Windows 7 - Building a Custom desktop PC.

Hi... im thinking about building a custom pc, and i wanna know if anyone could recommend some good parts, as this is my first custom pc... until now im thinkin about this combination:

Motherboard: ASRock 939N68PV-GLAN
　
Processer: Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 1 MB 2.6 ghz
　
Ram: Corsair DDR2 RAM XMS2 2 x 2 GB

Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda /ATA) 7200.9 500 GB

Is it gonna work for a good media center and maybe a gaming computer?

Thanks on Advance
- Sergio Garcia

This computer (as is, plus HDD) will NOT function AT ALL.

First off, your mobo uses DDR sticks, and you are getting DDR2! Not gonna work (believe me, I have tried).

Second, the mobo itself is fine, but it uses DDR, which is a bit outdated. I would recommend a mobo with DDR2 minimum, DDR3 if you want to be up-to-date.

The processor is a little crappy. With a 1mb L2 cahce, you will not be very speedy. The 2.6 ghz is fine though. If you want a tough gaming rig, go with a quadcore though.

Your RAM (if it fit the mobo) is fine. Though you may want some higher than 800 mhz. That is a little on the slow side. 1066 would better fit. More RAM never hurts either.

I am assuming that HDD is SATA, not EIDE (not clear as it says ATA). 500 gigs may show to be a little small at a certain point, but you will be fine for now.

For everyday use, this computer will run just fine (with the right RAM). You may have issues opening and closing multiple windows, and computing large things, but will run fine. Not a high end gaming rig, so stick with games with lower requirements (not crysis. lol)

~Lordbob

Sergio, a few comments...

Everything LordBob said is correct, except for one thing (sorry bob). Crysis (and that game generation) could run on this computer... always on minimum specs, but runs just fine... you can see on My System Specs that my computer is not a very hi-tech, but you could have some fun for a while..

about buying a corsair brand RAM.... i don't know how are the prices over there... but in Argentina a corsair is up to 3 times more expensive than a kingston, or a supertalent.... dont get me wrong... corsair it is an excelent memory module, but in your case, if money is an issue, i would buy a cheaper one (never under DDR2 800mhz), and invest the difference in a higher speed CPU, maybe even a quad core....

Another thing is that no respectable gamer uses an on board graphics card... as you can se on my profile, i use an ASUS EN7300GT 256mb (an antique) and i am currently playing Far Cry 2, having finished Crysis, Crysis Warhead, CoD4, always on minimum specs...

Anyways, i hope i've helped... let us know what you get...

I didn't say it wouldn't play it, I meant that it would be kind of pointless. Perhaps I worded it wrong.

Anyways, definitely include a graphics card in there if you plan to do gaming or anything graphics intensive.

~Lordbob

How much do you want to spend $$$ $$$$

I dont know how much im gonna spend yet but im thinking something aroud 600-1000 $

I Personally got these items for a low budget gaming system (a few items held over from my aging athlon64 x2)
Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L
Intel Celeron e1500 dual core celeron (dont let it fool you its an actual core2 duo with all but 512KB L2 disabled) I got this because it was $63 shipped for me and Ill upgrade it later
4x PC800 Kingston 2GB sticks DDR2
LG 22x DL DVDRW, SATA
(all items below from older comp)
Silverstone ST400 PSU
Seagate 7200.10 320GB 16MB SATA2 HDD
GeForce 7900 GS/OC 256MB PCIE 1.0 x16

The cost for a low end LGA775 system is insanely low, even 8GB DDR2 i got is a whole $80 here in the states... even me on a severely limited budget can afford a core2 based system now.... and yes for your information I am VERY much an AMD fan, this is my first intel desktop since a 386... but there is just nothing that can compare to the price/performance of the core2 right now.

Jaqie: These specs sounds good, im gonna look into it. Thanks

mate.... i wouldn't wish an Asrock board on my worst enemy...

the parts Jaqie listed are better than the list in the OP, this is also a chip to look at.... E2180, its got 1mb cache, x10 multi, OCs like a monster, & its pretty cheap..

it is 65nm & 200mhz slower per core than the celeron, but its got an extra 512kb cache & its a SOLID BEAST, i had mine running 3.2ghz 24/7 for 2 years....& its now running in my back up rig & going strong...






SK

Here's my take on it. Budget : 650$ (without case, power supply, OS and monitor)

Asus P5N73-AM (PCI-E 16x v1, DDR2, Socket 775)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 3MB cache
OCZ PC5400 (667MHz) DDR2 2x2GB (OCZ2VU6674GK)
nVidia BFG GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 7200RPM (SATA)
LG GH22NS30 CD/DVD burner/player (SATA)

Those are about ~606$ CAD. price are approximative taken on TigerDirect.ca - Computers, Computer Parts, Computer Accessories, PC Components & Electronics

You have to plan a case and a powersupplu on top of that.

As for teh build itself, it's a pretty OK config. Not too shabby. Does the job for every single things : from work to games and media center. Also, note that it's a µATX (microATX) board. So, you may want to purchase a case for it (a smaller case in fact).

Also, if you want a media center, you might want to add a blu-ray player with a large screen. If you do that, you'll go way over you budget. Think about it coz Blu-ray is fun