$500 PC

[Deadly_Spatula]

I satrt school again in two days and after the first week or so, I will resume my job as the guy who writes the tech page in the school paper. I am going to do my first article on how to build a $500 all-around PC. The PC will be good for schoolwork, casual gaming, music, etc. and this is what I have found for the parts. What do you think of it? All prices include shipping.

AMD Semperon64 2600+ @1.6GH $64.99
ECS socket 754 nForce4 w/PCIe $67.99
PQI 512MB PC3200 (1x512) $44.82
Gigabyte Radeon X600XT 128MB PCIe $90.50
APEX ATX case w/350wh PSU $44.98
Rosewill DVD/CD-RW combo drive $30.98
Samsung Floppy Drive $10.49
EXCELSTOR 80GB 7200RPM HardDrive $53.99

 

[mavalpha]

Is a floppy necessary?
In a budget computer, I don't think you need to worry about longevity with PCI Express- people who build such computers don't generally get high-end graphics cards, so there will be plenty of AGP upgrades available even over the next couple of years. For an extra $30-35, I'd get a Radeon 9800 Pro from NewEgg. It'll outdo the X600- any X600- easily.

64-bit Sempron 2600- $65
PQI 512MB- $45
R9800Pro 256bit- $125
NEC DVDRW- $39
80GB HD- $52
Antec TruePowerII 430W- $78*
Motherboard- $50
Case- $35**
Total- $489
With shipping, you will probably go over about $10-20 depending on state. I didn't factor in tax, because a $500 computer at, say, CompUSA would also not include tax- apples to apples, right? Also, you left out software- I presume your college supplies a license, or else you can carry it over from an old computer at home.

*Be VERY careful with generic PSUs! This is not a very demanding computer, but even so... buyer beware! Buying a good PSU now is a good idea, just because it can be treated as an investment. If nothing else, this part stands a good chance of being recycled in your next build.
**Again, good cases are highly recommended. This part is also very likely to carry over, especially given how slowly the BTX standard is being picked up.

 

[weasel2htm]

Not a bad config If it were me I would definatly go with a brand name HD. I would also list a k/b moujse, and a budget monitor. on the list, even if I had to do an "optional" section.

OOh the ADHD is kicking in and my brain is going crazy with ideas, so if nothing I say makes sence, disregard it.

I would do an "optional upgrades" section with stuff like a DVD burner, An Athlon XP, More memory, LCD monitor, speaker options, etc... just things to add features or speed up and to personalize.

 

[itr]

i dont think a $500 pc would need a x600 video card. if this is for the general public, an onboard video would be fine. however, if this article is aimed towards gaming, i'd consider the 9800pro or 6600g instead.