Saving up for my next comp!

[flamingbanana]

Okay...I have had a post like this before, and that was last summer. I know this summer is gonna be the one.

I am planning on building a new machine from scratch, and possibly using some pieces from my old machine, such as Floppy, etc.. If i heard right, then the Epox 8RDA+ MOBO would be a pretty good choice. I would definintly use DDR RAM. I would like a high-end video card.

But, the problem is that I have a very low cash intake. I currently have about $100 US. I will make a little over $100 US a week and was wondering if at all possible I could get a reasonable system before the summer is over.

I know your probley :laugh: at me as I say this, but any help on deciding what system would be great.

Thanx,
Lawton

[minibubba]

it all depends on what kind of money you can spend...when you have real figures to work with is when you start making choices

but as for how much $$ you'll need...I'd say $1000 (US) will get you just about whatever you want, within reason

[Wordbiker]

If you're just looking for an opinion....The 8RDA+ is a great board presently as I'm sure you've seen in reviews, etc. Guess my question for you is....what is the intended use? Seems to me you have a pretty nice setup as is. If you're looking for compatibility with the latest games, your GPU is where ya need to drop the dough. If I had your present system, I'd start with buying the mobo and RAM, best you can afford, then the graphics card, as you'd still maintain an operable system while you're saving for the new stuff, and in the meantime, the GPU is just gonna get cheaper and cheaper. The choice you need to make with RAM is...just as I had to....how big a stick of the best Corsair XMS (Or, your fave) can I afford, and am I willing to go without dual-channel until I can afford the second stick? Buying smaller sticks will limit your ability to add huge amounts of RAM, as they have to be alike. Likewise, if you're planning a RAID setup, choose a drive that you'll be able to afford a second of, and it's cheaper to go small, but think of how much storage you'll need way into the future. Steps up in storage capacity per drive are cheaper than adding more drives.
A last note...save up for your purchases so that you get what you really want, and what will leave you with a working system. I've learned too many times the hard way that if you settle and buy cheaper stuff just so you can have a running machine, you end up with disappointment and a lot of money spent on parts you don't need.
Good luck with your project! :thumb: :cheers:

[flamingbanana]

Thanx for the replies. I am aiming my system at mostly high-performance towards games. I also use it for multimedia, such as DVD ripping, encoding, so I would definintly want a DVD-RW or a DVD + RW (What's the difference?).

I was also consiering buying a notebook computer. Any opinions on that vs. a desktop? I know I could get a MUCH higher-performance desktop for the price of a average laptop, but I would really like it for mobile purposes. (I travel a LOT).

I have just found out that I will be making approximently $1400 US this summer because of a big bonus. I will have the money in about 5 more weeks. I think that should be more than enough to upgrade my current system to one kick-ass machine!

I was also wondering if, with givin my above price limitations, If someone could compile a list of appropriate computer parts so that I would have a general recommendation as to what to buy.


All help is appreciated,
:cheers: Lawton :cheers:

[Beefy]

I'm in the middle of doing the same thing at the moment. I've actually got a thread kicking around here asking pretty much the same question. http://forums.tweaktown.com/showthre...threadid=10732

I did a fair bit of research before coming up with that system, which got refined towards the end of the thread. check it out and see if that's the way you want to head. Of course there's plenty of things you could cut back on that I didn't.