Alright Guys, Heres a challenge for ya

[wranglr88]

sora, thanks a huge bunch for the info. its helping me along quite nicely.
i was just looking at my old set-up, and it'll give you guys a good laugh at my first sorry attempt:
VGA gigabyte radeon 9200se 128mb
gigabyte ga 7s748 series mobo
amd 2400/266 athlon xp
512 ddram
430w psu
seriously, i was completely shocked that when i turned it on, it actually worked. but now its time for a new one!
back to business now.
the only problem with this new build is that i didnt factor in the os and tax, which would put the total up to 750. thats really stretching it for me! i think bill gates should just say, 'you know what, i've finally got enough money. everything's free now!'

 

[Sora]

Two things.

First Windows is free and should be free if you know what i mean. I don't use vista and there are tons of legit XP copies out there you can use. Also you could always get 2GB of ram for now since 2GB is still plenty to get a great gaming experience but it's just a lot get 4gb who want vista becuase games such as crysis...and thats about it right now use more.

 

[wranglr88]

my only problem is that my last build had a 'free' windows copy, and it was just a bear trying to skirt the validation stuff if i wanted to download win media 10 and other stuff by microsoft. i guess it didnt help that i also put that same copy on about 5 other computers in the house with the same key:freak:.

 

[Nagasama]

If you come to the dark side there's free performance waiting for you to unleash

i LOL'd @ this...

to OP, why not try server 2008? it is basically vista (but responds better) and it can be downloaded and used free. i DL'd the "enterprise" version...i dont know why, lol...maybe because i run a business and it was subliminal? i dont use my gaming rig for business, so i really dont know why...it just sounded better than "standard" lol! it works fine, but you may want to get the "standard" version. probably better for a desktop in some manner.
Windows Server 2008 Trial Software

after 240 days you will have to register it...*cough* there are ways around that, of course.
the only problem i had was finding a 64bit driver for my audigy 2 SE card (it doesn't exist). but that doesn't matter 'cos the onboard of my new asus mobo is better anyway.
actually, i had a lot of problems with it (and am still in the middle of fixing them)...but i was trying to dual boot XP 32 and Server 2008 64. let's talk about a PITA....
i am in the midst of backing up my XP drive and wiping it.

my only problem is that my last build had a 'free' windows copy, and it was just a bear trying to skirt the validation stuff if i wanted to download win media 10 and other stuff by microsoft. i guess it didnt help that i also put that same copy on about 5 other computers in the house with the same key:freak:.

lol..as far as skirting that key part...when it asks you to call the number, call it and tell them you like, "updated the firmware in your dvd-rom and now its asking for validation" or something. i do it all the time, and it works EVERY TIME. heh, i've re-formatted at least 10 times on my rig with the same disc, and installed xp from it on probably 4 or 5 other computers in my house and my parents. just make sure you tell them it's firmware update from a single piece of hardware...they get shifty if you tell them you changed cpus or mobos.
lol.

 

[alexsabree]

i LOL'd @ this...

to OP, why not try server 2008? it is basically vista (but responds better) and it can be downloaded and used free. i DL'd the "enterprise" version...i dont know why, lol...maybe because i run a business and it was subliminal? i dont use my gaming rig for business, so i really dont know why...it just sounded better than "standard" lol! it works fine, but you may want to get the "standard" version. probably better for a desktop in some manner.
Windows Server 2008 Trial Software

I second this. I have Windows Server 2008 Database and it works beautifully. Much better then "Vista Ultimate."

 

[veg1992]

You can also make it run for 240 days without activation for people who want to sample it for a good while

 

[wranglr88]

ok, after doing some more research this is what i got; see if it works.

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Newegg.com - Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
(because it turns out to be $20 with the vid card

Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H485F512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - Rosewill RP500-2 ATX12V v2.01 500W Power Supply 115/230 V CSA, UL, TUV, FCC - Power Supplies

that just about sums it up, and the subtotal comes to about $510 without OS, so i'm happy! tell me what you guys think! (thanks sora for your input!!)

 

[thirdshiftdj]

what about drivers for Server 2k8?

 

[wranglr88]

im just going to bite the bullet and buy the OS

 

[Nagasama]

what about drivers for Server 2k8?

as far as i can tell, most of them are the same as vista 64