component suggestions

[Donkey]

Thanks guys, just the sort of info i was looking for.

As for his requirements he saya he is just going to use office and a bit of imaging playing from his digital camera so nothing really that requires a super fast system but i think he has fallen for the computer advertising and is hooked on getting the latest and greatest.

I don't think raid is really necessay for him but having it on board for future expansion doesn't hurt, and bny the looks of it i think i will recommend 512 MB SDram and ignore the DDR stuff, he doesn't want to go spending unnecessarily.

Still open for more suggestions.
Cheers
Rod

[Richard Cranium]

BIOSTAR M7VKG
$72 shipped
Use With the XP or Athlon->>

AMD 1600+/266 FSB Athlon XP
$122
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...log=226&DEPA=1


or
BIOSTAR M7VKS
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ry=1442&DEPA=1
Use with the Duron->>

AMD DURON 1.0(Morgan Core)
$57 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...log=225&DEPA=1

Aopen P4 Mid Tower ATX Case
$50 shipped
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...ry=1316&DEPA=1


Hard Drives of your choice at newegg

Get Crucial RAM from the link here. Free s&h

Build a scorcher for $350-400

[Donkey]

Ok just to trip you all up a bit. I'm in the UK! Which does tend to make things a) slightly harder to find and b) slightly more expensive.

Having looked at the prices and the amount he want to spend (£850 to include 15" LCD) i think the best option is the old style athlon (i.e. not XP ) and SD-ram.

THere is a local store near me that seems to only stock Microstar mobos so anysuggestions opf there good ones that fit the above requirements?

[otheos]

There are lots of places in the UK to shop, start with www.dabs.com but keep an eye at www.todayonly.co.uk for dailiy bargains on bundles etc.

I would strongly suggest a Duron 1G or 1.1G (the 1.2G is improportionately expensive) and a board based on the SIS735 like the ECS. I always recommend a 7200rpm drive even for office use, because it has the largest impact in overall performace. You'd better drop 200Mhz off the CPU speed and stick to a 7200 rpm drive. The Maxtor 740 is my favorite.

For graphics card get what suit your needs, if you're not gaming any card up to £55 will do more than fine!!

256MB ram is the absolute minimum for these days, and DDR is definitely the way to go.

If you are not into gaming, I would suggest a nice all in one SIS740 based board like the PCCHIPS 830LMR. It is dirt cheap and comes with modem/NIC/Sound/GFX. Some don't like the idea but trust me I got the same setup here and works like a dream. yes the softmodem + hardware DVD support etc. For £60 or thereabout you get this board and you save on all the hardware it comes with.

Like I always say, go by your needs and don't get carried away.

If you're after a burner, skip the current 24x madness and stick to a £60 16x LG.

You can PM me if you want more info for shopping in the UK

[wyvrn]

I have to disagree with RAID. RAID is overboard for basic office uses.

Remember the faster the spindle speed on hard disks, the louder. I recently exchanged my 7200 RPM drive for a solid 5400 RPM one, and noticed very little performance drop (couple of nanoseconds of seek time!). And my computer is MUCH quieter which my wife is happy with. Yes 7200 RPM is faster, but it is louder and generates more heat, both of which I could do without. I know most people will disagree with me about this.

Also, I believe for the average user, 256 DDR ram would be more ideal than 512 of slower SDR ram. Most users don't ever use near 256 MB of ram, and the speed difference between the two will make more of a difference in the long run than the extra 256 MB module. Plus, you can always add some DDR down the road when it gets cheaper (it is replacing SDR after all) if the person becomes a power user.

All in all it is a matter of priorities, what do they want out of the system.

[storm2k]

yeah i'd agree ddr is the way to go. just for future upgradability.

a 5400 rpm drive is still plenty for general computing.

[Brangwen]

I think most of the above suggestions are good ones. I would emphasize going with an XP 1600+ -- XP 1900+ CPU. A good heatsink and fan assemby would be the SK6 with a quiet yet effective fan, i.e., Sunon. Others will recommend a Volcano HSF assemby that is quite popular today.

I recommend an XP CPU because most (not all) 1 - 1.2 GHz AMD CPUs run hot, whereas my 1900+ runs fairly regularly at 31 - 33C.

In addition, skip the RAID and get a good 5400RPM HDD. Well, maybe 7200RPM - the boss will notice a faster access speed if he's used to 5400s!

Finally: Go DDR. He'll be glad you did! Shows a degree of innovation.

Good luck!

Brangwen