During my last session on my desktop computer, (It started life as a 2003-era compaq, but ended up as a collection of parts scavenged from other machines inside the original compaq case, with very little of the original hardware left) it seemed to be unusually sluggish when I stopped playing after a lengthy gaming binge. I had to go on an errand this afternoon, so I shut down windows, but the computer froze on the "Windows is shutting down" screen, so I just killed the power.
Just a few minutes ago, I tried to turn it on again, but the computer won't boot past the memory test stage, and will stay there indefinitely if I let it. I suspect that something happened to the CPU or the Mobo, since this has happened before on another of my machines (same basic model, but without any modifications) and I was able to salvage some of the hardware (HD, RAM, Optical drives) and successfully use it in other machines.
I've been wanting to build a new computer for some time now, so I was wondering about the best parts I could get without it being too expensive (I've enlarged my budget to about $800, with $900 the absolute MAX)
I'm hoping to salvage the hard drives and optical drives, so here's what I need:
1. Motherboard ---- hopefully one that can support legacy hardware like IDE hard drives, which is all I have on hand at the moment) I may upgrade to newer stuff later if my budget allows for it, but for the time being I would like to be able to use my current drives. Also, All of my optical drives are E-IDE as well.
2. Graphics Card --- Obviously, my old Radeon 9200 isn't going to cut it anymore, so I was wondering what the best card for the price would be, and whether I should stick with ATI or go with Nvidia. FYI, bad Linux support is a deal breaker for me.
3. RAM ----- What brand is best and most reliable? I've had lots of DOA RAM in the past, and I would like to avoid that this time.
4. PSU --- I was thinking 450 watt. Do you think that would cut it? (My old PSU is a 300, IIRC)
5. CPU --- Dual core would be nice, which brand/model have people had the best results with?
6. Case: Nothing fancy, just cheap and with lots of drive bays and decent cooling.
7. sound card --- Necessary, or is onboard good enough for most applications?
Just a few minutes ago, I tried to turn it on again, but the computer won't boot past the memory test stage, and will stay there indefinitely if I let it. I suspect that something happened to the CPU or the Mobo, since this has happened before on another of my machines (same basic model, but without any modifications) and I was able to salvage some of the hardware (HD, RAM, Optical drives) and successfully use it in other machines.
I've been wanting to build a new computer for some time now, so I was wondering about the best parts I could get without it being too expensive (I've enlarged my budget to about $800, with $900 the absolute MAX)
I'm hoping to salvage the hard drives and optical drives, so here's what I need:
1. Motherboard ---- hopefully one that can support legacy hardware like IDE hard drives, which is all I have on hand at the moment) I may upgrade to newer stuff later if my budget allows for it, but for the time being I would like to be able to use my current drives. Also, All of my optical drives are E-IDE as well.
2. Graphics Card --- Obviously, my old Radeon 9200 isn't going to cut it anymore, so I was wondering what the best card for the price would be, and whether I should stick with ATI or go with Nvidia. FYI, bad Linux support is a deal breaker for me.
3. RAM ----- What brand is best and most reliable? I've had lots of DOA RAM in the past, and I would like to avoid that this time.
4. PSU --- I was thinking 450 watt. Do you think that would cut it? (My old PSU is a 300, IIRC)
5. CPU --- Dual core would be nice, which brand/model have people had the best results with?
6. Case: Nothing fancy, just cheap and with lots of drive bays and decent cooling.
7. sound card --- Necessary, or is onboard good enough for most applications?
Originally Posted by FastGamerr