What for 275$?

[DragonMaster]

So I won a GeForce 7800GT or 275$ at NewEgg here, and I'm not sure of what I'm going to do.

I have a P3 800MHz so I guess I'll take the 275$ instead... (The XP 2000+ doesn't count, my brother is rooted to the chair in front of it, that's fun especially since I'm the one who invested 800$ on it -- while he spent 100$)

What about this ?
MSI K8NGM2-L (With GeForce 6100 NB)
AMD Athlon 64 3200+
Leadtek TV2000XP/EXPERT (TV-tuner card)

I'll then buy say... 512MB of OCZ PC3200 RAM for 60$ at my local store.

I'll probably pull out the Audigy 2 ZS and Asus CDRW from the Athlon XP and put older generic hardware in it. Now I have to get an HDD...

I guess that the GF6 is sufficient for a non-gamer like me?

Last minute update -- I just read that the mobo has problems with Linux. Other suggestion?

 

[Mirob]

Congrats on the card! :bounce: or the money.

The Biostar Tforce 6100-939 is a great mobo, and newegg has them refurbished at $43. It overclocks like mad! I might get one and a little case for my extra 3200+.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138264R

 

[DragonMaster]

Congrats on the card! or the money.

Thx! Also to the ones who replied in the headline comments!

Also, thanks for the suggestion. I might be able to get something else with that...

43$ for the Refurb BIOSTAR,
36$ for the Refurb Leadtek,
169$ for the A64 3200
27$ spare
- 256MB of RAM? Nah! Prefer getting a bar of 512MB for 50$ locally -- unless I can pay the extras to the 275$
- A PSU? Or will a 250W ATX or two be able to feed that?
- A mice?

 

[Mirob]

I don't know anything about linux.

Most 250w PSUs don't have a four pin 12v P4 connecter(AMD needs it too now.) They use the 5V rail to supply the CPU, like older Athlons and P3s. Also now mobos have 24pin ATX2 connectors. I think this will do;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811125484
looks like a Aspire, but has a real PSU. :hotbounce

It's in my cart, with the Biostar waiting for me to buyt it.

 

[DragonMaster]

I don't know anything about linux.

-It's a LOT beefier than Win98 with KDE.(The interface that IMO looks better than XP and OS X)
-Easier to learn than Windows for people that never touched a computer.
-If you have a CD to lose, you could try Knoppix, fun to see a bit of Linux. Also, it has NTFS resize, etc. tools so it can be useful!

I think this will do;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...N82E16811125484
looks like a Aspire, but has a real PSU.

Mmmm! Looks good! But I don't know if I can pay the extras to the 275$ if it costs more. I don't want to pay UPS if buying from NewEgg(Might be at least 60$ + hidden customs brokerage fees!) Front USB, firewire, sound, temp, love that!

or

Most 250w PSUs don't have a four pin 12v P4 connecter(AMD needs it too now.)

I just have to buy Molex connectors with pins I think... Or maybe a wire adapter?

And a case... DIY it with ¾" MDF?

 

[Mirob]

Kinda scary riging up those PSUs.
Check this out;
BIOSTAR TForce6100 Socket 754 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
with that you get $10 of a cpu, like this(okay)
AMD Sempron 64 2500+ Palermo 800MHz FSB 256KB L2 Cache Socket 754 Processor - Retail

and a good PSU like,
FSP Group (Fortron Source) ATX400-PA, version 2.0, SATA, 400W Power Supply - OEM
edit_
+no risking the refurb bin. I had to send back on mobo form there because of a bad Vcore regulater circut, and I kept one with a blown PS2 mouse port(useing a USB one.)

 

[DragonMaster]

Hi Mirob,

PSUs are not a problem for me. I could build one if I want ;-)

 

[Mirob]

I have my Biostar Tforce6100-939. I'm like'n it. I have had my 3200+ Venice E3 up to 2.9ghz! Can't get this mobo to do 300Htt yet.
I have never needed to clear CMOS ever! It does it it's self. :bounce:
I realy like all the overclocking in one page of BIOS setup, and MEMTEST86 in the BIOS EPROM!
I've had a few problems I can deal with. I do wish I bought the retail one.
It would not boot the Windows MCE05 CD on the secondary IDE, had to force feed audio drivers form my Asrock's CD and I had problems getting a temp monitor to work. But it's working great now!

 

[DragonMaster]

Read some other topics, you told you would have prefered not to get the refurb. version. I finally went with a DFI RS482 mobo, 2x512MB Corsair ValueRAM and a LiteON Lightscribe DVD burner.

 

[Mirob]

That board has proved to only like single rail 12v PSUs. Conroe moped the floor with the OCed FX60 on that one.
edit_
Opps, I was thinking
DFI LanParty UT RDX200 CF-DR Socket 939 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 CrossFire ATX AMD Motherboard

I dont know much about that one, just that the Biostar outperformed the ATi reference board here.

 

[twite]

just curious..how did you win it?

 

[DragonMaster]

Techspot's New Year's contest(There were 4 winners). You had to post news comments and they selected the best ones.

The prize was either an nV 7800GT or 275$ at NewEgg. Since I have no computer with a PCIeX slot, I decided to go with a the 275$. (In fact, my father just got one a week before the contest ended, but I didn't know what I would have done with the X1600Pro) Also, I'm not really playing games(Rarely, but maybe a computer with nice specs could help ;-) ).

 

[Mirob]

Read some other topics, you told you would have prefered not to get the refurb. version. I finally went with a DFI RS482 mobo, 2x512MB Corsair ValueRAM and a LiteON Lightscribe DVD burner.

I realy would like to have the accessories and a longer warenty. I void warentys anyway, but 15 days is too short to try everthing out. I think it's too many problems for a real noob. I don't thick of you as a noob, but the thread you read was by a one.

 

[DragonMaster]

Oh, OK. Also they always seem to have something that's not working with the RFB'd mobos.

I don't thick of you as a noob,

I would seem as one for my age though. (But I etch PCBs and should start programming microcontrollers in a few weeks)

Just looked at your profile, you build speakers and play music? I'm just building a pair of speakers and play music!

 

[Mirob]

No, I can't play. I listen. I design and build speaker cabnets. I have a few years of electronics, and some programing from a Tech collage back when I was in high school. I built some computers there too. That was 17 years ago.

My mom kicked my dad out when I was 10 and me when I was 15. I lived with a friend. I thank God for his parents. After graduation I moved and got a job in construction. I was wasted on drugs for well over 10 years. Then I found Jesus. I've not been the same since.

Now I have four tendinitises and a bulging disc in my back, and numerous perscriptions for pain killers. I'm not addicted to any, I only use what I need.

Life is good anyway. Four boys, a wonderfull wife, house, car, truck, and more computers than I know what to do with. The American dream.