| Item: Bought From | Comments |
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Computer case:
Amazon
Antec KS-282
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Includes the PP303XP 300 watt power supply and a generous supply of mounting posts and screws used to mount the motherboard inside the case, as well as extra bracket screws for securing PCI and AGP cards to the case. Not all computer cases come with power supplies, but many do. Many cases include one or more case fans, but this one does not.
What I Suggest Today
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Case fans:
Amazon
Sunon KD1208PTB2
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I purchased two fans, one for intake and one for exhaust, the 3-pin power connector variety to plug them directly into the motherboard (4-pin connectors are the ones that come off the power supply). The Antec KS282 computer case provides a mounting bracket for the intake case fan for which no mounting screws are required - it just snaps in. But the more important exhaust fan does need mounting screws and these were purchased separately. A total of four round-head machine screws, size 8-32, length 1-1/4 inch (1.25 inches) with nuts are needed, which I puchased at Home Depot.
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Motherboard:
Amazon
ABIT KR7A-133
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The retail box includes one ATA/133 IDE cable which is ideal for the hard drive. It also includes a second ribbon cable for the floppy drive.
What I Suggest Today
MySuperPC Motherboard Page
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IDE 18" ribbon cable:
Amazon
Belkin F2N1107
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This Ultra ATA/66 IDE cable was purchased separately to be used with the CD-ROM drive since it's not a good idea to have the hard drive and CD-ROM drive on the same IDE cable.
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Processor:
Amazon
AMD Athlon XP 1800+
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OEM version. The OEM version, unlike the retail box version, does not include the CPU Cooler.
What I Suggest Today
MySuperPC Processor Page
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CPU Cooler
Amazon
Thermaltake Volcano 6Cu
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The thermal compound that comes pre-applied to the CPU cooler will do, but if you want to increase the cooling capability of the CPU cooler a little like I did then a better thermal compound needs to be purchased separately.
What I Suggest Today
MySuperPC Cooling Page
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Thermal compound:
Amazon
Arctic Silver 3
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You don't need this if you go with the thermal compound that comes pre-applied to the CPU cooler, which is perfectly acceptable.
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RAM:
Crucial
Crucial 256MB PC2100 DDR
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I purchased two modules for a total of 512MB.
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Video card:
Amazon
NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4200
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I have a Gainward GeForce4 PowerPack Ultra/650XP. This is Gainward's GeForce4 Ti 4200 video card with "Golden Sample" memory that can run at a faster clock speed than the usual GeForce4 Ti 4200 memory. I would also be just fine with a GeForce4 Ti 4200 video card made by ABit or ASUS, although many are happy with their cards by MSI, PNY and PowerColor.
What I Suggest Today
MySuperPC Video Card Page
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Sound card:
Amazon
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer
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The Creative Sound Blaster Audigy and Creative Sound Blaster MP3+ are identical hardware with different software bundles.
What I Suggest Today
MySuperPC Sound Card Page
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Speakers:
Hifi.com
Creative Cambridge SoundWorks PCWorks
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A sub-woofer with two satellite speakers. Fantastic!
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Hard drive:
Amazon
IBM 120GXP 80GB
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This is the OEM version, so the mounting screws were purchased separately. A total of six round-head machine screws, size 6-32, length 1/4 inch are needed.
What I Suggest Today
MySuperPC Hard Drive Page
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Floppy drive:
Amazon
Any brand
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All floppy drives come OEM, so the mounting screws were purchased separately. A total of four round head machine screws are needed, size 4-40, length 1/4 inch.
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CD-ROM:
Amazon
Lite-On 52x
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The retail box version was purchased, so the mounting screws are included.
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CD-RW:
Amazon
Lite-On 40x/12x/48x
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I recommend choosing either a CD-ROM or CD-RW, but not both. If you think might burn CD's someday then choose the CD-RW. It doesn't cost much more than a CD-ROM and reads CDs about as fast. As with the CD-ROM, the retail box version includes the mounting screws.
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Modem:
Amazon
Zoom V.92 PCI Faxmodem
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Nowadays you should get a modem that supports the V.92 and V.44 standards, as this one does.
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Keyboard/Mouse:
Buy.com
Logitech Cordless Freedom
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Cordless is great! The mouse comes with a "wheel" control built-in between the buttons, which is really handy! Batteries included.
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Monitor:
Amazon
Samsung 955DF 19" Dynaflat
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It's really nice to have a 19" monitor. Lots less scrolling. And this is a really good one for a very good price.
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Operating System:
Amazon
Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade
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This version requires you already have a copy of Windows 98 or better.
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Disk restoral utility:
Amazon
GoBack
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This is invaluable all the time, including as you first build the computer and install software and drivers. It arrived in only 2 days even though the web-site had the standard "allow 7 - 10 days for delivery ".
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Antistatic wrist strap:
Amazon
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Possibly you have one of these already. You really, really need it.
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for all my purchases since it provides excellent protections and guarantees that are just right for PC building. First, it has no annual fee and includes a grace period on payment, so it's 100% free and costs nothing even if it's not used. But I used it for my component purchases to give them Return Protection, Buyer's Assurance Plan, and the Purchase Protection Plan. These plans extend the product warranties, allow items to be returned up to 90 days (and pay the restocking fee), and provide insurance against accidental damage. I have Blue in addition to other Amex cards. You can go here to learn more and apply for the card
