Finaly my own (new) computer :>

[$outh]

[Wiggo]

Preferably I'd go with the EPoX board as the Asus are known for some irritating querks. Also get a retail version of the Radeon 8500 as OEM versions are clocked at lower speeds. Good luck. :smokin:
<center>:cheers:</center>

[Mr. C]

i doubt half of the listed stuff is even up to you 1337 standards :cry:

Oh, you might be surprised what some of us are using until good fortune smiles upon us and we can afford to build a new "Dream Machine":D

It looks like a solid plan for getting started, I prefer Western Digital to Seagate, but Seagate is good too.

Now this a personal thing with me, and likely to start a big argument, but aren't those Antec cases a bit pricey:?:
I for 1 (and maybe the only 1 here for that matter) can't see spending a fortune on a case, it's the goodies inside that make it tick. Hec, you can OC in a cardboard box, if you plan it careful enough. I mean, what the hec are fans for.

**ducks as the crowd begins to realize what I just said**

[Darthtanion]

$outh,
Pretty good setup overall. It shouldn't cost an absolute fortune and you'll get some very nice performance out of it. A couple of things, though...

- A repeat of what Wiggo said, but important enough to repeat... Get the Retail version of the Radeon board. They really do underclock the OEM versions, so your performance will suffer. :(

- Raise the memory to 512MB of DDR. It's reasonably inexpensive and 512MB has been shown to be the "Sweet Spot" in the amount of memory to have in a system. It makes a good improvement in performance... especially since you said you were going to do some graphics work also.


Mr C.
I'll be the first one to disagree. While the Antec line of cases can be a little higher than others, they are not outrageously priced. And remember... you get what you pay for. Between the sturdiness of the case design, the toll-free means of opening it (very nice for those like me who are always rummaging around with the internals), the outstanding power supplies included with the Antec brand cases and the actual placement of the fan mounts, well... you should be able to see why I like them. Every Antec case that I have used and tested has been very solid. The fans are placed in a way to maximize airflow and my latest one has both USB and Firewire ports on the front panel (without taking up a drive slot).

So are they a little higher priced than the ordinary enclosures? Yes

Are they worth it? Damn right!

[zzilver]

SInce you're investing in a platinum audigy, you could consider a bigger speaker system also.

Let the MUSIC :afro: kick in! : peace2:

[$outh]

any suggestions for speakers...without breaking the bank :> I do listen to music alot on the computer (hence the aug plat) so I guess it would be worth it :)

[zeradul]

Get a great pair of headphones, and save your money until you can get real speakers. (those powered by a reciever)

[zzilver]

Get a great pair of headphones, and save your money until you can get real speakers. (those powered by a reciever)

I've got Cambridge Soundworks DTT 2500. I payed about 190$ US for it.

No speaker/receiver combi costing that much, can compare to it.

And it isn't just the music. I've also got Dolby Digitial with 6 speakers (great for gameplay). :thumb:


(Actually I also own a great pair of headphone:
Sennheiser HD-25, but those DIDN'T save me money.) :laugh:

[brashquido]

Don't get me wrong, the Platinum Audigy is a very good sound card. However, when building a budget system, you aren't looking for bragin rights and brandnames, you're looking for the best performance your money can buy.

For sound, I recommend something like the Zoltrix Nightingale Pro 6 ( I think that's what it's distributed as in Europe, It's distributed as the Leadtek 6X 3D here in Australia). It has six channel anolog output, plus optical and coaxial s/pdif inputs and outputs. A very feature rich and solid preforming card, and only $70 here in Australia. It's a real favourite for the home theater buffs. With what you save by getting this soundcard you could get a 19" monitor.

[Ehhe Yebeb]

Uh, who said the antec cases were expensive? they are like some of the best value for money cases you will find outside of cheapo generics. A good antec midi tower comes with 300W PSU for $170. Plus the PSU is of a good brand. There you go, good brand case & PSU for under $200. Anything cheaper is leaning towards the generic category