to get though, and could use some suggestions. One case I've seen that looks good is a silver Chieftec with a 450W power supply for $95 on Newegg.

So anyway let me know what you think about it :D
 
Everything seems fine :grinthumb ! I take it that an a7n8x Deluxe is an nForce2 chipset, in which case the onboard sound will be of decent quality.

For a video card, I would get a Ti4600, as IMO, it is a faster card (have used both). Although, in order not to get my head bitten off, I will ask you to get a second opinion before making any decisions based on my worthless opinion ;) .

BTW, isn't the 2400+ the CPU which has a few problems so I hear around here? This is just me being curious so take no notice as this information is founded on rumors and word of mouth. I heard somewhere that it has some problems when trying to overclock and such, someone please confirm this for me - /me is nosey ;) !
 
My favorite power supplies are the Antec True series. I've had too many PSUs, that came along with a case, go bad, to use them personally. Ahanix and Sky Hawk make some nice cases that don't come with power supplies. I don't like the Chieftec-look myself.

The sound is probably good enough, that's really up to you. You can always add one later if you feel the need. It depends a lot on how good your speakers are. They're more important than the sound card IMO.

It looks like you have some good choices for a good budget system. Asus is a good choice. Spend the extra money on the 333Mhz FSB XP2500 CPU.

If you are looking for a good video card then I would base that choice stricktly on Doom3, Splinter Cell, etc... performance. In the bang-for-the-buck category, the 9500 Pro is hard to beat. I'm very impressed with ATI's drivers as of the last 6 months. (Did I actually say that?) Read my archives posts for my previous opinion of ATI... I really like ATI's antialiasing quality over nVidia's.

I've had good luck with several purchases from Newegg. They're a good choice too! Good luck!
 
The speed of the 2500 is lower because the extra cache onboard adds a boost. You should recheck the prices again because they just lowered them. 2600 is now only $103 and probably still dropping!

I like the onboard sound. It's as good as my GTXP was and if you have digital speakers the DD encoding on the fly is great. I have no problems, either through the SPDIF or the analog outs. Some people report static through the analog but I haven't heard it. If you get the MB and have sound problems give me a buzz, I have theories on it.

I think a single ram card is fine, as running two cards in dual channel is only 3% faster but with two cards you lose maximum FSB. All Tbred chips can support lower multipliers and you can crank up the FSB and lower the multiplier for more RAM bandwidth and better performance. I'd suggest getting PC3200 and taking advantage of that.

I'd also go for an Antec True PS (380-480W) over whatever comes in the case.
 
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