Build Help $650 Budget

J

Jon/xpm

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
165
Howdy H Members!!!

I need some advice for a friends computer build. He is looking for a basic computer just to play WoW on a budge of 650 including shipping. Here is the hardware which i selected but i need some advice on some changes.

Case - Antec Nine Hundred
PSU -
Mobo- ASUS P5QL PRO LGA 775 Intel
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
Video Card - Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Hard Drive - WD Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Memory - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
 
Looks fine to me, why do you want changes? For better advice, please answer the questions in the Sticky that says to READ FIRST.

That board has a bad location for the 24-pin ATX connector, which can lead to cable management problems. Such problems could lead to air flow restrictions, which could lead to less than nominal temps for the internal parts.

There's a BFG 550W PSU for around $67, and the Antec NeoPower 500W is around $55.
 
At 1280x1024 with all settings maxed out, all you need is a Pentium D 3.0ghz, 2GB ram, and a 9600GT.
So, if he is just playing WoW on the machine, you can go with a lower card, slower processor and less ram, although ram is very cheap nowadays.

what monitor is he going to be using?
 
HardwareGuru said:
Holy shit, that's a good deal. Definitely get this PSU. Cheapest this went was $65 w/free shipping. Frys would sell this $65 also. Damn, I think I should get one myself. Hehe
Click to expand...

I know I got mine in Sept for $65, then it went back up to $99. Certainly didn't see this one coming but now that its here its a no brainer for anyone with a budget build.
 
Goodness dude. My eyes got big when I saw your post that. Thinking of a GPU upgrade myself and need to upgrade my old Antec TrueBlue 480 watt with 33A on the +12V. Surprisingly still kicking and didn't choke. Hehe.
 
HardwareGuru said:
Goodness dude. My eyes got big when I saw your post that. Thinking of a GPU upgrade myself and need to upgrade my old Antec TrueBlue 480 watt with 33A on the +12V. Surprisingly still kicking and didn't choke. Hehe.
Click to expand...

Make the move. Even though you gotta pay the shipping to da islands, its too good of a deal to pass by
 
Yah. I added it to the cart on NewEgg for the EA(Extremely Affordable)650 and shipping was $22 for FedEx 2 day. Came out $72. Still not bad to HI. Just $2 more than when it was priced at $70 earlier.
 
Get it while its hot. It wasn't around yesterday, and I doubt it'll be around for much longer. The Antec Sonata III w/ EA500 was on sale for $45, but that lasted a whole 2 hours or so, lol.
 
Hmm.. not surprised. You figure the Antec EA 500 PS with 34A on the +12V was OOS. Now, this Antec EA 650 with 45A on the +12v and certified by AMD/ATI to power a Radeon HD4870X2 video is $50. That's messed up. Hehe.
 
The EA650 is going to be $49.99 shipped until the 26th unless they sell out ;)
 
Let me whip up a pretty bad and affordable setup for OP hehe.

Case - Coolermaster NV 690 for for $60 (Yeah I know green)
PSU - Antec EA650 for $50 w/free shipping
CPU - Intel Core 2 E7300(2.66ghz) for $120 w/free shipping
Mobo/Ram - (Combo Deal) Asus P5Q Pro($15 MIR) + OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4gig DDR2 800 Ram both
for $133
Video - Sapphire radeon HD4850 for $155($20 MIR)
HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $70 w/free shipping
Optical Drive - Samsung 22X Sata DVD burner for $25 w/free shipping

Total: $613


Case - Coolermaster RC 534 for $50 w/free shipping
PSU - Antec EA650 for $50 w/free shipping
CPU - Intel Core 2 E7300(2.66ghz) for $120 w/free shipping
Mobo/Ram - (Combo Deal) Asus P5Q Pro($15 MIR) + OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4gig DDR2 800 Ram both
for $133
Video - Sapphire radeon HD4850 for $155($20 MIR)
HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $70 w/free shipping
Optical Drive - Samsung 22X Sata DVD burner for $25 w/free shipping

Total: $603

OR

Case/Psu - Coolermaster RC-690 with Realpower pro 550W for $100 (No free shipping though) .
CPU - Intel Core 2 E7300(2.66ghz) for $120 w/free shipping
Mobo/Ram - (Combo Deal) Asus P5Q Pro($15 MIR) + OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4gig DDR2 800 Ram both
for $133
Video - Sapphire radeon HD4850 for $155($20 MIR)
HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $70 w/free shipping
Optical Drive - Samsung 22X Sata DVD burner for $25 w/free shipping

Total: $603


What the hell, let's go cheaper. LoL

Case/Psu - Antec Sonata with Antec Earthwatts 500W (34A on the +12v) for $75 w/free shipping.
CPU - Intel Core 2 E5200(2.5ghz) for $75 w/free shipping
Mobo - MSI P43 Neo3-F for $85($10 MIR)
Ram - OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4gig DDR2 800 for $43 w/free shipping
Video - Sapphire radeon HD4850 for $155($20 MIR)
HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $70 w/free shipping
Optical Drive - Samsung 22X Sata DVD burner for $25 w/free shipping

Bam ---> $528

Shucks $70 now for that Antec 300 case. Need to re edit again. Damn.
 
He will probably have a res around 1280x1024.

What other mother board would you suggest for a better cable management system?

I would prefer a Quad Core or maybe Dual Core
What dual core CPU would you recommend?

The price also needs to include some kind of DVD drive.

We could do something cheaper and lower space for the HD. He had plans only getting some around 50-100gigs

Thanks
Jon/xpm!
 
For a quad core processor under $200, the best choice is the Q6600. The "best" dual core to get would be the E8400 for the price. If you need to cut some corners price-wise, you could get either the E5200 or the E7200 and overclock them to a reasonable level.

You should look for one of the single-platter 320GB Seagate 7200.11 or Western Digital WD3200AAKS hard drives... primarily for speed, as the single-platter hard drives are very fast (and not much more expensive than, say, a 250GB hard drive).

The Gigabyte P43/P45 boards, the MSI P43/P45 boards, and the Asus P5Q Pro/Deluxe are good boards that won't cause any cable management nightmares. The P5Q Pro also has some of the best NewEgg combo deals going on right now.

Truthfully, though, you should have gone with one of the above builds that HardwareGuru made for you.
 
Dude, since you only have a 1280 x 1024 res and a budget of $650, I would get this setup. When you do upgrade your lcd monitor later on, then get a new GPU and also a better PSU. Your E8400 cpu will still be good. Plus, the Antec NSK 4480B case can accommodate a big 10.5” GTX 260 or GTX 280 video card. Right now the Radeon HD 4670 does pretty well at 1280 x 1024 res. See review tested with a Core 2 E8400 setup.

CPU - Intel Core2 E8400(3.0ghz) + Asus P5QPro mobo combo for $245($15 MIR on mobo)
RAM - 4gig G. Skills DDR2 800 for $45 w/free shipping
Video - MSI Radeon HD 4670for $80 ($15 MIR)
Case/Psu - Antec NSK4480B with Antec Earthwatts 380W for $70 w/free shipping
HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $70 w/free shipping
Optical drive - Samsung Black 22X DVD+R for $25 w/free shipping
O/S - Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64 bit for $80 w/free shipping

Total: $615 before shipping & rebates
 
 
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