Might build a new system; could use some help

[Allnatural]

My current system is in bad shape. Numerous memory errors before and after replacing what I assumed was bad ram. Saw a couple of blown capacitors on the mobo; figure that's failing now. Given that the whole thing is getting a bit long in the tooth anyway, I may as well rebuild. Problem is, I haven't followed the hardware scene in years, so I have no idea what offers the best bang for the buck these days. This is what I have in mind right now:

• Motherboard

• Processor

• Memory

• Video Card

• Hard Drive

I didn't do much research. I choose these parts primarily because they're from manufacturers I trust and they fit within my budget (looking at ~$700 if I buy two HD's for RAID; everything else I need can be salvaged from my current system). To be honest, I'd rather just swap out my mobo, but socket a mobo's are getting hard to find, and finding the exact model I'm using currently has proven to be impossible (so far).



Any tips/opinions would be much appreciated.

[smcd]

I have the same video card and processor, does me well so far. Is it just me or has RAM dropped a huge amount lately? I paid 2/3 that price for 1GB a couple years ago.

[Allnatural]

Is it just me or has RAM dropped a huge amount lately? I paid 2/3 that price for 1GB a couple years ago.

I remember when it used to cost about $1 per megabyte. Of course, back then 64 MB made your system "high end."

[PsyMan]

-CPU and mobo are good but I would personally consider an Intel Core 2 Duo instead since they outperform most current Athlon CPUs. If you still preffer an Athlon you could also take a look at some Gigabyte mobos since they are not so expensive, they perform quite good and they are very stable (no compatibility issues, no fried capacitors, etc).

-Memory brand and speed looks fine to me.

-About the video card... I would avoid getting a card with less than 512MB of RAM... Remember the first Nvidia's 6600GT models with 128MB of RAM? They fail to work on some newer games just because they don't have enough RAM even though they are faster than some cards with 256MB or more RAM.
I would also consider waiting until Nvidia launches some mid-end DX10 cards or I would take a look at ATi's X1xxx series if interested in DX10 games.

-The hard disk looks fast enough and it's WD... No comments here.

Tips: Be sure to purchase a quite powerful PSU (550W+), especially if you decide to use RAID and connect a lot of devices to your system.
After deciding on what stuff you're going to get, search the net for possible issues with that particular hardware before buying.

Good luck finding what suits you best.

[Doomulation]

I would suggest an Athlon64 X2. Dual core (it sure beats single core) is the future, after all, and they're not very expensive. The AM2 socket should fit the newest AMD processors to come too, I think... if I remember right, anyway, so that's good. You can't go wrong with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103036
--> 3600+ X2. Cheaper than the other processor and Dual Core is smoother and better. 2 cores @ 1.9 GHz each instead of one @ 2.4 GHz. What's better? Dual core overclocks beter as well!
There are some more expensive dual cores, as well...
How about 4600+ (65 watt) (2.4 GHz x 2) for 125.99?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103749
That HD is very expensive considering its size. There are better alternatives I think. Now how about this?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152052
--> 500 GB THG-Index 51.60. Don't know much about that, but since it's almost at the top of the list among the others, I guess it's good.

[Allnatural]

Question about the power needs. The mobo I'm looking at has a 24-pin main socket plus an additional 4-pin socket. My current PSU has a 20-pin main connector plus a 4-pin connector. I'm assuming the 4-pin socket on the mobo won't be needed if I get a new PSU with a 24-pin main connector?

[revl8er]

If your PSU is powerful enough now, you could always buy a 20 to 24 pin convertor. I had to purchase one for my PSU when i upgraded my system and it works fine. I'm sure you have to use the 4 pin connector still because I think it's used to power the processor, but I'm not sure.

[Toasty]

I second everything in Doom's post. AMD's X2 line has just had some significant price cuts. (Dual-core for < $90!) Even if you don't go for the 500GB hard drive, you can get a perfectly good 320GB hard drive about $35 cheaper than that retail one and save yourself some cash. (If you prefer, Seagate and Western Digital also have 320GB drives for a few bucks more.)

[t0rek]

Go for a Core 2 Duo system, I don't know why Doom is advising you to get a AMD CPU. Of course the new upcoming AMD architecture will be better, but buy a Core 2 Duo if you don't want to wait.

The videocard if fine, however if you wait a little bit, you can get a newer DirectX 10 model (the 8600 series or the ATI DX10 ones).

The RAM, I would get a better brand.

The hard disk us very good, no complains about it.

That's my two cents

[Allnatural]

Go for a Core 2 Duo system, I don't know why Doom is advising you to get a AMD CPU.

Because the cheapest I've seen the C2D is $169. I have to work within a budget, and I don't really need the "best" of what's available right now.