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AMD-based computer,,,

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Se7en:
I wouldnt agree with that at all actaully. I write technical articles for computer rags, so im up to date.

AGP isnt dead, not by a long way. The price difference is negligable, and often done deliberately to make the pci seem like a better deal. I have even seen cards come with memory UNDERCLOCKED as standard on the AGP version, so that it doesnt embarrass its PCI-E sibling.

The fact is, PCI-E is no faster. Its memory speed that holds back most graphics cards, its got very little to do with the interface, and most geeky buyers know that, and wont cough up for an entire new system just to have the new standard. AGP is going to be with us for a long time to come. In my opinion, the best budget card on the market at the moment is the nvidia 6600 GT.

The price difference, last time i checked, is quite big between 939 and 754. Sure, the boards are the same price, but the difference between CPU prices adds up.

You can forget upgrading too. Its no longer practical to think in terms of buying a good motherboard and upgrading the rest as and when you can, since everythings far too integrated for that. The differences between a bottom of the range and top of the range cpu for any one platform are so small that the vast majority of people just wont want to spend the extra. By the time you come to upgrade anyway, the whole shebang is years out of date and you need the full cpu/mobo/ram combo anyway.

Personally, i take system performance totaly for granted. For the vast majority of everything i do, i prefer my athlon 1600 XP system over my Athlon 64 3200. Why? its got a 19" TFT, instead of a pokey 17" TFT. Things like that are becoming far more important now, since almost any PC of the last 2 years is "fast enough".

SpacemanSpiff:
I know that AGP isn't dead, there will be cards out there for a long time, just like you can still buy PCI video cards. And I know that PCI-E isn't any faster, it's more a marketing thing than anything else.
Still, wouldn't you agree with me that if you buy a completely new computer, you might as well get PCI-E since this is definitely the technology that will be used in the computer mainstream for a longer time?
Also, by now, the PCI-E motherboards tend to be slightly better when it comes to features (plus I haven't seen any passively cooled AGP nForce boards yet).

I agree, the best budget card right now is the nVidia 6600GT. Personally, I would get the passively cooled model by Gigabyte, but that's probably my own fanatic idea about building a silent computer. Still, the 6600GT definitely offers the best bang for the buck (and better drivers too, especially if you use Linux).

I know that hardly anyone upgrades these days, but if you're at it, again, why not get the technology with more future? If the difference is about 15 bucks, at least I would be willing to pay for it.
Which brings me to the price difference when it comes to socket 754 vs. 939: At least over here, the difference is not big. Example (I used Alternate for this, it's one of the biggest computer hardware shops in Germany): Socket 939 3000+: 119€ (not boxed) vs Socket 754 3000+: 124€ (not boxed).

Se7en:
okay, the difference isnt much when you compare cpus of the same PR rating, but try comparing the cheapest 754 cpu with the cheapest 939 cpu, and you will see its a fair bit more money that would be better spent elsewhere.

If you want pci-e, that forces you to use socket 939, bringing the total price up, Remember we are talking about a very cheap system here, and the idea is to avoid being forced to use legacy socket A kit, and still have the money for plenty of ram and a big hard drive. When you are working to budget, you have to be VERY strict about specifications, and prioritise things very carefully.

By the way, i understand your dream for a quiet computer. I even use a totally passively cooled PSU, and i have experimented with inert hydrocarbon cooling.

Se7en:
Yeah, just checked and its DOUBLE the price to go socket 939.

thermodynamics:
thanks for the heads up on the memory... what i will probably do is modify my setup a little bit, but i am sure i am getting:

the listed motherboard... it has everything i need on one board. i will eventually get an ati all-in-wonder card, but until then i will use the mobo's video.

athlon 64 at least 3500+

minimum of 1gb of ram... i might just get 4x 512mb and have a meaty 2 gb ram.

a serial ata h.d.

a streamlined case. i don't want a gaudy, glowing, flashy piece of shit. i want sleek lines and simplicity. most aluminum cases have these qualities, but i am open to anything.

a dvd-rw+/rw- drive.

other than that, i don't care. i have copies of windows to install. i have mice. i am going to get a mac usb keyboard. i have speakers, i have a monitor.

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