Budget PC!!

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Mr.BrIaN

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
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Im building a new pc but dont know how to get wht I want without going over my budget. My budget is 300$ and I want it to be able to play HL2. Is it possible?
 
no, no its not, 500 is your best bet, just save extra hard
 
you may be able to upgrade an existing PC for $300 to play hl2, but not an entire new PC
 
Your best bet is to try and recycle as many components from your current system as possible if you absolutely have to stay under 300.

What do you currently have?
 
Well its basically impossible to build a PC that will play HL2 for under $300 but I'm taking a wack at it.

Here you go. I'm not going to promise you that it will play with settings on medium quality but if all the setting are set to low it just might play.

CPU - AMD Athlon XP 2000+, 266 FSB, 256K Cache Processor - Retail - $57
MB - ECS KT600 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "KT600-A" -RETAIL - $60
CDRW - Lite-On Black 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive, Model LTR-52327S, OEM - $34
RAM - Crucial 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-2700 - OEM - $40
Case/PSU - PRO SOURCE Scorpio (Gray) with 300W Power Supply, Side Panel Fan, and Front USB/Firewire, Model "095UF-GY-SF" -RETAIL - $29
Video Card - GAINWARD nVIDIA GeForce4 MX440-8X Video Card, 64MB DDR, 128-bit, TV-Out, 8X AGP, RETAIL - $47
HDD - Western Digital 40GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD400BB, OEM - $57
Floppy - Any thing will do. $10
Total - $324

I recommend that you at least get another $200 so you can get a quality PSU, video card, and more RAM.
Also you might want to think about using parts from an old PC you have laying around.
 
get this...

Asus A7N8X motherboard or Abit NF7-S = ~$95

Athlon 2500+ overclocked to 3200+ = ~$80

512mb RAM PC3200 = ~$85

9600Pro = ~$170

Then, if you don't have all of the other stuff, go get it off of another PC, or get it used or something.

If you are just itching to play it when it comes out, remember, you don't need the best hard drive, cdrom, case or monitor, and you don't even need a floppy drive.

A machine somewhere in that direction is what you should be aiming at. Yes, it is over 400 bucks, but that is about the lowest you will want to go in order to play HL2.

good luck! :)


Does anyone know if the 9600Pro comes with a coupon for HL2?
 
I'd personally replace the Athlon XP with an Athlon XP Mobile, but otherwise you're good.
 
Originally posted by Mr.BrIaN
Im building a new pc but dont know how to get wht I want without going over my budget. My budget is 300$ and I want it to be able to play HL2. Is it possible?
Click to expand...

If you need a monitor, then no. If you need a harddrive, then no. If you need a power supply, then signs are pointing to no, but it could be possible. Save some more money.
 
Originally posted by Mr.BrIaN
Im building a new pc but dont know how to get wht I want without going over my budget. My budget is 300$ and I want it to be able to play HL2. Is it possible?
Click to expand...
What components do you already have?
 
I throw in another vote for saving up. $300 would hardly buy you a nice graphics board and AthlonXP motherboard. You'd probbably be dissatisfied with the system in a few months.
 
i've done a complete computer for 310. its not the best but it plays everything i've thrown at it from unreal tournament 2004, to rise of nations. Amd 2600+ 333, 512 pc2700, 160gb 7200rpm ide WD, bad graphics card mx420 nvidia 4, volcano 8 fan, 2 80mm exhaust and intake fans, case $30 w/ 400w power supply, nf7-s mobo. like i said its not the best computer but it runs everything smoothly at low temps. You have to recycle some parts like mouse, keyboard, cdrom and dvd drives but u can always get that cheap.
 
My suggestion:

Upgrade WHEN half life 2 comes out...not before it. Release dates are never set in stone, and unless you have a NEED to upgrade now, waiting will simply allow you to pay less for the same parts.

A lot of people upgraded their PCs for half life 2 about 6 months ago. Sucks for them eh?
 
Save Save Save

1) Even if you had enough now, it would be dumb to buy before hl2 comes out, b/c when it comes out, stuff will be cheaper.

2) It's not gonna be out for several months, so that gives you time to save.


If you can get $500, this is a good idea of what you're looking at.
 
You guys are forgeting extra costs.

He'll need an OS, so WinXP will be $90 more. Then there's also another $30 for a mouse and keyb. Maybe then another $20 if he needs a modem too.

Are you just getting a PC just to play HL2 and will you be still using your Mac?

You'll be able to pull a machine togethor with little money these days, especially with some of the deals Dell does, but it won't play games. You'll need a little bit more money, like 600-800 when it comes down to everything since you don't have leftovers from an older pc.
 
I gots a keyboard and mouse and who pays for windows these days? Pirated versions or getting a friend who has profession to let you use his is allot cheaper =)
 
i got a comp going myself... duron 1.8 ghz, KTVA3(or whatever it is), radeon 8500 (or geforce 2... depending on whether or not my brother gets around to RMAing his radeon) dont know how much memory yet, cheapo 300 watt psu. and i'll be transferring cd images to it, and using cd emulation software to install and run things.

so it's gonna be nice and cheap. i'm actually gonna install it on the underside of my desk extension.
 
Here's what you would need if HL2 came out RIGHT NOW:

Half-Life 2: $50
Windows XP: $100 to $300
DX9-capable video card: about $200
512MB or DDR RAM: $100 (average)

Assuming that's all you need to update at this moment, then $300 is not a realistic budget.
 
I vote to save up, so when the new stuff comes out in the next few weeks, things will start to get cheaper.
 
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