Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Heretic Apostate" data-source="post: 1664868" data-attributes="member: 696">Okay.  In about a month or so, I'll have enough money saved up to actually do this. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> The thing is, I'm a ditz when it comes to technical specs.  My eyes glaze over, and I start drooling, and it just ain't pretty. So if any of you would be kind enough to help me out, I'd appreciate it. Given $800, what stuff would you buy to make a decent system? Some limitations: PROCESSOR/MOTHERBOARDI'm not planning on going Intel, obviously, for these prices...  So I'm hoping that there's a good chip out there, common enough to not cause many compatability problems.  An Athlon, maybe? OPERATING SYSTEMI would like to get Windows XP Pro.  So I'm guessing I need a dealer that will sell OEM software with the usual workaround of shipping it with a piece of computer hardware (thus fulfilling the letter, if not the spirit, of the OEM agreement). CD DRIVE(S)I would like a CD Burner, with the possibility of being a DVD-ROM player, as well.  If possible, I'd also like a fast CD drive, as well. FLOPPY DRIVEI have little need for a 3.5" disk, so we can skip that.  Though, if it's cheap, and I have a 3.5" bay open and the means to connect it (see slots, below?), I'd consider it. MEMORYAs much memory as is possible.  My system, with 640MB, runs like molasses, so I'm hoping more memory would clear that up.  (Either that, or I have WAY too many things in my startup files and running files...)  Either way, bare minimum would be 512MB, though I would like to have 1GB of RAM. STORAGEI'd like to have 120GB of storage, if possible.  If not, I'd settle for 80GB. SLOTSI'd like to have at least two 4-slot plugins.  The computer I have now only came with one 4-slot plugin thingy (sorry, don't know the term; it's where you plug in your CD drives, hard drives, and so on).  Since I'm hoping to save some of the stuff CANNIBALIZED EQUIPI've got an old CD-Burner/DVD-ROM, but it's been giving me trouble.  I've got a questionable fast CD-ROM player, but it's also been giving me trouble.  I have a ZIP drive (250MB capacity disks) that I'd like to keep, if there's an open 3.5" drive, but that's only if possible.  I've got a 20GB hard drive, that I can use as a slave drive, once the rest of the stuff is connected.  I've got about 512MB of RAM that's probably good, so I need the slots to connect it in.  The pentium 4 chip & motherboard is probably still good, maybe?  (1.7GHz, so possibly good, since I don't play FPS or do graphic design, just spreadsheets and older games).  I'll keep the DSL (they'll get me back on dial-up over my dead body...). CASELooks like a tower will be necessary.  I need at least one opening (CD-burner), but would prefer two 5.25" openings (CD-burner/DVD Rom and fast CD-player) and two 3.5" openings (ZIP and 3.5" floppy).  I would like at least two internal bays (main hard drive, my current 20GB hard drive--until I get everything I want off of it). Anyway, I'm hoping on spending only about $800.  I don't know the specs on the parts in my computer, so if you need to know, tell me how to find out (hopefully without actually opening the case?). Thanks for all your help so far!</blockquote>

Verification