Building a new computer

I am building a new computer because frankly this once just stinks. I have set my budget to 700$ total, and 250$ on a cpu. I was pretty well set on getting an amd with a nforce 2 chipset nf7. After readings tomshardware on benchmarks of cpus Im not so sure though. I dont have the money for amds new top of the line 64s, and the xp 3000+ seems to stink compared to intels p4 2800-3200 mhz. Anyway Basically Im asking what cpu do you recomend to get for under 250$ and please explain why???

I prefer Intel over AMD for speed and stability. I have this same CPU and it runs great on my Intel 875PBZ board. Hyperthreading (works well in Office, gaming), 800MHz FSB for generally more data throughput- if your board has a chipset that can handle the throughput, etc. $230 shipped.

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Geez! $250 for an AMD?! That sounds a tad bit expensive... mine was only $85. Here'a a 3000+ for $205, though you probably don't need it (almost no one needs a 3GHz or equivalent CPU, IMHO), so I'd recomment the 2500+ which is ~$90 on NewEgg.

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They dont have verry good internet connections down here so I dont play online games verry much, but I do game. The last game I purchased was call of duty, and I play that with some others like cs with a friend through a lan.

This is what I initially planned on getting.Nforce 2 Nf7 (400fsb), athlon xp 3200, 512 4000 ddr ram, 120gb hd 7200rpm 8mb cache, ati 9600 256mb, and a nice new case with 3 case fans and a cooling system (400 wat ps).

Can you notice a big diffrence from a amd 2500 or 3200 compared to a p4 2.8 - 3.0 ghz?? (while gaming or installing big aps)

Also james and other intel fans on here can you give me some examples of good intel mbs. I just want a fast system that runs smooth.

You don't REALLY need THAT fast of a processor, HL2 when it comes out will run fine on an AMD 2500-2800, which are a lot cheaper compared to the 3000-3200.

So, your 512 DDR 400 RAM is fine, the HDD is fine, the G-card is very good (although some games do seem to have some problems when on ATI's cards, henceforth that's why I always go with Nvidia) the case and fans are fine too.

If you want a good motherboard, then nothing really beats this one:

Giga-bytes wonder Motherboard

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hmm hows this

Giga-bytes wonder Motherboard 116$
400 fsb 512k cache athlon 3000 cpu 190$
512ddr ram 4000 $90
120gb 8mb cache $80
GeForce FX 5600 256MB 105$
Case 400w ps 3 case fans and cooling system: 53$
Microsoft xp pro 100$
Linux Free

I can tell you that the case and PSU is not the best from the price. Get an Antec True Power PSU. 430Watt runs around $60.

As for a good stable Intel board, for your needs the D865PERL board is great. No one will ever win the Intel vs. AMD war. AMD's benefits are that they are cheap and run ok. Intel runs at a higher price, but more overall performance, this is just generally speaking. There's obviously a lot more technical detail behind my reasonings and experience as to why I prefer Intel over AMD.

I'd go with the Radeon 9800 Pro also with more RAM (2x 512 - run Dual Channel - Intel only).

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well I was going to go ati I hear techtv and alot of others recomend it all the time. But also my uncle has a ati 8500 all in wonder and has problems playing some games, that arent new. I also remember looking up help articles for him to see what the problem was and alot of others were complaining of this. It seems alot more games have nvidia video cards under recomended video cards for there games. I would go nuts if I went and bought hl2 came home got ready to play it and my video card had compatibility problems. Also as far as the 9800 goes thats great but Im trying to keep the price of the whole below 700$. I might go 50$ over that if need be. Ill check out that mb and cpu, I have to admit that cpu looks nice especially comming with heatsink and fan. Have to compare prices etc.

http://www.compuhq.com/therw0420wat.html hows this? (for ps)

and this

http://www.cmicomputer.com/cgi-bin/q...0BL&detail=yes (for case) with added 2 case fans.

James, seriously there are debates on either side of the argument and you aren't going to see any noticable difference - miliseconds of time. In some instances (such as the 2400+ vs. P4 2.4GHz) AMD's are faster (at least in my experience). In other instances (like a 3000+ vs. P4 3GHz), the P4 is faster. Like I said above and like S Walch said, you don't really need a 3000+, just get a 2500+ for $90, it'll run at the same speed as a 2.5GHz P4, it's easy to overclock with, and it's cheap. The only downside to an AMD I can think of is that they generate more heat the Intel's, but a good case for HSF is still cheaper than a P4.
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Oh, and for a board I would recommend an Asus with an nForce2 chipset, they run really nicely. And one more thing, buying everything from one retailer often saves money, even if their prices are more expensive for a couple of things, mainly because of shipping and stuff like that (you also get everything at the same time which is nice). I'd recommend NewEgg and ZipZoomFly.

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