Poor little computer - 2 years old and already ancient!

Came with ATI Radeon Xpress200 that has never been supported by any games. I would like to upgrade to something cheap but a bit more effective. From poking around on various forums, it seems this computer comes with a 300w psu.

Any suggestions on what I can get (maybe a few suggestions), if I need to upgrade to a 350-400w psu and will I need addn'l cooling (don't know enough about this...just know I need it with the new (addn'l) computer I'm buying w/i the next couple of weeks). Used for gaming - mostly SIM type stuff...

Asus A8AE-LE, AMD 64 3700+ 2.2 GHz, 200G SATA, 2 PCI and 1 PCI-e and upgraded with 1G RAM (total 2G)

Thx!

This looks a bit like what I'm putting together...trying to knock it below $2000 (w/o monitor (ViewSonic NX2232) or keyboard (can't find wireless I like)) but finding it difficult. Yes, I can hold some back to upgrade later but why? I'm not big on upgrades so, if a Q6600, 8800 GTS OC 512mb and 4G Corsair Dominator (still deciding if I want to check out lesser models) will still be sufficient in a few years, why not just start out where I want to be now?

BTW, on Toms Hardware, I pulled up the chart ranking HDs. The Raptor is pretty much near the bottom but I don't know enough about the HDs at the top end (not common brands when searching for mid-range) to tell you if that's a bad thing or not. However, this week they're doing a comparison --- Monday low end, Tuesday mid range and Wed high end and then a compare and contrast between the three. On the mid range, they had one 150G Raptor and one WD 500G. For the sake of storage space, that might be a better deal than 2 150s.

Side Note: I'm getting the Antec P182SE - same case but in a mirror finish silver - appeals to my girly girl!

Side Note 2: For those saying to spend only $1500 (with or without monitor?), where would you hold back and what do you expect to take its place...compared to what they are looking at now?

Thanks!

Thanks for the input. Silly, but it's worse than buying a car. Anyway, you guys clarified the doubts I was having about buying an HP and about how much machine I'd need. However, since I won't be buying another for years to come, I'm still concerned about whether it will be a clunker in a couple of years. I am interested in the graphics card, processor and memory because I know that, while Sims 2 isn't Halo, with the 10-12 Gigs of downloads I have, the game does require speed and memory. Additionally, SimCity Societies is giving tons of people fits with the graphics card. I'll also use the computer for photography and home video editing. And who knows, maybe one day I'll give Halo a try!

Point taken about the HD. I've been thinking about the 500G and supplementing with an external 500G...hopefully some protection against crashes and acts of God (assuming crashes aren't!).

That said, I'll take your notes and merge them with mine and see if I can't figure something out. And, since that will probably take a couple more weeks, maybe I'll wait it out to check out the new processor. :)

Again, thank you so much,

LT

This is driving me crazy... I get really stressed about big purchases so limit them - last computer purchase (for myself) was 8 years ago!

Per a discussion on another thread, I looked at AVA Direct re building one to spec. I've done some research so I know what the good stuff is; however, just because it's good doesn't mean I need it, ya know! My computer is used for writing, internet and game-playing. My game-playing isn't shoot 'em up stuff but sim stuff - flying, rollercoasters and Sims 2. While not big action games, TS2 does seem to use up a bit of memory - of course I've got TONS of downloads. SimCity Societies also seems to require a fairly decent graphics card. I also don't want to limit myself to NOT being able to play DOOM-like games in the future if I choose to. So, like the proverbial Goldilocks - I don't want too much or too little...just right.

Anyway, I priced one at $1800 w/o monitor - the ATI CrossFire: Q6600, Zalman cooler, Gigabyte Intel X38, 4G CrossFire Ram, Overclocked, 750G Barracuda, 850W Power, Diamond Viper Radeon HD 3850, 64 Vista Home Prem and a basic DVDRW drive.

Question 1 - is this too much? I'm a better served without the overclocking? Just a plain Q6600? Or even an overclocked Duo?

Question 2 - if I do choose this one, do I need the 850W power supply? Can I get away with 750W? (Seems silly but every $50-100 adds up and, since my last printer purchase was also 8 years ago, I've got another $260 there!)

Question 3 - I see alot of recommendations for nVidia...The 8800 series is pretty pricey...any reason to go that direction rather than with the Radeon?

Question 4 - routers...most come with the b/g adapter and I assume I'd then have to purchase the router. My computer is located less than 20' from the RoadRunner router...so, while the range isn't excessive, I do want to take full advantage of RRs speed so do I need to upgrade to an N? Also, can I go with a b/g adapter and an N router?

I can run down to my local Office Depot and pick up an HP Elite Q6600, 640G, 4G ddr2, TV Tuner, Vista Home Prem 64 bit but it only comes with the 8500GT. While it may be a decent video card, it compares poorly to just about anything else (Tom's Hardware). Anyway, that runs $1100 w/o monitor. I've heard HPs are hard to upgrade but I assume a new video card could be installed? I was thinking an 8800 GTS for around $250.

But, again, since I tend to keep things longer than many, would I be better served with the more expensive, faster unit or the HP?

Additionally, I would be willing to talk to someone locally about building one (still same problem of how much machine is too much :-} ) if someone in the Kansas City/Shawnee Mission, KS area has any recommendations.

Additionally, I'm looking at the Viewsonic 22" LCD HDTV/PC Monitor. Anyone have any experience with this? (Computer in BR so would like to eliminate clunky 20" analog TV) Also, should I add a TV tuner (to OC model)? I have a DVR cable box and DVDRW player so I'm not sure if it's necessary. And, should I choose to add one, do you think I could get away with a single instead of the DUAL?

So many questions...sorry about that but I'm just a girl who seeks other people's approval! Thank you to anyone who is able and willing to help me out.

LT

I just ran across this thread...I, too, have been looking at Dell and the same build you were doing. What did you decide to do and what was your experience with that?

P.S. Not completely computer illiterate but would not be comfortable with building my own. And, while I can recite what I've learned from the internet on several components, I'm not comfortable enough with it to know why the 6600 is a better bargain than the 6700. I did a comparison at Tom's Hardware and the QX6700 score was 3823 (they didn't have a Q6700) and the Q6600 was 3507 - but how the heck does that translate into dollars?!?

I also want to thank the person that mentioned that it isn't that easy building a computer, especially if you're in the generation that didn't grow up with one. Everything I know is self-taught and trial and error and is colored by the message that hitting the wrong key would completely wipe out the system (from a job I had 20 years ago!).