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  1. Currently I have an imac 700mhz flatscreen computer, but I am looking around to get a pc computer because I'm getting so frustrated with the lack of software for DVD and CD burning available for macintosh computers. My goal is to be able to burn (direct) backups of my own audio cds and movie DVDS. I'm not sure what I need on this computer other than a cd-rw and dvd-r drive. I'm also not sure about what software I will need in order to enable my computer to burn backups. I'm somewhat familiar with pc computers, but I'm no expert. What would you recommend in the amount of ram and hard drive space or other specifications etc which would suit my needs best for what I am using the computer for. Also, does it matter what brand or what kind of dvd-r or cdrw drive that is in the computer? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please email me at: electronic_guru@consultant.com


    Thanks!
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  2. You should post how much you would like to spend. Computers can range from $300 to $3000.
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  3. If you plan on making copies of your ripped dvds get a dvd-rom drive. If you don't, you will have to take the extra step of copying an image of your ripped dvd to your hard drive to burn it.
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  4. Hi everyone, thanks for the replies! Okay, I'd like to spend under $1000, and obviously as little as possible Since I already have a computer for my other needs, I will only be using this one pretty much to burn backup copies of my DVDS and games etc. I've thought about getting a cheap used Pentium 3 and just upgrading the drive to be a DVD-RW, but I'm not sure if an older computer will have enough memory and hard drive space etc to be able to handle DVD burning. What do you think is the minimum amount of memory and hard drive space needed to burn DVDS? Also, I recently got a Dell catalog and they are having a deal for $599 (with mail in $100 rebate) for a Pentium 4 1.8GHZ computer with a monitor and everything else included. They are having a promotion right now which will allow a DVD-R/RW CD-R/RW combination drive upgrade for only $150. I think this sounds like a great deal, but I don't know if I will need to upgrade the memory or hard drive or anything else. Here are the specifications:

    -Intel Pentium 4 Processor at 1.80 GH with 512K L2 Cache
    -128 MB Shared DDR SDRAM at 266MHz (what does this mean?)
    -30GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
    -17" (16.0" v.i.s., 27dp) E772 Monitor
    -Integrated Intel 3D Extreme Graphics
    -16x DVD-Rom Drive (but I can add that DVD-R/RW combo drive for $150)
    -Integrated Audio
    -Harman Kardon HK-206 Speakers
    -56K PCI Data Fax Modem
    -Dell QuietKey Keyboard; Dell 2-Button Scroll Mouse
    -Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition: Word Perfect Productivity Pack With Quicken New User Edition
    -6 months AOL, MSN or Earthlink membership included
    -1-year At-Home Service
    -1-year Limited Warranty
    -Integrated 10/100 Ethernet

    There is also a promotion going on now for a 4year warranty for an extra $139. Do you think it is worth it to get this warranty? Well, any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


    LaddyDaddy:
    I'm really newb when it comes to DVD backing up and all that. I have lots of experience with cd burning, but none with DVD burning. Anyway, I'm not sure what you mean when you say my ripped DVD. I would like to be able to copy from one drive to the next without having to copy the image onto my hard drive first. Does this mean I will need to have one drive be a DVD Rom and the other be a DVD-R/RW drive?



    Thanks!
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  5. hotsxychiq,
    That Dell system is a steal,but you will need more memory(upgrade to 512MB) and definately get the DVD-R/RW writer.Here's an explanation of ripping:https://www.videohelp.com/dvdripping
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  6. Thanks MovieGeek,
    I've been reading the link you gave me, and I am going to bookmark it! You mentioned that I should upgrade to 512MB of ram. Why is this? If I have only 128MB of memory will it effect the outcome of the DVDS and CDS I backup? I recently upgraded my memory on my macintosh computer, but I did not notice a huge difference in performance. What do you think would be the minimum amount of ram that would sufficiently burn DVD and CD backups without any errors? Thanks for the link and the info!
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  7. I have 384MB of RAM and I use WinME and it uses 126MB of RAM just to boot-up,so the more RAM you have the more tasks you can run at one time.RAM prices are relatively cheap today and modern programs are requiring more RAM so I would have at least 512MB,the cost would only be
    like $100 more.
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  8. Member
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    If you know enough about computers, it would be cheaper to build one yourself.
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  9. Normally I would say build it !

    It is usually cheaper to build but in this case it seems like a great deal to buy the DELL. The only advantage you would have if you built it is you can pick and choose QUALITY components. Like a good video card...etc.

    If you have an option for an amd processor you should take it. AMD is better quality and faster,the best thing is they are cheaper.

    Good luck
    VCD4ME
    We were all NEWBIES once and the only stupid question is the one that's not asked?
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  10. Hi everyone, thanks for the replies! As for building a computer, I would love to, but I'm not completely confident in myself that I wouldn't screw it up. What level of knowledge and/or skills should someone have in order to build a computer? Also, what upgrades do you think are absolutely necessary to have? I'd like to get by on the bare minimum, but still be able to burn cds and dvds ya know? Anyway, email me or post a reply if you have any more info. Thanks again!

    email address:
    electronic_guru@consultant.com
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  11. Ok hotsxychiq,

    As for buildiing a computer I need to tell you my experience.

    I have owned 3 computers each getting outdated pretty fast so in Oct 2001 my brother got a catalog from www.tigerdirect.com
    and I browsed through it. When I looked through the catalog I found a barebones kit that I couldn't pass up.

    The price was great and it came with a 67 page manually on how to build it. Finally a chance for me to learn how to keep myself up to date with the technology. I also went to the library and found a book so I could read it before the computer kit would arrive. The book was just as good as the 67 page guide I think the authors last name was Rosenthal.

    The best thing about me building the kit was I had options that weren't pre determined by some computer manufacturer . I ended up building the computer using the kit and products from compusa great place to buy things because they always have rebates. When I was done I had a dvd-rom and a cd-rw and a ati all-in-wonder video card. It was cheaper than buying a cheap computer with only a cd-rw drive.

    I am happy with my decision to build my computer. I now understand a little more on how the components work.

    BTW - I don't know if you realize that the dell computer you are thinking about buying has the upgrade of a dvd+rw not dvd-rw. There is a price diffrence in the discs.

    If I can help any more let me know seeing as your a ...
    HOT SEXY CHICK
    We were all NEWBIES once and the only stupid question is the one that's not asked?
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  12. Banned
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    hotsxychiq,
    vcd4me is right in a way.
    You can build, for yourself, a better, read I put in what I want, computer, for less than a "Built just for you" computer.
    The thing is, if you should go with Tigerdirect, or any other barebones builder, you will most likely wind up with an underpowered case (low wattage power supply) and, most likely, a very poorly layed out case, by which I mean you may have to pull the power supply to change or upgrade RAM, or CPU or something else.
    I'd advise that you go to tomshardware.com, or someplace similar, to study motherboards and other components, and then to decide what you would like to build your new super computer with.
    You can probably build one hell of a system for less than a grand. I build all of mine for 400 or less, but I generally use a board with integrated graphics and sound, and then add my voodoo with video out, and my capture card.
    You have no problem, today, with setting up a new system. You used to have to make sure that all the jumpers were set correctly. Now, boards are basicallaly jumperless. You plug everything together, go to the bios and let it decide what you have. You do have to fdisk and format, and you do have to have a copy of the OS to install, which are included in the price of a new, built for you machine.
    You can go to Pricewatch, or some such to find the components you decide on, or you can go to a local computer show and buy what you want, at a range of prices, usually lower on Sunday than Saturday, if you have shows in your area. Ours is this weekend, and although I REALLY don't need another, I'll probably waste some money.
    I do buy AMD processors, partly because I like AMD and partly because AMD is, gig for gig cheaper, and partly because AMD does run more quickly gig for gig.
    On processors, ALWAYS pay the extra and buy a BOXED processor. The OEM, in a little plastic capsule has a 15 to 90 day dealer warranty, for maybe 10 bucks less. The BOXED AMD, and I would bet, Pentium, comes with a registered fan/heatsink unit. Should it burn up, and you call for warranty, AMD will ask for the FAN serial. If it's right, then they will ask for the processor serial. If they match their data base, you would most likely get a new CPU and fan combination.
    Don't let anyone BS you.. Girls can handle this. I have a 36 year old who is hell on software, and a 31year old who builds her own and for any of her aquaintances who want one. They have a prob, she's the one they go to. If she has a prob, she just calls old Dad. Together we fix em.
    You can do it , Kiddo. Just give it a try. You have a specific problem, my mail's here somewhere. If I can help, gimme a holler.
    We have a show here this weekend. I need another computer like I need another hole in my head, but I have a feeling I'll have 7 hooked up tomorrow instead of just 6. The prices are just too low to not build another, and with 3 grands, I'm gonna have to get rid of some of these to replace the lower p[wered units they're running now.
    Good luck
    George
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    hotsxychiq and vcd4me,
    I just reread the vcd4me post. A 67 PAGE MANUAL? Good God! What could you possibly put in a manual that took 67 pages today? There isn't that much data to share on today's mobo-cpu-ram and whatever else interface. Almost everything is autodetect.
    There are tricks which you probably won't run afoul of that , if they should hit , I cangive a tip on. Elsewise, just put the damn thing together and do some tweaking.
    You DO know that you can't break a computer without a hammer, don't you?
    They can always be re-installed and be as new.
    George
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  14. LOL
    gmatov

    I should have stated that the manual that came with my kit had a lot of pictures and was written so you couldn't screw it up. Any moron like me could build it!

    Here is an examplethis is exactly how it was written)

    Step 1 unpack the components from shipping box
    Step 2 unscrew case shell with a picture of the 4 screws in the back of the case
    Step 3 slide case shell back.(with a picture)

    gmatov wrote
    The thing is, if you should go with Tigerdirect, or any other barebones builder, you will most likely wind up with an underpowered case
    300 watts isn't enough

    gmatov also wrote
    You DO know that you can't break a computer without a hammer, don't you?
    This is true but I have heard of people ruining their processor from electrical shock.

    Rule #1.....NEVER BUILD A COMPUTER ON A RUG/CARPET

    Tell us what you decide hotsxychiq

    Talk to you later
    VCD4ME
    We were all NEWBIES once and the only stupid question is the one that's not asked?
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  15. Thanks everyone for all the help! You guys are awsome. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do yet, but I think I will probably end up trying to build my own. I have another few questions though. Dell offers quite a good warranty, I think up to four years. If I build my own computer, how long is it likely to last? Do you think it would last as long as a Dell computer? Also, would you recommend going to a computer show, or buying parts online somewhere? How long does building a computer usually take? Since I'm so new with building computers, I was thinking perhaps someone out there who knows a lot about building computers could help me out by walking me through the steps on the phone maybe? I don't have a lot of money, but I will pay you something, and I will always make the calls so you wouldn't have to pay long distance charges or anything like that. Basically I would just want to be able to consult with someone about which parts to get and where, and also putting them together. If anyone is interested, please email me or post a reply. My email address is:

    electronic_guru@consultant.com


    THANKS!
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  16. Banned
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    vcd4me and hotsxychiq,
    First: vcd4me,
    You're right about the Tigerdirect manual. A guy bought one and showed me the manual. It IS about as basic as you can get in a book. That said, I have been to their site and some of the prices were reasonable, others were. to me, out of line, and the same could be found for less elsewhere.
    As far as electrostatic discharge goes, I have never fried an electronic component by handling. I do not wear a wrist strap, nor do I have an antistatic mat. I DO, however, always keep the power cord plugged in, and with ATX PS, the switch OFF, and touch the case somewhere to discharge any static before I pick up most components, RAM, CPU, Vid Card, etc. Don't forget the switch has to be flipped back to ON before booting, and I'm not being facetious, the Antec manual says it has to so as to properly initialize. If you forget to do so, you are going to be unplugging most everything to go through a procedure, outlined in the manual to, to do so. I learned this from getting a "dead" power supply in a "barebones" at a show. I called, they said send it back, I did, they sent me another, I installed, DEAD, I called, the guy said "Do this.", I did, and, sonamagun, the one I sent back was probably good. The same happened with an Antec 450 watt. I shorted the reset pins, and it came to life.
    hotsxychiq,
    I was at the 'puter show today, and barebones units were selling for as little as 159 bucks, box, board with everything integrated, video, sound, ethernet, modem, USB 2.0, floppy, etc, some with RAM, some not, you add hard drive and Windows. One in particular I saw had an AMD 1300+ processor, another, for 199 was a 1700+ XP, with 128 meg RAM.
    I bought 2 of these a couple shows ago to build for a couple people. I requested that they replace the CPUs, which were OEM, with a short warranty of their own, with boxed AMDs, with AMD registered coolers. I wound up paying, I think, 20 bucks more for one with 1800 instead, and, I think, 25 bucks more for the other, with a 1900 CPU, as they didn't have any boxed 1700s. One drawback to this buy was that the boxes left much to be desired, very small, almost no expansion bays left over, and flimsy plastic side panels, with even flimsier catches to lock them in place with. I like a big box with at least 3 hard drive bays, and 3 CD, or 5 1/4 inch bays, minimum 300 watt power supply, front USB and audio would be nice.
    If you wish to let me know what, specifically, you would like to build, I might look for something from a west coast vendor that would suit you. Most of the vendors at our shows are from Ohio, PA, and NY, although they seem to ship promptly, much more so than I hear Dell, Compaq, and Gateway do. Aquaintances have told me they ordered one from one or the other, and gotten tentative shipping dates of as much as 6 weeks or more. In that time, a CPU might have dropped 50 bucks, or RAM, or even the hard drive might be bought for the same price with another 20 gigs.
    120 gig hard drives are 99 bucks this week at Best Buy, after 40 buck rebate, so the 60 or so they "give" you in a made to order is not a bargain.
    George
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  17. Hi gmatov,
    Thanks so much for all this information. It is really helpful. I went to a computer show in my area and they had preconfigured systems, but it didn't seem like they were all that cheap or that good of a deal. Anyway, I will probably want to go with a Pentium 4 processor, but I don't know for sure yet. I've owned an AMD processor before, and it was pretty much dysfunctional after a year or two and made loud noises. I bought it from an online company called neocomputers and they would not back up the comp. Anyway, what is the price difference between and AMD and Pentium processor? As far as the specifications go, I would like the computer to have probably around a 60 gig hard drive, 256 or 512 ram, at least 1.4ghz processor and probably a 17 inch monitor. It all depends on the pricing of things though. If i can get 256 mb more of memory, and not pay that much more i would probably tend to go with 512 but if it is going to cost me a lot of money to get 512 I would probably go with 256. Anyway, let me know if you need any other specs. How much do you think a comp with those specs and a dvd-rw and cd-rw drive would cost? Thanks again for everything and I hope to hear from ya soon.


    Thanks,
    Analeah
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    hotsxychiq,
    I could point you to a few sites, in particular www.maximumpc.com, a magazine that advertises max pc, minimum BS, that says the Athlon will, in most cases, outperform an equivalently clocked Pentium 4.
    Your most likely highest expense would be the DVD burner, however, you don't have to buy a CD burner, so 50 bucks off the total. I have little experience with DVD burners, but have a friend who has a Sony DRU 500, who loves it. They're 300 +. Plus a DVD ( which reads all formats of CD for disk to disk copy, at 40 bucks.
    I bought 256 Meg of pc 2100 DDR today at 33 bucks, because the other vendors had sold out of 512s at 55 bucks. As I said, a 120 Gig HD is available this week at Best Buy for 100 after rebate, so if you want to go and get one, prior to getting the rest of th components, I'll do some online checking, and see just where you "should" go to buy the rest. You choose where.
    Now, you must realize that MBoards come in all flavors, from 50 bucks or so to in the hundreds. tomshardware.com will tell you to buy this or that, but they're into absolutely flat out the best, most stable performance. I personally don't think it requires a 300 buck board to have superior performance.
    As to CPUs, pricewatch.com starts the AMD Athlon 2000, running at 1667, and benchmarking at about 2200 PR (Supposed Pentium Rating ) for 70 bucks.
    They list the 1.7 Pentium at 121 bucks, so there's 50 bucks difference, which you can put toward a couple notches up AMD.
    Under MB CPU combinations is a Gigabyte board with 2000 cpu for 112 bucks, video and audio built onto the board, which, of course, you can replace at your leisure, or use what you already have, except I think you said you have a Mac now, which is a no-no, generally speaking.
    You do get the idea, now, right? Work out you upper limit, and I'll hunt up the more or less best buys for the closest thing, and send you the wheres to go for what I've found.
    We maybe should e-mail directly to not clog this board up with non conforming stuff, even tho' this is the off topic board
    Also, the CPU could not have caused the clunking or whatever noises you had with that last AMD processor. It had to have been CD or Hard disk Drive, or floppy, as, other than the fans, nothing else moves to make noise.
    Which part of CA are you in? North, Central , or South? I ask so that if I find outlets in CA which are reasonable, it would be better if they are within driving distance. I know, I know, when my daughter was out there for an internship with MCA? records, she called to give me hell because she was going south one weekend for some fun, and after 2 hours had only gotten 10 miles down the road, so, within driving distance means a different thing to you and me. Here, an hour's drive might mean within 50 miles.
    Innyhoo, I'll spend some time on line tomorrow looking. If I can find enough to get you started, I'll mail it.
    Good Luck, and good night.
    George
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  19. Hi gmatov,
    If it is only like a twenty dollar difference between 256 and 512, then I would much rather take the 512. Will the memory be upgradable if I decided to add more ram later on? Since AMDS are so much cheaper and it sounds like they are a good processor too, I will probably just go with that. How much do monitors usually cost? I don't need a really fancy one, probably a 15 or 17inch one would work for me. My friends bf has a computer he says he will sell to me for $150. It is a desktop compaq presario. Would it be worth it to buy it and just use the monitor, mouse and keyboard? Could I scrap anything off of it for the new computer? I'm not sure exactly how old it is. He says it is only a couple years old, but the hard drive is only six or seven gigs, so that makes me think it might be older, but I don't know for sure. I have no idea what the processor speed is, nor how to check. I believe he told me it had a pentium III, but he did not know how many mhz. The computer has a floppy disc drive and cdrom drive. Anyway, let me know if you think it is worth it to buy it and use it for the new computer or cheaper to just buy all new parts. As for the dvd-r/rw drive, I'm not sure which to get. What is different about the sony one rather than a cheaper brand? As long as I can effectively burn backups of my dvds and ps2 games, I don't really care what brand it is. Does that sony drive have cd burning as well as dvd burning capabilities? If I bought that sony burner, what would my second drive have to be in order to burn cds and dvds? Someone quoted me a price of $259 for a Cendyne DVD-R/RW Drive: 4x DVD-R/2x DVD-RW, 16x8x32x, Internal IDE. Do you think this drive would be sufficient? Anyway, thanks again so much for all of this information, you have been so incredibly helpful. We should probably just email eachother instead of posting on the forum because people probably don't want to read our long drawn out messages My email address is:

    electronic_guru@consultant.com

    Email me or post your email address on here and I will email you.

    Thanks,
    Analeah

    P.S. This is what someone emailed me. Let me know what you think. I emailed him back and told him that was more than I needed and asked how we could keep the costs down, anyway he said he would build me a computer with these specifications and this price:

    ok heres what i got so far . you didn't give me a price range but i'll keep it as cheap as possible and also so that it wont be obsolete in two months. lol.*The dvd-r is also a cd-r/rw . This includes 2 hard drives. on is 20gb and the other is 80gb . There is an assemby fee of $55.00 .*I made it to meet all your needs*you specified. i assume that you already have a monitor.

    *

    Complete sys - Intel Pentium 4 2.2GHz

    1GB sdram,20GB HD,52xCDROM,FD, Integrated Video,Snd,56K MD & 10/100 Ethernet,Mid ATX Towr Case 300W.

    $400

    52x24x52x CD-RW INTERNAL, 52x WRITE, 24X RE-WRITE, 52X READ

    $47.90

    80.0GB HD*5400RPM, 9.0ms seek time, 2MB cache buffer, 100MB/Sec transfer rate, UATA/100 80GB

    $82.00

    Nvidia GeForce4 MX 440 128MB SDR w/TV

    $59.00

    Cendyne DVD-R/RW Drive: 4x DVD-R/2x DVD-RW, 16x8x32x CDRW, Internal IDE

    $259.00+s/h


    The total should be around $870- $930.00 it can be made for less but that would mean* lower cpu installed.

    contact me if you need any adjustments
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  20. Oh yeah, and I live about an hour north of San Francisco
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  21. Originally Posted by hotsxychiq
    Oh yeah, and I live about an hour north of San Francisco
    Santa Rosa has a CompUSA,they have everything you need.
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  22. Cool, thanks! CompUSA sells everything needed to build a computer? Or do they just have certain components?



    Thanks,
    Analeah
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  23. Banned
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    The only thing affordable at CompUSA is a rebate or sale item. In general, their prices are way too high, as are the prices at most real stores. The internet probably is the only thing keeping them from being even higher. Competition certainly isn't. A few years ago, they bought Computer City, which was profitable. CompUSA was not, and I don't know if it is now.
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  24. Member
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    Originally Posted by hotsxychiq
    *

    Complete sys - Intel Pentium 4 2.2GHz

    1GB sdram,20GB HD,52xCDROM,FD, Integrated Video,Snd,56K MD & 10/100 Ethernet,Mid ATX Towr Case 300W.

    $400

    52x24x52x CD-RW INTERNAL, 52x WRITE, 24X RE-WRITE, 52X READ

    $47.90

    80.0GB HD*5400RPM, 9.0ms seek time, 2MB cache buffer, 100MB/Sec transfer rate, UATA/100 80GB

    $82.00

    Nvidia GeForce4 MX 440 128MB SDR w/TV

    $59.00

    Cendyne DVD-R/RW Drive: 4x DVD-R/2x DVD-RW, 16x8x32x CDRW, Internal IDE

    $259.00+s/h


    The total should be around $870- $930.00 it can be made for less but that would mean* lower cpu installed.


    This is not bad, however, you can do better finding components on Pricewatch.com. The CPU is fine, but I guarentee you'll run into upgrade issues with the motherboard. More than likely you will be limiting your future CPU capacity with this board. The power supply is only 300W, my video card requires a minimum of 300W just to work, so you may want to increase this. 1 gb ram is a handfull, but it's sdram, probably PC133. DDR is the prefered ram these days, faster and almost as cheap, most motherboards support both so you may want to check there. No probs with the CD/RW, they all are generally the same anymore. The video card is a low end NVidea card, will definately work for pretty much all users, and unless you're going to do some serious gaming should be fine. Other members of this site are in a better position to recommend the DVD R/W drive, I have the Sony and love it, but it runs kinda high!
    Overall not a bad system, but I guarentee that you can do better buying the components on-line, using pricewatch to find the deals. I run my own custom system company, and tiger direct is not a prefered vendor due to their markup. Comp USA is a great store, but typically runs $20-$50 over online prices.
    Build it yourself, it's very easy (don't tell my customers that!! ) and you will feel good everytime it boots....

    [/quote][/url]
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  25. Hi Ducatti20,
    Thanks for the reply! Is pricewatch pretty much the best place to go if you are going to build your own computer? Also, what company is it that you run? Do you have a website? Thanks for the info and I hope to talk to ya soon!


    Sincerely,
    Analeah

    P.S. Email me the info if you want at: electronic_guru@consultant.com
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