Everything is in hand or en route and due in by Friday! Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

Asus A7V266-E MB
AMD XP 1800+ CPU w Volcano II fan
2 Crucial 256MB PC2100 DDR RAM
Visiontek GeForce 3 Ti200 video card
Maxtor 30GB 7200rpm HD
Yamaha CRW2200 CD-RW
Teac 540-E 40x CD-ROM
Teac floppy drive
Creative 56K V90 modem
10/100 Mbps Ethernet card
Mid Tower ATX case w front ports, 80mm intake and blow hole, 300w PS
PS2 keyboard
USB optical mouse
MAG Innovision 19" monitor
Altec Lansing 3 piece speaker set (onboard sound for now)

I think I set up a pretty good system. All for about $850! (Except the speakers and monitor which I already had.) Can't wait to put it all together!

Damn. I just realized I am a big ole geek!

Yes indeed. Building your own system from components is the shiznit!

Are you bad mouthing a fellow redneck?

I meant to say "Thanks!" to all the guys that helped me config the system in several earlier posts. I got some good advice and I appreciate it!

For $850 that's damn good!

I purchased a computer from a "friend" that works for AMD. Its loaded with all kinds of stuff, Best thing is the processor. My friend says the processor special because its speed is twice as fast as what it is rated at 1.2 ghz, It has a special cooling system for the processor do any of you know what it is? I have yet to see it sold in the market place. My tower get rippin hot while playing games etc and my "friend" says thats normal..... I paid 1k for it cash/ no warranty.

What is it?

Trying to find device drivers, resolve IRQ conflicts, and figure out why the modem won't work when you change the video refesh to 72 HZ?  Intersperse this with frequent trips to the latest CompUSA or Radio Shack when you realize you need some vital part.

Building a computer from scratch is the cheapest way to go, but God is it a pain in the ass!  I have long since progressed from enjoying the challenge to dreading the hell out of it.  Thank God I no longer have to futz with those hellish devices in my day-to-day job.

I've built & upgraded my older systmes to beat the band.  My last one started life as a 386 and I've changed every electrical componant except the on-off switch.  ken_mays hit it on the head, what a pain.  Just bought an e-machines T4155 for $886 with a 50 rebate that I might get next year.  [url]http://www.e4me.com/products/products.html?prod=eMachines_T4155[/url]  I [i]might[/i] put another 256 meg in the empty memory slot.  That's it.

Once I figured out that I had to reset the cable modem, no problems.  No muss, no fuss.

Enjoy!

There was a company that sold a MB and CPU combo and the cooling solution that would guarantee the CPU and MB if you overclocked it.  Can't remember the name, but my dad got one, and it's pretty sweet, but they company stopped doing it, because people kept calling them for tech support, and they didn't offer support on it.

My next system will be probably a dual processor (if I can find a board that does it for a good price), ATA RAID (0 or 5) GeForce3, get a CDRW and maybe a DVD-RAM.  Get a flat panel and run my old machine off of that as a server.  At least 512MB DDR RAM.  Should be pretty sweet.... but may get expensive!  hehehe

Hey Five-O,
I just ordered almost the same set up/parts to build my new monster.
I went with MSI motherboard and the XP1600 processor. Was gonna put a gig of Ram but the asswipes raised the price. Where'd you get that case? I'm still looking for one. I too am a big 'ol geek...LOL
Pit

Yep. I did some serious bargain shopping. Christmas was a good time to build a system. Lots of rebates (Best Buy) and free shipping from internet dealers. Also I was a frequent flyer on Pricewatch.com. I think I got some real bang for my buck.

Yea, Ken. I hope it is not a nightmare. I put a lot of faith in plug and play... Poorly placed faith no doubt but I'll struggle thru. I built a sys for my bro a couple of years ago and all went fairly smoothly. I have no doubt that Best Buy and the Shack will see me several times!

Norm, no offense but what I'm building ain't no E-Machine... It is the GAMER/GEEK MONSTROSITY FROM HELL!!! In other words, high speed, low drag!

Viper, check monarchcomputer.com, componants and cases. They have 2 listed for $50 with a 300W PS one of which (the one I ordered), 100017,is the base chassis for the coolerguys.com Wind Tunnel II ($150 without PS)just minus the custom fans. I plan on adding a side intake, top blow hole and a front fan in the case. It also has a host of ports on the front which is sweet as hell! Check it out. I think it is a good deal.

1ar... put some fans in that case. Too much heat is bad for a processor even if it seems to be working fine. It will reduce the lifespan of your system. Coolerguys.com or frozencpu.com are good sources. You'll regret it if you do not lower the temp.

Thanks for the comments guys.

Been there, done that, tired of it. Now I go to Best Buy every couple of years and buy an E-Machines box for 400-500 bucks and plug it in. Computers have become an appliance for me, like a VCR. I do remember really enjoying the fun of putting one together with all the hottest stuff, until I realized I was killing myself to put together a system that was obsolete in 6 months. Now, if a 2GHz CPU is the hottest thing, I run down and get a new 1GHz, and say to hell with it.

Hell no. What I have sitting on my desk right now is something built by my hands from components of my choosing.

Kinda like having your cake and eating it too.

Building ones own computer is fun!! Everyone should do it!

Hit the link I supplied & see what you think.  I don't believe too many games will use a geforce 2's full capabilities, much less a force 3.  1.5gHz processor with a 60 meg drive, 256 of ram (soon to be 512), integrated NIC on a cable modem isn't shabby at all.  I'm not much into copying CD's, so a DVD & CD-RW both at 12x are fine with me.  Sound?  I've got enough noisemakers in the house already, I don't need to rattle dishes with the computer.

Enjoy.

 The cooling systems could be Peltier devices, also called electrothermals.  Its a DC powered heat pump. They get hot on one side & cold on the other.  Put the cold side on the processor & the hot side to the fan.  Amazingly simple & useful.  Then there's a few water cooled systems.  Seems to me like asking for trouble.  Check out a few overclocker's websites for cooling.

I've built several.  Lately, since the advent of (cheap) PCI, you don't need to worry about IRQ's and such.  Just avoid old pre-PCI option cards, and you'll be fine.