Is this a good setup?

M

magus57

New Member
I'm building a small budget computer, and I'm going to use it mainly for school and casual gaming, and I also want it to be Windows Vista/DirectX10 compatble. Is this good? (anything not listed are things I want to add from my old PC or don't want to upgrade):

Case: X-QPack Aluminum Mini 420Watt Case with 3 See-Thru Windows (Microfly)
CPU: AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
Cooling: AMD ATHLON64 CERTIFIED CPU FAN & HEATSINK
Motherboard: Biostar TForce 6100-939 NVIDIA Geforce 6100 Chipset SATA PCIE All-in-One w/Video, LAN, USB2.0, & 5.1 Audio
Memory: 1GB (512MBx2) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY
Video Card: NVIDIA Geforce 6200 Graphics with TurboCache supporting 256MB 16X PCI Express VIDEO CARD
Hard Drive: 160GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive

And I'm getting this (along with two free games) for $527, shipping/assembly included. Is this a good deal? Is there something I should change (keeping in mind the budget part)? Or is there a different website (besides www.cyberpowerpc.com) that allows you to custom-build your own PC with a Microfly case (or other, similar, small case)?
 
That looks okay for a budget computer for school and casual gaming, as long as you don't want any graphic intensive games it will do okay.
 
how much did you get your GFX card for? that will last up until you get a DX10 card, but wont do anything until then. Thats almost integrated video, and it is on some motherboards. Otherwise, that setup will be a good midrange comp for Vista.
 
magus57 said:
So then what's the cheapest GFX card that I'll get with DirectX10 compatability?
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You can't get one now. If I were you, I would either stay with that video card or go integrated, then get a new one when DX10 comes out. I think that is January of next year.
 
mrjack said:
I've heard people talking about nVidia releasing their DX10 cards in October or November.
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Well I don't know when the cards come out, but DirectX10 won't be out until Vista comes out, and will only be compatible with Vista.
 
wwhy dont you get an AM2 and ddr2? It doesnt cost too much more does it? That way your socket does not become obsolete as soon.
 
Well, I was kind of thinking of getting a AMD dual core so my computer won't go obsolete fast. Where can I get the setup cheapest? (the things listed are minimum requirements):

(Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
1GB (2x512MB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory
80GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive

I don't really care about what else the computer has, I just want to know where I can find a cheap computer with at least those specs.
 
magus57 said:
Well, I was kind of thinking of getting a AMD dual core so my computer won't go obsolete fast. Where can I get the setup cheapest? (the things listed are minimum requirements):

(Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
1GB (2x512MB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory
80GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive

I don't really care about what else the computer has, I just want to know where I can find a cheap computer with at least those specs.
Click to expand...

Those are not very demanding specs. You could get a PC with that from a place like hp or gateway even. But ibuypower.com and cyberpowerpc.com would have the best looking computers.
 
Do you think a computer with those specs would last long? I want it to last through some of college (which is still 2 years away), so if it's going to be only for school and casual gaming, would it last, say, 6 years? My computer is over 7 years old, and the only thing that has been upgraded over the years has been one video card, and so far, my only problem with it (why I'm replacing) is lack of upgradability (I'd have to overhaul it completely) and slight game lagging. My current specs are:

1.51Ghz Pentium 4 1500Mhz, 384MB Ram, GeForce2 MX/MX 400
 
Pfff...budget computer. Looks like the computer I'm building is going to cost $800 w/ shipping, so it has to last. Here are the parts, and what I need to know is are these parts good for school work and casual gaming:

Case:
X-BLADE Mid-Tower 450W W/ WINDOW & LCD Temperature Display + FAN CONTROL

CPU:
(Socket AM2) AMD Athlon™64 X2 3800+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology

Fans:
Default

Motherboard:
(Socket AM2)MSI K9N Neo-F nForce 550 Chipset DDR2/800 SATA-II RAID 16x PCI-Express MBoard w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio

Memory:
Corsair Value Select 1GB (2x512MB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory

Video Card:
ATI Radeon X1600 Pro 16X PCI-E 256MB

Monitor:
ViewSonic Q7B 17" TFT Active Matrix LCD Display Monitor

Hard Drive:
160GB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8M Cache 7200RPM Hard Drive

Optical Drive:
PIONEER DVR-111 DUAL FORMAT 16X DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW DRIVE DUAL LAYER

Sound Card:
Integrated

Other:
12-in-1 Card Reader, Floppy Drive

Is this computer worth the money? Or is there a better/cheaper computer I can get (even if specs go down a bit)?
 
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