im thinking of building a new computer. I have some hardware from my recent computer that im currently using. The hardware i have from my current computer are: 120gb WD hd, 5.1 Creative Audigy sound card, 4x Pioneer Dvd burner, 24x Samsung CD burner. floppy disc. The question is, what additional hardware do i need to build a new computer besides the motherboard, video card, and cpu?

case and power supply...

Ram

To expand more on ram, there is ddr ram, rdram, and sd ram. Rdram is the fastest, but it basically dead..too many problems with it. DDR ram is the way to go, there are various types of speeds and dual channel is a must for top performance. Depending on what type of processor your getting, need to look at the chipset of the mobo. If your getting a p4, i875p chipset is the best and fastest, i865 is fast also and more affordable. Also look at the processors and the differences between them. Front side bus (FSB) is a factor, 800mhz fsb is the fastest in the p4 family.

AMD, Nvidia Nforce 2 is I believe is the best chipset. Go with a good power supply, 350watts or higher and get a good brand like antec or enermax. Video card should support 8x, if your looking to play games. (not all cards with 8x are good, some are crappy for games like the fx 5200) Recommended are ati 9600 or higher and nvidia fx 5600 or higher.

Dont forget fans for your case either, #1 enemy is heat, so good cooling is a must. I forgot the form factor of the board. ATX or Micro ATX. Atx is for larger to full size cases. I know this was a little off your question but it was pretty much answered above, just expanding a little.

Agree with Mr. Snatcher. nVidia mobo's are the best choice for XP chips probably till the 64 processors take over. I have an Abit NF7-S v2.0 and I love this baby so much, especially the XP 2600+ I have on her is an unlocked Barton.

what's so special with an unlocked Barton? Is it capable of doing more than just a regular Barton?

Modem of some sort? (if your on the net) :)

A mouse, monitor, and keyboard would be nice too.

How about a mouse mat ???

CPU heatsink, cables to connect it all together.

steady hands and make sure you are not full of staic
epox nfrce to is best nforce i heard
ita reasonably cheap too

Originally posted by xxxicethixxx
what's so special with an unlocked Barton? Is it capable of doing more than just a regular Barton?

The unlocked CPUs on appropriate boards not only will let you adjust the FSB frequency but also will allow you to tweak the voltages and multipliers as well for the best suited settings for your system when OC'ing.

However, on a good NForce2 Ultra 400 mobo such as the Abit NF7-S v2.0, Abit AN7, Asus A7N8X Deluxe, or the Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe and good DDR400 RAM or better, even with the locked Bartons that certainly would tie your hands down to FSB adjustment only, you can still OC the 2500+/2600+ Barton easily by increasing the FSB to 200 or so