Build for my brother

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GJSNeptune

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Mar 31, 2004
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My brother came to me to build him a computer. He just bought a house and is living with a high school buddy. They'll both be using it, but this computer will be used primarily for internet and such. His buddy's going to buy the high-end PS3, so gaming will be on that and not really this computer.

I'm wondering what caliber of technology I should get. Should I go with older technology, or something more future-proof?

I'm thinking an mATX case on the cheaper side, although I can't find anything decent on newegg, and I can barely tolerate browsing other sites. Any suggestions? Nothing fancy. No LEDs. One or two 5.25" bays, one or two external 3.5" bays, and one or two internal. He'll only need one hard drive.

I'm also thinking XP Home and 512 or maybe 758 RAM. Onboard video would be nice to avoid the cost of a video card.

Before I start looking, I thought I'd ask to possibly prevent wasted time. What do you guys think?
 
amd and get the man a gig of ram

the lower end ati cards are pretty nice and well thats pretty much it.

1 gig of ram (dual channel of course)
ati x1300-x1600
decent ati chipset mobo


prolly stick with 939
and I would go with an x2 since single core prolly won't be viable in a year or two and now is the time to go ahead and make the plunge
 
stealthy123 said:
prolly stick with 939
and I would go with an x2 since single core prolly won't be viable in a year or two and now is the time to go ahead and make the plunge
Click to expand...
I dont see how single core wont be viable for web browsing/email/word processing a year or two from now. Better to go AM2, just for the fact that upgrading will be a lot easier - and that AM2 processors are becoming cheaper.
 
RavenD said:
I dont see how single core wont be viable for web browsing/email/word processing a year or two from now. Better to go AM2, just for the fact that upgrading will be a lot easier - and that AM2 processors are becoming cheaper.
Click to expand...

who knows in a year?
only reason I like 939 is I like the chipset maturity and most likely the OP doesnt want to have to troubleshoot a bunch of potential problems.AM2 may be stable as hell but it is still new tech and new tech always has bugs, and sure as hell when you build a PC for another person those bugs will show up, it's murphy's law
 
 
If he isn't doing anything particularly intensive, how about that S754 Athlon 3400 + Free Motherboard combo at newegg?

http://promotions.newegg.com/AMD/AMD_mobo/index.html

I believe the bottom two boards offer onboard video. Also, maybe look into something like the Antec B-stock for the case. Warranty should be mostly meaningless on a case, and b-stock defects are supposed to be pretty minor:

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_b_stock.php

Sonata, SLK1650B satisfy the requirement of no bling,
 
 
RavenD said:
I dont see how single core wont be viable for web browsing/email/word processing a year or two from now..
Click to expand...
no shit. SO many unknowing people get far too much horsepower than they need and pay dearly for it but that's fine cause I make a bundle making computers for folks. its such an easy sales pitch to deter from the name brand stores. there still should be ample ~1 gig cpus and etc around that the old farts, newbies who only surf and etc should own. listening to most salesmen in comp stores makes me run out in disgust or laughter. yet another person being hosed!

its all about an individuals patience. got some = lower grade hardware. have none = > than average stuff
 
to agree with G'ßöö,

I have a Duron 1.8, 1.5 gb ram.

I can play battlefield 2, quake 4, half-life 2...
I can also run Vista Beta 2, photoshop cs, whatever.

You only need the high end hardware if you can't put up with any sort of wait, or if you don't know enough about maintaining your computer to keep it relatively clean from the junk that slowly accumulates.

GJSNeptune, I'd suggest the Thermaltake Mambo for a case. just personal preference.

I'd go with 512 ram too, just make sure to get 1x512, not 2x256 in order to leave room to upgrade.
 
my 1000 mHz socket A athlon PC runs pretty well.
ive got 512 megs of RAM, and a geforce 4000 running fedora core 5, and it does anything i need to do on the web.
 
I need a cheap case. He won't want me buying him an expensive one. By cheap I mean $40 or less with shipping. The Mambo looks quite nice, actually. Not too bad of a price, either, except with nearly $15 shipping. I don't think he'll want a door, though. I wouldn't even want a door.

I really want to use a Silverstone mATX. They're so beautiful. I might use one for my next build. Who knows.

He told me he figured about $500, but I told him I could build one for less. Depending on the cost of components, maybe a more expensive case could become possible.
 
GJSNeptune said:
I need a cheap case. He won't want me buying him an expensive one. By cheap I mean $40 or less with shipping. The Mambo looks quite nice, actually. Not too bad of a price, either, except with nearly $15 shipping. I don't think he'll want a door, though. I wouldn't even want a door.

I really want to use a Silverstone mATX. They're so beautiful. I might use one for my next build. Who knows.

He told me he figured about $500, but I told him I could build one for less. Depending on the cost of components, maybe a more expensive case could become possible.
Click to expand...


if it was me I would go with a skyhawk case, they make nice aluminum cases on the CHEAP
and I would use all of that 500 dollar budget. If you play your cards right he may not ever upgrade it.
 
He prolly never would regardless. He isn't into computers. I think his primary goal is to be able to order pizza online since he doesn't have a landline and Pizza Hut won't deliver unless the house has one.

I want to give him something smooth and reliable. Something that'll be running for a long time.

-mATX
-Cheap, small case
-Small hard drive
-Onboard video preferred
-Socket 754 or 939 will suffice

His buddy should be buying the monitor. And I'm assuming he already has a keyboard and mouse, although I'll try to ask him. He needs a computer because a storm fried his buddy's.
 
Heh.

bigstock.jpg
 
lol ya that one is kinda cheesy but its cheap and the build quality is very nice, rounded edges and thumb screws. for a case that price I used to woulda cut my hands all to shit building the thing. Why not go for a socket 939 ATI express 200 chipset with onboard video they are dirt cheap. The MSI boards are quite stable and the onboard graphics don't suck at all. not that it will matter to him but you never know.
 
I think I've decided on this case. It's an upside-down mATX design, but it's a decent price and it has a pretty clean, non-descript appearance.

Does anyone know if the side vent has a fan mount or if it's just a mesh hole with a vent?

Also, what about AMD vs. Intel? It isn't a gaming rig, not that there's any specific need to accomodate. But Intels tend to run cooler, and I'm a little concerned about hard drive mounting. If I can't put it in the top 3.5" bay, I'm concerned that the bottom bay doesn't get much airflow.

Thoughts?
 
intels don't run cooler than amd unless you are talking the mobile chips or the new core chips.

matter of fact they run down right hot.

and ya there are holes for fan screws but no telling what size fan fits that hole it looks kind smallish
 
i just bought a centurion 5 today : )
amd's are the best low-medium end processors right now IMO, but intel is cheap.
id go for a celeron 340 and a socket 478 motherboard with everything intergrated.

if you just need a basic pc, i can let go of my hp for 200+shipping(no monitor)
i wont be able to ship it out for like 2 weeks though if you do want it.
PM me for details, and i'll answer tomorrow because i have school.
 
I'm not buying 80mm fans because I have a bunch of spare ones from previous builds.

Case ($45.99):
COOLER MASTER Centurion 541 RC-541-SKN1 Black Aluminumm bezel, SECC chassis MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail

Mobo ($56.99):
MSI K8NGM2-L Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Power Supply ($29.99):
FSP Group (Fortron Source) ATX350-PA, version 2.0, SATA, 350W Power Supply - OEM

CPU ($76.00):
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 2.0GHz Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX - Retail

Heatsink/Fan ($17.99):
SILVERSTONE SST-NT04 80mm Ultra maglev oil protection CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - Retail

120mm Fan ($14.99):
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E (1,200rpm) 120mm S-FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing by SONY Corporation) Case Cooling Fan - Retail

Hard drive ($43.99):
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JB 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

DVD-RW ($29.25):
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM

Total with tax/shipping: $346.27
 
ati chipsets run cooler

my last two nvidia boards had random issues associated with the northbridge over heating
 
stealthy123 said:
ati chipsets run cooler

my last two nvidia boards had random issues associated with the northbridge over heating
Click to expand...
Aye, I had to replace the stock Abit fan on my current motherboard. It failed not too long after I built my current system. I went with a passive Zalman cooler. I'm still content with nForce though.
 
at the very least be sure you get some major airflow over the chipset they run hot hot hot.

ati chipsets are quite good now.
I was hesitant to get one, but now I won't buy another nvidia board.

to each his own i spose.
 
stealthy123 said:
at the very least be sure you get some major airflow over the chipset they run hot hot hot.

ati chipsets are quite good now.
I was hesitant to get one, but now I won't buy another nvidia board.

to each his own i spose.
Click to expand...
Any recommendations then?
 
Anyone else have any suggestions?

I know I left off the OS. I'll be getting him XP Home OEM.
 
What would be good RAM for an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 2.0GHz? I've read that RAM speed isn't as important for 64-bit processors as it is for 32-bit. I don't want to bottleneck, but I don't need amazing RAM either.

Looking for a 512MB stick.
 
filthysanchez said:
my point is, if he's just gonna order pizza, why not give him your 3000 and you keep the 3200?
Click to expand...
Because I'm poor and he's not?

Anyone have something useful to say?
 
I'm not sure which RAM speed to get. I'm looking for a 512 stick. I'm uncertain as to how RAM speed affects 64-bit CPUs. Anyone help with that?

Switched to S754 to save money. It's still nearly $500. :(


Case ($45.99):
COOLER MASTER Centurion 541 RC-541-SKN1 Black Aluminumm bezel, SECC chassis MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail

Power Supply ($29.99):
FSP Group (Fortron Source) ATX350-PA, version 2.0, SATA, 350W Power Supply - OEM

CPU/MOBO Combo ($99.00):
---AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 2.4GHz Socket 754 Processor Model ADA3400AIK4BO - OEM
---BIOSTAR NF325-A7 Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce3 250 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Heatsink/Fan ($23.99):
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro Cooling Fan with Heatsink - Retail

120mm Case Fan ($14.99):
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E (1,200rpm) 120mm S-FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing by SONY Corporation) Case Cooling Fan - Retail

Hard drive ($43.99):
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JB 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

Optical ($29.25):
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM

XP Home OEM - $87.99

Total with tax/shipping MINUS RAM: $405.32


What do you think? Will the Biostar board's onboard video be sufficient for nothing more than light gaming?
 
Cheaper case. No heatsink/fan. I'm still getting a better PSU 'cause they're very important.

(case)
APEX TM-302-3 Black/ Silver Steel MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX 300W Intel/AMD Listed Power Supply - Retail

(psu)
FSP Group (Fortron Source) ATX350-PA, version 2.0, SATA, 350W Power Supply - OEM

(mobo)
ECS RS482-M754 (1.0) Socket 754 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

(cpu)
AMD Sempron 64 2800+ Palermo 1.6GHz Socket 754 Processor Model SDA2800BXBOX - Retail

(ram)
pqi POWER Series 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) System Memory Model MD4412UOE - Retail

(92mm fan)
VANTEC TF9225 92mm 2 Ball Case Cooling Fan - Retail

(hdd)
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JB 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

(dvd-rw)
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM]

(os)
Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM

Total with shipping (no tax): $422.40
 
I'd go with these parts:

$30 NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A
$75 Antec SLK1650B Black ATX Mini Tower w/350W (+$15 MIR)
$44 Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
$70 GIGABYTE GA-M51GM-S2G Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX
$55 AMD Sempron 64 3000+ Manila 1.6GHz Socket AM2
$88 Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack
$100 G.SKILL 1GB (2x512MB) DDR2-667 F2-5400PHU2-1GBLA
=====
$460 Subtotal + $30 (Shipping) - $15 (MIR) = $475 + Tax

I'd go with AM2 simply for upgradeability and the fact that its similarly priced to s939 parts. The Sempron3000+ has double the L2 cache for only $10 more, so I'd go for that. If and when he finds he needs a faster CPU, there's at least a good upgrade path there. The Antec case/psu combo is pretty good. The 350W PSU is a smartpower2.0, and its amperage ratings are good enough for a basic system. The 6100 board supports SATAII. The WD800JD SATA3G yields better performance for the same price as the JB model. Was your brother interested at all in a media center pc? If so, go for the GF6150 chipset. If not, all you need is the 6100. The only difference is that the 6150 has HD video output. The Gigabyte has 4 DDR2 slots, in case he needs more RAM. I think 1GB is perfect, but you can downgrade that to 512MB if you wish. However, I'd still recommend 1GB DDR2-667 simply because its enough to keep winXP happy. My email/web desktop at work only had 512mb, and outlook and firefox would run slow, so I threw in another 512mb and it runs smooth now. All my systems have at least 1GB because I'm an impatient bastard and cant wait 1 min for outlook to load, lol; plus I also usually have a bunch of tabs open while browsing. The $50 for the extra 512mb is really worth it, imho.
 
You didn't read the first page, did you?

This is a minimum power system. My brother just wants it for internet and general usage. He won't need to upgrade. Not for many years prolly.

I just need decent parts that'll run well and last a long time. Nothing fancy.
 
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