sub $300 system

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viper92086

Gawd
Joined
Sep 3, 2002
Messages
963
can sumone put together me a system for under $300?? it must b decent for games, plz list links and everything my friend only has that much and i've tried newegg and tiger direct and i can't seem to put together one for cheaper than 300 (full system no O/S, monitor, or accessories, must b able to run XP fairly well and have a cd-rw and dvd drive)

thanx a whole lot
 
no ones gonna do it for you, and with $300 i don't think your gonna get much thats decent for games. go to newegg and do some research
 
Antec SLK1600 w/ 300 watt PSU $51.67

Asus A7V8X-X $58.96

SAPPHIRE RADEON 9200SE $47.00

WD400JB $60.50

Lite On 48x24x48x16 $52.00

AMD Duron 1.6 GHz $41.00

Crucial PC2700 256MB $39

TOTAL 350.13

That's the best I could do. If you checkout some FS/FT forums, you could probably find some of this cheaper, especially the hard drive.
 
Originally posted by ST|FFY
i would get the 1700+ instead for $50 at newegg when they have it in stock
Click to expand...
Well I was already over budget by $50 - so I was trying to cut corners anyway I could.
 
Ok this wont be under 300 but It might be under 400. This is off the top of my head.


Enermax Case, generic PSU - 35$
Samsung Black 52X24X52X16 CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive - 60$
Western Digital 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, OEM - 60$
ABIT nForce2 SPP Chipset Motherboard NF7-RETAIL - 80$
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton" - 90$
Gigabyte RADEON 9200SE 128MB DDR, 8X AGP - 51$
Crucial 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM - 42$
Generic floppy drive - 6$

total= 424$

spend a little more on a better videocar and another stick of 256 and it would be a lot better.
 
thanx alot for the lists i used both and combined a few things.. does memory brand really matter??? (no o/cing will b done, friend knows nuthin bout comps, i'm just tring to cut corners) which is better a 9200SE or a gf4 MX440
 
Dude, a new computer with any ability to play new games is going to be well over $300.

Wait a few months, save up more money.

And quit being such a slacker.
 
only way you'll be able to do it is if you have a Fry's close by and can get one of their combo deals for an 1800+ and ECS mobo for around $59.00.
 
this is definitely something you dont want to buy online
go to your local computer store
--not a compussr or best buy, but a privately owned one

for a 300 dollar system, youre going to have to find some deals

i highly doubt that youll be able to buy a new system for that cheap

and i agree with what others are saying:
save up and buy a better one
it always pays to pay up
 
I believe it's possible or will be close if you're careful and shop. Get a retail AMD chip so you get the HSF, and a board, case, vidcard and ram from newegg. Try to get free shipping (if you can't ship the case for free, try circuit city). Then get the HDD, burner, and dvd from office stores like staples or officemax (hint: check this week for 120 GB WD for $60 at officemax). After mail-in rebates you can get burners for < $10 or even $0 if you have a little time. Expect to pay < $0.50 per GB for a WD HDD. Remember to photocopy all rebate submissions to make sure you get your cheques.
 
Send me $300, and I'll build and ship you a 'decent' gaming computer.. Now, will it be Halflife 2 ready? No. Will it be good for Q3? Yeah..
 
Built for $304.97 $4.97 over is bset I can do.


GIGABYTE KM400 $60.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-128-196&catalog=22&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K $85.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-378&catalog=343&depa=1

Kreton 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2100 $32.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-207-018&catalog=147&depa=1

Gigabyte RADEON 9200SE $51.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-116&catalog=48&depa=1

Lite On 52X CD-ROM $16.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-101-201&catalog=55&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

ENLIGHT Model# EN-7150AP M-ATX MID-TOWER CASE $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-116-148&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Seagate 40GB 7200rpm $58.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-148-013&catalog=14&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1
 
that looks like a pretty good config, stefan231, but in the future, could you please post the names of the items (i.e. "2500 XP Barton") as well as the links, so that we don't have to click to an external link for each one?

at least, it annoys me a lot :p
but good work!
 
/me cracks his knuckles
I have to steal some stuff from the last post...

Built for $317. And a much better system than anyone else was listing for you.

And dont listen to these pharisees, a system thus built can play anything out now, just not with all the eyecandy turned on. I used to have a very very similar system (only I had a Geforce4 ti 4200 vid card) and it worked wonderfully. I recently built a friend of mine an nForce2 system With A DVD BURNER!!! for $424 (ok so I provided the hd). Anyways something like this will definitely be *decent* for playing games. :)



Mobo $87.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-130-433&catalog=22&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

CPU $67.00 AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 266 FSB, 256K Cache Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...103-383&catalog=343&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

2xMemory 2x$35.00==$70 Creton 256mb DDR Pc2100
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-200-043&catalog=147&depa=1

CDrom $16.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-101-201&catalog=55&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Case $19.00 Raidmax Model 208(BEIGE) 10-bay Case Retail.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-156-011&catalog=7&depa=1
(I have this case in black it is easy enough to deal with)

Hardrive $58.00
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...-148-013&catalog=14&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1 [/B][/QUOTE]

Editted for: WOOPS that mb doesnt have video onboard!...
 
Also if you wanted to you could delete the second ddr stick and get a dvd drive. But 256mb is pushing it for gaming. (especially with nforce sharing some of the memory for video)

Edit: Now that i look at it I suggest you spend another dollar and get the maxtor drive.
 
thanx again for the setups, no HF2 does not have to be able to run, and i'm not being a slacker, this computer isn't for me
 
Going off Braidman's config...

I'd probably spend $3 less and get the WD 40GB 7200rpm 2MB cache. Or maybe spend an extra $3 and get the 8MB cache WD.
Personally I'm a Seagate fanboy... see sig. First rig in the list has 11 Seagate drives. Of course I have no experience with Seagate IDE drives other than the one that came w/ my Sun, so that doesn't really extend to IDE.

Another thing you could do is get this Biostar Board for $65. Nforce2, mATX, integrated GF4MX video, supports dual channel. Granted MSI is a better brand, but I've used Biostar in the past & haven't had any trouble.

Make that change (-$22) and you're at $295. Now you just need a KB, mouse, monitor, and OS.

Personally I'd probably do some serious eBaying and For Sale forum digging for some of the parts. For a $300 PC, last year's models are a pretty good choice.
 
It's not extremely hard to put a system for $300... the key is integration + local deals.

For Hard Drives, Optical drives: check out "Hot Deals" website. Like Fatwallet (their "Hot Deals" forums) or Ben's Bargains. Most of the deals will involve numerous rebates, so be prepared to shell a decent chunk of money first. If rebates is out of question, then hit by Newegg to grab a cheap Lite-On DVD & CDRW drives (if those aren't neccesary... I would dump DVD-ROM drive first)

For Mobo, CPU, RAM: Look for Nforce 2 IGP. I'm 99% sure all NF2 IGP boards has AGP slot, so upgrading the vid card later when you can afford a "gaming card" is a sure possibility. The on-board GF4MX is about same as a GF2 GTS and below 9200SE (but not by much). Usually, they'll have integrated NIC and Audio chipset (which is decent), so that'll take care of Vid, sound, and NIC. I would look around for the 1700+ at Newegg, but if you're in a hurry the Duron 1.6 would do the job decently. RAM shouldn't be too hard. Just get something that won't flake out (nothing too generic), as the IGP is a bit picky about RAM if you use on-board GF4MX.

So.... Let do the Math
Hard Drive / Optical Drives (40GB, DVD-ROM or CD-RW)
$20 - $40 after rebates, or about $80 on Newegg
CPU, Mobo, RAM ($50 CPU, $70 for a NF2 IGP board, $70 for 512mb - single or dual) about $200
Case - PSU - HSF - Fans - Depends on what you can salvage. Or about $50 for all.
If you can tolerate rebates, about $280 w/o shipping. If no rebates, about $330 w/o rebates. These are rought estimates.

As for performance... it'll be a basic computer. The $300 budget kills off any possibility of having a "gaming" rig, because a single decent video card will eat $100-$200. If your friend sticks with Quake 2,3 generation games, he'll be fine with the machine. Anything more demanding than that, it'll struggle alot. If your friend can't get more than $300 or can't wait any longer (or save up), then this is basically what he can expect. If he can stretch the budget for another $100 - $200, I would definitely grab him a Radeon 9600XT (pro, if any is around) or the 5700FX (which is actually a decent mid-range card). The difference from the on-board to those 2 cards will be very significant.
 
I don't really condone skimping this much on computer parts, but if you're looking for around a 300 dollar rig, I've priced out about as close as you can get.

Prices are from newegg.com

RAIDMAX Model 208 (BEIGE) - $19.00
Sparkle Power "Power Q" 300W - $18.00
SAMSUNG Floppy - $5.59
Artec 52x24x52 CD-RW - $34.99
Western Digital 40GB 7200RPM 2mb Cache - $55.00
Buffalo 512mb PC2700 - $65.00
BIOSTAR M7NCG 400 - $65.00
AMD Duron 1.4ghz - $37.00

TOTAL: $299.58
 
powmax micro atx - $29 (he wants this case)
MSI black combo drive - $49
WD 40gb 7200rpm - $55
(2) PMI 128mb ddr pc2700 - $21 each - $42
Chaintech nforce 2 - $80 (picked this one bcause it has tv-out, but i may go to biostar to save money)
XP2000 retial - $67

total 322



i think this is a decent setup but i gotta try to get sum parts for even cheaper
 
All prices are from pricewatch.com (granted newegg has better support, but cheap is cheap)
PC2100 256 megs for $20
A XP 1700 + mobo with sound $69
Radeon 9600SE (128 megs of ram) $86
Generic atx case with 350 watt psu $35
40 gig hd $41
Network card 3 bucks
Modem 6 bucks

Total cost is 260. Still have a few bucks left over. (These prices include shipping which new egg doesnt do.)
So youd wanna buy a cd rom or something.
However id reccomend spending the extra money and getting everything from newegg because of their customer support, just offering an alternative. I personally havent had a problem with price watch companies.

But because you're dealing with various companies your mileage may vary.
 
Originally posted by viper92086
powmax micro atx - $29 (he wants this case)
MSI black combo drive - $49
WD 40gb 7200rpm - $55
(2) PMI 128mb ddr pc2700 - $21 each - $42
Chaintech nforce 2 - $80 (picked this one bcause it has tv-out, but i may go to biostar to save money)
XP2000 retial - $67

total 322



i think this is a decent setup but i gotta try to get sum parts for even cheaper
Click to expand...

Sweet, good job. Especially on fitting cdr+dvd capability in there, your friend will probably appreciate those features more often than good gaming.

One issue though, with only 256mb of ram it is gonna be highly handicapped.
 
save $100 bux more and get yourself a much better setup than that seriously man be realistic 300 bux is pissmoney these days
 
case /w 500 watt psu and a window from amamax.com - 30.00
mobo+cpu 1700+/w biostar kt333 /w sound, lan, etc. combo from compubuzz.com - 80.00
pc2100 256 mb generic from Alpha international business - 21.00 I'd go with a buffalo tech from newegg for 32.00 or just wait till office max has free kingston after rebate(i've got a bunch of those)
wd 20 gb hdd pcmicrostore.com - 33.00
lite-on cd-rw/dvd combo 48x24x48x16 buycyberpc.com - 42.00
vid - radeon 9200se 128mb hoct.com - 46.00

grand total - 252.00,

just look around pricewatch.com and you'll be able to find everything you need to build a working pc for under 300 bucks
 
and remeber to always always check resellerratings.com
when you use pricewatch...one of the shops digiram mentioned has 0.63 reseller rating , another 1.5ish and another 2.5ish.....thats why they're so cheap
 
I know celerons are evil, but here's another outlook:

$36.00 shipped - ASRock P4M266 Chipset Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-157-013&catalog=280&depa=1

$68.00 - Intel Celeron 2.4 GHz 400MHz FSB, 128K Cache
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-112-176&catalog=343&depa=0&section=1

$34.00 - Kreton 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2100
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-207-018&catalog=147&depa=0

$65.00 - HD 80GB|WD 7200RPM WD800BB
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-102&DEPA=0

$20.00 52x CD-ROM drive
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-101-119&catalog=55&depa=0

$29.00 shipped - Aspire Model# ATX918 (Beige) w/ 250 W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-144-052&catalog=7&depa=0

It comes to 252. That leaves 48 dollars for more RAM/better video card/better case/beer/whatever.

Yes, celerons are of the devil. But it's cheap. And a 36 dollar mobo? Come on...
 
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