basic new build advice

[Mr. G]

Dear Friends,

This is my first build, so I am going for ease of build, power for
general office applications, internet browsing, some MP3 files to disc
recording' , movie playing. Thinking about upgrading in the future to
an HDTV card. I would also like to install a version of Linux rather
than Windows. I run a chess engine called Schredder 3 which is a
lower end chess software. I chose a case with pws because of the
brand andits one less item to install, right? Cost is an issue, but
I want this to be a reliable system.
I want to use onboard sound and video for now. Any ideas?
suggestions? Thanks.

* Antec NSK6580 Black/ Silver 0.8mm cold-rolled steel construction ATX
Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811129033> *
*Model #:* NSK6580
*Item #:* N82E16811129033
*$119.95* -$10.00 Instant *$109.95*

* GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD
Motherboard - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128014> *
*Model #:* GA-M57SLI-S4
*Item #:* N82E16813128014
/
*$89.99* *$89.99*

* AMD Athlon 64 LE-1620 2.4GHz Socket AM2 45W Single-Core Processor
Model ADH1620DHBOX - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103198> *
*Model #:* ADH1620DHBOX
*Item #:* N82E16819103198
*$46.99* *$46.99*

* CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590> *
*Model #:* TWIN2X2048-6400
*Item #:* N82E16820145590
*$53.00* *$53.00*

* Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive - OEM
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822135106> *
*Model #:* WD800JD
*Item #:* N82E16822135106

*$41.99* *$41.99*

* ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3T - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827135143> *
*Model #:* DVD-E616A3T
*Item #:* N82E16827135143
*$20.99* *$20.99*
*Subtotal:* *$362.91*

 

[Jan Alter]

Dear Friends,

This is my first build, so I am going for ease of build, power for
general office applications, internet browsing, some MP3 files to disc
recording' , movie playing. Thinking about upgrading in the future to
an HDTV card. I would also like to install a version of Linux rather
than Windows. I run a chess engine called Schredder 3 which is a
lower end chess software. I chose a case with pws because of the
brand andits one less item to install, right? Cost is an issue, but
I want this to be a reliable system.
I want to use onboard sound and video for now. Any ideas?
suggestions? Thanks.

* Antec NSK6580 Black/ Silver 0.8mm cold-rolled steel construction ATX
Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811129033> *
*Model #:* NSK6580
*Item #:* N82E16811129033
*$119.95* -$10.00 Instant *$109.95*

* GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD
Motherboard - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128014> *
*Model #:* GA-M57SLI-S4
*Item #:* N82E16813128014
/
*$89.99* *$89.99*

* AMD Athlon 64 LE-1620 2.4GHz Socket AM2 45W Single-Core Processor
Model ADH1620DHBOX - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103198> *
*Model #:* ADH1620DHBOX
*Item #:* N82E16819103198
*$46.99* *$46.99*

* CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590> *
*Model #:* TWIN2X2048-6400
*Item #:* N82E16820145590
*$53.00* *$53.00*

* Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive - OEM
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822135106> *
*Model #:* WD800JD
*Item #:* N82E16822135106

*$41.99* *$41.99*

* ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3T - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827135143> *
*Model #:* DVD-E616A3T
*Item #:* N82E16827135143
*$20.99* *$20.99*
*Subtotal:* *$362.91*

The case and PSU should be fine for what you want to do.

The mb lacks the onboard video you are considering using, so you may want to
look at other Gigabyte mbs.
Maybe it's worth considering this mb among others listed by Gigabyte.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128056

Additionally, unless you are going to get into gaming the SLI feature of
adding a matched set of graphics cards is not necessary, which is one item
this mb features that you've listed.

One thought that hits me is whether or not Gigabyte has written drivers for
Linux to take advantage of the graphics chipsets. My guess is that there's
something for it but it's worth doing a little reading to make sure.

As for the cpu, I would spend a few extra dollars to get a dual core
processor. I've found that having two cores gives multi-tasking a big
advantage, and simply allows easier usage of a second program running.

Two gbs of RAM is certainly sufficient. That's a nice deal you found with a
$25 rebate.

As for the hdd, I would put my money into a Seagate with a 5 year warranty
rather than a lesser 3 or 2 year warranty from WD. For the difference in
price I'd go with at least 120 gb hdd.

Good luck,

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

You should be able to get a mid toweer for $29.00 and a 450 watt PS for $16.00.

I wouldn't trust a $16 PSU unless it was on sale with a big rebate,
like the 430W Antec Trio (made by Seasonic) that Fry's had today for
$15 after $30 rebate.

 

[Mr. G]

Thanks for catching that mistake-- I read the reviews of the revised
choice and several users have run Linux on it. MSI has an area showing
Linux compatibility. I have been using a Seagate as an external
drive. It cycles on and off making it rather noisy--maybe that's b/c
its on the desk? Thanks, Mr. G.

 

[Mr. G]

Dear Friends,

Thanks to all of you who pointed out serious oversight on my choice of
mobo. Amy3 made the suggestion for this choice of mobo-has good
reviews, and Linux compatibility. The upgrade to dual-core was made
to the effect of an upgrade path to get betterr speeds with running 2
programs at once-not something I do that much of right now-price just
$10 extra And yes for a few dollars more, a DVD burner too. I like
the reviews about the choice of hard drive--very quiet--which is
important. Anymore ideas? suggestions? Thanks.

* Antec NSK6580 Black/ Silver 0.8mm cold-rolled steel construction ATX
Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811129033> *
*Model #:* NSK6580
*Item #:* N82E16811129033
*$119.95* -$10.00 Instant *$109.95*

MSI K9N6SGM-V AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -
Retail
Model #: K9N6SGM-V
Item #: N82E16813130068
$52.99 -$5.00 Instant $47.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core
Processor Model ADO4000DDBOX - Retail
Model #: ADO4000DDBOX
Item #: N82E16819103774
59.99 -$4.00 Instant $55.99

* CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400 - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145590> *
*Model #:* TWIN2X2048-6400
*Item #:* N82E16820145590
*$53.00* rebate

* Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive - OEM
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822135106> *
*Model #:* WD800JD
*Item #:* N82E16822135106
*$41.99*

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
Model #: SH-S203B
$29.99 -$3.00 Instant $26.99
*Subtotal:* *$334.91*