Proposed New Computer For A Non-gamer

[zapjb]

I DON'T play modern games. I am going to use dependable parts ONLY. Reliability is paramount to my needs. These are the parts I'm considering. Pasted from my newegg wishlist. I'm on dialup. Do I need a seperate modem or does my proposed mobo have one integrated? My goal is not chase around hardware problems as on my current setup. The only hardware I'll be transfering from my old puter will be a TDK cdrw & my Altec Lansing 3 speaker system. Low cost is definite factor in these hardware picks. But also I don't want mess with this system for at least 2 years after I assemble it. I know that I'm choosing integrated video (I'm NOT a gamer). I also know that I can get a cheaper case, but I want the super reliable Antec psu. I hope to in the next 4 months purchase these parts all from newegg. Any constructive comments, welcomed. Thanks.


Antec Solution Series Case with 350W Power Supply,Model:SLK3700AMB,Retail.
Specifications:
Case Type: Mid-Tower
Color: Metallic bronze
Material: Steel
Drive Bays: 4x5.25'',7x3.5''
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: USB2.0x2
Power Supply: 350W(SL350)Smart Power
Cooling System: 120mm Fan x 1
Mainboard Compatibility: Standard ATX
Dimensions: 18.3''x8.25''x18.6''
Special Features: Removeable Side Panels and Drive Cages. more info-> N82E16811129122 $73.00

Asus nForce2 IGP Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "A7N8X-VM" -RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon XP Thoroughbred/Barton Core Processors
Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 IGP + MCP
FSB: 333/266/200MHz
RAM: 2x DIMM support Dual Channel Non-ECC DDR400/333/266 Max 2GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 100/133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X(1.5V), 3x PCI
Ports: 2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,1xVGA,1xLAN,6xUSB2.0(Rear 4),Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel Codec
Onboard Video: GeForce4 MX GPU + TV encoder
Onboard LAN: Realtek 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet
Form Factor: Micro ATX
Others: NVidia nVIEW Dual Display Architecture more info-> N82E16813131466 $89.99

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
Specification
Model: AMD Athlon XP 2500+
Core: Barton
Operating Frequency: 1.83GHz
FSB: 333MHz
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/512K
Voltage: 1.65V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket A
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included) more info-> N82E16819103379
$90.00

Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM
Specification
Manufacturer: Crucial
Speed: DDR333(PC2700)
Type: 184 Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2.5
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 2.7GB/s
Organization: 64M x 64 -Bit
Warranty: Lifetime more info-> N82E16820145059
$70.00

SAMSUNG SFD321B/LEB 1.44MB 3.5inch Floppy Disk Drive, OEM Driver Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 1.44MB
Average Access Time: not specified
Interface: 34 Pin Standard Floppy Connector
Form: 3.5 inch
Media Type: All Standard 1.44MB & 720KB 3.5 Floppy Diskettes
Features: Easy to Install, Just Plug & Play, For IBM5 & 100% Compatible Computers
Remark: OEM 1 Year Warranty more info-> N82E16821103202
$5.59

Western Digital SpecialL Edition 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1200JB, OEM Drive Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 120GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Features: High-performance with 8MB Buffer
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Remark: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822144118
$94.00

Samsung 16X DVD Drive, MODEL SD-816BEP, OEM
Specifications:
Read Speed: 48X CD-ROM, 16X DVD-ROM
Interface: E-IDE/ATAPI
Buffer: 512KB
Access Time: 90 ms
Data Transfer Rate: DVD: 21,600 kByte/s, CD: 7,200 kByte/s
Features: Reduces noise and vibration with DVA, Stablizing DVD Play Back
Remark: OEM Pack (see pictures for details) more info-> N82E16827151026 $32.00

Subtotal »
$454.58

[Mad Cat]

No graphics card?

Well, if you really want it to be dependable, simply buy it ready made.

Maybe it'll cost a little more but you get warranty, which means if anything goes wrong, they pay for it.

[Tormentor]

Its has integrated graphics. The GeForce4 Integrated GPU is very compatible and it will run any new game out there on resonable settings, I know I have one

[ck-uk]

Yeah mate it should be rock solid..Thou i think i'd stretch a liitle more cash & get a g/fx card mate,even a slightly out dated one like fx5200 or geforce4 or ati so it wont share any resources at all from your other components.Imo its also better to have seperate parts incase one fucks up.With them specs mate too should also be good for movie dvd encoding if your into that thing , maybe a dvd burner instead of the rom.In the uk they're not that much dearer.

[Mad Cat]

In the UK a DVD rom is like £20, and a DVD rw is about £100.

[ck-uk]

Are they mate. ..i bought my burner a while ago & rom were more than 20 a the time.I know that burners are cheaper now i'm after a new one.

[DWk]

lol those specs are ALMOST a gaming-type rig....just excluding the gfx card hahahaha...

it looks really good though

[bigdawgfoxx]

Yeah but if he doesnt play any games, I would think intergrated would be fine and more stable anyways...I dont know that though I'm not stating that as a fact.

Dont you guys think he should just get the A7N8X and buy like a 9200 because the board hes getting is not very nice.

[3RA1N1AC]

it looks fine to me, though you might wanna consider getting a different case since that Asus board is a Micro-ATX board, so if you only intend to use one CD/DVD-Rom and one hard drive, you could build that PC in a Micro-ATX case that's only about the size of a VCR.

it'll work fine with an ATX tower, but that board does give you a nice opportunity to save space and build a smaller computer. i put an Athlon XP 1800 and an Nforce running off of 200 watts in one of these (it includes a vertical stand) for my mom, and she's never had any problem with the PSU-- http://usa.aopen.com/products/Housing/H340.series.htm

[zapjb]

@3RA1N1AC, I'm going add my TDK cdrw also. And in the way future 2-3yrs I'm going to get a dvd burner to replace either my cdrw or dvd/cdrom. So a Antec case/psu is critical. I'm expecting to get 4-5yrs out of this setup. I hope. I'm being overly cheap about this maybe. But my current cheapo setup cost $350 and has lasted 2yrs +. I hate spending $ as my current job is 50% of my tech job in 2001. The fn economy sucks for tech in the US. Still saving for this setup. Figure around $500 USD otd. Oh yeah happy new year to all.