Originally posted by JGarrett98:
here's what i've found so far, someone tell me if these prices are rip-offs....
the 1.4Ghz P4/motherboard/ram mentioned before for $346
This price for the P4, mb, and RAM is decent.
12x10x32 CDRW - $80
Make sure that your CDR/W has "Burn-Proof" technology onboard. If it does, this is a solid price. If not, don't bother. "Burn-Proof" reduces coasters.
Toshiba 16x DVD drive- $57
Good price.
1.44mb floppy - $15
These can be found for less, but only by $5 at most. Not worth the hassle of finding a lower price unless you have a ton of computer stores nearby.
Jaton 3DForce2 MX-400-64mb NVidia Geforce2 $80
If the Jaton is a GeForce2MX the price is average. If it is not an MX then the price is solid. The MX is basically their cheapo version...not bad by any means, but not as good as a non-MX. Realistic performance difference is 5-15% depending on the app.
Soundblaster live mp3 +5.1 PCI w/ Mic $64
You may want to look into Creative Labs' new card - Audigy. It smokes all consumer grade cards on the market and is made by the same company that makes the Live!. If you're not an audiophile, stick with the Live! as it was the best card available until the Audigy was release a couple of weeks ago.
IMB 40GB Deskstar 7200rpm 60gxp ultra ATA/100 $109 (or $149 for 60 gig)
These again are good prices. Make sure that you stick with a 7200RPM dive. IBM makes solid gear.
Zeus Compenents 17" (16" viewable) .25mm dot pitch $131
The price is right, but you will want to make sure that the quality is there. The monitor is the most important component of your interface to the computer and if it isn't as crisp as you'd like or is blurry, you may end up hating the whole computer or going blind.
any recommendations for modems? I just need a cheap 56k to last most of a year
If you can find a modem made by 3com or USRobotics (same company) for a decent price go for it. Performance isn't an issue when comparing modems as they are all slow to begin with. What you want is stability and customer support. Ask the guy you're buying the parts from what he recommends for a cheap modem.
Also, wheres a good place to get a tower/powersupply combo? and how would i make sure its the right voltage/wattage for the motherboard?
Go
here for your case and power questions.