another "what should i get" thread

k, my mates computer got fucked a while back (read 2 years) and his family hasnt got around to getting a new one, but now hes finished all his exams n shit and they are getting 2, one for his mum and work and one for him and his brother. he knows stuff al about computers so im gonna build them for him.

this is what im thinking

his computer: (he still has the monitor, mouse, keyboard from his old one)

Antec Antec LANBOY Aluminium Mini Tower + Acrylic Window sidepanel with 350w Smartblue PSU *PROMO* "75.00

Asus DVD-E616 16x48 DVDROM RETAIL BOX $65.00

ASUS CRW-5224A (ASUS 52X/24X/52X CD-ReWriter) *PROMO* $55.00

AMD XP 2500+ RETAIL BOX (BARTON CORE) 333MHZ FSB *PROMO* "47.00

Samsung 1.44 Floppy Disk Drive - Beige "9.00

Western Digital Caviar WD800JB (80gb, 7200rpm, ATA100, 8MB) "25.00

2x 512mb DDR RAM PC-2700 KINGSTON 333mhz CAS-2.5 "55.00

Abit NF7 nForce 2 Chipset, FSB333, Dual DDR400, AGP 8X, USB2.0, Softmenu, No Serial ATA, Audio, LAN "55.00

Logitech X-220 2.1 Speakers - 32w RMS $95.00

RADEON9600PRO Power Color Radeon 9600 Pro 128mb Bravo Edition $330.00

and heres his mums:

Aopen KF45-P4 Midi Tower case (250w) with Pentium 4 ready Power supply $69.00

Liteon 52X CDROM $29.00

AMD XP 2000+ RETAIL BOX (THOROUGHBRED) "15.00

Samsung 1.44 Floppy Disk Drive - Beige "9.00

Western Digital Caviar WD400BB (40gb, 7200rpm, ATA100, 2MB) $95.00

Logitech Access Keyboard $45.00

Microsoft Basic Optical PS2/USB $25.00

512mb DDR RAM PC-2100 KINGSTON 266mhz CAS-2.5 "40.00

Aopen MK79G-N Nforce2 GF4 MX Video, 8X AGP, LAN, 5.1 audio, Micro ATX "85.00

Milford Sound Desktop Stereo Speaker FS-210 (240W) "0.00

Mitsubishi 17" Diamond View DV1770H "75.00

this second computer will pretty much just be for wordprocessing and internet. main thing in not sure about is the mobo, i need sumthing just with onboard everything.

The 9600 Pro is overpriced, this site has a 9600 XT for $222 :!: (page two)
http://www.acetechcomputers.com.au/

The NF7 should be cheaper than that.

The NF7-S with SATA is "59 from acetech.

thats interesting, all thats from scorptec and they generally have decent prices

9600 Pro's are quiet often overpriced. Shop around and you'll be surprised what you can find.....and you don't even have to leave your chair 8)

dude did they give you a budget? cos if the budget isn't a lot I suggest you make the second computer a celeron so you can beef up your friends for better gaming :P

no budget, but atlon XP2000+ and celeron 2gz arnt uch difference in price (well at scorptec) and what else can u do with the first computer for gaming? obviously a 9800 pro, and sum decent headphones/headset maybe.

ill try to get a budget out of him though, should be half decent though cause his family has got a decent amount of money.

but what ive got there is pretty much guarentied what theyll be able to afford

EDIT: i spose could also chuck sum 3200 ram in there instead of 2700 aswell

I've got some advice for you; find a local store that you're confident in and refer them to that store. Building pcs for friends/family just isn't worth the followup hassle.

yeah, but main thing is i dont want him getting a shitty computer for him and his brother, i dont give a shit wheter i build it or not though. but i just hope his dad doesnt go out to harvy norman and buy a couple of computers from there

thats where the local store you're confident in comes into play. just remember that with building them, comes the obligation of always being there to fix them.

Quote from paladin:
thats where the local store you're confident in comes into play. just remember that with building them, comes the obligation of always being there to fix them.

Heh tell me about it :roll: :D
Damn parents!! :evil:

Western Digital Caviar WD800JB (80gb, 7200rpm, ATA100, 8MB) "25.00

Western Digital Caviar WD400BB (40gb, 7200rpm, ATA100, 2MB) $95.00

..... what the hell, who'd buy the 40gb

Just ordered some stuff from Acetech. took a bit longer than expected but the guy that runs the place, Michael Boucher, is really great about things and rings me to confirm everything including freight etc.

Also, Scorptec offer building of systems for $50 or $75 include OS installation.

In dealing with both companies, both are quite good, it's all up to you.

Btw, seeing as you are in Perth it shouldn't be too hard to come across a local computer business that can build the computer - even if the parts aren't purchased from their store - for a reasonable price with a guarantee on the service if there is a problem down the line.

Go to this site, it is like pricewatch for Australian PC hardware.

http://www.razorprices.com/

Managed to get some good prices thru this site. Remember if u have to pay postage, some things will be cheaper to buy all from one supplier even if they are a few bucks more expensive.

http://www.ausprices.com is better..

i have a local computer store i usually go to for most of my hardware needs. and i generally present them with any price i can get online for a piece of hardware and they match it (well if they got it which they generally do)

so i might just give em a list of what i recomend they get then send em over that way, ill prolly just go with them.