I've been thinking of building a new one soon.
I try to aim somewhat below the latest and greatest that everyone must have and pay top dollar for, but rather aim at the tried and true dependable components that will still last 4 years or so. I tend to go for Mfg I like and trust. I like AMD and ASUS for mobo/CPU. I like Sony for DVD/CD, and Seagate for drives. I like Corsair and Kingston for RAM. For the case, PSU, fans, etc, I look for what fits best and has the best reviews. I wanted to go with the AM2 socket, and a reasonably fast processor for it. I like the case to look nice, and I tend to keep them on the desk for show, and I think they suck in less dust and cat hair that way. My goals for my next base unit is that I want the Mobo to be able to upgrade someday to Phenom, and I want to have more choices for GPU technology including SLI if I so desire. I've compared crossfire and SLI, and I think the trend is going SLI. Although, I love ATI, I've also had great luck with NVidia.
Just like Deebye's build, I'm uncommitted on GPU so I'd get a couple inexpensive SLI ones for now. Something like ASUS EN8600GT MAGIC/HTP/512M GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card for $59.99 (w/ $20 rebate)
So here it my theoretical build so far;
1x Thermaltake Armor+MX VH8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $134.99
1x OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V Power Supply $124.99
1x ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard $129.99
1x AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2
125W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail $153.00
1x ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler $53.99
1x Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/4G - Retail $84.99
2x ASUS EN8600GT MAGIC/HTP/512M GeForce 8600GT 512MB
128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready
SLI Supported Video Card $119.98 ($59.99 ea. w/ $20 rebate)
3x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB
7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $194.97 ($64.99 each)
1x Sony NEC Optiarc Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1671S $18.99
1x Sony NEC Optiarc 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7190S $26.99
1x Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound $5.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium
for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $94.99
Subtotal: $1,148.86
Shipping: $130.39
Edit: Upgraded the RAM to DDR2 800 -- my bad...
I try to aim somewhat below the latest and greatest that everyone must have and pay top dollar for, but rather aim at the tried and true dependable components that will still last 4 years or so. I tend to go for Mfg I like and trust. I like AMD and ASUS for mobo/CPU. I like Sony for DVD/CD, and Seagate for drives. I like Corsair and Kingston for RAM. For the case, PSU, fans, etc, I look for what fits best and has the best reviews. I wanted to go with the AM2 socket, and a reasonably fast processor for it. I like the case to look nice, and I tend to keep them on the desk for show, and I think they suck in less dust and cat hair that way. My goals for my next base unit is that I want the Mobo to be able to upgrade someday to Phenom, and I want to have more choices for GPU technology including SLI if I so desire. I've compared crossfire and SLI, and I think the trend is going SLI. Although, I love ATI, I've also had great luck with NVidia.
Just like Deebye's build, I'm uncommitted on GPU so I'd get a couple inexpensive SLI ones for now. Something like ASUS EN8600GT MAGIC/HTP/512M GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card for $59.99 (w/ $20 rebate)
So here it my theoretical build so far;
1x Thermaltake Armor+MX VH8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $134.99
1x OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V Power Supply $124.99
1x ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard $129.99
1x AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2
125W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX - Retail $153.00
1x ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler $53.99
1x Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/4G - Retail $84.99
2x ASUS EN8600GT MAGIC/HTP/512M GeForce 8600GT 512MB
128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready
SLI Supported Video Card $119.98 ($59.99 ea. w/ $20 rebate)
3x Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB
7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $194.97 ($64.99 each)
1x Sony NEC Optiarc Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1671S $18.99
1x Sony NEC Optiarc 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7190S $26.99
1x Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound $5.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium
for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $94.99
Subtotal: $1,148.86
Shipping: $130.39
Edit: Upgraded the RAM to DDR2 800 -- my bad...
”There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.
![[Image: yVR5oE.png]](http://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/329/yVR5oE.png)
![[Image: VKQ0KLG.png]](http://i.imgur.com/VKQ0KLG.png)