Next best thing to building your own...

[hacker_cracker]

My old pc was a PIII 550 with 384MB of SDRAM. I really wanted to build my own PC, but I had a limited budget. I found a Gateway 614-GE system for a reasonable price. I know that Gateway is less proprietary than other manufacturers, plus the system had a lot of good parts in it. I decided just to upgrade various parts as I got the money. That way, I could al least get some satisfaction in transforming this machine from a mid-tier performer to a real powerhouse. Here's a history of all of the upgrades I put into it:

OS: PC came with XP Home. I formatted and did a clean install of XP
Pro. This also got rid of the "no thank you programs" (including Norton, which I hate), and allowed me to put my own image on the computer.

Video: The PC came with integrated s3 Uni Chrome II graphics, which totally blew at playing any games. I upgraded to a eVGA GeForce MX4000 64MB, which was a little better, but still flakey. After I got a little more money, I put in a BFG GeForce MX4000 with 128MB. This was much better with games, but still fell a little short. Recently, I got more money, and upgraged again to a BFG GeForce FX5500 256MB card. This handles my games much better than the other cards did.

Sound: PC came with integrated AC'97 audio. I found the Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit to be a good basic upgrade for the price. I also upgraded the factory speakers from a basic 2 sattelite speaker setup to a Creative 2.1 setup. The subwoofer really adds a kick to playing my mp3's!

HDD: PC came with a 200GB Seagate ATA-100 Drive. I do a lot of downloading, so I added an additional 160GB Seagate ATA-100 drive for storage purposes.

RAM: PC came with 512MB of PC3200 (Samsung). I got a good deal on a PNY 512MB stick, and added it to get a full GB. I notice a big differance now when playing games.

Network: PC came with a 56k dialup modem. I replaced this with a Belkin 802.11g wireless card, and adapted my other computers the samw way, so I now have a high-speed wireless network!

Input: PC came with a standard PS/2 keyboard/mouse setup. I upgraded to a USB optical mouse, and an illuminated slim-line USB Keyboard.

I'm going to continue to upgrade until the time comes to build a whole new system. Any ideas as to what to upgrade next? I was thinking of getting a Sound Blaster Audigy Value card and a 5.1 speaker setup.

[Train]

I prefer Turtle Beach products over the one you list. (http://www.turtlebeach.com/site/products/soundcards/) Not as much sqealing that most folks can not hear. Sound much better too. Plus I find Turtle Bach to be easier on resources and have less conflicts with the OS than Sound Blaster.

[hacker_cracker]

Thanks for the input, Train, but I'd rather stick with the Sound Blaster cards. What benifits would the Sound Blaster Audigy Value card have over my Sound Blaster Live! 24-bit card?

[Train]

Best I can do is suggest you check out the sound blaster links as depicted at http://www.creative.com/products/welcome.asp?category=1
to see what they have to say.

[hacker_cracker]

The Audigy Value looks like a good possibility for a future upgrade. It's not too expensive, and it does boast some features that my current card lacks. I was also thinking of buying a new case/psu/fan setup. My current setup is running a bit warm, and I would like to take the temps down a little. Mt current Gateway case only offers one fan aside from the CPU fan. According to everest, the temps are a little high, but not in the danger zone. I also figure that a PSU with a little more wattage would help with future upgrades. I currently have a 300w Bestec, but would like to get a 500+w PSU by a more reputable brand such as Antec or Enermax.

[Train]

If I may make a recommendation on a new case, that is to make sure that 120mm fans can be used in it. They are much quieter by far.

My 120s are running around 1300-1400 rpm and the 80's were running wide open. Thusly the 80,s were noisy.

Nice temp drop too. 6C.

[SuperSparks]

I realise that there's quite a difference in price, but if you can possibly run to it then go for the SoundBlaster X-Fi. It's moved sound cards into another league.

http://www.newegg.com/ProductSort/SubCategory.asp?SubCategory=57

[hacker_cracker]

Price is a problem, though. I'm in between jobs right now, and money's tight. I think I'm going to try to get a Creative 5.1 speaker system before I get the new sound card.