I've decided that i will proably build my own computer, and tried to piece together a system from newegg.com. I would like to hear some thoughts on this combo, being that i only halfway know what i am doing.
Here is what i chose so far:

Case:
ASPIRE X-Dreamer II Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "ATXB4KLW-AL/350"
Item# N82E16811144025
$54

Hard Drive:
Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD1200JD, OEM Drive Only
Item# N82E16822144151
$95

Memory:
Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
Item# N82E16820141424
$80

Motherboard:
Albatron "KX18D Pro" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813170113
$60

Processor:
AMD Athlon XP 2600+ "Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
Item# N82E16819103418
$95

Sound Card:
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy ES PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0162" -OEM
Item# N82E16829102166
$42

Video Card:
ECS ATI RADEON 9200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 128-bit, DVI/VIVO, 8X AGP, Model "R9200-128DV" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16814134108
$51

Total: $477

So...will everything work OK togher, or am i skimping on some componets and going overboard on others? This system is within my budget and costs about $100 less than buying one pre built from a online computer store. I'm planning on re-using everythign lot listed (floppy drive, cd-r drive, network card, mose, keyboard, monitor, speakers, cables, ect). And putting illegal software (WinXP) off Seek on it.

Thanks for any help.

if you do much gaming, you definitely wont be happy with the 9200.

other than that is looks ok for a budget system. if you had some extra cash, id bump the albatron and get something from epox/gigabyte/abit/asus. most mobos (especially nforce2) come with onboard sound, i would just use that myself. an audigy (even a low end one) is definitely a luxury, its hard to justify if you are on a tight budget.

oh, and i personally would shell out a litle extra cash to get a better (brand, not wattage) psu. antec is my favorite, but there are quite a few other good brands.

Yeah man what do you want to do with it? That will help us out alot.

Here my suggestion:


From Newegg:

ANTEC Solution Series Super Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply
$74.00
Albatron "KX18D Pro" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard
$59.99
POWERCOLOR ATI RADEON 9600PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR
$124.00
AMD 45 Watt Mobile Athlon XP 2600+, 266 MHz FSB, 512K L2 Cache Processor - OEM
$99.00
X 2 Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM
$42.00 * 2 = $84.00
Seagate 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model ST3120026AS, OEM
$92.50 ******It has a 5yr warranty instead of a 3yr like the WD*******


Subtotal » $533.49



From Silicon Valley Compucycle

Heatsink
http://www.svc.com/thvo11edhipe.html

Artic Silver 5
http://www.svc.com/arsi5hiplsit.html


That would put you at a little bit over $570. You could knock a lot off the price (Video Card) if you really aren't interested in gaming. I'd definately go with the dual channel memory and the Mobile Barton though. That mobile Barton can be run at 3200+ speeds or faster without breaking a sweat. I chose an Antec case and PSU combo because I am a frim believer in only using brand name PSUs.

Yeah, if you plan on doing any overclocking definitely need to get mobile processor instead of standard.

But the Barton 2600 is pretty decent anyway, that's what I have on an abit NF7-S.

I'm planning on using it to manily do alot of internet surfing, store lots of mp3's and movies, burning lots of CD's, to run a decent computer sound system after i upgrade the speakers, and some gaming. I'm looking for a budget system to replace my outdated 128mb/600mhz/10gig Dell and last me about 3-4 years before coming terribly outdated.

I won't mess with overclocking it (yet anyway) because i really don't know that much and don't do a whole lot of gaming.

Thanks for the suggestions on the parts.

A 9200se for the video card would be fine for you then. The one you picked is nice because of the VIVO capabilites. I'd still reccomend going with Seagate HD because of its longer warrantee, the Antec case (you don't want to see what happens when a generic PSU craps out and frys your components), the dual channel memory and the mobile chip. Since the mobile chip is unlocked you could run it at stock speeds, albeit with a higher FSB (10*200mhz vs. 15*133mhz). You'll get better performance if your FSB and memory clock speeds are synchronus. You will see boosted performance also with the increase in the FSB. At 10*200mhz you'll be running the equivalent of a 3000+, even though you'd be running at the same cpu speed as stock. Another benefit is that the Mobile chips run a lot cooler (obvious reasons) than the regular desktop chips.

hey, if anyone needs a case, i have an antec case with a 350W ps. i bought it from newegg and was going to use it as my server case but i received it damaged. the case is fine (no dents) but where the front panel actually connects to the case, all of the supports are broken. it still connects to the case as if it were undamaged but just wont hold (i'm pretty sure a little glue will hold it just fine). i wasnt going to post it until school started but if someone wants it i can let it go for $50. i can get some picks if anyone's interested. here's the link

p.s. yeah, i know this belongs in the FS forum but since we were on the subject...

Ok, i used the parts suggestions (thanks Stumbles) and upgraded my parts list:

Case:
ANTEC Solution Series Super Mid Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "SLK3700AMB" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811129122
$74

Motherboard:
Albatron "KX18D Pro" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813170113
$60

Hard Drive:
SAMSUNG 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model SP1614C, OEM Drive Only
Item# N82E16822152015
$101

Memory:
Corsair Value Select 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM
Item# N82E16820145406
$41x2

Processor:
AMD 45 Watt Mobile Athlon XP 2600+, 266 MHz FSB, 512K L2 Cache Processor - OEM
Item# N82E16819103436
$99

Video Card:
ASUS nVIDIA GeForce FX5200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 64-bit, TV-Out, 8X AGP, Model "V9520 Magic/T" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16814121150
$72

Total: $484.49

I decided to go with the Samsung HD because of the extra 40 gigs of space. Only has a 3 year warranty but had a good rathing. The video card i picked seemed to be a compromise between the one i selected and the one reccomended....and it had a good rating. I proably won't game alot, although i might since i will have a decent computer.
I also didn't realize that the motherboad had onboard sound, so it should work until i decide to dump some money into a Sound Blaster and some good speakers.

Any other suggestions will be greatley appreciated.

If you're interested in it for audio, I would upgrade to the KX18D ProII or the Abit NF7-S or Asus A7N8X-E.
These boards have the NVidia Soundstorm built in audio which is said to be better.
The Abit is the cheapest of those. It's pretty nice in my opinion.

I don't think you'll have any reason to buy a SoundBlaster if you have the Soundstorm audio.

oh crap, i'm retarded. the case that i have is the case you're wanting to buy lukecp. so if anyone wants that case it's up for sale.

scheisse, that last one was me.

ps, i'll toss in a thermaltake thunderblade 120mm blue led fan for $10 (brand spankin new).

Hey luke, I don't mean to hijack your thread or promote my sale, but I'm selling a gig of PC2700 Kingston Value RAM for $18 more than you're going to pay for 512 MBs. Just something to consider.

I'm not going to pimp my sale but you should get a nforce chipset that has audio. I use it and it's better than the SoundBlaster Live! i was using. It might cost you 20 or 30 bucks more but that's cheaper than your audigy. Also you can get nvidia onboard lan.
Reccomendations:
Abit NF7-S
DFI Infinity

if linux support is an issue, i would choose nvidia over ati and an sblive/audigy over nforce audio

they'll all work with linux, but some with less headaches than others