Stephen R Stanfield wrote:
> Hello All, Thanx for response to last post, but I think it is time to 
> build one.  I just purchased an Ultra 500 W X-Finity Power Supply.  Hard 
> drive is 1 1/2 yrs old so i plan on re-using that along with CD drive 
> and floppy drive.  I use this mainly for searching internet, small 
> business programs and emailing friends.  I am leaning towards Core 2 
> Duo.  I don't think I can re-use memory.  Is bundling mb and cpu good 
> idea? If so, what cpu to choose?  Which case?  Most of the cases I have 
> seen @ Tiger Direct have power supplies with them, which I don't need.  
> I would appreciate some suggestions.  I am anxiously looking forward to 
> attempting this task.

Well, the Core 2 Duos are a good choice, but might be a little pricey. 
The Athlon64 X2s are a bit less expensive and just as functional at the 
lower end.  You may even wish to go with a single-core Athlon64 for 
less, but I consider the dual-core to be worth it if you want to keep 
the machine for 8-10 years.

I'm a big fan of motherboard bundles.  Saves me the hassle of figuring 
out which RAM / CPU / MB is compatible.  Most places will even 
pre-assemble and test for a small fee.

Here's the current machine parts that we're using for general purpose 
computers at work (all prices are from MWave.com, look for "Motherboard 
Bundles" in the left column).  We're building a dozen of these over the 
next 6 months (having built a few already).

Two options for the CPU.  The first is a more powerful X2 with 2GB of 
RAM and may be a bit of overkill for you.  You may want to trim it back 
to only 1GB of RAM.

$0148 Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2 (MB-BA22656)
$0139 2GB Mwave RAM (2x1GB)
$0084 ASUS M2NPV-VM Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX
$0009 Assemble / Test

$0067 AMD ATHLON 64 3000+ AM2 (MB-BA22668)
$0069 1GB Mwave RAM (1x1GB)
$0084 ASUS M2NPV-VM Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX
$0009 Assemble / Test

The M2NPV-VM motherboard is a microATX sized board (slightly smaller 
then normal).  The advantage is that it has a built-in video chipset 
(not fast but good enough for normal use).  It has a few expansion 
slots, but not as many slots as a full size ATX board.  You can also 
drop in a more powerful PCIe video card in a year or two if you need 
more 3D performance.

You can get OEM versions of Windows XP and MS Office to go with your 
motherboard at MWave.  We purchase Pro for the office, but you can 
probably get Home as well.  You will need to purchase these at the same 
time as the motherboard bundle (restrictions in order to qualify for the 
OEM price).

$0131 AA15070 WindowsXP Pro OEM
$0299 AA24200 Microsoft Office Pro 2003 OEM

For cases, the only cases that I recommend already include quality PSUs. 
  You can save the PSU that you have as a backup PSU.  The first case 
(Overture II) is a slightly smaller case that uses a somewhat custom PSU 
(although normal PSUs will fit).  It is also louder then the 2nd case. 
The second case (Sonata II) is very sleek and all-black with good build 
quality.  It uses 120mm fans which are very quiet and has good airflow.

$0105 Antec Overture II 5.3"(H) x 17"(W) x 19.3"(D)

$0103 BA30107 Antec Sonata II w/ SmartPower 2.0 450W PSU

Both of these have 450W PSUs, which is good enough for a motherboard and 
1-2 hard drives and a modest graphics card.  I doubt that you'll be 
sorry if you buy the Sonata II case (I own 4 or 5 of the first revision 
Sonata cases).  If you want larger cases, I've been happy with both the 
Antec p160 (bit flashy but very easy to work with) and the Antec p180b 
(classy, but complex inside).

If you want a more powerful motherboard (ATX sized), you will need to 
also purchase a PCIe video card to go with it.  Only the microATX boards 
have built-in video (until you start getting into motherboards for 
servers).  The step up from the M2NPV-VM is the M2N-E for about the same 
cost.  Low-end PCIe video cards like the EVGA GeForce 6200 can be had 
for around $35 (plus it's a fanless card for less noise).

...

I've built my own systems for about 10 years now, usually at least 2 
builds per year.  Motherboard bundles make it at lot easier then it was 
in the old days.  Now, the biggest choices I have are figuring out which 
motherboard and case to purchase.

Wiring up a motherboard is fairly easy.  The documentation manuals are 
pretty good (and you can download them ahead of time if you go to the 
manufacturer website).  Some of the more expensive motherboards (Asus 
M2N32-SLI Deluxe include a removable bit that lets you plug in the misc 
power / reset / LED connectors before plugging the whole module to the 
motherboard).

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