My first computer build

Back in 1999 I bought my first computer. My Dad had computers of various sorts in the house but I wanted something I could play with and not worry about breaking anything of his. So without much experience, besides how to plug in the components, I bought a copy of the PC Gamer "Ultimate Hardware Bible" and from here made my first computer. The computer was pretty decent for 1999 specs and cost me about $1,500 not including a monitor.

Here's the actual list of parts and their pricing from 1999.

• Intel PIII-450 $250


• Supermicro full tower w/300 watt $150


• Asus 3BF $130


• 128MB PC100 $130


• Diamond Viper V770 Ultra $220


• Creative Labs Sound Blaster $100


• Generic CD-ROM 40X $50


• Western Digital 6GB IDE 7200RPM $150


• Windows 98 second edition OEM $150

It doesn't sound like much but I could play Half Life with decent frame rates. :)

Ironically, I'm building a new computer and just from the parts total I'm almost exactly at $1,500. I think you get more for your money but the prime performace to dollar is still around $1,500 for a gaming/performance computer. The last time I spent $500 on a 19" CRT monitor and now I'm spending $400 on a 19" LCD.

Rob