Need help custom building a computer.

[JimAnsell]

Ok, i want to get a computer made for me.
It will basicly be used for:
Internet surfing, watching mpg, avi, mov, rm, etc files, some capturing and possibly editing using adobe premier 6, listening to mp3s, recording midi, and burning cds.
I'm looking to spend no more than $450.
no celerons!

I'll be running xp pro, and want to be able to watch smooth unchoppy mpgs, and have an over all fast web browsing experience.

with all that in mind, what are some specs, parts i should go for?
mainly what kind of mother board, processor, video card, and ddr or sdram.

thanks in advance

[Geoff1]

Dreamer!

Actually I had similar goals and decided on the following yesterday:

Abit KT7A mobo, refurb direct from Abit $55
Athalon 1.4GB 266 fsb with HD sink/fan and artic silver paste $96 shipped.

The mb is one of the last that will work with Sdram and I wanted to be able to reuse the two 512mb PC133's I picked up on sale at Best Buy for $29 ea.
I dont need leading edge performance....yet.
The Abit has been reported on here to have excellent overclocking ability with the Athalon.

Geoforce MX200 32MB AGP video card. $49 on sale at Comp USA.

Two WD 40GB 7200 rpm $49 each on sale Best Buy

Buslink 40x48x12 CD-RW $49 on sale at Comp USA

Sound and network cards, floppy, kb, mouse, case/ps....cheap everywhere.

Im using a 21" refurb Digital monitor; paid $140 2 yrs ago, works great.

That adds up to around $650 for everything.
And Im not locked into anyones proprietary mobo or other ****.

Can you do better? Probably. I just didnt want to spend half my life searching in order to save a few more pennies.

[BipolarBill]

What parts do you have now? A complete system with monitor, speakers, keyboard and mouse will run about $900 minimum. Just the box with onboard sound, DVD drive and CDR/W will cost about $550. That's with an Athlon 1600+, 256MB DDR266 and a decent $50 video card.

Add the cost of OEM WinXP at $100.

[JimAnsell]

I customized a pc on pcusa.com
how does this look for what i want to do... keeping in mind that i will upgrade the sound card and possibly the video card on my own later.

specs:
cpu - AMD Athlon xp-2000+ 1.67ghz 266 fsb
motherboard - pcchips 841lm, ddr w/ audio, video, lan
cpu fan - thermaltake volcano 5
Ram - 256mb ddr 333 mhz
52x cd drive
48x12x48 cdrw
32mb max 3d svga share
32-bit 3d surround sound
56k modem
100/10 baseT ethernet port
ATX mid tower w/ 300 w ps w/2nd fan

all for $399.25

also keep in mind that i never game. but i watch tons of mpg and avis.

i just need the system. i got keyboards, mice, a moniter, speakers, windows cds, etc.

[BipolarBill]

Are they guaranteeing this?

That's a good price, but I would question the quality of the components. A 300W PSU for that motherboard may not be reliable. Where's the hard drive? Add $80 for that.

For parts alone, I can build that of known good components for $500.

[JimAnsell]

actually i forgot to type the WD 40gig 7200 rpm ATA100 harddrive.

i can get a better case for like $20 extra.
or i could get a different motherboard

i could get a shuttle MK32N for $28 more
or

dfi az30-el for $40 more

[BipolarBill]

I would spend $20 more on an MSI KT3 Ultra2. I would also get a case with a decent PSU. The WD 400BB is good.

[BipolarBill]

Oh - and check the prices at Newegg - they ship most stuff free.

[Bizkitkid2001]

Had to throw that in, huh bill?;)

[BipolarBill]

I owe it to my fans. :D

[ConfusedAlien]

newegg schmuu egg

lol
anyway, pcchips? i wouldnt use generic

isnt the system a little daring for such a nice system?

[BipolarBill]

Originally posted by ConfusedAlien
isnt the system a little daring for such a nice system? :confused:

[bushmaster]

Go and run a check on resellerrating.com Turns out there are quite a few very dissatisfied customers who have bought systems from them and gotten screwed royally. seems they match the wrong components, and when they mess up you pay to re-ship back and forth. screw that.