Build for Parents (suggestions wanted)

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fiewtoid

Weaksauce
Joined
Jun 27, 2004
Messages
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So I want to build a computer for my parents since their last one is a p4. I looked at parts and build them something that is going to run down right amazing for them. All they really do is surf the net, but my little brother is getting into games so I want something that can do a little gaming.

Here is what I have so far suggestions welcome:

Processor:
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz $58.99

MB:
ASUS M4A77TD $84.99

RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $109.99

GPU:
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5570 1GB $89.99

HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB $89.99

CD/DVD:
LG Black CD-ROM/DVD Burner $22.99

CASE:
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black $69.99

PSU:
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power $64.99

OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit $99.99

Total: $691.91 (before S&H)
 
What size/res monitor? What games? budget? etc... basically, please answer any unanswered questions from the sticky. ;)
 
Yeah you're missing questions 2 to 3 and 6 to 9 from the sticky "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!"

But from a glance, it's a bad build:
- Piss poor GPU for the money
- Unknown quality PSU
- Slightly overpriced RAM
- Overpriced case

We can start recommending better parts once you answer the missing questions.
 
+1 to everything above, as for the PSU I would go with this:

Antec 300 Illusion + Antec EA430

Should be able to run a small card like the 5750 or 5770.


Edit:

I think you should go with the regular antec 300, you don't need the extra airflow if you aren't running anything extreme, plus I'm sure your parents won't appreciate the bright LED's.

This is a good combo, its the same price as the one above except you get the antec 500w earthwatts and downgrade to the regular antec 300.

Antec 300 + Antec EA-500D
 
Last edited:
there's a coupon right now for 10$ off that hd on newegg - look in the hot deals section.
 
Unless they game, a VC is pointless. Just use integrated.
The case seems over kill with the rest of that build. It's made for case fans, which is a waste if you're not OCing.
450w is closer to it for a PSU.
I'd take a look at their current HD usage. Most people are either data pack rats, or they have an empty drive. If they still have a P4, I'm guessing they're the later type. 300gb may be better.

I think you're over doing this. System requirements won't go up much in the next five years. Not for OSes, browsing, movies, etc. That system can handle it all. Gaming and encoding are about the only things driving the need for newer computers now.
 
EvilPokemon said:
Unless they game, a VC is pointless. Just use integrated.
The case seems over kill with the rest of that build. It's made for case fans, which is a waste if you're not OCing.
450w is closer to it for a PSU.

I think you're over doing this. System requirements won't go up much in the next five years. Not for OSes, browsing, movies, etc. That system can handle it all. Gaming and encoding are about the only things driving the need for newer computers now.
Click to expand...

If you read the post he states:

"but my little brother is getting into games so I want something that can do a little gaming. "
 
Danny Bui said:
Yeah you're missing questions 2 to 3 and 6 to 9 from the sticky "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!"

But from a glance, it's a bad build:
- Piss poor GPU for the money
- Unknown quality PSU
- Slightly overpriced RAM
- Overpriced case

We can start recommending better parts once you answer the missing questions.
Click to expand...

I agree that the OP would have gotten ripped off with that build. The graphics card is too expensive for the performance that it delivers, for starters. And that PSU is relatively low in efficiency compared to the 80+ units: The BP550 has only a 70% efficiency rating, which means that it would draw nearly 800 watts from the AC outlet to deliver the full 550W rating.

Unfortunately, with prices on computer components on the increase, there is currently no graphics card in the sub-$100 price range (except for a few older soon-to-be-EOL GPUs) that's worthy of consideration.
 
Last edited:
Danny Bui said:
Yeah you're missing questions 2 to 3 and 6 to 9 from the sticky "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!"

But from a glance, it's a bad build:
- Piss poor GPU for the money
- Unknown quality PSU
- Slightly overpriced RAM
- Overpriced case

We can start recommending better parts once you answer the missing questions.
Click to expand...

overpriced RAM.... That is the cheapest in 1333 for 2x2gb besides the crucial for 99.


2. 750 before tax and shipping
3. my parents live in California
6. No
7.19" lcd
8. next Wednesday
9. Nothing fancy
42. My little brother is 7 (so gpu can be upgraded later)

Sorry for not putting it in the orange text format :(

suggestions are noted and more would be helpful especially with the quoted issues above.
 
$59 - AMD Athlon II X2 240 CPU
$67 - Biostar A785G3 AMD 785G mATX AMD Motherboard
$106 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$90 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$23 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$55 - Corsair 400CX 400W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
---
TotaL: $550 plus tax

The G.Skill DDR3 1333 RAM you chose was overpriced considering that a faster G.Skill RAM set could be had for $7 less. Went with a better quality PSU and a more suitable case. The onboard video of the 78G chipset can do low settings at 1024x768 with many games out there so that should meet the definition of "a little gaming"

However if you really do want to add a video card, then what E4g1e said was true: There are no sub $100 card, well off the top of my head, worth considering. The cheapest but still worth considering card I could find was this $113 HD 4850 1GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131163

Oh and main reason why I said the Antec 300 Illusion case was overpriced because you can get this roomier and easier to cable manage case for the same price:
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
 
Danny Bui said:
However if you really do want to add a video card, then what E4g1e said was true: There are no sub $100 card, well off the top of my head, worth considering. The cheapest but still worth considering card I could find was this $113 HD 4850 1GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131163
Click to expand...

I would respectfully disagree; a 9800 GT would probably fit the bill at $90. Not bleeding edge performance, but many users here still get by on their 8/9800 GT's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500113&cm_re=9800GT-_-14-500-113-_-Product

Again, another good way to go is to keep looking at the fry's ad for a decent cpu/mobo combo, either athlonx2/3 or core i3. You can save at least $30 going that route.
 
Danny Bui said:
$59 - AMD Athlon II X2 240 CPU
$67 - Biostar A785G3 AMD 785G mATX AMD Motherboard
$106 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$90 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$23 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$55 - Corsair 400CX 400W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
---
TotaL: $550 plus tax

The G.Skill DDR3 1333 RAM you chose was overpriced considering that a faster G.Skill RAM set could be had for $7 less. Went with a better quality PSU and a more suitable case. The onboard video of the 78G chipset can do low settings at 1024x768 with many games out there so that should meet the definition of "a little gaming"

However if you really do want to add a video card, then what E4g1e said was true: There are no sub $100 card, well off the top of my head, worth considering. The cheapest but still worth considering card I could find was this $113 HD 4850 1GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131163

Oh and main reason why I said the Antec 300 Illusion case was overpriced because you can get this roomier and easier to cable manage case for the same price:
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
Click to expand...

Thanks for this awesome rebuild. I will be buying this for them!!
 
Yah, until he needs a vidcard, onboard HD4200 should do fine. post pics!
 
Danny Bui said:
However if you really do want to add a video card, then what E4g1e said was true: There are no sub $100 card, well off the top of my head, worth considering.
Click to expand...

In fact, (most of) the sub-$100 cards are worth considering only if the PC owner must have a video card simply because that system's motherboard lacks onboard video capability. Otherwise, if that system's motherboard has onboard video, then those cheap cards do not deliver sufficiently improved performance to justify the cost over the freebie onboard video.
 
zaxour said:
I would respectfully disagree; a 9800 GT would probably fit the bill at $90. Not bleeding edge performance, but many users here still get by on their 8/9800 GT's.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500113&cm_re=9800GT-_-14-500-113-_-Product
Click to expand...

That card would be $97 shipped once shipping is factored in. As such, IMO, it's not worth buying considering that the faster HD 4850 can be had for only $15 more. Considering that the HD 4850 was 10% to 15% faster than the 8800GT/9800GT, that extra $15 is well worth it IMO.

Yes he could get by with the 8/9800GT (like I'm doing now :)) but when a faster alternative is available and doesn't cost that much more, don't see the value of buying that 9800GT.
 
Danny Bui said:
$59 - AMD Athlon II X2 240 CPU
$67 - Biostar A785G3 AMD 785G mATX AMD Motherboard
$106 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$90 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$23 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$55 - Corsair 400CX 400W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
---
TotaL: $550 plus tax

The G.Skill DDR3 1333 RAM you chose was overpriced considering that a faster G.Skill RAM set could be had for $7 less. Went with a better quality PSU and a more suitable case. The onboard video of the 78G chipset can do low settings at 1024x768 with many games out there so that should meet the definition of "a little gaming"

However if you really do want to add a video card, then what E4g1e said was true: There are no sub $100 card, well off the top of my head, worth considering. The cheapest but still worth considering card I could find was this $113 HD 4850 1GB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131163

Oh and main reason why I said the Antec 300 Illusion case was overpriced because you can get this roomier and easier to cable manage case for the same price:
$70 - Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case
Click to expand...

I was looking more into this and the MB only supports 1333.. also I think I am going to go with the 630 CPU
 
fiewtoid said:
I was looking more into this and the MB only supports 1333.. also I think I am going to go with the 630 CPU
Click to expand...
RAM will downclock to the highest speed available on the mobo. So that RAM I recommended will still work.
Posted via [H] Mobile Device
 
IMO, just get a ~$400-450 Dell Vostro w/19" LCD and add an HD5670.
 
tryin49 said:
... the 4850... It is the 512MB version though, not sure how that stacks up against the 1GB. ...
Click to expand...

More VRAM just helps when you turn up the detail in higher resolutions (1680x1050 or higher).
 
Computer runs amazingly. I am actually using it right now. It runs Heroes of Newerth well and does pretty much everything. The only question I have is why does system say I only have 3.75 gigs of ram usable?
 
Why buy a video card for a 7 year old when it will be outdated by the time he needs it? Just get a $100 video card in a couple years when it will buy you more.
 
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