computer building project

i'm saving up some money right now, and i'm thinking of using that money to build a desktop computer. however, having never paid too much attention to what's going on in the technology world, i'm having some problems deciding on the parts.

here's a general idea of what i'm looking for:
-approximately $700-1200 CDN
-NOT looking for the latest parts
-MUST be able to be upgraded for the next 2 years or so

essentially, the most vital parts (the ones that must last) are the mother board, 500W-ish power supply, and RAM. everything else can be skimped. i'm not looking for something that can post 50fps in Crysis, since my gaming consists of guild wars, guild wars, more guild wars, and maybe a little lineage2 on the side. DX10 is not required. this is a computer that i'm planning to upgrade piece by piece when the need arises. as such, while i don't need it to be state of the art, it must be future-proof enough for me to upgrade it for a long time to come.

more precisely, here's the pricerange for each part that i'm considering:
motherboard: $200-250 CDN
processor: $100-150 CDN (must work with the motherboard, of course)
power supply: $100-150 CDN
RAM chips (2gb): $100 CDN total
graphic card: $80-120 CDN
sound card: $0-50 CDN
harddisk: $50-80 CDN
monitor: $150-200 CDN

total: $780-1100 CDN

everything else, including the keyboard+mouse, CD/DVD/whatever drives, and case i can salvage off of some old PCs i have.

anyways, have fun, and thanks in advance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131013 -motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103228 -processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811156098 -case w/ power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211188-4gb memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822145213-hard drive
and you can get a $200 dollar 20" widescreen at newegg.com too, but im too lazy to provide a link.
you can get a evga (i think thats what its called) GeForce 8600GT 512mb pci-e gpu for $99.99 on newegg as well, neweggs not working for me atm but its there.
the motherboards onboard sound will be fine unless you are really worried about it in which case, find your own :P this is the computer ive been looking at for a while looks great bang for your buck

unfortunately, the listed prices are in US dollars. i know the conversion rate is now very close, however, product prices in Canada have not gone down yet (yay price gouging). having them shipped across the boarder is not an option, because of taxes involved.

another thing is that the motherboard must support either the new penryn or the phenom processors coming out. i'm not going to buy the parts immediately, so i can afford to wait.

oh shoot, didnt notice the canadian
:P
hmmm...
i dont know any canadian sites, i mean, im sure there are some ill look around

i have a good half hour before i have to catch the buss

*edit* i meant bus

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...639&CatId=2320 - motherboard with AM2+ socket
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...?EdpNo=2207283 - processor, worse than the one from newegg, but fine
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...9013&CatId=170 monitor

will find the rest later need to catch bus

and if you want me to find a phenom tell me the motherboard will support it

I would suggest staying away from AMD. The price to performance just isn't there. Plus, they like changing CPU sockets every 2 years or so, and AM2 has been around for almost that.

My suggestion:

Motherboard $231.99 (Stick to P35 or newer chipset)
Processor $158.99
Memory $74.97
Video $99.97
Onboard sound $0
Hard Drive $89.97
Power Supply $146.99
Monitor $169.97

Subtotal $972.85

I went with an expensive power supply, you don't want it to crap out on you. Also, I would suggest spending a little more than $200 and get a name-brand monitor. Get something with a good contrast ratio, response time, and most importantly, reviews. My personal preference is Samsung, but they've been shaky quality for the past couple years, from what I've heard. Acer and BenQ are well-received brands as well. This is most likely the part of your computer you will keep the longest.

What is that supposed to mean? If he is going to buy a new PC on his budget, he could save a bundle by going for AMD. For some, it isn't always completely focused on having uber components, but just so long as the components used work to a satisfactory extent. For the price you can get AMD products, the performance is really good. The only quirk I have with AMD is the distinct lack of video driver support for Vista.

If you look at a typical 2 year old computer, what has changed?
The motherboard - because the cpu and RAM sockets have changed. Also some changes to power connectors.
The cpu socket - to 775 and AM2
The RAM & socket - DDR to DDR2 (going maybe to DDR3)
Power demands + more/different plugs
AGP went to PCIx

So, basically, in two years the only way you'll be able to "upgrade" your computer will be to get faster cpu of the old type you have, cause the newer, faster cpus will undoubtedly have new sockets, new retention mechanisms, and new/different cooling requirements.
You will also only be able to add more RAM, not faster RAM.
So, a cpu +motherboard, +RAM, is your minimum upgrade. And there's no sense sticking with you old video slot either.

So, what I'm saying is - don't worry about it. Just get the best, fastest thing you can.
I'd recommend:
At least 2 gigs of RAM
500watt or larger PS
Case, hard drive, DVD burner, etc.

Put the rest into the the cpu and video card. Keep a balance. Overall, AMD is better performance at a given price. But, that is only to say that the top-of-the-line AMD performs about the same as 3rd from the top Intel - give or take, plus or minus, day of the week, etc.

thanks for the quick replies guys. i really appreciate it.

as for why i'm looking for something that'll be upgradeable for 2 years... i personally believe in the last little while, there had been some pretty dramatic changes in computer hardware. now that phase has passed, i believe that many things will remain constant for a little while before the next "upheaval".

from what i've seen, the next generation intel and AMD processors will use the same sockets. PCI-E 2.0 seems to be the next thing in graphic slots, which i don't think will change for the next little while. as far as i believe, PCI-E 2.0 is backward compatible with PCI-E 1.0 cards, so i don't really need to get the latest graphic card either. DDR2 will probably still be used a while down the road. i personally cannot tell that much difference between DDR2 and DDR3 at the moment.

of course, correct me if i'm completely off base about my assessment. but my goal remains the same: i'll never need the latest bleeding edge parts, i just need parts that will give me good performance for the stuff i do. i'll still target in the $800ish, and plan to upgrade as i go along.

I've been a long-time AMD fan, and as soon as they can get back on the ball, I will start buying their stuff again. Maybe I'm still bitter about forking over a bunch of money for a socket 939 motherboard, only to have it obsoleted less than a year later, with no upgrade path. With history is our guide, AMD will be switching ZIF interfaces some time this year. The AM3 is scheduled to be released Q3 of this year. I know they say that the AM3 processors will be compatible with AM2 motherboards, but I'd put money on it having compatibility issues and tradeoffs. I can't in good conscience recommend a product that is on the chopping block already, when he asked for a computer that will have a 2-year upgrade window.

That being said, my recommendation of a Core 2 Duo 4300 was a bit hasty, because that's a low-cache variant. It's not a great performer. I'd recommend going for the 6750. If cost is a real concern, and you're not worried about possible future incompatibility, of course AMD is a bargain.

What province do you live in (so I know which site to use, one offers not GST in BC and Ontario w/ free shipping over $300)?

personally, i'd go lower end dualy AMD, and overclock the hell outta it. but that's just me

Evga E-GEFORCE 8800GT Superclocked 650MHZ 512MB DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I Hdtv Out DIRECTX10 Video Card
$269.99

Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB Cache 8.9MS Ncq Hard Drive Oem 3YR Mfr Warranty
$98.99

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 Atx 9 Drive Bay No Ps Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
$103.62

Corsair HX520 CMPSU-520HX 520W Atx Triple 12V 40A Continuous 24PIN Atx Modular 120MM Power Supply
$10.00 CAD Mail in Rebate for this item - click here
$108.15

Crucial Ballistix Tracer PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Kit W/ LEDs
$84.00

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Dual Core Processor LGA775 Conroe 2.66GHZ 1333FSB 4MB Retail
$204.79

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 1333FSB 1PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN Motherboard
$89.96

Total: (before shipping and taxes)$959.49
+$200-250 for a monitor
-$100 is you want to salvage your case

I got the parts from here: http://www.directcanada.com/

i live in ontario