Okay, I'm ready to go for it

BrianR · 03-02-2003, 01:47 PM

But since I suck at online shopping, I'm going to ask you fellas for help.

I want a tower case, 300 watt ps, four full bays and two mini bays, plus plenty of room for HDs, aa 478 pin ASUS mb with at least a 2 gig CPU and 256 meg RAM.

I will salvage my monitor, speakers, joystick, webcam, hard drives, maybe the floppy if I can make it work, and other periphs. I just need a bare-bones box as above to get started.

Can someone fine a price for the box (or parts therefore) and send me a URL? Ever since I upgraded, this machine is slower than before. And adding RAM should have speeded it up.

Thank you

Brian

03-04-2003, 01:55 PM

Bah, I've had all this written up for you for forever. Here you go.

Get this case:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=11-129-120

Here's a good motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=13-131-429

If you want built-in FireWire, you can get this motherboard instead:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=13-131-421

The second one is technically a better motherboard and isn't much more expensive, but they're both very good.

Here's your processor - 2.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=19-116-139

I really recommend 512MB of RAM instead of 256. Here's a great stick from Crucial:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=20-145-059

All of that's available at NewEgg.com. It might be a little more than you wanted to pay, but there's nothing bad about the parts I just recommended.

BrianR · 03-04-2003, 04:30 PM

at new egg too. here's what I found, did I get it all right?

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...131-432&depa=0

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...+source+galaxy

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...3%2D064325I%2E

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...ion=19-116-139

one case, a CPU, mommyboard and 512 M RAM

I think it will all go together, and save me $100 or so.

IF, that is, I got the specs right. I'm a little lost on the abbreviations and numbers and such.

Brian

BrianR · 03-04-2003, 05:59 PM

Are these a good idea? Would I save much money by getting one? This way I have more time to save cash for a better system.

I use mine mostly for web stuff, flight simulators and a little text and image processing.

03-04-2003, 06:00 PM

Okay. First, that's only 256 megs of RAM. If you double it to 2 sticks, you're only saving a couple bucks ($20? I forget what the price was). It's off-brand stuff. If you buy off-brand everything else, buy Crucial memory. It has a life time warranty (not that you'll need it), it's fast, it's high-quality... Please don't skimp there.

Now, nitpicky... the case you picked out is good and cheap and will work with a standard ATX board, but the board you picked (which is good, by the way) will not fit in there properly. The problem lies in that your motherboard (and most Asus motherboards) have custom back plates that surround the ports, and the back plate on that case is of a different format than the back plate that is included with your motherboard.

The case also comes with very few fans and isn't nearly as easy to work in as the case I recommended. I've built six systems with that case - it's a bit more, but it is solid as hell. Everything else you have will work fine with it - plus, it comes with a more powerful power supply. If saving money is really that big an issue, I'll trade you a 350 watt Enermax power supply with dual fans (meaning better cooling) and $20 for the 400 watt power supply in that case - meaning that it'll only really cost you $80.

If you still don't want to do that case, we can definitely find something cheaper for you (that will take your motherboard with no trouble). I would recommend putting all the fans in there that you can.

Now... it occurs to me that I have a spare case. I don't think it has any scratches on it, but I can't make any promises. Anyway, it's just like the one I recommended, except it doesn't have the front USB and FireWire ports (it's the SX1030B instead of the SX1040B). I just bought it a year ago and it hasn't seen much use (because I bought it at the time I was building my new system). If you like the case but not the price, I'll sell it to you at $70 - you won't have to pay shipping ('cause you live close) or tax (because it's being shipped cross-state). $70 might sound steep but, honestly, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting it go for less (okay, maybe $65), just because it's such a damn nice case. The only reason I'm bringing it up is 'cause I have a nicer case that I'm going to put the system in (I have a lot of computers). I think it's got a 350 watt PSU in it, and if not, I'll put one in.

If you want me to put your computer together, I'll do it free of charge (I don't feel comfortable charging an individual for something I like doing). If you don't feel comfortable getting something for free (or think that "free is too expensive", like I do), I'll let you buy me a cheap dinner.

I've just typed a lot out, and thinking back over it, it almost sounds like I'm trying to con you or something ("hey, buy this case from me!"), so if you feel like that, then let's not even bother about that (I'll find another use for the case - I'm always building computers) and we'll just buy you one. Of course, my offer stands to build it free of charge.

That's a lot to think about, and I might not have covered everything, so if you wanna talk it out, I actually will call you. Just PM me or reply here.

03-04-2003, 06:04 PM

Argh, I am an asshole - I just looked again, and we could, at the very worst, kludge your motherboard in there - but Asus didn't change the ports very much (they usually put the audio vertical, which is how I thought this motherboard was - but it's not), so it looks like it'll fit in that case.

I definitely recommend adding some fans though. So forget my case - I think that one will work fine.

BrianR · 03-04-2003, 06:37 PM

Why don't you just call me, or send me your number and I'll call you. It might be easier and faster to communicate that way, or we can do lunch some weekend.

Brian

03-04-2003, 07:22 PM

Processor
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=19-103-335
Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=13-131-433
Memory
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=20-145-005
Case
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=11-132-014
Heatsink
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=35-106-017

BrianR · 03-04-2003, 08:02 PM

thank you, Dave. I appreciate the call tonight too.

We still should do lunch someday.

Brian

Bitmap · 03-05-2003, 02:17 AM

check out http://www.pricewatch.com it's a bunch of adds but they are posted well and really easy to read they take you right to the owner's site and shows the competitive market price of every available item on the market.

03-02-2003, 01:47 PM	#1
BrianR Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,338	Okay, I'm ready to go for it But since I suck at online shopping, I'm going to ask you fellas for help. I want a tower case, 300 watt ps, four full bays and two mini bays, plus plenty of room for HDs, aa 478 pin ASUS mb with at least a 2 gig CPU and 256 meg RAM. I will salvage my monitor, speakers, joystick, webcam, hard drives, maybe the floppy if I can make it work, and other periphs. I just need a bare-bones box as above to get started. Can someone fine a price for the box (or parts therefore) and send me a URL? Ever since I upgraded, this machine is slower than before. And adding RAM should have speeded it up. Thank you Brian __________________ Never be afraid to tell the world who you are. -- Anonymous

03-04-2003, 04:30 PM	#3
BrianR Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,338	I was shopping last night at new egg too. here's what I found, did I get it all right? http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...131-432&depa=0 http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...+source+galaxy http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...3%2D064325I%2E http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...ion=19-116-139 one case, a CPU, mommyboard and 512 M RAM I think it will all go together, and save me $100 or so. IF, that is, I got the specs right. I'm a little lost on the abbreviations and numbers and such. Brian __________________ Never be afraid to tell the world who you are. -- Anonymous

03-04-2003, 05:59 PM	#4
BrianR Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,338	What about a bare bones box? Are these a good idea? Would I save much money by getting one? This way I have more time to save cash for a better system. I use mine mostly for web stuff, flight simulators and a little text and image processing. __________________ Never be afraid to tell the world who you are. -- Anonymous

03-04-2003, 06:00 PM	#5
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Okay. First, that's only 256 megs of RAM. If you double it to 2 sticks, you're only saving a couple bucks ($20? I forget what the price was). It's off-brand stuff. If you buy off-brand everything else, buy Crucial memory. It has a life time warranty (not that you'll need it), it's fast, it's high-quality... Please don't skimp there. Now, nitpicky... the case you picked out is good and cheap and will work with a standard ATX board, but the board you picked (which is good, by the way) will not fit in there properly. The problem lies in that your motherboard (and most Asus motherboards) have custom back plates that surround the ports, and the back plate on that case is of a different format than the back plate that is included with your motherboard. The case also comes with very few fans and isn't nearly as easy to work in as the case I recommended. I've built <b>six</b> systems with that case - it's a bit more, but it is solid as hell. Everything else you have will work fine with it - plus, it comes with a more powerful power supply. If saving money is really that big an issue, I'll trade you a 350 watt Enermax power supply with dual fans (meaning better cooling) and $20 for the 400 watt power supply in that case - meaning that it'll only really cost you $80. If you still don't want to do that case, we can definitely find something cheaper for you (that <b>will</b> take your motherboard with no trouble). I would recommend putting all the fans in there that you can. Now... it occurs to me that I have a spare case. I don't think it has any scratches on it, but I can't make any promises. Anyway, it's just like the one I recommended, except it doesn't have the front USB and FireWire ports (it's the SX1030B instead of the SX1040B). I just bought it a year ago and it hasn't seen much use (because I bought it at the time I was building my new system). If you like the case but not the price, I'll sell it to you at $70 - you won't have to pay shipping ('cause you live close) or tax (because it's being shipped cross-state). $70 might sound steep but, honestly, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting it go for less (okay, maybe $65), just because it's such a damn nice case. The only reason I'm bringing it up is 'cause I have a nicer case that I'm going to put the system in (I have a <b>lot</b> of computers). I think it's got a 350 watt PSU in it, and if not, I'll put one in. If you want me to put your computer together, I'll do it free of charge (I don't feel comfortable charging an individual for something I like doing). If <b>you</b> don't feel comfortable getting something for free (or think that "free is too expensive", like I do), I'll let you buy me a cheap dinner. I've just typed a lot out, and thinking back over it, it almost sounds like I'm trying to con you or something ("hey, buy this case from me!"), so if you feel like that, then let's not even bother about that (I'll find another use for the case - I'm always building computers) and we'll just buy you one. Of course, my offer stands to build it free of charge. That's a lot to think about, and I might not have covered everything, so if you wanna talk it out, I actually <b>will</b> call you. Just PM me or reply here.

03-04-2003, 06:37 PM	#7
BrianR Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,338	Why don't you just call me, or send me your number and I'll call you. It might be easier and faster to communicate that way, or we can do lunch some weekend. Brian __________________ Never be afraid to tell the world who you are. -- Anonymous

03-04-2003, 01:55 PM	#2
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Bah, I've had all this written up for you for forever. Here you go. Get this case: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=11-129-120 Here's a good motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=13-131-429 If you want built-in FireWire, you can get this motherboard instead: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=13-131-421 The second one is technically a better motherboard and isn't much more expensive, but they're both very good. Here's your processor - 2.4GHz http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=19-116-139 I really recommend 512MB of RAM instead of 256. Here's a great stick from Crucial: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=20-145-059 All of that's available at NewEgg.com. It might be a little more than you wanted to pay, but there's nothing bad about the parts I just recommended.

03-04-2003, 06:04 PM	#6
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Argh, I am an asshole - I just looked again, and we could, at the very worst, kludge your motherboard in there - but Asus didn't change the ports very much (they usually put the audio vertical, which is how I thought this motherboard was - but it's not), so it looks like it'll fit in that case. I definitely recommend adding some fans though. So forget my case - I think that one will work fine.

03-04-2003, 07:22 PM	#8
dave Guest Posts: n/a	Processor http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=19-103-335 Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=13-131-433 Memory http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=20-145-005 Case http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=11-132-014 Heatsink http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ion=35-106-017

03-04-2003, 08:02 PM	#9
BrianR Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,338	thank you, Dave. I appreciate the call tonight too. We still should do lunch someday. Brian __________________ Never be afraid to tell the world who you are. -- Anonymous

03-05-2003, 02:17 AM	#10
Bitmap Look who thinks he's clever Dan. Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Washington DC Metro Area. Fairfax city Posts: 226	check out http://www.pricewatch.com it's a bunch of adds but they are posted well and really easy to read they take you right to the owner's site and shows the competitive market price of every available item on the market.

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