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General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Iron_Cross on February 04, 2009, 11:22:44 PM

Title: Budget build
Post by: Iron_Cross on February 04, 2009, 11:22:44 PM

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor
ECS GF8200A (V1.0) AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8200 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 500W ATX Power Supply
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
ZALMAN CNPS 9500 AM2 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD502lJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM
LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDP118-08 - Retail

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 05, 2009, 12:41:31 AM

Are you gaming with this?  Because that onboard 8200 chipset isn't going to 'game' very well.  You could skimp on a cheaper case and skip the Zalman cooler.  Use those savings on an actual video card.  But on the 'real' cheap, AMD is gonna give you the best bang.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 05, 2009, 01:08:15 AM

Yep, get a real video card.  The PSU you picked will power a 9600 or something in that range.  You can save a little on the case and maybe the motherboard without the on-board video and the PSU will come with a fan that's adequate unless you plan on doing some major overclocking.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Iron_Cross on February 05, 2009, 02:14:35 PM

What if I swich the MOBO to this:
ASUS M3A78 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

Add this video card;
SPARKLE SFPX94GT512U2 GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

Oops! I always forget the sound card.
StarTech PCISOUND4CH 4 Channels 16-bit 48KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

This cheep case, instead:
Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 05, 2009, 02:59:34 PM

Quote from: Iron_Cross on February 05, 2009, 02:14:35 PM

What if I swich the MOBO to this:
ASUS M3A78 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

Add this video card;
SPARKLE SFPX94GT512U2 GeForce 9400 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

Oops! I always forget the sound card.
StarTech PCISOUND4CH 4 Channels 16-bit 48KHz PCI Interface Sound Card

This cheep case, instead:
Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

I wouldn't expect a lot out of a 9400 but it will be a lot better than on-board video.  You may have to turn down the graphic settings but it should be quite playable.  This one would be better for the same price: 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130378
or this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102805

I'm not sure I'd bother with the $10 sound card.  Try on-board sound and if you don't like it then you can add the sound card later.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 05, 2009, 04:57:23 PM

The Radeon 4650 would be a better choice than the 9500GT, performance wise.  Also, don't bother with that StarTech sound card.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: drdeathx on February 06, 2009, 04:00:49 PM

Quote from: Fulmar on February 05, 2009, 04:57:23 PM

The Radeon 4650 would be a better choice than the 9500GT, performance wise.  Also, don't bother with that StarTech sound card.

^5 Fulmar. ATI 4650's are around $50 which is nicely priced and will handle AH no problemo! Just remember this, for a few hundred more you can make a much  better system. Your AMD 5000 is priced at $54. The Intel E8400 is $165  but the mobo will cost a bit more. Something to toss around. You have nowhere to go with the AMD with games and Technology getting more CPU intensive and movies and much more. The system you have is ok for today and today only. It will be a dog in a few years or less. Save another $200 and you will get a few more years than the AMD you have posted.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 07, 2009, 01:13:46 AM

Quote from: drdeathx on February 06, 2009, 04:00:49 PM

^5 Fulmar. ATI 4650's are around $50 which is nicely priced and will handle AH no problemo! Just remember this, for a few hundred more you can make a much  better system. Your AMD 5000 is priced at $54. The Intel E8400 is $165  but the mobo will cost a bit more. Something to toss around. You have nowhere to go with the AMD with games and Technology getting more CPU intensive and movies and much more. The system you have is ok for today and today only. It will be a dog in a few years or less. Save another $200 and you will get a few more years than the AMD you have posted.

The guy is trying to build a machine on a budget.  He's grappling to get a $45 video card vs onboard and you want him to triple the price of the CPU?  Get a grip.  What he's building will run the game just fine with the modifications that we've suggested unless you want to pony up for the extra $$$.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: haggerty on February 08, 2009, 01:27:46 PM

I priced a machine for you...halfway through I started building it for myself and will probably buy it.

Came out to $544 before $65 in mail in rebates and $10 in combo savings.  Total: $469

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8011274

The important stuff, prices before rebates or combo deals:

Processer	E5200 2.5ghz Core 2	$73
Board	GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L	$53
Video Card	XFX GT9800 512mb 256 bit GDDR3	$129
Memory	Patriot Viper 4GB DDR2 800	$53
Hard Drive	G.SKILL 64GB Solid State Drive	$140
PSU	Thermaltake 500w	$50
Case	Thermaltake WingRS 200	$46

The keyboard, mouse, and OS i'll steal from work.  2GB ram is a solid amount of ram...I threw 4GB in this build because Patriot is giving such huge rebates that 2GB was the same price.  XP 32bit only uses 3GB...I'll probably use XP 64bit.  I really do not like Vista.

Obviously money can be saved on the video card and hard drive with lesser models...im pretty old school and all these newer games dont interest me...a 9800GT will probably last me years.  I am an avid preacher that hard drives are the biggest factor in computer performance.  These new solid state drives are really fast...especially as replacements for laptop hard drives.  This choice is a personal preference for me but for half the cost you can have a 7200rpm 750gb SATAII hard drive instead.  If you want speed in a traditional hard drive I'd give the velociratpors a look too.  I only play one or two games at a time, 64gb is plenty for me.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 08, 2009, 01:38:56 PM

Quote from: haggerty on February 08, 2009, 01:27:46 PM

I priced a machine for you...halfway through I started building it for myself and will probably buy it.

Came out to $544 before $65 in mail in rebates and $10 in combo savings.  Total: $469

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8011274

The important stuff, prices before rebates or combo deals:

Processer	E5200 2.5ghz Core 2	$73
Board	GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L	$53
Video Card	XFX GT9800 512mb 256 bit GDDR3	$129
Memory	Patriot Viper 4GB DDR2 800	$53
Hard Drive	G.SKILL 64GB Solid State Drive	$140
PSU	Thermaltake 500w	$50
Case	Thermaltake WingRS 200	$46

Why the SSD HD?  You can get a 500gb Seagate for about $60.  That gives you an extra $80 to play with.

You can find 9800GT's for $92 after MIR (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500080), but Zotac doesn't offer the lifetime warranties that BFG, XFX, and EVGA offer.

You can take that $80 savings and use it to where you can get more performance.  Either use it in a video card, or a faster CPU such as an E7400, E7500, or the fan favorite E8400.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: haggerty on February 08, 2009, 01:58:29 PM

Quote from: Fulmar on February 08, 2009, 01:38:56 PM

Why the SSD HD?

Speed.  Building same computer for friend but replacing SSD with 750gb WD Caviar Black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283)and going with a lesser video card (got any value ones in mind?).  He doesn't game

Quote

Zotac doesn't offer the lifetime warranties that BFG, XFX, and EVGA offer.

I plan to keep the computer for well over a year so the extra $10 doesnt hurt much here.

Quote

You can take that $80 savings and use it to where you can get more performance.  Either use it in a video card, or a faster CPU such as an E7400, E7500, or the fan favorite E8400.

Processor speed is pretty overrated.  I have yet to see a game close to utilizing my processors.  The E5200 overclocks to 3ghz without breaking a sweat.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: 1701E on February 08, 2009, 03:14:33 PM

Budget builds can actually be quite nice, as I have found with mine.  Best?  Not quite, but dang it's nice.

Motherboard: Biostar NF61S-M2 TE / AM2 Socket   50$
CPU:            AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz            65$
RAM:           2GB (2x 1GB) DDR2-800MHz              40$
GPU:            Nvidia GeForce 7900GS                    100$
PSU:            OCZ Stealth 700Watt                      90$ (Arrives Wednesday, old PSU is trash)
HDD:           Western Digital 360GB EIDE               65$
Case:          Aerocool M40                                 80$

Total: 490$

I am soon replacing the GPU with a GeForce 9800GTX that will bring the price up to about 540$. (Around March)
It may be a little more than some consider "budget", but most parts have rebates and all parts are good brands.

It works very nicely, although some may hate my 'Cube Case'.  Currently it runs all my games from old C&C games (1995) to AH (current) almost perfectly.  Games such as new C&C to Crysis run on Medium with acceptable FR.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 08, 2009, 04:33:03 PM

Quote from: haggerty on February 08, 2009, 01:58:29 PM

Speed.  Building same computer for friend but replacing SSD with 750gb WD Caviar Black http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136283)and going with a lesser video card (got any value ones in mind?).  He doesn't game
I plan to keep the computer for well over a year so the extra $10 doesnt hurt much here.
Processor speed is pretty overrated.  I have yet to see a game close to utilizing my processors.  The E5200 overclocks to 3ghz without breaking a sweat.

I'd have 64Gb filled in the first 15 minutes of a build.  I guess if you want, use the extra $80 for a second hard drive if needed.  If the person is going to be doing a lot of modeling, design, or video/photo editing, I guess SSD would be an improvement.  You're noting going to see FPS increases on using a SSD drive, games don't do a whole lot of read/writes.  If this is a Browser/Word/Aces High machine, I'd use the money elsewhere.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: drdeathx on February 08, 2009, 08:41:24 PM

Quote from: BaldEagl on February 07, 2009, 01:13:46 AM

The guy is trying to build a machine on a budget.  He's grappling to get a $45 video card vs onboard and you want him to triple the price of the CPU?  Get a grip.  What he's building will run the game just fine with the modifications that we've suggested unless you want to pony up for the extra $$$.

LOL. Sometimes its better to wait. The suggestion was for Iron, not for you Baldeagle. I am sure if he cannot afford it he will not use the advise. :rofl :rofl :rofl

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: drdeathx on February 08, 2009, 08:44:12 PM

Quote from: 1701E on February 08, 2009, 03:14:33 PM

Budget builds can actually be quite nice, as I have found with mine.  Best?  Not quite, but dang it's nice.

Motherboard: Biostar NF61S-M2 TE / AM2 Socket   50$
CPU:            AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz            65$
RAM:           2GB (2x 1GB) DDR2-800MHz              40$
GPU:            Nvidia GeForce 7900GS                    100$
PSU:            OCZ Stealth 700Watt                      90$ (Arrives Wednesday, old PSU is trash)
HDD:           Western Digital 360GB EIDE               65$
Case:          Aerocool M40                                 80$

Total: 490$

I am soon replacing the GPU with a GeForce 9800GTX that will bring the price up to about 540$. (Around March)
It may be a little more than some consider "budget", but most parts have rebates and all parts are good brands.

It works very nicely, although some may hate my 'Cube Case'.  Currently it runs all my games from old C&C games (1995) to AH (current) almost perfectly.  Games such as new C&C to Crysis run on Medium with acceptable FR.

Waste of money on 7900GS. ATI 4350 can be bought for $50. The 9800GTX + 7900GS in dollars makes no sense. Your ram is rather pricey too. You can buy ram for half the price DDR2.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: drdeathx on February 08, 2009, 08:47:52 PM

Quote from: Fulmar on February 08, 2009, 01:38:56 PM

Why the SSD HD?  You can get a 500gb Seagate for about $60.  That gives you an extra $80 to play with.

You can find 9800GT's for $92 after MIR (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500080), but Zotac doesn't offer the lifetime warranties that BFG, XFX, and EVGA offer.

You can take that $80 savings and use it to where you can get more performance.  Either use it in a video card, or a faster CPU such as an E7400, E7500, or the fan favorite E8400.

Fulmar,


Again ATI 4350 OR 4650 will save money to pay for operating system that was not included. $80 SAVINGS DEPENDING ON WHICH BUILD YOU LOOK AT.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: 1701E on February 08, 2009, 09:19:57 PM

Quote from: drdeathx on February 08, 2009, 08:44:12 PM

Waste of money on 7900GS. ATI 4350 can be bought for $50. The 9800GTX + 7900GS in dollars makes no sense. Your ram is rather pricey too. You can buy ram for half the price DDR2.

I bought that 7900 almost a year ago, it was at the time a good buy since I had a PSU to handle it.  My RAM was bought over a year ago, thus was more expensive then now.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 08, 2009, 10:22:53 PM

Quote from: drdeathx on February 08, 2009, 08:47:52 PM

Fulmar,
Again ATI 4350 OR 4650 will save money to pay for operating system that was not included. $80 SAVINGS DEPENDING ON WHICH BUILD YOU LOOK AT.

I went on the recommendations for the price range from Tomshardware.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 08, 2009, 11:43:04 PM

Quote from: drdeathx on February 08, 2009, 08:44:12 PM

Waste of money on 7900GS. ATI 4350 can be bought for $50. The 9800GTX + 7900GS in dollars makes no sense. Your ram is rather pricey too. You can buy ram for half the price DDR2.

Or he could get a 9600 or 9800 GT for $100.  Tha 7900 GS is definately overpriced for what you get.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 03:10:05 AM

Whelp, I decided to go back to the drawing board and figure out a good GPU based build for under $500.  This is what I came up with:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz Dual-Core Processor - Retail            $54.99
BIOSTAR A770 A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail          $69.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD502lJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive - OEM        $59.99
OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 - Retail                                                 $41.99
Antec EA650 650W Power Supply - Retail                                                  $79.99
Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail           $19.99
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM                          $89.99
HP Black 20X DVD Burner - OEM                                                               $19.99
HIS Hightech H465FS512P Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit Video Card - Retail  $59.99

Total                                                                                                 $496.91

The BIOSTAR A770 motherboard, will allow me to upgrade to the Phenom II processor, later on.  The 4650 Radeon card is pretty nice video for the price.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 09, 2009, 09:13:02 AM

Quote from: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 03:10:05 AM

Whelp, I decided to go back to the drawing board and figure out a good GPU based build for under $500.  This is what I came up with:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz Dual-Core Processor - Retail            $54.99
BIOSTAR A770 A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail          $69.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD502lJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive - OEM        $59.99
OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 - Retail                                                 $41.99
Antec EA650 650W Power Supply - Retail                                                  $79.99
Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail           $19.99
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM                          $89.99
HP Black 20X DVD Burner - OEM                                                               $19.99
HIS Hightech H465FS512P Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit Video Card - Retail  $59.99

Total                                                                                                 $496.91

The BIOSTAR A770 motherboard, will allow me to upgrade to the Phenom II processor, later on.  The 4650 Radeon card is pretty nice video for the price.

Only suggestion I have is choose a different model number for the HP DVD Burner.  I believe you selected this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827140029

It's IDE, and IMO, the cabling for SATA drivers is sooo much nicer than IDE.  Their HP SATA is out of stock, but you should be able to find a good LG or Asus Drive w/ lightscrib and free shipping for ~$25-27.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 09, 2009, 11:08:53 AM

Quote from: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 03:10:05 AM

Whelp, I decided to go back to the drawing board and figure out a good GPU based build for under $500.  This is what I came up with:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz Dual-Core Processor - Retail            $54.99
BIOSTAR A770 A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail          $69.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD502lJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive - OEM        $59.99
OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 - Retail                                                 $41.99
Antec EA650 650W Power Supply - Retail                                                  $79.99
Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail           $19.99
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - OEM                          $89.99
HP Black 20X DVD Burner - OEM                                                               $19.99
HIS Hightech H465FS512P Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit Video Card - Retail  $59.99

Total                                                                                                 $496.91

The BIOSTAR A770 motherboard, will allow me to upgrade to the Phenom II processor, later on.  The 4650 Radeon card is pretty nice video for the price.

Much better. 

There's a lot of power in that PSU which is a good thing.  If you wanted to you could scale that back a shade and spend the savings on upgrading either the case or the OS to XP Pro.  If you don't do that then you're set for any possible video card upgrade you want to make in the future without having to buy a new PSU which is a good futureproofing strategy.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 01:51:01 PM

Quote from: Fulmar on February 09, 2009, 09:13:02 AM

Only suggestion I have is choose a different model number for the HP DVD Burner.  I believe you selected this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827140029

It's IDE, and IMO, the cabling for SATA drivers is sooo much nicer than IDE.  Their HP SATA is out of stock, but you should be able to find a good LG or Asus Drive w/ lightscrib and free shipping for ~$25-27.

You mean like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 09, 2009, 02:05:32 PM

Quote from: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 01:51:01 PM

You mean like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149

Yes but or a few $ more this one supports Lightscribe which allows you to burn a label onto the disc (plus it's a little faster):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 09, 2009, 02:24:18 PM

Quote from: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 01:51:01 PM

You mean like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149

Yeah, that's a popular buy on Newegg.  As BaldEagl said, that one doesn't have Lightscribe, but you don't need it anyways.  Lightscribe is kind of a neat gimmick...

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: 1701E on February 09, 2009, 03:12:11 PM

Lightscribe is nice, til you run out of discs and can't justify the price of more.  Those suckers are expensive, here anyways.  A pack of 20 is about 16$, where as a pack of 50 normal discs is 18$.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 09, 2009, 03:23:09 PM

I only use it for CD's I burn for my car or DVD movies where I want some artwork on them.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 05:45:28 PM

Two words, for those that think LightScribe is the bee's knees;  Sharpie Marker.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 09, 2009, 06:04:56 PM

Quote from: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 05:45:28 PM

Two words, for those that think LightScribe is the bee's knees;  Sharpie Marker.

If you need something with a design/logo/artwork on it for work or something else, I find that it beats those stupid printed sticker systems.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: AirFlyer on February 09, 2009, 11:40:34 PM

Decided to take a whack at this for the fun of it. Heres what I came up with... https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=6180729

Totals $424 before tax, S&H, etc. Decent build that is flexible, could probably change the video card up. The mobo. is a bit on the expensive side but I've never been a fan of cheap mobos.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 09, 2009, 11:44:45 PM

Quote from: AirFlyer on February 09, 2009, 11:40:34 PM

Decided to take a whack at this for the fun of it. Heres what I came up with... https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=6180729

Totals $424 before tax, S&H, etc. Decent build that is flexible, could probably change the video card up. The mobo. is a bit on the expensive side but I've never been a fan of cheap mobos.

Copy and paste the parts list over because it's not going to let us see your secure wishlist (unless you want to give us your user name and password  :D )

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: AirFlyer on February 10, 2009, 05:57:22 AM

Quote from: BaldEagl on February 09, 2009, 11:44:45 PM

Copy and paste the parts list over because it's not going to let us see your secure wishlist (unless you want to give us your user name and password  :D )

Bleh, thought setting it as shared would get around that, guess not.

Case: Thermaltake M9 VI1000BWS Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail = $49.99
Mobo: ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail = $78.99
GPU: BIOSTAR VA4653NH51 Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail = $69.99
PSU: Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Retail = 49.99
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5000DOBOX - Retail = 57.00
RAM: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G8002GK - Retail = 25.99
HDD: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM = 69.99
Optical Drive: LITE-ON Combo Black SATA Model DH-52C2S-04 - OEM = 22.99

Total = 424.93

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Getback on February 10, 2009, 06:03:53 AM

Quote from: Iron_Cross on February 09, 2009, 05:45:28 PM

Two words, for those that think LightScribe is the bee's knees;  Sharpie Marker.

 :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl :rofl Yeah, that's what my IT guy told me. I was talking about it and he said here, while reaching in a drawer, use this and he pulls out a sharpie.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 10, 2009, 10:58:15 AM

Quote from: AirFlyer on February 10, 2009, 05:57:22 AM

Bleh, thought setting it as shared would get around that, guess not.

Case: Thermaltake M9 VI1000BWS Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail = $49.99
Mobo: ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail = $78.99
GPU: BIOSTAR VA4653NH51 Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail = $69.99
PSU: Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Retail = 49.99
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5000DOBOX - Retail = 57.00
RAM: OCZ Gold 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2G8002GK - Retail = 25.99
HDD: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM = 69.99
Optical Drive: LITE-ON Combo Black SATA Model DH-52C2S-04 - OEM = 22.99

Total = 424.93

First of all I'm not a big fan of Micro-ATX motherboards.  Second, the one you've selected has on-board video.  Why pay for that when you won't use it?  This is a full ATX motherboard with slightly better specs than the one you selected at a similar price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376

The power supply you chose is a little weak.  This one is much better and it's $5 less after mail-in rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010

Here's an alternate choice in a similar price range:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

[EDIT] I failed to mention that th PSU you chose only has a single 6 pin PCIe connector.  The first one above has 2x 6 pin connectors while the second has 1x 6 pin plus 1x 6+2 pin connectors which would allow much greater fexibility in future video card upgrades.  I'd likely go with choice 2 for this reason.

The motherboard you chose, and the one I recommended, both support DDR2 1066 memory.  For about $5 more you could run this at 1066:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134218

Or you could get this lower latency memory at DDR2 800:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134066

Either way these are better, faster RAM modules than what you chose at only a few dollars more.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: 1701E on February 10, 2009, 12:42:41 PM

Quote from: BaldEagl on February 10, 2009, 10:58:15 AM

First of all I'm not a big fan of Micro-ATX motherboards.  Second, the one you've selected has on-board video.  Why pay for that when you won't use it?

Onboard video has its advantages.  Like my current situation, my PSU died and my backup is not good enough to power my GPU, so I must use onboard or no computer.  Besides, Mirco-ATX isn't so bad, it makes my computer very portable. :) I do agree on using a full ATX Motherboard, since the case selected supports it.  I stand by Micro though since I prefer portability over extreme-overkill performance.

Also, it would bring price up a bit, but That OCZ 600watt PSU can be brought up to 700watt.  After looking for my new PSU I had decided on that 600, until I looked around and heard some horror stories about the 600.  Lot of complaints about it failing after about 6-12months.  I can give a full report on the 700watt sometime tomorrow. :D
As for the second PSU, it is modular, and last time I asked around for PSU options just about everyone was against using Modular.  Has that changed?

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 10, 2009, 02:02:18 PM

Quote from: 1701E on February 10, 2009, 12:42:41 PM

Also, it would bring price up a bit, but That OCZ 600watt PSU can be brought up to 700watt.  After looking for my new PSU I had decided on that 600, until I looked around and heard some horror stories about the 600.  Lot of complaints about it failing after about 6-12months.  I can give a full report on the 700watt sometime tomorrow. :D
As for the second PSU, it is modular, and last time I asked around for PSU options just about everyone was against using Modular.  Has that changed?

I didn't spend a lot of time researching these.  I was looking for something in his price range with more amps than what he chose plus more flexibility in PCIe connectors.  The point is that, with what he chose, if he ever wanted to upgrade to a 9800 GTX or GTX 260/280 series card he'd have to get a new PSU to do so.  IMO it's better to spend a little more the first time (which he wouldn't be doing in this case) than to spend and spend again later.  The specific units can be debated but that first PSU has an 83% positive rating by newegg users and, as to the second I wouldn't be afraid of buying a modular unit; in fact it might be nice.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: drdeathx on February 10, 2009, 07:30:17 PM

Quote from: 1701E on February 10, 2009, 12:42:41 PM

Onboard video has its advantages.  Like my current situation, my PSU died and my backup is not good enough to power my GPU, so I must use onboard or no computer.  Besides, Mirco-ATX isn't so bad, it makes my computer very portable. :) I do agree on using a full ATX Motherboard, since the case selected supports it.  I stand by Micro though since I prefer portability over extreme-overkill performance.

Also, it would bring price up a bit, but That OCZ 600watt PSU can be brought up to 700watt.  After looking for my new PSU I had decided on that 600, until I looked around and heard some horror stories about the 600.  Lot of complaints about it failing after about 6-12months.  I can give a full report on the 700watt sometime tomorrow. :D
As for the second PSU, it is modular, and last time I asked around for PSU options just about everyone was against using Modular.  Has that changed?

On a new build there are warranty's

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: drdeathx on February 10, 2009, 07:34:30 PM

Iron,

If you go with ATI for video card you need not worry about a huge PSU. They run on far less than NVidea. A 500W-600W will be ample. ATI recommends min 300W but with your system a 500-600W will be fine.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: AirFlyer on February 10, 2009, 09:46:57 PM

Not even sure why I felt the need to go Micro-ATX, I always have trouble finding quality boards with that form factor. Good call though, same with the PSU. For 5 bucks more the RAM should be fine. I went OCZ just because I know they make quality RAM and for that price it seemed like a steal, never heard of Kingston though. Over all with the adjustments it makes for an even nicer build while keeping almost the same price.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: Fulmar on February 10, 2009, 10:19:34 PM

Never heard of Kingston?  They've been around since the mid 80's IIRC.  They generally focus on lower cost, high compatibility ram for the every day user.  I wouldn't think about trying to OC any of their ram modules.

Title: Re: Budget build
Post by: BaldEagl on February 10, 2009, 10:50:51 PM

Quote from: Fulmar on February 10, 2009, 10:19:34 PM

Never heard of Kingston?  They've been around since the mid 80's IIRC.  They generally focus on lower cost, high compatibility ram for the every day user.  I wouldn't think about trying to OC any of their ram modules.

Kingston has been around for a long time.  They are used by a lot of the computer manufacturers as OEM RAM and there's one thing you can always be sure of... they have a RAM solution for every motherboard out there.

That was then.  They introduced the Kingston HyperX line to appeal to the enthusiast market.  I'm running Kingston HyperX DDR2 800 and I read a test where they overclocked it to 960 or 980 (can't recal which) and maintained the 4-4-4-12 timings.  Normally with that type of overclock you'd expect to have to loosen timings.  They also maintain the lifetime warrantee up to 2.2 or 2.3V.  Recommended voltage is 2.0 so they know who they are selling this line to.  I'm very happy with mine.