$500 Build - Need Help

A

AMDXP

2[H]4U
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Jul 9, 2004
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Here's a challenge.

I need to make a build for my father, it CANNOT be ABOVE $500.

AMD or Intel, it doesn't matter. Need the best cost to performance ratio. They're come from a p3 933mhz 384 Mb of Ram with WinXP Home.

Storage space above 100GB would be nice, but 80 or so is ok. At least 1 GB of ram.

- Uses

Internet
Microsoft Office/Excel/Powerpoint etc..
No real graphics power needed (Would like a mid-range card if possible though.)

It doesn't need an OS just the tower!

Thank you all so MUCH!


Any questions feel free to ask, I'll make some builds of my own, but most of you are really good at budget builds!

:p


Forgot to wishlist my bad!

LG 20X DVD±R Super Multi DVD Burner Black ATAPI / E-IDE Model GSA-H55NK - OEM

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

ABIT AN-M2HD (LE) AM2+/AM2 GeForce7050PV/ nForce630a HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

SAPPHIRE 100226L Radeon HD 3850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

Antec earthwatts EA430 430W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply - Retail

G.SKILL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor Model ADO5000DSWOF - Retail



Some of it may seem overpowered or a little much for example the case, but I want the best bang per dollar.

3850 - For GPU power when needed!
AMD 5000+ BE - For that unlocked Multiplier
Cool Master Case - For that extra Room


Those are probably staying for sure! But any thoughts are welcome!
 
DeathDesigns said:
Just buy a factory built one, sure you can find one around $500 with a quad core :p
Also on your wishlist, research some ram cause if you're using vista they need more ram :S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098
Click to expand...

WinXP Pro, I can't stand Vista.

Hehe. It will be more simple for them to have Pro. It even took me about 3 days to understand Vista, I can't imagine them.. maybe months.

That 2 GB is pretty good!!!! The factory pre-builts we've looked at but don't really get what we want.


:)
 
- What is he gonna do with the HD3850? I thought you said no real graphics power was needed?

- Why do you need an unlocked multiplier? Are you really gonna give your dad an overclocked computer?

- That 5000+ BE doesn't come with a HSF which you would need to include in your budget.

- Why are you pairing a mATX board with a huge CoolerMaster RC690 case? You say you need extra room but that board only has enough connectivity to fill half the slots on that case.

- 2GB RAM is the minimum these days for a decent system.

- Spend the extra $1 to buy a SATA DVD drive.


By themselves, there's nothing wrong with the parts you selected. But they just don't make much sense when you put em together. Frankly, I have no idea where you're trying to do here. Perhaps if you clarify what you're trying to achieve we might be able to give you some better advice.
 
Reusing my build list from the "Grandma PC thread":
A cheaper and better option would be this:
Shuttle KPC K45 Barebones kit - $100
Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 CPU - $70
G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ 2 x 1GB DDR2 800 RAM - $45
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 160GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $48
---
Total: $263 plus tax and shipping

Pick up an external CD/DVD drive and you'll be set. Or if you're willing to do a little modding or don't care for the plastic front face, you might be able to use a slim optical drive in there. Either route should total around $300.

I don't ever see your parents need additional graphical power unless they start gaming or watch HD content. Otherwise, a graphics card is a waste of money and adds additional heat and energy costs.
 
Toaster Oven said:
- What is he gonna do with the HD3850? I thought you said no real graphics power was needed?

- Why do you need an unlocked multiplier? Are you really gonna give your dad an overclocked computer?

- That 5000+ BE doesn't come with a HSF which you would need to include in your budget.

- Why are you pairing a mATX board with a huge CoolerMaster RC690 case? You say you need extra room but that board only has enough connectivity to fill half the slots on that case.

- 2GB RAM is the minimum these days for a decent system.

- Spend the extra $1 to buy a SATA DVD drive.


By themselves, there's nothing wrong with the parts you selected. But they just don't make much sense when you put em together. Frankly, I have no idea where you're trying to do here. Perhaps if you clarify what you're trying to achieve we might be able to give you some better advice.
Click to expand...

My bad on the motherboard I didn't realize it was Micro.

5000+ is for that unlocked multiplier, I'll get a Heatsink
GPU is actually for another PC, going to swap them.

;)
 
So exactly what are you trying to acheive and do here with this $500 PC?

All I can see so far is that you're getting a new graphics card for yourself (odd considering that you have the 8800GT) and saddling your parents with an older or slower graphics card that is not needed at all. Which means that this is actually a $390 PC since the graphics card is for you.
 
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