Build help - cheap and futureproof

S

Shago

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 11, 2009
Messages
192
Hi everyone, after dilemma Gaming laptop or Desktop, I chose to go with a desktop and spend less for more. The money i will save will be used for a netbook :).

So here comes the form:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, web browsing, watching movies once in a while and I plan to hook up my 360 to the screen which has no HDMI (but I have a VGA cable for it).

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
1000 euros (1,305.53 USD)

3) Where do you live?
Belgium

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, RAM, HDD, motherboard, case, PSU, videocard, 2.1 or 2.0 boxes, maybe a soundcard, a screen (20" to 22"), am I forgetting something? Basicly the whole shebang

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
/

6) Will you be overclocking?
Nope
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
20 to 22 inches

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Before summer vacation

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
crossfire or sli won't be needed. The rest... i'm not sure, i'm open for suggestions :)

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
I do not and although I haven't got any experience with Vista, I would like to keep it that way :). So Windows XP pref.

So basicly, a fully loaded new system with a screen that has a vga and dvi port.
The games that I will be playing: World of warcraft (its a bit graphical intense nowadays with shadows on), HL2 engine games.

Have fun guys :).
 
Can you please provide any computer hardware retail websites that will ship to Belgium?

When is your summer vacation starting? If it's June or later, it's way too soon to start planning a build IMO.
 
The summer vacation is just something like a "deadline", the sooner the better. But If I don't have it by then... :)

About the PC shop: http://alternate.be/html/index.html
click on PC builder and then on "PC builder nu starten".

I've tried it a couple of times, but I'm so clueless with the motherboards. I Still have an Nforce2 ABIT motherboard, so you might understand why I need the help of you guys ;)
 
over there cheap and future proof arent even allowed into the same sentence.. thats one of the big issues europe has.. everything is just excessively over priced compared to what we pay in the US..

so since you say you plan to play games with your 360 then im guessing you dont need to high end of a video card.. correct?

Grafische kaarten ATI PCIe

EAH4830/HTDP
EAH4830/HTDP
€ 139,-
€ 139,-
CPUs Socket AM3

Phenom II X3 720

Phenom II X3 720
€ 139,-
€ 139,-


Voedingen meer dan 600 Watt

Silencer 610 EPS12V

Silencer 610 EPS12V
€ 95,-
€ 95,-


Moederborden Socket AM3

M4A79T Deluxe

M4A79T Deluxe (AMD 790FX (RD790))
€ 179,-
€ 179,-


Geheugen DDR3-1600

2 GB DDR3-1600 Kit

2 GB DDR3-1600 Kit (2048 MB)
€ 55,-
€ 55,-


Subtotaal: € 607,-
incl. 21% BTW. € 105,35

man im glad i can some what read that stuff.. this is pretty much a basic setup toward the cheap end but leaves room to upgrade later on if you ever decide to.. i left out the hard drive, case, optical and monitor since those are more of a personal preference thing.. and monitors well i just suck at saying whats good and whats not so ill leave that to the smarter people in the category.. also i couldnt figure out a way to add 2x2gb of ram.. so add another € 55 for the 4 gigs of ram.. this setups about as cheap and future proof as it gets.. since lga-775 is getting phased out by intel your only other choice would be going lga-1366 which is the only future proof socket intel has right now..
 
Last edited:
Shago said:
The summer vacation is just something like a "deadline", the sooner the better. But If I don't have it by then... :)
Click to expand...

Ok, how much money do you have RIGHT NOW for a new PC? If you have the money and really do need a new PC, I don't see a reason to wait till summer to build a PC besides time constraints.
 
You do realize that Window 7 isn't guaranteed to be released before the end of this year, right?

And that mainstream support for Windows XP has recently ended?

Or that, in many places/stores, Vista Home Premium is cheaper than Windows XP Professional?

Are you planning on playing any games that are more graphically intensive than the Source-based games (like Far Cry 2 or Crysis)?
 
SirMonkey, thanks for going through all the trouble, dutch isn't the easiest language, props :). Looks good though, and about the pricing, yea, its rough in Europe, but the thing is, I'm doing a vacation job and my boss lets me buy one and all I have to pay is taxes. Still, I don't want to spend too much money on it :).
Right now I have about 1000 euros to spend buy-in price. Which is around 1300-1500 euros?
I'll check the items you suggested after my exams (saturday).
Tiraides, no I did not know about the support of XP. But I've read that xp is a far more reliable system and less power hungry than vista. I do plan on buying Windows 7 though :).

I don't want to start a discussion about which one is best. But is the core 2 quad better/cooler/faster than the phenom?
 
Shago said:
Tiraides, no I did not know about the support of XP. But I've read that xp is a far more reliable system and less power hungry than vista. I do plan on buying Windows 7 though :).

I don't want to start a discussion about which one is best. But is the core 2 quad better/cooler/faster than the phenom?
Click to expand...

You have two potential flame baiting topics here. :) But to clear things up:

1) XP and Vista are just as reliable as one another. I don't know what you mean by "power-hungry". If you mean "resource heavy:" Vista's performance is the same as XP nowadays. You've just been reading the Vista FUD.

2) Core 2 Duo/Quad would be faster than many Phenom II CPUs setups BUT would be very limited in terms of upgrade path since for all intents and purposes Intel's socket 775 is a dead end. At least AMD's socket AM2+ has a bit more life in it. Many of AMD's Phenom II CPUs perform pretty close to that of Core 2 Duo/Quad CPUs.

Do note that intel's Core i7 beats both the Core 2 Quad and Phenom II CPus but a Core i7 system can cost at least $150 more.
 
Danny Bui said:
You have two potential flame baiting topics here. :) But to clear things up:

1) XP and Vista are just as reliable as one another. I don't know what you mean by "power-hungry". If you mean "resource heavy:" Vista's performance is the same as XP nowadays. You've just been reading the Vista FUD.

2) Core 2 Duo/Quad would be faster than many Phenom II CPUs setups BUT would be very limited in terms of upgrade path since for all intents and purposes Intel's socket 775 is a dead end. At least AMD's socket AM2+ has a bit more life in it. Many of AMD's Phenom II CPUs perform pretty close to that of Core 2 Duo/Quad CPUs.

Do note that intel's Core i7 beats both the Core 2 Quad and Phenom II CPus but a Core i7 system can cost at least $150 more.
Click to expand...


in europe add another 300-400 US dollars for the i7.. its pretty crazy how high prices are hiked up over there..
 
Code: 
Graphical card ATI PCIe

    * Asus EAH4830/HTDP
    *
    * 1
    * € 139,-
    * € 139,-
    *    


CPUs Socket AM3

    * AMD Phenom II X3 720
    *
    * 1
    * € 139,-
    * € 139,-
    *    

    * •
    * Boxed Koeler (ATX Layout)
    


Screen LCD 22 inch

    * Samsung T220
    *
    * 1
    * € 199,-
    * € 199,-
    *    

Mice

    * Logitech LS1 Laser Mouse
    *
    * 1
    * € 25,-
    * € 25,-
    *    


Case: Midi Tower

    * Antec Sonata III
    *
    * 1
    * € 119,-
    * € 119,-
    *    

    * •
    * Earthwatts
    * 500 Watt, ATX12V 2.2, ATX 2.03, EPS, 4 x, 6 x 
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren

    * •
    * Koeler 120mm
    *  
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren


DVD-reWriters IDE

    * Plextor PX-800A
    * 18 / 8 / 8 speed, 18 / 6 / 8 speed, Ultra DMA/33, 16 / 48 speed
    * 1
    * € 29,-
    * € 29,-
    *    


Keyboard

    * Logitech UltraFlat Keyboard
    *
    * 1
    * € 19,-
    * € 19,-
    *    

Motherboard Socket AM2+

    * Asus M4A78 PRO 780G
    * AMD 780G + SB700, 5.200 MT/s, Onboard, 1x PCIe x16 2.0, Socket AM2+
    * 1
    * € 109,-
    * € 109,-
    *    

    * •
    * Ultra DMA/133 Controller
    * maximaal 2 apparaten, 133 MB/s 
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren

    * •
    * ATI SB700 6K 6G R0+1 SATA2
    * maximaal 6 apparaten, RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 300 MB/s 
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren

    * •
    * USB 1.1/2.0 Controller
    * 60 MB/s, USB 2.0, maximaal 127 apparaten 
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren

    * •
    * ATI Radeon HD3200 (+DVI-D, +HDMI)
    *  
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren

    * •
    * VT1708S (7.1 HD)
    * 4 x Line-out, 1 x Optisch-Uit, VT1708S 
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren

    * •
    * Gigabit
    *  
    * Aantal: 1
    * » Deactiveren


Sound Speakers

    * Logitech Z-5
    * 2 Watt RMS, 4 Watt PMPO, 2.0
    * 1
    * € 69,-
    * € 69,-
    *    


Harddisks 3,5 inch SATA

    * Western Digital Caviar RE2 WD2502ABYS
    * 250 GB, 8,9 / 16 / 7200, € 0,26*, Serial ATA/300
    * 1
    * € 65,-
    * € 65,-
    *    


memory DDR2-1066

    * Corsair DIMM 4 GB DDR2-1066 Dominator EPP Kit
    * 4096 MB, CL5 5-5-15 2T, 2 stuk(s), PC2 8500
    * 1
    * € 59,-
    * € 59,-
    *

Not sure if the brand of the motherboard is good though. And you guys reckon 500w will do?

This sets me up to 1050 euro's retail price.
Did I bottlenecked something?
 
That looks like a fine budget build, though the graphics card is on the weak side. Get an SATA DVDRW if possible though. Price should not be much if at all different.
 
yeah good build.. the gfx cards perfectly fine for what you plan to play with on a budget.. sure you might be able to put the AA settings as high as you would with a 4850 or 4870.. but meh.. ive never run with AA on anyways when playing multiplayer..

also if your planning to go single drive.. get the WD 640GB instead of the 250.. the extra money spent is worth it even if you have to get it from a different site..

and like silent-circuit said.. get a sata dvd drive.. not IDE.. 1 less huge cable in the way.

the 500w should be fine with that system.. another good power supply is the corsair 550VX which i saw on the site you were using..
 
Ok, again, a quick rundown:

ATI PCIe graphics card Still in doubt between Asus/club3d/Gigabyte
Asus EAH4830/HTDP €139,-

CPUs Socket AM3
AMD Phenom II X3 720 € 139,-
Boxed cooler (ATX Layout)

Monitor LCD 22 inch
LG W2261V-PF € 179,-

Case Midi Tower
Antec Sonata III € 119,-
Earthwatts
500 Watt, ATX12V 2.2, ATX 2.03, EPS, 4 x, 6 x
cooler 120mm

DVD-reWriters Serial-ATA
Asus DRW22B1ST
22 / 8 / 12 speed, 22 / 6 / 12 speed, Serial ATA/150, 16 / 48 speed
€ 27,-

Keyboard I'm still unsure about this one, anything cheap + durable out there with a palmrest? I'm used to it after using a lappy for such a long time
Logitech UltraFlat Keyboard
€ 19,-

Motherboard Socket AM3
Asus M4A78T-E
AMD 790GX, 5.200 MT/s, Onboard, 2x PCIe x16 v2.0, Socket AM3
€ 129,-•
Ultra DMA/133 Controller
maximaal 2 apparaten, 133 MB/s
ATI SB750 6K 6G R0+1/5 SATA2 (1x ext.)
maximaal 6 apparaten, RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1, 300 MB/s
USB 2.0 Controller
60 MB/s, USB 2.0, maximaal 127 apparaten
FireWire Controller
50 MB/s, FireWire, maximaal 63 apparaten
ATI Radeon HD3300 (+DVI-D, +HDMI)
VT1708S (7.1 HD)
4 x Line-out, 1 x Optisch-Uit, VT1708S
Atheros L1E


Speakers Currently have a 5.1 system but its overkill for me :s.
Logitech X-230
32 Watt RMS, 64 Watt PMPO, 2.1
€ 45,-

Harddisks 3,5 inch SATA
Western Digital WD6400AAKS
640 GB, 8,9 / 16 / 7200, € 0,10*, Serial ATA/300
€ 65,-

Memory DDR3-1333
Corsair DIMM 4 GB DDR3-1333 Kit
4096 MB, CL9 9-9-24, 2 stuk(s), PC3 10600
€ 79,-

Total
€ 940,-

OS
From http://www.academicdownload.com/section/957#1
They only have vista ultimate and business.
Since i'm still in school, i'll just take ultimate I guess. Don't really know the difference.

To that brings me on a total of 1005 euros for a reasonable futureproof pc.


Question:
  • With an SLI motherboard: do both slots need to be filled or doesn't it matter?
  • Is the motherboard I chose of descent quality? (read: asus?)
  • The previous question came to my mind when I saw videos of people complaining about the 4850 GPU from asus being broken, anyone that can support this?
  • ... more questions to come, just had an exam and I'm a bit exhausted, been a long night ^^
 
Shago said:
OS
From http://www.academicdownload.com/section/957#1
They only have vista ultimate and business.
Since i'm still in school, i'll just take ultimate I guess. Don't really know the difference.
Click to expand...

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/compare-editions/default.aspx
Shago said:
Question:
  • With an SLI motherboard: do both slots need to be filled or doesn't it matter?
  • Is the motherboard I chose of descent quality? (read: asus?)
  • The previous question came to my mind when I saw videos of people complaining about the 4850 GPU from asus being broken, anyone that can support this?
  • ... more questions to come, just had an exam and I'm a bit exhausted, been a long night ^^
Click to expand...

1) Well you need to use two Nvidia video cards of the same model in order to use SLI. So two slots minimum. For a single GPU, all you need is one slot. You don't have to use every single slot in either cases.

2) AFAIK,yes
3) Haven't seen or heard anything about that.
 
Thanks for the website, should have known that myself :).
So windows vista business it is.
Going to order it saturday! :D
 
Another question:

Triple channel memory, when NOT oc'ing. Does it give much advantage?

And thanks for the link enginurd :)
 
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