Posted on 01/02/2005 3:13:35 PM PST by bikepacker67
I have decided to upgrade my 4 y/o comp, and am looking for a >$250 motherboard and a >$150 AGP graphics card (budget is $450, and I'll need new memory).
It has to be an mini-ATX MB.
C'mon Freeper Techies... give me the info I crave.
If your MB has got to be more than $250, and your graphics card has got to be over $150, that leaves $50 for RAM. I wouldn't put anything less than a gig in a combo like the one you're envisioning, but that's going to run up your budget.
Go to your nearest supermarket or newstand and leaf through CPU magazine and other hobbiest mags. (Can't think of the name of the other one I have used.)
A gig of 266 memory runs about $120-150 so I was thinking of a MB/CPU around $190 and a AGP of about $100 - but of course could scrounge the extra $100 for memory, if the MB/AGP deal was worth it.
I bought my last two motherboards, AGP graphic cards and memory from TigerDirect. They are really good about returns if you mess up and they are good about providing tech help online to be sure you get compatible components. Both of my motherboards are FIC and the graphic cards are Radeon. A good place to get memory besides TigerDirect is Crucial.com. I've bought a lot of memory there. They have a memory configurator to help you find the right type and they also have live online help at no charge.
Thank you Melinda. Now that you mention it, I remember Tiger from my "Computer Shopper" days (back when it was about as thick as a phonebook).
With the minis, just make sure your current PS is up to snuff for the new mb and vid. You could just throw in 40 or 50 bucks for a cheap case w/ ps instead. You might make that difference back by being able to get a regular ATX mb. I use crucial's memory configurator, and once I get the exact model of memory I need, go look at newegg.com to check out their prices. They are fantastic, inexpensive and fast. I've never had a problem other than the occasional manufacturer defect, and then the RMA was no problem at all.
Your first problem is the AGP slot.
Discover PCI-E and try again. :-)
Also look into the new nForce 4 motherboards. As far as graphics cards...the new NV50 cards from NVIDIA are on their way and are supposed to be amazing.
One thing about Tiger is that when you click on the motherboard you are interested in they will put a list of compatible components on the right side of the screen. The two systems I built weren't monster gamers or anything but I didn't need that. My FIC motherboard has three memory slots that accept 1GB each. It's very expandable and only cost $59. I put a 2.0GB Celeron processor on it and a 64MB Radeon AGP graphics card with support for the new DVI LCD monitor cables. The total system, case, power supply, DVD drive, CD Writer, hard drive, memory, and graphics card ran me about $450 or less. I used the Ultra 2100 memory. One thing I regret in a way is that I only put a 20GB hard drive in it. I wish I had put at least a 40. If you already have some components you should be able to get a really good motherboard and the rest of your parts at the price you want to spend at Tiger.
My Mom wanted to buy my old Systemax and was willing to pay $450 for it so I bought what I could to stay in that range. I ended up building the first system for nothing. :-) I liked the motherboard so much that I put the same thing in the second system for my granddaughter. I had parts from an older computer and didn't have to buy CD drives or anything so I came out pretty good on it too.
now you got me thinking about a new one myself ...
try http://www.motherboards.org/ for good reviews of motherboards, videocards, etc.
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