Upgrade Time!

[movinup]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum, but not computers. My last build was a PIII 866 that is maxed out at it's 512 RAM. At the time that technology was advanced. Now having been out of it for quite a while, I have little idea of what all this Core 2 - Dual - Duo means. I want something that will be adequate for internet, photo editing (RAM consideration taken) and minimal gaming.

That said, the only complication I see with the newer Asus mobos is that I have two HD's and a CD-RW and I want to use them all. I am throwing myself at the mercy of the apparent vast array of knowledge here to make quality recommendations for me.

I have an ATX form factor case I want to re-use and look to spend under $250 for an mobo and processor and intend to max out at 2gb DDR2 RAM at whatever cost. Go ahead and spend my money (reasonably).

 

[freestyler105]

Processor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115030
Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136034

$255 combined ^

RAM: $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

Video card: $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130085

Power Supply: $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103942



How does that look to you? Should be a pretty fast computer.

 

[Kage]

If you want to game, get the 8800GT, as nothing can beat it, except for the more expensive 8800GTX right now, and its pretty cheap too

 

[Juice1]

You forgot to mention the 8800 Ultra

 

[movinup]

Looks good to me, thanks for the replys.
A few follow-up questions:

I have never heard of DFI mobos, are they reliable?
It only has one EIDE connector socket on it. How can I attach two HD's AND CD-RW?
Why a new power supply in this package?
Is Newegg a reliable retailer?
I have found some low cost Asus mobo packages at a place called Mwave, have you ever dealt with them, any experiences or notes on their reliability?

 

[Bahawolf1]

Looks good to me, thanks for the replys.
A few follow-up questions:

I have never heard of DFI mobos, are they reliable?
It only has one EIDE connector socket on it. How can I attach two HD's AND CD-RW?
Why a new power supply in this package?
Is Newegg a reliable retailer?
I have found some low cost Asus mobo packages at a place called Mwave, have you ever dealt with them, any experiences or notes on their reliability?

1. The motherboard is decent.. the reviews are usually pretty reliable.
2. Hard drives and optical drives can be hooked up using SATA connectors, rather than IDE or ATA 100 as its also known. This board has 6 sata connectors.. you'd just need more SATA cables (also available on Newegg) to hook them up.
3. He picked out a new PSU (power supply) because you specified you wanted to use the case, but not the old PSU. How old is the PSU? How much wattage does it provide?
4. I haven't used MWave, but Newegg is VERY reliable and highly regarded for computer parts. I wouldn't purchase anywhere else, and never have.

 

[THEpiGUY]

Mwave, have you ever dealt with them, any experiences or notes on their reliability?

I've ordered from Mwave once before. Nothing to complain about, but not a lot to really compliment them on. It was a smooth process and prices were good enough. You might want to read some of these:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Mwave

 

[movinup]

Thanks for the replys, you have all been very helpful.

I checked the power supply, it looks like 250 or 300 watts, probably not enough so I'll replace that also.

Finally, one last question. I have seen the designation "P35" in various mobo descriptions, what does it mean?

 

[Cabbs]

"P35" is the Intel chipset on the motherboard. It's really popular among the overclockers.

 

[Juice1]

P35 is the chipset and it's one of the best available like cabbspapp said about overclockers using it. Have fun building