Help!! Suggestions needed before I lay down the green!

[weeblewobblez]

Well after several months of research and budgeting I think I've come up with a decent replacement for my old comp. I'd like to see if any of you have any suggestions before I order this thing. I needed a comp that could handle Photoshop, Audio editing, the normal stuff..surfing, email, word processing, and light gaming. I needed to be able to upgrade it for a couple of years so it wouldnt be totally obsolete and I had to do it for under $400. Tell me what you guys think.

ASPIRE ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply (Black), Model "ATXB5KLW-BK/350" -RETAIL N82E16811144042 $39.99


Memory (System Memory)
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 - OEMX2
N82E16820145415 $62.00
$124.00

Motherboards - AMD
Shuttle nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "AN35N-Ultra" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron Processors
Chipset: nVIDIA nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP
FSB: 200/266/333/400MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM for DDR400/333/266/200 Max 3GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 33/66/100/133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,2xCOM,1xLAN,6xUSB2.0(Rear 2),1xGAME,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 5.1 Channel Codec
Onboard LAN: Realtek 8201BL 10/100M
Form Factor: ATX more info>
N82E16813150045 $61.99
$61.99

Processors
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
$80.00

Video Cards
GIGABYTE ATI RADEON 9200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "GV-R92128DH" -RETAIL
$62.99
Subtotal » $378.97

[washe]

just assembled a budget system with this mobo:

Biostar M7NCD
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon/Athlon XP/Duron Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 400 + MCP
FSB: 400/333/266/200MHz
RAM: 2x DIMM for DDR400/333/266/200 Max 2GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 33/66/100/133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 4X/8X, 5x PCI, 1x CNR
Ports: 2xCOM,1xLPT,6xUSB2.0(Rear 2),1xLAN,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel AC97 Codec
Onboard LAN: Realtek 8201BL 10/100Mbps
Form Factor: ATX
$53
N82E16813138216

[PresterJohn]

why are you buying 2 sticks of 256mb? you should be looking at 512mb sticks as a minimum, even if you can only afford 1 for now. esp if you are doing photoshop work....

[slinky]

If you get that Biostar M7NCD and a 128MB Ti 4200 8X ($92) you'll be right under the $400 mark.

[weeblewobblez]

Prestor John,
This mobo supports dual channel memory. Do you think that using 1 stick of 256 3200 speed in each channel would not make up for the difference? Eventually I plan to use those two sticks in one channel and then purchase 1 stick of 512 for the second channel. I just wanted to be able to use the dual channel capability of this board right now.
I thought about the Biostar M7NCD pro but I read the reviews and it sounded like it may not be the best fit for a beginner like me. I've heard nothing but good things about Shuttle as a brand name. This will be my first attempt to build a comp from scratch.
I chose the video card not really knowing too much about them. As always reviews had a lot to do with my decision and the 9200 chipset from what I understand is the bottom of the line of the 9XXX series which is the latest from Radeon right now. Is the Ti 4200 any better Slinky?

[slinky]

The Ti 4200 will be a lot faster in your games + other tasks than any 9200.

[nunyadam]

but the ti4200 is d 8 not dx9

[Omardeth]

i agree is PJ and slinky

the preformance difference between dual and single isn't really all that much . in benchmarks it is but in the real world you won't really see any difference . also i don't think you will need to buy such high cost ram . if your on a budget get cheaper ram . as long as it is pc3200 it should be fine . if your not going to overclock any pc3200 that is compatable with your motherboard will work fine . and if thats the case you can just about get 1 gig for the same price as teh ram u picked out . don't just buy from newegg because it is newegg . they are a great place to buy from thats a given , but they aren't always the best deal . do your research there are alot of other vendors that will do you right and cost less .

ati radeon 9200 isn't dx9 either . dx is all eye candy anyway . the ti4200 is a faster card period .

[RamonGTP]

I agree, get a single stick of 512MB, dual channel performance benifits is neglagable on AMD machines. If you get the 2x256 sticks, you'll only have 512MB with only a single DIMM slot left for a maximum of 768MB total... Get the single 512 now, and if you ever need it, you can get another 512, then you'll have your dual channel, AND a full gig of memory, plus another slot for more if need be.

[washe]

Well this mobo didnt had anything different or special to install...

Install the chip, bases on the case for the mobo, the template in the back of the case, install the mobo in the base and fit the screws in the mobo, install ram, hook power, reset cables on their respective jumpers (and any usb or sound cables on some computer cases), install harddrive or any IDE device, then hook power supply cable to the mobo.

just the common thing on any mobo....