So my computer is getting old and I am planning on building a new one and I need some information and advice. I welcome all advice and opinions but I am mostly interested in factual information. That is the reason I have put this in GQ rather than IMHO.
I have already spent a fair amount of hours gathering information and studying it and I have a configuration I am working on. The first thing I need is for you to tell me if there’s anything obviously wrong like incompatibilities between components and such. I feel quite lost in all of this. I am also mentioning what I consider to be indicative prices so you can also tell me if I am way off on anything but discussing prices is not the object here.
So let’s get started:
1- ATX case with 300W power supply. $52.00
Question: do they all come now with USB connectors in the front?
2- INTEL D845B mainboard w/ 478PGA Socket, up to 2GB of DDR 266 SDRAM, integrated audio, CNR, 1.5V 4X/2X AGP, 6 PCI, 7 USB 1.1 - $150.00
I have chosen INTEL because I have read they have a reputation for stability. I do not need to overclock or tinker. I want stability before anything else. Now, there are three groups of Intel D845 boards. The D845W use PC133 Sdram while the D845B and D845P use DDR266 RAM. I am assuming DDR266 is faster and better. True? Then I believe the D845P are just microATX versions of the D845B. Since space is plentiful I go for the D845B, of which there are three different versions: D845BG (w/ audio & CNR), D845BGL (w/ audio &LAN), D845BGSE (w/audio, CNR & USB 2.0). I am not sure about CNR but I believe it is not used and I cannot use it so it really makes no difference. I think it was something Intel was trying to do and never really got off the groun? The LAN part I really don’t need either nor the USB 2.0 … so the questions are:
2.1- Is DDR266 better than PC133 and should I choose one of these boards for this reason?
2.2- I suppose the difference is USB 2.0 is faster than USB 1.1. Right? Is USB 2.0 worth having? Is it compatible with USB 1.1?
2.3- Anything I should be aware of with these boards?
3- Processor INTEL PENTIUM IV 1,6 GHZ 478 $150.00
4- Fan & heat sink $12.00
5- RAM: 256 MB DDR $70.00 ( I can expand later)
6- Graphics Card: AVI RADEON 7500 64MB $114.00
I am not interested in games. Just want a reliable card for basic stuff and the occasional MPG movie. I am especially concerned with the video card because I have never used a card with AGP, video in/out, dual monitor etc. All information on this topic and card welcome. This card seemed to be a good compromise of performance vs. price.
7- 56K PCI modem-fax-voice. I am a bit lost here as I have seen them from $20 to $80. Any advice? I have a winmodem now and it works fine but it is ISA so I need to get a PCI because the new board has no ISA slots. Let’s say $30.00 so I can continue an accumulated total.
8- CD writer. Anything I should know? I bought a HP when they first came out and it was a piece of crap which never really worked and I got no support from HP. So I am not getting an HP. Other than that, anything I should know? For now I have tentatively budgeted a Sony 24x10x40 for $90.00
10- FDD $10.00
11- PS2 mouse $2.00
12- Generic speakers $20.00
13- Keyboard - I have one I got at a goodwill store for $1.00
14- HDD I have a 20GB drive I can use and maybe upgrade later
15- OS: I have WIN98SE for now and I can get XP in the future
16- Monitor: I have a 15" which works fine and I can upgrade in the future.
So we have an accumulated total of $700 (I tweaked the figures because I like round numbers but they’re indicative). Does this make sense?
Will all these parts work together or are there any incompatibilities?
As I say, I have arrived at this stage after a lot of research. I now need to go over the entire thing again and make sure the individual parts are compatible and add up to something that makes sense
17- As a side issue: I want to get a SmartMedia reader/writer. I have a Fuji digital camera which uses these cards and I can plug it directly into the USB but I can only read and not write. I have decided it is a good idea to keep my encryption keys and some sensitive files on a SmartMedia card which I can remove from the computer, rather than keep the encrypted files and encryption keys on the hard disk. That way if one of my computers is ever stoled or compromised, the information is still safe.
I thank everybody beforehand as I know it takes time and effort to post. I truly appreciate any and all input.