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i'm new.. i need to build a good computer for 1200 or less.. i know it can be done. any pointers on what hardware to purchase?

What are your needs? What will you use this box for?

That will help us tell you what we think is good hardware...

And by the way, welcome to the TR! Glad to have you.

Welcome...to the TR forums....for $1200 you can build a damn nice computer...like M777 said...tell us what your needs are and usage will be..someone here will be glad to help.

indeed. 1200 will build you a mighty fine machine. if you have a monitor you would like to keep, or any other hardware that would also be nice to know, that way we can balance it correctly.

do you have these?
mouse
keyboard
speakers
monitor

all that you are fine with moving over to a different computer?

Welcom

Yeah 1200 can get you a damn good computer. My friend spent 900 dollars on a new comp and he got this...
P4 2.6hgz
60gb HD
512ddr2700ram
ATi Radeon 9700Pro
New Mobo (cant remember what kind)
Cooler Master Case
Dvd Rom/Dvdburner
Other parts such as the monitor, keyboard, mouse, floppy ect.. were his old parts. So it all depends too i guess, will u be starting off from scratch? or do u still have some parts?

hey guys, thanks for replying. i have spent the last couple hours finding the hardware,t his is what i have come up with...

Geoff’s Computer
MOTHERBOARD - ABIT IC7, Intel 875P chipset for Socket 478 P4 Canterwood ATX motherboard RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU:Intel® Pentium® 4 Socket 478 processors
Chipset:Intel® 875P / ICH5 RAID
FSB:800/533MHz 400FSB not Supported
RAM:4x 184pin Dual Channel DDR 400 Max 4GB ECC Support
IDE:2 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100 Connectors up to 4 Devices
SATA: 2x SATA For RAID 0
Slots:1 x AGP PRO, 5 x PCI slots
Ports:2xPS2,1xLPT,1xCOM,2xUSB2.0,1x1394 and Audio
Onboard Audio: 6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on
Onboard IEEE 1394: IEEE 1394a at 100/200/400 Mb/s transfer rate Model#: IC7 145.00

PROCESSOR - Intel Pentium 4 / 2.6CGHz 512k socket 478 Hyper Threading Technology 800 MHz FSB - RETAIL (http://www.googlegear.com/jsp/ProductDe ... =80652-800)
Specifications:
CPU: 2.6GHz
Type: Pentium 4 Northwood
Cache: 512K
BUS: 800 Mhz
Socket: 478 232.00

BURNER - Lite On 52x24x52 Black CDRW Model LTR-52246 OEM Buffer underrun error free & automatically adjust writing strategy plus running OPC to meet various burning condition.
Specifications:
Speed : Recording 52Xmax CAV Re-writing 24X High-Speed CLV Reading 52Xmax CAV
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE, support up to Ultra-DMA Mode2 33.3MB/sec
Supported Media:CD-DA,CD-ROM,CD-Extra,CD-ROM/XA,Photo CD,CD-I Ready,Video CD,CD-R,CD-RW
Access Time : 80ms
Buffer Memory Size: 2MB
Operating System : Windows 95/98/NT/XP/2000/ME 45.00

MEMORY - CORSAIR 512MB PC3200 VALUE SELECT. VS512MB400 DDR RAM - OEM
184-Pin. CL=2.5-Unbuffered 2.5V. 64x64 Requires DDR 400 supported Motherboard 59.00(2)
(http://www.bzboyz.com/store/product2431.html)

HARD DRIVE - SAMSUNG SpinPoint 160GB 5400RPM Model# SV1604N - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Size: 160 Gigabytes
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Seek time: 8.9ms
RPM:5400
Buffer Size: 2 Mbytes
Noise Guard 125.00

CD/DVD ROM - Lite-On 16x DVD Model LTD-166S Black
Specifications:
Speed VD-ROM 16X (6.4X~16X) - CD-ROM 48X (20X~48X)
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE
Sustained Transfer Rate : Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec
Burst Transfer Rate : Support up to Ultra-DMA/33 33.3MB/sec
Access Time : 120ms (typical)
MTBF : 70'000 Power On Hours with 20% Duty
Supported OS: DOS 6.xx, Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP, OS2 Warp 39.00




FLOPPY - SAMSUNG 1.44MB BLACK FLOPPY DRIVE Model# SFD321B/LBL - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
Specifications:
Capacity: 1.44 MB Connector 34 Pin Standard Floppy
Works With All Standard 1.44MB & 72OKB 3.5 Floppy Diskettes are compatible with all industry standard 1.44MB and 72OKB 3.5 floppy diskettes.
Easy to Install! Just Plug & Play! * For IBM5 & 100% Compatible Computers 7.50

CD-RW - Lite On 52x24x52 Black CDRW Model LTR-52246 OEM Buffer underrun error free & automatically adjust writing strategy plus running OPC to meet various burning condition.
Specifications:
Speed : Recording 52Xmax CAV Re-writing 24X High-Speed CLV Reading 52Xmax CAV
Interface : ATAPI-E/IDE, support up to Ultra-DMA Mode2 33.3MB/sec
Supported Media:CD-DA,CD-ROM,CD-Extra,CD-ROM/XA,Photo CD,CD-I Ready,Video CD,CD-R,CD-RW
Access Time : 80ms
Buffer Memory Size: 2MB
Operating System : Windows 95/98/NT/XP/2000/ME 45.00

CASE/POWER SUPPLY - BLACK EVERCASE E4252BEF5, Intel P4 / AMD 10-Bay. Truly Screwless ATX MID Tower Case. BLACK with GRAY trim.Retail .
Features:
2 screwless removable HD Cages).
2 x Front USB 2.0 ports.
Specifications:
Material:Steel
Form Factor:ATX
Bays:External: 4 X 5.25 and 2 X 3.50. Hidden: 4 X 3..50
Expansion Slots:
Fans:1 x side ball bearing fan with bracket
Power Supply:Ever ATX1125BTA 300W P4 ready power supply 40.00

VIDEO CARD - ABIT Siluro FX5200 DT 128MB DDR TV/DVI RETAIL
Specifications:
Chipset:NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 GPU
Memory: 128MB DDR
Bus: AGP 8X with fast writes and sideband addressing
High-performance, high-precision 3D rendering engine
NVIDIA nView 2.0 Multiple Display Technology
CineFX shading architecture supports DX 9.0 Pixel Shader 2.0+ and Vertex Shader 2.0+ 84.00

SOUND CARD - Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer Stunning 24-bit multi-channel playback for incredible high definition audio in games. Unmatched power of the Audigy chip delivers 4X more effects processing for high intensity gaming. Innovative EAX ADVANCED HD technology provides ultra realistic acoustics for high definition audio environments. Fully integrated SB1394 enables high speed PC-to-PC connectivity with low latency 87.00


lengthy i apologize. the total on that is 988.45. thoughts or comments?

p.s. i have a monitor, speakers, a mouse and a keyboard that will last for some time. i do plan, however, to upgrade the monitor to a flat screen lcd and the mouse to an optical.

So.....????? What kind of platform are you thinking of AMD..Intel? HotRod or a 59 chevy? Help out here a bit mate

By the way...welcome to the forums.

i dunno. i'm not computer literate, at least when it comes to hardward

Just a couple of suggestions.
1. Before you buy from a vendor check em out at http://www.resellerratings.com I say this because I saw bzboys in your post and they are a horrible vendor.
2. I would ditch the canterwood board and grab a springdale instead like the P4P800 overclocks like mad and is much cheaper and performance is near identical.
3. I would say go with some nice Corsair XMS 3500C2 like 2 512MB sticks, sure you pay more but it allows more fsb adjustment and is clocked faster, also the money that you saved on the motherboard and cpu purchase can go here.
4. I would drop the 2.6C and go for a 2.4 instead the price point is right there for best bang for your buck, plus if you get some good memory and that springdale board and a good heatsink fan combo like the SLK-900U you are almost guaranteed to hit 3Ghz+ on it
5. With the amount of power this computer is going to have putting a 5400rpm hard drive on it and samsung at that is going to be the big bottleneck in the setup, grab like a 160gb WD1600JB Western Digital w/the 8mb of cache.
6. Grab a different video card, something like a 9700 or 9700Pro and if you want to save some funds grab one of them new 9600's and o/c it like mad.

Hope I Have been of some help.

Musta been in between your posts...i apologize for not seeing your list...looks like a barn burner to me...with that system i would recomend a better vid card than the one u picked...it will suffice, but if you do any gaming you mite wanna look at the 9700 pro...all in all...looks like a great system and well under the 1200....if u get the pro u will still be under..good luck with it...your first build is the best in terms of satisfaction...nuthin like gettin it all put together and pushin the power button the first time and everything revs up perfectly! If you encounter any problems...the guys(gals) here will more than ready to sound the board for ya....have fun

I just looked at newegg and they got some 512MB 3200CS slabs for $95. That is a great deal just pick up two. and I didn't notice but I suggest spending a little more cash for a decent PSU, that is important if you want a solid setup.

Hehe...Lickety, I was going to say. "Hey...Intel 875....what platform????"

Geoff....looks good. Close to what I'm running right now, and I've never been happier!

Definatly (sp?) stick with the Intel 875p ( most of these folks will try to sell ya on AMD...just look the other way) and do consider the ATI 9700 pro. Maybe a 7200 rpm HDD.....with an 8mb buffer, instead of the 2. Also, I would think about going with at least 350w....more like 420+....in your power supply. As I found out the hard way, it's NOT an area to skimp on.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

I'll second the recommendation to ditch the 5400 RPM hard drive -- that'll just hold the system back. Get a 7200 RPM drive. I'd go with a Western Digital "Special Edition" (8MB buffer) if you want balls-out performance and a 3-year warranty... OTOH Seagate and Maxtor "fluid bearing" drives are probably a bit quieter.

I would look for a more powerful PSU than the 300W you've got there. For a system with a fast CPU and video card, and multiple CD/DVD drives, I'd say you want at least 350W, 400W would be better.

most of these folks will try to sell ya on AMD...just look the other way

Heh... I wasn't going to, but you had to go and make this comment... now I just can't keep my mouth shut.

I like AMD. They frequently give you better bang-for-the-buck than Intel. Supporting the underdog also helps ensure that there will continue to be competition in the CPU market, which lowers prices for everyone.

AMD's Athlon XP performance ratings were conservative until fairly recently. Unless you are looking at "bleeding edge" stuff (i.e. 2.8GHz / 2800+ rating or higher), you can generally assume that an AMD processor with a given performance rating will perform equal to or better than a P4 with corresponding MHz.

AMD's issues with buggy/incompatible/unstable chipsets are a thing of the distant past. Today, the Socket A platform is on par with Intel's P4 platform in terms of stability.

IMO, AMD is the way to go... but if you're still more comfortable with Intel, that's your choice.

One thing u will learn about this forum...there are a LOT of AMD fanboys here and why not...best cpu for the buck and thump intel where it counts!!

Nice start on a good computer there dude. As others have pointed out though, a couple different parts will do you much better:

1. Make sure you get GOOD RAM, not "Value" RAM. If you go Corsair (which IMO is the best), go with PC3200 or PC3500 XMS). That way you have plenty of room to OC your CPU, should that be your desire.

2. Drop that video card entirely. It's not as fast as the Ti 4200. If you have to stick around that price, pay the slight extra money and get a decent GF4 Ti4200 card. If you have the money, I'd go Radeon 9700 Pro. If you have your heart set on the GFFX 5200, at least get the Ultra version.

3. Why that case? If you want small, light, premodded and with a good power supply, I'd get an Antec LANboy case for around $80 at Newegg. Even if you stick with that case, I'd recommend getting a quality PSU for it, preferably at least 350W or higher.


Good luck with the computer and make sure you post back what you end up with...

Oh, yeah... I was also going to comment that you made a good choice going with the Corsair memory. They are one of the best. Avoid generic memory like the plague!

Words of wisdom in that post...cheap memory is just that CHEAP...causes more headaches than its worth...a few bucks extra and peace of mind that comes with it is well worth it IMOHO

get:

asus nforce2 mobo
barton xp2500 (or more if ya can afford)
2x256 cosair twinmos
120gig maxtor dm+9
radeon 9700pro, or 9500pro if cash is tight
a decent psu - 420w enemax for example

finish off with your favourite trimmings - cdrw etc.

Somebody already said this, but ditch that graphics card. Get a 9500 Pro, as they should be coming down in price, or if not, a 9600 Pro. Those cards I think would be the bare minimum for your system.