Hey guys,

Since the college I'm going to requires that all computers have XP Pro, I'm getting a new computer very, very soon. Here's what I'm looking at:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.2 GHz.
1 GB DDR PC3200 RAM
120 GB 7200 HD
DVDRW/+R
256MB ATI Radeon 9800
7.1 2 ZS THX Certified

I'll pair this with my Apple LCD and a Bose surround system. Can't wait to try Vendetta on it!

Looks good, I'd spend the extra money and get a X800 though. And make sure the HDD is SATA too.

SirCamps, how much are you spending? My new computer is going to cost about $1600...

ANTEC SLK3700-BQE
ZALMAN CNPS7000A-AlCu Aluminum + Copper CPU Cooler - RETAIL
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive, OEM
Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer, Model "AVC-1000 REV.3" -RETAIL
SAMSUNG 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model SP1614C, OEM Drive Only
ViewSonic VP171B 17" LCD Monitor –RETAIL
MSI "K8N Neo Platinum" nForce3 250Gb Chipset Motherboard -RETAIL
NU Technology Black 8X DVD+RW/-RW Drive, Model DDW-082 BLK -OEM
AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - OEM
Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
Audigy2 ZS GAMER Limited Edition PCI Sound Card, Model "SB0350" -RETAIL
Creative Inspire T5400 5.1 Speakers -RETAIL
Arctic Silver Thermal Compound, Model "Ceramique", 2.5-gram( ~0.8 cc. ) tube
ATi X800 XT Platinum Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional with Service Pack SP1a – OEM

The X800 XT was $435 from Gateway...

NEVER get a MSI motherboard, and replace those Creative speakers with something else....

I'm getting an 8000Z from Compaq, without monitor. Total price is $1600

Hey, I know somebody with those Creative speakers, and they sound damn good. 'specially for the $47 that he paid...

SirCamps: Tsk tsk.. switching from the good faitful Mac to a deceiving PC, are we? :P

[Moved to off-topic]

I don't have much of a choice, the college requires XP pro for something or the other. So I'm going after this computer. It seems like a nice deal, anyways.

wow camps, didn't you get a g5 a while ago? now another computer???

No! Don't buy a Compaq! Build your own! Or at least buy from a smaller vendor... They're a lot cheaper, and the service quality is about the same.

I've had good results from xtechnology.com

You can truly make your own system.

I work for a college bookstore selling computers to incoming students and professors. I mean, I literally do EXACTLY this all day long, four days a week when I'm not in school myself. What's the institution's name? What are you going to be studying?

Forum Mod, they seem to be pretty expensive... I had a client get a system from CyberPower PC, and they' haven't had a problem. It was actually about the price I could have built a similar system for, so it was a pretty good deal. I prefer complete control, though, so I'll be building my own.

AlienB, what's wrong with MSI motherboards? Anandtech seemed to like the K8N Neo Platinum...

www.ibuypower.com (When configuring a comp here, be sure to subtract about $120 bucks for an OS... its on the 3rd page of the "System Configurer".)

--> I compared their prices with a self-built comp using the prices @ newegg.com (The Hardware's enthusiast's dream store :P).... and they are pretty competitive.

Cyberpower is cool too, but I never see their comps reviewed by the terrible PC magazines I get.


Why not get an MSI board?

Pryo: Can you link me to the MSI Review? Do they compare the nForce 3 250 to a KT880?

SirCamps: Can't you get the A64 3400+, 2.4ghz, 512kb L2 Cache? The extra frequency makes up for the lost cache (and then some).

MonkRX: You gotta save up money and buy an A64/X800XT based computer...

/me shivers ...

spending 1600 on a mere PC...

/me waits untill the athlon 64 is starting its 3th incarnation :D. First schematics are always a bit buggy :D

cheers

MonkRX: http://anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=2063&p=1

They compare it to a number of motherboards, both Nforce3 250 and Via KT880.

I've heard good things about IBuyPower, too, but I don't have any actual experience with them.

Pyro: Serious long-term stability issues, and some of the newer boards are using very bad quality caps. This is just my experience, and what friends have told me happened to their boards. I've owned four pieces of MSI hardware. Two CD burners, both of which have died under very light use, and two video cards. The video cards are great, stable as a rock and very tough, but I've had quite a few friends that have recently owned MSI mobo's have major problems with them.

Hmmm... Are you sure the capacitor issue wasn't the one that happened because of the bad fab plant in Japan or wherever a few years ago?

Ctishman: I am attending Patrick Henry College in Virginia, a small (~300) Christian college, and will be studying in its Strategic Intelligence Program. It's about 50 minutes from D.C. and has a secure computer lab hooked up with various intelligence agencies and labs in D.C.--one of only two colleges in the country with such a lab. However, they require some Windows-only software, so you can't connect through the network with a mac or PC running Linux. Sucks, I know, but that's how it is. One reason the college can have such a restrictive policy is because it is so small. As it grows, it will be forced to adopt a more inclusive tech policy.

The college sells two Dell-configured computers (Optiplex and a Dimension laptop) through the college's Dell page, but you can configure them only so far (no firewire or DVDRW on the Optiplex, or a good graphics card), and modifying it after you buy it voids the college's tech support. So I figured I'd go for something else.