Budget Build >$400

A

anvl

n00b
Joined
Mar 26, 2007
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Basically I'm looking for a cheap build that can have enough power to play most new games and play 1080p movies. I'd prefer something that was quiet and energy efficient.

Currently I've been looking at

Newegg

ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Antec Earthwatts EA500 500W
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Subtotal $303.92 - $10 Rebate = $292.92

Zipzoomfly

SAMSUNG SH-S223Q/BEBS 22X SATA DVD Burner Black Drive
WESTERN DIGITAL WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB
Subtotal $134.98 - $30 Rebate = $104.98

Total $397.90

I'd like to trim that down so there aren't as much rebates or even cut down the total cost. Most of these parts I've chosen by looking at various recommendations made by people here and piecing those together. One thing I'm unsure about is the hard drive, It seems kind of expensive compared to 1 TB drives going for $60-70 but it seems highly recommended here.

So basically just look over what I've put together and just let me know what I can improve on and if everything will work together. Thanks! :cool:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
General browsing/email/movies with occasional gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$400 is the absolute maximum with shipping/tax, would prefer cheaper
3) Where do you live?
Oregon
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
Case,Power Supply, CPU, Motherboard, Memory, Hard Drive, DVD Drive
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Video Card - ATI XFX 4850 512 MB
Monitor - Dell 23" 1920x1080
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Listed above
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as possible
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Nothing special, should be able to hold the video card
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes
 
Stick with the hard drive; it's a good choice. It's made for performance, and you indicate you'll be playing games there, so it will help. The 5-yr warranty is also a plus.

You want to play new games on there, not sure how far we can take quiet and energy efficient into consideration.
 
4850 512MB on 1080P for gaming? That's stretchin it a bit, but of course, performance is subjective.
 
I won't be playing on full resolution of course probably 1240x1028 but even if I do step it up to 1920x1080 I've been playing with a 8400m on a laptop so this should be a huge improvement.

About the processor, with the memory it comes out to be $119.99, is there a deal where I could get the 550 for a similar price?
 
The coupon code [EMCLTNS24] expires today. If you haven't done so already, you can get the processor and the RAM together in a combo deal.

Get the Antec EA500 from Buy.com, where it's about $5 cheaper. For a few dollars more, however, you could go with the more powerful EA650.

As an alternative, you can get the Antec Sonata III case, which comes with the EA500, at NewEgg for around $85 shipped. That's much better than buying the Three Hundred and the EA500 separately.

The WD1001FALS is one of the better performance HDDs around. That, plus its 1TB storage capacity, is why it costs so much. If you really want to cut corners, drop down to the WD6400AAKS. Despite its reduced cache, it performs on par with the last-gen Raptor X.

As a tangent, the HD4850 barely cuts the mustard when it comes to gaming at a 1080p resolution. I suggest getting a new card whenever you get the opportunity and selling the HD4850 to offset some of the costs. I realize that you can't get it now, but the HD4890 is an excellent card for the price.
 
tiraides said:
The coupon code [EMCLTNS24] expires today. If you haven't done so already, you can get the processor and the RAM together in a combo deal.

Get the Antec EA500 from Buy.com, where it's about $5 cheaper. For a few dollars more, however, you could go with the more powerful EA650.

As an alternative, you can get the Antec Sonata III case, which comes with the EA500, at NewEgg for around $85 shipped. That's much better than buying the Three Hundred and the EA500 separately.

The WD1001FALS is one of the better performance HDDs around. That, plus its 1TB storage capacity, is why it costs so much. If you really want to cut corners, drop down to the WD6400AAKS. Despite its reduced cache, it performs on par with the last-gen Raptor X.

As a tangent, the HD4850 barely cuts the mustard when it comes to gaming at a 1080p resolution. I suggest getting a new card whenever you get the opportunity and selling the HD4850 to offset some of the costs. I realize that you can't get it now, but the HD4890 is an excellent card for the price.
Click to expand...
I agree with all this. lol
7221e5c8ec6b08ef6d3f9ff3ce6eb1d1.gif
 
I get it, TheResidentEvil. Reread my comments about the video card; I didn't tell anvl, the OP, to buy it along with the rest of the build.

To recap, the OP can save money on his budget build by:

- Going with the X2 550 instead of the X3 710, and by taking advantage of the X5 550's combo deal and/or promotion code discount.
- Getting either the Antec EA500 for less at Buy.com or the Antec Sonata III at NewEgg instead of the Three Hundred and EA500 separately.
- Getting the Western Digital 640GB Blue HDD (WD6400AAKS) instead of the 1TB Black HDD (WD1001FALS).

The OP could save at least $50 (before factoring in any MIRs) by following those suggestions.
 
Well, the title says: Budget Build >$400 ... I think he was correcting the title. ;)
 
Also, Office Max carries a slighly cheaper ($49+tax) 500w PS called a "Antec Basiq 500" I have used a couple times for failed client computers...not bad for the price and brand! You get only 1 year on this it seems, compared to the 3 year with the more expensive 500w. In my experience though, Antec is totally reliable.

Just found It is also on Buy for like $54 shipped.. I AM NOT 100% sure on the extra cabling to support powerful video cards though, someone else with one might be able to chime in on that... or you can check out the specs.. I've only used it for basic computers.

http://www.buy.com/prod/antec-basiq...atx-12v-power-supply/q/loc/101/202902532.html
 
DO NOT use the Antec Basiq line -- they're garbage.

Stick with the Earthwatts line.
 
Antec Basiq is true to its name... its fine for basic systems (onboard GPU, single HDD, low power CPU, minimal sticks of RAM, single optical drive, etc) -- not for anything higher.
 
Under $400, need to go Intel on this one. Yeah.. I know, Socket 775 will be obsolete soon but, for his needs and the fact that he wants something energy efficient, this build will deliver.

CASE+PSU - Antec NSK6580B w/Antec Earthwatts 430 for $109.99 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129045

MOBO - Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L for $52.99 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357

CPU - Intel Pentium E5200 for $69.99 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

HDD/RAM - WD 640GB + OCZ Blade 4GB DDR2 800 both for $116.98 ($10 MIR on Ram)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.204560

OPTICAL - Samsung 22X DVD Burner for $28.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

Subtotal: $378.94
Shipping: $8.65 on UPS 3 Day
Grand Total: $387.59


Or, go with this one with an Intel Pentium E6300 2.8ghz cpu for $400.59


CASE+PSU - Antec NSK6580B w/Antec Earthwatts 430 for $109.99 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129045

MOBO - Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L for $52.99 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128357

CPU - Intel Pentium E6300 for $82.99 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116091

HDD/RAM - WD 640GB + OCZ Blade 4GB DDR2 800 both for $116.98 ($10 MIR on Ram)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.204560

OPTICAL - Samsung 22X DVD Burner for $28.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188

Subtotal: $391.94
Shipping: $8.65 on UPS 3 Day
Grand Total: $400.59
 
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I have the Antec Sonata III with the EarthWatts 500 in it... I like it a lot. Unfortunately it's now showing at 119.99 on NewEgg for me. 85 bucks would have been a great deal...
 
Hehe. I was just about to make a comment on the Antec Sonata III case. I actually was configuring the builds with that case and I noticed it went back to $119.99. Man... this screwed up my build!
 
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