This is my Final Config.. After 3 months of research!! :D

T

AMD 3500+ (64 bit 939 pin)

ASUS A8N-E (mobo)

Transcend DDR400 512MB PC3200 (* 2)

Seagate 160GB - SATA (* 2) (Which is a better option 160 gb * 2 or 300 gb * 1 ? )

Sony DVD Writer (Dual Layer) (sony or benq??)

Sony Combo drive or Sony Dvd-R (which one do you suggest?)

Antec TruePower 450w (Please post the price of this smps and is it worth the price i pay for it.. As i am aware that antec smps is the best)

Logitech Multimedia Keyboard and Optical Mouse (Do you suggest cordless , If no then which Cord keyboard is the best? )

Samsung 713N LCD Monitor (Any other better options?)

Logitech z5300 (love music and i also watch movies a lot.. so is this the best option for a 5.1 speakers.. I mean within 11k and do u suggest any Sound cards? If yes then it shouldnt cost more than 2.5k)

Big Geforce 6600 (256 mb) I am not a gamer.. Gonna use the PC basically for Web designing which includes lot of graphic work!!

My budget is 70k MAX and am looking at Value for money i spend.. Please help me

Thanks

M

i m not much aware of AMDs.. .basically i m the intel guy... but if yr mobo supports then
160 X 2 is better choice, u can set up raid on that. or atleast programs on one and the Data on another HDD

GO for SONY DVD Writer, i m using it from almost an year, they are the best.. no need to go for combo drive. but if u require one more reader go for Asus CDdrive or Sony DVD R depending on requirement.

KBD - Mouse, no need to go for cordless, go for any logitech or microsoft one, they are good.

no idea abt Logitech z5300, i have creative inspire, standard and best (thats what i think

)

even 6600 256 may not be requied if u r not a gamer, go for a low end 6200 will even do.. but i doubt whether 6200 comes in PCI Express mode (i think yr mobo supports PCI Express, in that case go for 128MB 6600)

T

Thanks for the reply!!

Which keyboard and mouse? Logitech or Microsoft? Which one is better?

What exactly is Raid? How can i set it up?

Do i need to buy any Sound Cards for better audio?

What about the SMPS? Antec costs a lot.. Is it wise to spend so much on it?

Lastly 3200+ or 3500+ or 3000+ ?? Becoz 3000+ costs 6000, 3200+ costs 8000 and 3500+ costs 10000... so which one???

I think i am gonna play a few games.. Although not high end and i would like to play some of the latest games.. So i am planning to buy Big 6600 256 mb PCI express card!

Dude, good choice on those speakers. The Logitech Z5300 will give you awesome sound. They are THX certified, only found on more expensive systems (like mine!).

But if you are indeed going in for the speakers, then it does not make sense going in for a low end sound card. Get at least the Audigy 2 Value (think it costs around 3.5k) or better still the Audigy 2 ZS...

T

goobimama said:
Dude, good choice on those speakers. The Logitech Z5300 will give you awesome sound. They are THX certified, only found on more expensive systems (like mine!).

But if you are indeed going in for the speakers, then it does not make sense going in for a low end sound card. Get at least the Audigy 2 Value (think it costs around 3.5k) or better still the Audigy 2 ZS...

Is a sound card needed at all??? I mean Asus A8Ne has a built in sound card.. Is it worth spending 3.5k more?

H

RAID is redundant array of indepent disks.
its is a software which enables ur hdds to works in a certain manner regardin fault tolerance and performance.
RAID 0 is minimun fault tolerance and max performance,
both hdd r recognised as 1 disk.
RAID 1 is mirrorin of hdds fr max fault tolrence.
RAID0+1 is the middle path.
the software ll come in a floppy with ur mobo.
before installin os just configure ur hdd .
minie is in RAID 0.

M

with 70k, i think u can affort the 6600gt....and i suggest u don't buy BIG, heard too much bad stuff abt it, even for the 6600 not gt...
sound card...the audigy 2zs is quite good, and it u're gonna buy logitech speakers...u might as well throw in a few more bucks for really good sound...this will be around 4-5k....
abt the screen, i'm not sure, but i believe philips, lg, benq and viewsonic offer better lcd's...make sure its a TFT though...and if u do graphic design, make sure the luminosity is higher them 300 or so..
keyboard and mouse...go for a corded keyboard and a wireless mouse, this won't come as a combo but is quite good anyways...go for logitech...their stuff lasts longer
why r u going for a comco or dvdr...a sony dvd-rw is jus 4k...and if that fits in your budget take that instead...makes things more future proof

M

another thing abt the screen...u might want to consider the Viewsonic VX924. it costs 5k more then the one u chose, but the screen is more of a long term investment, it isn't something u will change as soon as u might change other things..if u read digit, check the oct 2005 edition...it has the whole review...performance wise, the viewsonic has 10 points out of 45 more then the samsung...i thing this is quit important

T

Viewsonic VX924 costs a good 10k more than the Samsung 713N!!!

6600GT costs around 11 to 15k and i dont think its worth the price i spend atleast for my gaming requirement.. I am not a Gamer.. I dont play games as of now.. I might just try playing a few games after i get my New rig!

The October 2005 issue of digit voted the LG 17inch TFT as the best.. But they didnt test the Samsung 713N nor the 710N... I was really disappointed coz of that.. I am sure Samsung TFT's are better than LG ones anyday!!

M

oh sorry...i was refering to the chip oct 2005..my bad
and the price, i was refering to mrp for the viewsonic being 32000 while the mrp for the samsung is 27000..
as for the graphics card...i was refering to the delhi price..sorry about that...here the xfx 6600gt costs 9500rs

Samsung 713N is a very good choice for a tft. It has 8ms response time which is very very decent.

I dont know about Antec TP 2.0 450W but TP 2.0 550W is for around 7,000/-

Go for a Gainward 6600 instead of BIG.. Both cost almost the same.

If you decide on setting up a RAID then go for this board - DFI LANPARTY UT NF4 ULTRA DR - (around 11k)

Here are my recommendations... i always prefer to buy computer compnents when you have a decent value for money... not too costly...

AMD 3500 is the way to go... cool system...and nice operations when compare to intel... 10000

ASUS rocks in the mobo ASUS A8NE is good choice around 7400

RAM i would say that 1 GB is a bare minimum... but if you can then go for 2 GB get kingston or transcend or corsair... get reputed brands only 4400 or 8500

Sound card... dont invest as the onboard sound is of very good quality

Graphics card.... if you are not gamer go for 6200 xfx for 3400 ... if a casual gamer then go for 6600 GT by xfx around 11000

Add TV Tuner if required.. Pinnacle with FM tuner arnd 2600

2 SATA hdd is better option... go for 200 GB as the price difference is not very much...... arnd 2 * 5000 rs. check whether SATA 2 hdd are available.. hitachi provides and seagate has also came with their versions.... it boost your data transfer speeds by very much.....

SONY DVD RW DRU 810 is the way to go... 3100 rs

Cabinet choose ur... go for a simple design but with good metal frame.. hdd stands... and ample room for air circulation... approx 1500 rs for good one

Antec are best PSU but very expensive.. instead go for powersafe 400 watts or 500 watts... arnd 1500 rs

Go for speakers Creative inspire 5.1... you will save around 4-6000 as it comes for around 4.5k.... Go for ur logitech only if you can see a huge difference.... approx 4500 rs

monitor if TFT go for samsung and definitely 17" with resolution of 1280x1024... else CRT 19" with resolutin 1600x1200 ..... approx 15000rs

Go for logitech desktop pro KB mouse set for 900 rs... nice keys and a good layout...... i dont know much about wireless ones

To spice things up... buy a sleek computer table... an lamp (so u dont disturb other during night)... an usb 4 way expansion hub... a usb light..... nice set of headsets.....etc arnd 5000 rs(table) + 1500 (extras) rs

total cost around 70 k ... although you can compromise on something with future in mind and get a system at much less money

come on yaar technology are fast changign and prices are falling very fast... a little compromise and save some money for future purchase

do write about ur system final config efore buying

Asus A8N-E is for under 5500/- (inclusive of tax) now and not for 7400/-

I dont suggest compromising on your psu when going for a high end rig. antec is the best. and also dont forget a ups . get a minimum 600 va (800VA recommended) UPS from APC,Numeric,TVS etc.

N

ya i missed out on UPS... and mohit Powersafe is a very good brand next only to ANTEC i guess... beside having an ups as safety measure, he can go for powersafe instead of antec

ANTEC PSU + 1000 equals powersafe PSU + UPS

and sorry i didnt know about the asus a8ne rate off recent... but the rate is one month old.... and my dealer still insist on the same price dude... 7300 rs... just check his website to verify...

@neomustdie
i think this is ur first post on this topic rite ??? do u have any other id ?? u said u missed out on the ups n all but there is no post made by u earlier. i am confused.

T

mohit said:
@neomustdie
i think this is ur first post on this topic rite ??? do u have any other id ?? u said u missed out on the ups n all but there is no post made by u earlier. i am confused.

Ya i think he has 2 ids here..

I am confused about the PSU now..

please help me out..

A8Ne costs 5200 here..

What exactly is a usb 4 way expansion hub and a usb light? How much do they cost? Please gimme mre info..

regarding the UPS.. should i go in for a normal UPS with a battery? I need to spend around 7k and i get around 3 hours backup.. There is power cut problem here.. And as my PC is alwayz on (24 hours) i need a very good UPS.. I dont want to spend more than 8k though..

For around 8k u can try getting a 800VA / 1KVA UPS from APC,Numeric,Powersafe .. check the rates in your area. Go for min 800VA. I dont know which one will provide u 3 hours of backup though. i think some of those external battery models will provide that much backup but i am not very sure.

I suggest again that you dont compromise on the PSU. Get an Antec dude when u had already planned for it.

And a USB light is needed if u need lighting. Its a light that uses power from your USB port. U can get many such USB powered devices such as Fan,Massager etc. All that is unnecessary according to me. And a usb 4 way expansion hub is a device that will plug in to your usb port and make it 4 usb ports. again i find that unnnecessary as most mobos come with 6-8 usb ports which are sufficient unless you have even more requirements.

N

UPS

Is there any other good UPS which has a backup time of just 5min? How much will it cost? I face a lot of Power fluctuation in my room.

Please mention the model name and its price.

Get a APC 600VA model and it will surely give u atleast 10 mins backup even if u have a fairly high end rig. It shud cost under 2500/- . Another alternative is Numeric 600va for 1900/- .. Both the companies come with 2 years warranty.

R

madman123 said:
another thing abt the screen...u might want to consider the Viewsonic VX924. it costs 5k more then the one u chose, but the screen is more of a long term investment, it isn't something u will change as soon as u might change other things..if u read digit, check the oct 2005 edition...it has the whole review...performance wise, the viewsonic has 10 points out of 45 more then the samsung...i thing this is quit important

hey .... is VX924 available here? Its really awesome stuff! dont have access to Chip or Digit paperback issues...so cud u tell me, where and at wat price is this available?

The soundcard is quite important to get a richer sound experience. You could add the soundcard later if you feel like though. Onboard sound does not compare to the sound you get from the standalone ones. My advice, go for onboard right now and then when you feel comfortable with your finances, get a soundcard...guaranteed performance increase.

Also, the creative inspire series don't stand a chance against the Logitech Z5300 (except for the inspire 5700D which is quite powerful).

No use of 6600 (256 MB), shell out a few bucks and get 6600 GT, It will be a wise choice and if you dont want to spend more then get the 128 MB version of GT, It costs much less !!! ;-)

T

How about 6600 Ultra? It costs around 6k??

I dont wanna spend so much (11 to 12k) on a graphics card..

H

6600 ultra fr 6000. where did u get that rate frm.
is 6600ultra available??

T

I have no idea.. My dealer said 6600 Ultra is for 6k.. I was really confused coz i never heard of it.. LOL

Hey 6600GT 128 costs around 7-8 K its just 1 K more than 6600 ultra !!!

T

But is 128 Mb good enough? i guess 256 mb is future proof!!

Toocool said:
But is 128 Mb good enough? i guess 256 mb is future proof!!

Actually there is now much diff in performance bwt 128 and 256 as compared to the price diff. !!!

H

ya none of the games can utilise the extea memory. better 2 stick 2 126 mb.

T

Now it doesnt.. But what abt the future? I am gonna use this PC for atleast the next 2 years (minimum)

H

memory is not as imp as shader model, d3d support , open gl version,etc. fr two yrs future proofin u need not less than 6800 gt.

Well you will be able to play any game for the next 2+ yrs even with a 6600GT but you might have tone down the ingame GFX a bit after a few yrs !!!

M

well, i'm not sure where you can get this screen, but i can give u the phone number...
Priya Ltd.
022-56663100
prom_bom@priyagroup.com
price: 320000
so u could try that...
and as for you toocool:
the viewsonic. is completely up to u...the response rate is the half of the samsung (4ms)...and it got the chip best performance award...
and as jay4u mentioned, abt the ram...if u'r planning on getting some decent stuff, such as transcend or corsair...and if u go for 1gb....try aroung 400-533 mhz ddr2...that will cost u around 10k...2 gb is much more then u need...

M

yo, am i safe to assume u're getting a pci-e board...so go for the 6600gt with 256....it's the best and u bet its future proof....for those 3k extra there is no living without...

madman123 said:
yo, am i safe to assume u're getting a pci-e board...so go for the 6600gt with 256....it's the best and u bet its future proof....for those 3k extra there is no living without...

hey dude we have already discussed earlier that the extra 3K for wont bring much of a difference so 128 MB is good enough !!!

M

u really believe that DOUBLE the memory won't make a difference...hmmm

Yes it makes but the diff. if not as good as the increase in the price is !!!

M

well, i guess thats up to toocool to descide...the 6600gt from xfx costs 9k....if thats not worth for him...then the 128 mb is obviously the next best option

H

i don remember the issue of digit , sept most probably,
see the results urself there .how much diff the xtra 128 mb on 256 mb 6600gt makes.its negligible. if u can give some refrence where it makes a lot of diff, i ll agree 2 u .the case is fr 6600gt.

:roll:

In fact 6600GT 128MB is enough to play any current game with all the eye candy turned on !!!

M

yes current game....but with time the memory might start to run out...btw...do u think the ati x800gt might be a possibility for toocool

V

well if onus is on value for money then ...

if u can give up on raid
then a single 300gb disk will be better

and even the dvd riter lite-on gives more value for money (if available)
same is the case with the combo drive !!!!!!!!!

T

I agree 300 gb one costs less.. But this is what i am gonna do.. Sata 2 seagate hard disks are now available...

I am buying one 250 GB SATA 2 - Rs 6300
and one 160 GB SATA 2 - Rs 4500 = Total 10800

Whereas a 200 GB SATA * 2 = 5800 * 2 = 11600

And i get 10 gb more

Any other better combo's you guys suggest??? I dont want to shell out more than 11k on HDD..

wouldn't it be better if you buy the same capacity HDDs and then RAID them or something?

T

U can RAID only with the same capacity harddisk??