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[GodsTyro]

AMD Athlon XP 3000+ cpu and heavyduty heatsink/cooling fan
L7S7A2 Socket A Motherboard
512mb PC3200 DDR400 SDRAM memory (single stick!)
120GB 7200rpm ULTRA 100 Hard Drive
52x/32x/52x CDRW drive
16x/48x DVD ROM drive
128mb RADEON 9200SE DDR w/TV-OUT+DVI
Intel AC97 2.2 Spec Digital Audio
10/100 Networking (LAN)
56k V.92 Fax/Modem
SIIG 3 IEEE 1394 FireWire ports
1.44mb 3.5" Floppy Drive
Mid Tower ATX Case w/400 WATT Power Supply
(4x5"+ 2x3" External Drive Bays)
480W speaker set with a powered subwoofer
Internet Mouse w/Scroll
Windows PS2 Keyboard

Are these specs good enough to run 3Ds Max, Maya, digital software, and some mid-range games smoothly?

 

[element]

bump up the RAM and get a new graphics card, get an 9600XT or something.

 

[xsarien]

Just me, but for that kind of high-end stuff, I'd start to consider some SATA-based hard drives, only because of the amount of data you're going to be tossing around. Also, take the video board up a notch.

I'm assuming money *IS* a factor, otherwise I'd recommend a dedicated capture/output card to work in tandem with the video board. But I'm pretty conservative with computer hardware, in that I've never really had much faith in components that claim to be a jack of all trades.

So, uh, take my opinion with however big a grain of salt you deem appropriate.

 

[Shogmaster]

AMD Athlon XP 3000+ cpu and heavyduty heatsink/cooling fan
L7S7A2 Socket A Motherboard
512mb PC3200 DDR400 SDRAM memory (single stick!)
120GB 7200rpm ULTRA 100 Hard Drive
52x/32x/52x CDRW drive
16x/48x DVD ROM drive
128mb RADEON 9200SE DDR w/TV-OUT+DVI
Intel AC97 2.2 Spec Digital Audio
10/100 Networking (LAN)
56k V.92 Fax/Modem
SIIG 3 IEEE 1394 FireWire ports
1.44mb 3.5" Floppy Drive
Mid Tower ATX Case w/400 WATT Power Supply
(4x5"+ 2x3" External Drive Bays)
480W speaker set with a powered subwoofer
Internet Mouse w/Scroll
Windows PS2 Keyboard

Are these specs good enough to run 3Ds Max, Maya, digital software, and some mid-range games smoothly?

It'll be o-tay. Could be much better even if you decided to stick to Athlon XPs. That SIS mobo don't support dual channel RAM I think. How much are they charging for this thing? Less than $400 I hope.

 

[GodsTyro]

That's $549, but I'm not building it or anything....it's being bought for me (so that's why the price range is so low). As far as graphics card goes, I can spend around $100. I'm thinking I'll get it seperately from newegg.com and install it (shouldn't be too difficult, right?) Any suggestions?

 

[Azwethinkweiz]

You might wanna double the ram too. Editing takes its toll on memory.

 

[Shogmaster]

That's $549, but I'm not building it or anything....it's being bought for me (so that's why the price range is so low). As far as graphics card goes, I can spend around $100. I'm thinking I'll get it seperately from newegg.com and install it (shouldn't be too difficult, right?) Any suggestions?

Alternate use for the $650:

Athlon XP-M 2400+ and heatsink (to be overclocked to 3400+) - $100
nForce 2 mobo - $70
1GB of PC3200 (2x512 DIMMs) - $160
Antec 350W smart power case with shipping - $70
DVD/CDRW combo drive - $40
120GB 7200RPM WD 8MB IDE - $75
Radeon 9600XT - $135

Putting together a kickass system by yourself - priceless

 

[GodsTyro]

I know nothing about video cards. Is this the Radeon 9600xt you're talking about? http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-338&depa=0

 

[Shogmaster]

Yeah something like that. Newegg tends to be slightly more expensive for vid cards, so you could find better on pricewatch. Just check the reseller's ratings at resellerratings.com.