Welcome to my super geeky Tax Refund Project page!

The Challenge:  Build a computer with my tax refund amount as the budget (~$350, woohoo). Why? I’m sadly behind the learning curve for open source software, so I’m going to build a Unix box and try out some open source OS. Then, I’ll benchmark it and see how we did.  This is first and foremost an educational venture (I wonder if I can deduct it from next year’s taxes?).

The Plan:  Thanks to some helpful reviews from Ars Technica, I’m confident I can shop for computer components knowledgeably.  Here’s my wishlist of components:

• Motherboard: nVidia nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset
• Processor: AMD Athlon XP2500 (Barton Core)
• Memory: 2 256MB DDR sticks (will take advantage of the dual DDR controller on the motherboard)
• Hard drive:  Something around 60 GB
• Optical drive: Recycle old CD-R from my Windows box
• Video: None (get the IGP motherboard with onboard video)
• Sound: None (gotta love the nForce2’s onboard sound)
• Case:  Something sexy, but cheap

Discussion:  Why, do you ask, would I not jump on the 64 bit bandwagon and get an Athlon64? Easy.  No way to keep it under budget. I’m not looking for the fastest system, just the best for my $350. This list could fit nicely into the budget

Shopping!!!:  This has to be my favorite part.  Again, thanks to Ars Technica’s recommendation, I’ll be shopping mostly at Tiger Direct. I’ve had a good experience with them before, and my trips to PC Pros (on Rio Hill) and Best Buy made me quite worried I could get under my budget at all.

Breakthrough!  Miracle of miracles.  I found a bare-bones kit with precisely my specifications on Tiger Direct for $200 after rebate! What does this mean?  I can get the motherboard, processor, memory and case bundled for much cheaper than I had thought. Downside:  This bundle includes a motherboard without onboard video, so I’ll have to buy a cheap AGP card. Also, the 512MB DDR RAM is in one stick, so no dual DDR control for me.  But, for the money, this is well worth it!  Still, this system is going to be FAST!!   Oooo, acrylic window! -->

The Build:

Well, the parts arrived and the build is complete! All components accounted for, with only a few mishaps. Take a look at my Build Pictures to see the steps of building a computer.

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