Proposed hardware

Motherboard:



ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard

Original Price: $134.99

You Save: $10.00

$124.99

Chosen for combination of features, price, and large number of positive customer reviews. (prefer customer reviews to those done by publishers. These guys aren't trying to sell advertising).

Here's the Asus page for the mobo.


CPU:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor

Chosen because it's fast and won't be obsolete in a while.

Memory:

Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory

2@ $22.99 each

This specific memory, along with others, was mentioned in the motherboard owner's manual. I suppose any DDR2 memory would work, but if it's recommended by the manufacturer, it's probably optimized for the hardware.

For now I only have 2GB of memory in my shopping cart. Most 32 bit operating systems don't utilize more than 3GB, so I chose not to buy 4GB. I'm still not completely decided about it, as I plan to run multiple OS's, and may be able to make use of more memory than one OS at a time can use.

Hard Drive:

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

$159.99

This is way more space than on my current PC. It's way more than I currently need. But the new PC will be used as a DVR, so it will consume up to 2GB of space per hour, so I really need the space.

1TB drives are now available, but a little too costly for me right now. My new system will be able to support six hard drives, so future upgrades are almost certain.

Video Card:

ASUS EN7600GS SILENT/HTD/512M GeForce 7600GS 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card

$89.99

My motherboard doesn't have onboard graphics, which is good, because they'd go to waste, since I would want to upgrade from the start. This looks like a great card. It's fanless, has 512MB memory, and is made by the same company that makes the motherboard, so compatibility should not be an issue (I still need to consult with NewEgg about this).

I'm hoping for serious graphic quality on this system.

Case:

APEVIA X-CRUISER-YL Yellow Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

$69.00

I'll miss out on the mail-in rebate on this, since I'm not ready to buy just yet.

This case was chosen for its great looks, price, and customer reviews.

Customers made many comments about the color, which looks different in various images online. In this image it looks like a mustard color. In others, it looks like neon yellow. Judging by their comments, I'd say this picture is more accurate, which is more to my liking. I'm taking a chance on the color, but the quality does not seem to be an issue with customers who posted reviews.

I could save a little money by buying a plain vanilla box, but this is a custom system, and I want it to look that way!

Power supply:

APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 ATX 500W Power Supply 115/ 230 V UL, CSA, TUV, CE

$34.99

Nothing sexy about a power supply. I'll make sure the 500W is adequate before buying.

It's made by the same company that makes the case.

Monitor:

No monitor chosen yet, but I want a 22" LCD flat screen, which will be wall mounted.

Keyboard/mouse:

I don't get excited about keyboards or mice. I'll probably go cordless on both to eliminate clutter. Cord clutter has been a major annoyance on my old system, and I have run out of tolerance for it. For this reason, I'm also hoping to find a discreet surge protector.