First Build
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 3:41 pm
This is my first post here, though I've been reading through the forums for a while.
I've been planning to replace my decrepit Dimension 2100 for a while, and when the SOLO went on sale at Fry's I couldn't pass it up, since that's the case I was looking at. Anyway, now I've got this case sitting in my room, and I need to fill it up. Can you help me nail down the components?
This computer is going to be for playing older games, so I don't need the latest and greatest equipment. (I'm usually a couple of years behind or more, since I don't buy games until they're $20 or less.) I'm upgrading from a 900mhz celeron, PCI graphics, and Windows ME, so my standards are fairly low. I won't be doing any multitasking, and I won't be playing any games that can make use of a dual-core processor for a couple years at least, so I don't see any reason to pay for dual-core. They'll be plenty cheap by the time I need one.
Also, I don't need *super* quiet, just an improvement over my very loud Dell.
My current plan is to get an Athlon 3500+, 1GB of 667 ram, and a Seasonic S12-380. I've got a passable hard drive, and I hope to reuse the optical drive and floppy drive in my current computer. Eventually, I plan to get a Gigabyte 7600gt or similar passively cooled card.
While I welcome comments on all of the parts, my main issues right now are the motherboard and heatsink/fan. How noisy is the stock AM2 cooler? Quiet enough for a beginner like me who doesn't need super quiet? I'd rather not pay a lot for 3rd party cooling if I don't have to.
As for the motherboard, I am looking for ATX with firewire support so I can connect it to my powerbook if need be. I am considering one of the $80ish Gigabyte boards at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... rchInDesc=
Does anyone see any problems with these? Other recommendations? I might be willing to settle on a board without firewire and getting an add-on card if necessary.
Finally, any general thoughts or comments? Thanks!
Matt
p.s. Am I going to need any intake fans with this set-up?
I've been planning to replace my decrepit Dimension 2100 for a while, and when the SOLO went on sale at Fry's I couldn't pass it up, since that's the case I was looking at. Anyway, now I've got this case sitting in my room, and I need to fill it up. Can you help me nail down the components?
This computer is going to be for playing older games, so I don't need the latest and greatest equipment. (I'm usually a couple of years behind or more, since I don't buy games until they're $20 or less.) I'm upgrading from a 900mhz celeron, PCI graphics, and Windows ME, so my standards are fairly low. I won't be doing any multitasking, and I won't be playing any games that can make use of a dual-core processor for a couple years at least, so I don't see any reason to pay for dual-core. They'll be plenty cheap by the time I need one.
Also, I don't need *super* quiet, just an improvement over my very loud Dell.
My current plan is to get an Athlon 3500+, 1GB of 667 ram, and a Seasonic S12-380. I've got a passable hard drive, and I hope to reuse the optical drive and floppy drive in my current computer. Eventually, I plan to get a Gigabyte 7600gt or similar passively cooled card.
While I welcome comments on all of the parts, my main issues right now are the motherboard and heatsink/fan. How noisy is the stock AM2 cooler? Quiet enough for a beginner like me who doesn't need super quiet? I'd rather not pay a lot for 3rd party cooling if I don't have to.
As for the motherboard, I am looking for ATX with firewire support so I can connect it to my powerbook if need be. I am considering one of the $80ish Gigabyte boards at Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... rchInDesc=
Does anyone see any problems with these? Other recommendations? I might be willing to settle on a board without firewire and getting an add-on card if necessary.
Finally, any general thoughts or comments? Thanks!
Matt
p.s. Am I going to need any intake fans with this set-up?