Help me build a PC!

[Robert Maxwell]

Damn you, Kestra!

 

[CorporalClegg]

Tease...

 

[Yoda]

Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't really need an internal optical drive, since I have an external one. Are today's desktops usually capable of booting from a USB optical drive for OS installation? That's really all I need it for.

I've booted off of USB memory sticks and hdds. I would think USB optical would be no different. But Windows is pretty funny about installing. For instance it completely refused to install onto either of my internal hard drives until I disconnected one temporarily. I forget the error code, but it didn't make any sense in context. Personally I would get a 20 dollar DVD writer for convenience, but you should be able to work around it.

 

[Dusty Ayres]

Wow, great suggestions, guys!

Okay, here we go:

* I'm only springing for a 500GB hard drive because I already have several external drives. I basically only use internal drives for the OS and applications. Media, backups, etc. are all kept on externals. So, I really don't need a large internal drive.
* Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't really need an internal optical drive, since I have an external one. Are today's desktops usually capable of booting from a USB optical drive for OS installation? That's really all I need it for.
* As for video, I found a good price on a GeForce GTS 250, which I understand is what they used to call the GTX+ 9800. Damn nVidia and their arbitrary number changes...
* I'm heeding the advice on the better PSU.

So anyway, here are my new specs and prices:

Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L LGA 775 P43 ATX Motherboard - $80
Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q8200 - $120
Crucial 2GB DDR2-800 (PC-6400) Memory Module (x2) - $80
Geforce GTS250 1024MB GDDR3 PCIe 2.0 x16 Graphics Card - $120
WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7,200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $55
700W StealthXStream ATX Power Supply - $80

Pre-tax total: $535

I took Windows out of the equation for the time being. I also removed the optical drive, and will leave it out if I can really boot from a USB optical drive.

And thanks for the vote of confidence, CorporalClegg! I try to be fairly savvy about these things and not go off half-cocked and buy garbage. I wanted to put my own system together to save money and be sure there are good parts in it.

Great suggestions, everyone! Let me know if there's any more fine-tuning I can do based on the specs I've posted this time around.

But what if you want to download and burn an episode of a TV show?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

But what if you want to download and burn an episode of a TV show?

I have large external drives to download to, and an external DVD burner. I think I got it covered.