System Config for a College Budget?

[RamenNoodleGod]

I'm off to college, meaning I'm also in the market for a new computer. I am, of course, going for a computer science major, and need one to do my work on (trying to get into those labs to finish projects just won't do. Some people have been known to camp outside the lab doors just to get in to finish their stuff). I'd also like to do some gaming on this thing. I play just about everything from FPS's to strategy to RPGs (no, not rocket-propelled grenades. Security won't allow them in the dorm :-D ). I also want it to last me 4 years, or at least as long as it can. I know that's a lot to ask on a college budget, but does anyone have any configuration recommendations for such a thing? I wouldn't like to spend more than 2500 if I can avoid it... the cheaper the better (as long as performance is acceptable) because I also have to buy expensive network equipment for the campus network (fiber optics, no RJ-45). Keep in mind that I'll be purchasing that 3 year warranty as well.

[PCC-Richard]

$2500 is more than enough for a kick-tail system. Bells and whistles included.

What are you leaning towards?

AthalonXP ?
Pentium4 ?
AMD 64-bit ?
Dual Xeon ?
Laptop ?

[RamenNoodleGod]

I'm leaning toward an Athlon 64, but will stay open to some Pentium4 action.

[PCC-Richard]

No problem then. If you shop smart, you'll come in way under budget.

For example (http://www.pugetsystems.com/gaming.php?symbol=g) this system is a pretty fine gaming outfit, and it's less than $2k.

[Anonymous]

That's true, but adding that 3-year warranty, a monitor, mouse and keyboard, perhaps a second optical drive... price goes up. I don't really NEED that vid card, I can settle for a Radeon 9800pro... WinXP Pro, I don't need those cold cathodes.. any other suggestions?

[PCC-Richard]

Hehe, someone forgot to log in again!

Well, a monitor certainly bumps up the price a bit. About the warranty... shoot me an email (richard@pugetsystems.com).

Like you said though, we could customize that machine, trim out some of the fat, add a nice monitor, and still make your target price.

If you'd like... configure a few quotes here: http://www.pugetsystems.com/configgaming.php
I'll look them over and let you know what I think.

[RamenNoodleGod]

That was me again. Oh, and how's the onboard sound on the VIA K8T800 chipset?

[PCC-Richard]

It's probably better than you'll ever need in a dorm room! :lol

If you wanted 5.1, you can grab a cheap audigy for like $50... but even those motherboards can reverse the Mic and Input jack for sim. surround. It's also mega easy to add a sound card in the future.

[RamenNoodleGod]

Also, how's the sound quality on the basic speaker setup? I've heard some good basic speakers before, but most of them are terrible. My old 2.1 system has bitten the dust.

[PCC-Richard]

If you were looking for really good sound quality, I wouldn't order the basic speaker set. For speakers (like monitors), I usually recommend you check them out in a store first, too see what works best for you. :thumbs

[RamenNoodleGod]

Good news! I just got a call about a new scholarship I'm being awarded. I'm guaranteed at least 1000, up to 7000, but I have to go in for an interview and wait a bit before I know exactly how much I get. My financial issues may be solved soon (loans are such a bear)! Combined with the donations of my oh-so-generous family on my grad party this upcoming Saturday ;-) I think you guys should expect some business from me soon :)

[IiviIoFoZ]

Good Luck man, hope your money problems will be solved. So you can get a kick ass A64 system like I am.. :wave :roll: :wave

[RamenNoodleGod]

You know I will :-D How does this look?

Motherboard: Asus K8V Deluxe $184.95
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3400+ $548.10
Ram: OCZ Perf. - 512mb PC3200 (2) $318.60
Case: Chenming 601-BLK Mid-Tower Case (black) $91.80
Hard Drive: Western Digital WD800JB 80.0GB $88.42
Hard Drive: Western Digital WD400JB 40.0GB $76.28
Video Card: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB $390.15
Monitor: CTL 745FX - CRT 17 inch: Flat + Black $168.75
CD / DVD Rom: Lite On 16x DVD (black) $37.80
CD / DVD Rom: Lite On 52/32/52/16 DVD/CDRW Combo Drive (black) $62.77
Removable Drive: Teac 3.5inch 1.44 Floppy Drive (black) $15.18
Keyboard: Logitech Internet Optical Combo (black) $31.05
Operating System: Windows XP Pro $180.90
Software: Nero Burning ROM $12.15
CPU Cooling: Thermaltake TK-A1838 (Silent Boost K8) $30.71
Case Mods: IDE 24inch Round Cable Silver (2) $4.04
Case Mods: Floppy 18inch Round Cable Silver $1.22
Power Supply: Enermax 460W Whisper Power Supply $95.85
Additional Cooling: 80MM Case Fan (2) $20.92
Additional Cooling: Arctic Silver V Thermal Compound $5.33

Grand Subtotal: $2364.97

[PCC-Jon]

Looks good! You might want to consider using Silent Case Fans though...or that Chenming will sound like <insert something loud here, my creative juices have run dry>

[IiviIoFoZ]

Well dont get that motherboard, just talkd to Jon and he getting the MSI Neo Plantinum nForce 250gb. They are wonderful and have a new bult in firewall and overclock great if you wish. The case I would go with water cooling, keeps temps real low and quiet as a dutch whistle. As for the other things very nice. :computer However if you dont want watercooling, get the Zalman 7000 copper heatsink and fan. It's very quiet in Silent mode, and is rated in top 5 best heatsinks. Also it has a normal mode so the fan kicks in and lowers like 2-3 more C downs if your overclocking.

[PCC-Richard]

:shock Whats a dutch whistle?

[IiviIoFoZ]

Hmm its an expression, heard it on t.v :lol

[RamenNoodleGod]

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep those in mind. But water cooling? That's expensive. I'd rather go with the silent fans. Question, though.. "silent" often means "extra crispy." How much will I suffer in cooling?
I'll be adding a Netgear GC102 media converter, which is $216.32. Also some speakers, perhaps these (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-121-102&depa=0)? Plus the games, of course. I'm thinking, BF Vietnam... Neverwinter Nights: HotU (I have the original and SoU)... UT2k4... Battle for Middle Earth... any more suggestions? I can get all my office, antivirus, and utilities software through the campus software library, so that's covered...

[PCC-Richard]

The "Silent" fans are all temperature controlled. If things start to get hot, they speed up, otherwise, they slow down, nice and quiet.

As for games... you left out Dawn of War and World of Warcraft! :computer

[RamenNoodleGod]

Bah, I'm not all that hot on MMORPs, they ceased being fun. N00bs and script kiddies and lack of actual role play really turned me off of those. Ugh, I remember Ultima Online... :roll: People even bought gold for UO on eBay.

[RamenNoodleGod]

Well dont get that motherboard, just talkd to Jon and he getting the MSI Neo Plantinum nForce 250gb.

I read a lot of good things about that mobo, and if I recall, the price is about the same. Good idea.


get the Zalman 7000 copper heatsink and fan.

Yeah, it's a good HSF, I hear, but it's HUGE! Does Puget offer it? And if so, would it be recommended? with an HSF that big, I'm sure UPS can find plenty of ways to wreak havoc on my computer :shock

[IiviIoFoZ]

Yah pugget offers it, just put it into your comments section. Its big but if your not going water cooling this is the next best thing. Also dont worry bout UPS, theyll take care of it. By any chance you gonna overclock it just a bit? Anyhoo get the MSI NEO Platnium 250gb is a great mobo same with the new Epox 250gb based so keep those in mind. :-D

[Anonymous]

Haha, no plans to overclock it... yet.

[PCC-Richard]

Man... we have a lot of people forgetting to log in. I wonder if we should disable anonymous posting.

[RamenNoodleGod]

Details, details :roll:
I've been switching between the desktop and my laptop all day.

[PCC-Richard]

Maybe we should just change the name from "GUEST" to "I SMELL FUNNY".

Then you'd remember! :rollin

[RamenNoodleGod]

You could always pull a /. and use "Anonymous Coward" :-D

[IiviIoFoZ]

Getting a new A64, overclocking comes with the territory. And they been getting sexy results with the second generation 250gb mobos. I heard reviewers are hitting 250-300 Mhz front side bus on a 7-9 Multiplier With a 3x or 4x HT now thats raw power. Remember it's always better to have a higher FSB than an overall cpu speed. So a 300 Mhz with a 8x Multiplier is better than a 250 with a 10x Multiplier even though 2.5 is higher than 2.4. So you better overclock that sucker. I only wish that the ram Puget offers can overclock good, cuz ddr400 aint gonna go over 250Mhz if the ram isnt good quality ram. So the ram will be your bottleneck unless it can hit high speeds which it may or may not.Most people overclocking got a minimum pc 3500.Anyhoo I know im addicted to overclocking and I hope I can make a friend addicted as well. :)

[TheMattrix]

Man... we have a lot of people forgetting to log in. I wonder if we should disable anonymous posting.

Good idea, I was gonna suggest that :thumbs

[mlbpro417]

like i said in an earlier post, CHECK the box that automatically signs you in. how much of a hassle would that be?

[Anonymous]

hey this is jedisith by all means i should be automaticaly logged in right now ive checked the auto log in box several times but it never automaticaly logs me in unless im doing somthing wrong it just hasnt worked for me i sign in jedisith put in password and then check the auto log in box but next visit it doesent auto log me in??? ne suggestions

[mlbpro417]

Are you doing this all on the same computer? If you are using Internet Explorer a little dialog box pops up and says do u want to save password. I said yes to that also so i dont know if that always works for me or what. But i did the same process that you did and it worked so i dont know what to tell you.

[jedisith]

hmmm I dont remenber seeing the little dialog box maybe ill redoo my user profile and see if it pop's up

[mlbpro417]

i dont know if i have a newer version of Internet Explorer... it could also be windows XP i really dont know what else to tell you

[jedisith]

nothing still does'ent work maybe jon, richard or the allmighty matrix knows what im doing wrong.

[mlbpro417]

nothing still does'ent work maybe jon, richard or the allmighty matrix knows what im doing wrong.

well at least i tried...i really dont know as much as those guys but i guess if im saying something that it should work, so hopefully you'll get an answer

[jedisith]

nothing still does'ent work maybe jon, richard or the allmighty matrix knows what im doing wrong.

[Anonymous]

Getting a new A64, overclocking comes with the territory.

Overclocking also tends to void warranties :-(

Anyhoo I know im addicted to overclocking and I hope I can make a friend addicted as well. :)

I wouldn't happen to be that friend, would I?

[IiviIoFoZ]

My Bwest friend^ :wave Im not sure but remmber puget got 30 day return no questions ask. So you can overclock a system in 30 days and easily find whats stable for you. As for frying your cpu or mobo, those kind of things dont happen. There no real damage done by overclocking if your in fairly good temps for the CPU. The worst that happens is CMOS get corrupted it just resets back to factory settings. Most of the time anyway and if it doesnt just take the CMOS battery out for like 10 minutes and put it back, than the factory settings will also be back. So dont worry overclock it youll up your overrall performance by 25%...

[RamenNoodleGod]

I dunno... can I hear from Puget about this? Would it be alright?

[IiviIoFoZ]

Well its your money I dont think Puget got a problem. And your a good kid you wont on purpose mess up your mobo and send it back to Puget saying it was deffective in the first place. Dont worry nada will happen like that, jus stay in your cpu temps boundaries nad every is allright. :thumbs I quite frequently forum whore in OCFORUMS and I have never heard a motherboard frying or a chip frying due to overclocking. Unless they guys and idiot and put the cpu Vcore to like 1.8, which you should never go so high with air and watercooling. Only with dry ice and Mach 1-2 will you go up that high. Give me your aim when you get it ill give you the step by step guidline, without it dangering and parts run it 24/7 no problem bro. :wave

[PCC-Richard]

Hrmm, I'm actually not sure what our policy is regarding overclocking and warranties. You'll have to ask Jon. (Send him a PM.. that popup will get his attention.)

However.. if you WERE going to overclock... the Koolance case is what I'd recommend for it. ;-)

[up_too_late]

:roll: Why the heck would he need to OC? This system will be fast enough. What -you need that document to open up one nano-second faster?

[IiviIoFoZ]

Maybe he does, and we need more people unveiling the A64 and how well it overclocks. BTW it's always fun having a 22k-24k score in 3dmark 01 for poops and giggles, and ofcorse bragging rights. And if he aint gonna put his hardware to danger theres no problem. If he does ill help him every step through the way. Also You could feel a perfomance boost, In games,processing power for video editing, photoshoping, real world applications, and ofcorse multi tasking. :lol

[RamenNoodleGod]

Hrmm, I'm actually not sure what our policy is regarding overclocking and warranties. You'll have to ask Jon. (Send him a PM.. that popup will get his attention.)

However.. if you WERE going to overclock... the Koolance case is what I'd recommend for it. ;-)

We'll see how much money I get, first. Remember... I'm still on a budget. I needs my books, and...umm... food. Don't let my name fool you, I plan on eating decent meals (my entire childhood was wasted on ramen and corned beef hash. Tasty, yes, but it gets monotonous). And if I don't get enough cash in time, I won't get the Koolance. Though a watercooled system would strike envy into the hearts of my buddies at Case :thumbs

[IiviIoFoZ]

Water is not a must. Almost 70% overclockers are on air. :roll:

[RamenNoodleGod]

I know, but I wouldn't mind watercooling if I had cash.

[IiviIoFoZ]

Well loks like you dont got the cashy so go for the Zalman 7000 pure copper Heatsink, put it in comments section and puget will install it for you...from what i know i think you only pay for the product not the installation.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure. Jon? Richard? Someone? What's the verdict?

[RamenNoodleGod]

Once again.. and the auto-login isn't working.

[TheMattrix]

Maybe cookies are disabled in your browser?

[RamenNoodleGod]

My browser accepts cookies, but auto-login still doesn't seem to work...

[IiviIoFoZ]

Its all Matrix and his bad toe causing all these problems.. :angry

[PCC-Jon]

Ramen -

Alright, here is our official stance: overclocking voids your warranty. It voids it with us, with the manufacturers....there are only a few shops and manufacturers I know of that support it.

Unofficially, it depends on how bad the damage is. Is the CPU fried crispy with more char than PCB? If so, we cannot take it back. Will the computer just not post anymore, but everything generally looks OK? We should be able to honor a warranty then.

Its all about the business model. If we can get a RMA though our vendors, then we can get an RMA to you. If we issue a lot of people RMAs that we cannot be reimbursed for from our vendors, then PCC goes down like the Titanic!

I should add, though, that we've never had a case of overclocking damage that we couldn't repair or RMA. It would take something pretty extreme, especially with the CPU overheat protection on today's motherboards. While I have to say everything in the last three paragraphs to keep you informed and Puget protected, it hasn't been a problem (yet).

[Anonymous]

Y'know... I really have no need for overclocking this thing yet. I'm really no performance monkey, myself, and my computer's going to be used mostly for work, with some gaming here and there. Still, if anyone has recommendations on that configuration, stuff you think I should add, subtract, or whatever, please, pipe up. I'll be making my order pretty soon.

[IiviIoFoZ]

Its a good system ramen, not much you should change overall its a sexy beast just like me.. :) :rollin

[RamenNoodleGod]

For thousands of dollars, it had better be sexy :-D

[RamenNoodleGod]

Okay, I made some updates to my quote, can someone from Puget check it out?

[IiviIoFoZ]

Treat it with care my friend treat her with care. Remember polish her nicley now we need her to look extra sexy while owning in halo.. :)

[RamenNoodleGod]

Other 3 Year Extended Warranty (Promo) Assembly complete.

:rollin

[PCC-Richard]

It's even funnier when our inventory system tells us that we're all out of 3-year warranties! :cry

[RamenNoodleGod]

What's this? You shipped my system without testing the warranty! Shame!

[RamenNoodleGod]

Woo! My system's in and it's running great! The monitor has a sharp, bright, and clean image, and it's pretty easy on the eyes. When it came in, I checked the inside of the system just to make sure nothing got loose in shipping, and everything was sturdy and secure. The wiring is optimal for air flow, and everything's tied with plastic ties and out of the way. Good job. I'm currently updating windows and installing MBM, so I'll get back to you on that in a minute. So far, so good. Thanks, guys!

[RamenNoodleGod]

Alrighty, MBM's giving me a 47C reading on the CPU and 33C on the case. These temps sound normal?

[PCC-Richard]

Yup! Sounds great!

So... when does the real testing start? :thumbs

[RamenNoodleGod]

Well, I just installed the Halo demo, and everything's a smooth as cream, with all eye candy turned up :-D Stayed cool, too.