Cheap PC build advice?

[Jospeh]

This is not a gaming build.It will mostly be used for programming and such. I don't think there is any real requirement for a powerful CPU so I was thinking a tri core phenom II. I wanted to put a SSD drive in there so stuff would load quickly but it looks like they are still too expensive so I was thinking maybe a RAID 0 or 1 with 2 harddrives. I haven't set up a RAID before, is there anything special you need?
I'm going to be replace an old Pentium 4 system from dell so I don't need a mouse/monitor/keyboard/OS. I'll probably need a new case though. I'd like to keep the price around 300-600$. I don't have a fixed budget but since I don't need it to be too powerful I'd like to keep the price down. Oh and I would like to build the PC fairly soon.

 

[engiNURD]

Nope, nothing special other than a RAID controller needed for a RAID setup.

Just programming? Will you be running multiple VMs?
While you're at it, answer the rest of the questions in the sticky, please (though most have already been answered, please answer the rest).

 

[Jospeh]

Nope no multiple VMs. Nothing special that requires a lot of computational power or RAM. It's mostly just a generally use computer. It doesn't need any special features that I can think of except for RAID(maybe). I guess I forgot to mention I live in the east coast of the U.S. so I'll probably be picking everything up from newegg. I'll be using a 20" monitor but it doesn't really matter since I won't be gaming.
I guess I'll list what I need:
CPU
Case
PSU
RAM
HDs
Motherboard
Video card (maybe I'll just use onboard)
I don't want to buy a seperate heatsink just to OC so I'll be OCing on the stock cooler. I'll be using Vista 64bit for this.

 

[fromeo85]

CPU/Mobo - AMD Phenom 8650 Toliman 2.3GHz Tri-Core & ASUS M3N78-EM AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8300 HDMI - $153.98

Case - Thermaltake LANBOX Lite VF6000BWS - $89.99

PSU - Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC - $35.99

RAM - G.Skill 2X1GB DDR2-800 - $29.99

HDD - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB - $69.99

ODD - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - $24.99

Subtotal: $404.93
Total: $443.35

If you still want to do RAID w/ 2 640GB

Subtotal: $474.92
Total: $513.34

 

[Dangman]

PSU - Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC - $35.99

Poor choice for PSU. Only has 18A on the +12V rail which is weak even for a basic office system. I would not recommend getting this PSU at all unless you can get it for $10 straight up.

Anyway OP, I recommend this system:
$159 - AMD Phenom II X3 710 CPU + ASUS M3A76-CM AMD 760G uATX Motherboard
$45 - Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5C 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM
$75 - Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$75 - Western Digital WD6401AALS 640GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$50 - Corsair 400CX 400W PSU
$30 - Rosewill R226-P-BK 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
---
Total: $434 plus tax and shipping

The AAKS/AALS drives are some of the fastest consumer grade 7200RPM drives out there. The AALS models come with an extra two year warranty so totally worth the extra $5. Two of those in RAID 0 should scream. The Phenom II 710 is more than enough for your needs. It's also faster than the Phenim 8650 that fromeo linked to.

 

[Jospeh]

Looks pretty decent. I think I'll grab a a 500-600 watt PSU or so though. This is mostly just so I can reuse it later on.

 

[Dangman]

Looks pretty decent. I think I'll grab a a 500-600 watt PSU or so though. This is mostly just so I can reuse it later on.

Then I recommend this PSU:
$80 - BFG Tech LS-550 550W PSU

 

[engiNURD]

Looks pretty decent. I think I'll grab a a 500-600 watt PSU or so though. This is mostly just so I can reuse it later on.

No real need to, if your requirements stay the same. New parts just keep getting more energy efficient. The Corsair 400W has more power than many generic 550W+ PSUs. Its a good quality PSU with its power focused on the +12V rail, where modern systems draw most of their power from.

The system Danny spec'd probably uses around 250W, or less, at full load, with a mild OC.

Don't forget to pickup a SATA optical drive, too. Whichever one is $25 or less, like the Samsung SH-S223F or Asus DRW-22B1ST.