Dogg 3 Uber-Budget Build

[BigJayDogg3]

So I'm going to do a really, really cheap build. The fact that I'm bringing a HD and a MoBo into this should help keep costs down.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

This computer is going to do a grand total of two things. 1) Sync my Dad's Zune 120, and sync my Dad's iPhone. I may occasionally be used for web browsing. But I seriously, seriously doubt it would see any other use. In other words, Firefox, iTunes, and Zune.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

My budget is fairly flexible. Definitely under $400, but hopefully lower than that. As cheap as possible without sacrificing usability is the goal.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US. Lafayette, LA. No Microcenters around me. I prefer Amazon since I'm a prime member, but if Newegg is cheaper, I'll buy there.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

CPU, RAM, Case, Power Supply, Monitor

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

Its going to be an 1155 Mobo. Either a P67 Sabertooth (if so I'll bring the GPU; don't worry about it) or a Z77 pro (it was free).

I also have a 1.5 tb HDD. This will be the storage drive as well as the boot drive.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Nope.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

Don't have one yet. Since cheap is the goal, I'm looking at this. It isn't the best, but again, cheap is the goal. Its good enough for the purpose of this computer. Dad's eyes are getting weaker, so going full 1080 isn't going to happen on anything less than 27"...which is expensive.

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

Good question. I'm aiming for the next two-three weeks. Meaning at the end of two to three weeks, I want to have a computer built. When it actually gets built depends upon the cost of the computer as a whole.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

N/A

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

64 bit Windows 7.

___


Here's what I'm looking at:

AOC 1600 x 900 Monitor - $103
Celeron G530 - $47.41
4 GB of Corsair RAM - $22.99
430w Corsair Builder Power Supply - $40.68
NZXT Source 210 Case - $39.99

Total: $254.07

I want to reiterate, the goal here is to maximize value. I'm sure I could get a better case, more RAM, better monitor, better processor, etc, but I don't think it would be an effective use of funds. I'm most tempted to up to 8 GB of RAM, but I don't think that would be a wise decision.

 

[E4g1e]

So I'm going to do a really, really cheap build. The fact that I'm bringing a HD and a MoBo into this should help keep costs down.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

This computer is going to do a grand total of two things. 1) Sync my Dad's Zune 120, and sync my Dad's iPhone. I may occasionally be used for web browsing. But I seriously, seriously doubt it would see any other use. In other words, Firefox, iTunes, and Zune.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

My budget is fairly flexible. Definitely under $400, but hopefully lower than that. As cheap as possible without sacrificing usability is the goal.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US. Lafayette, LA. No Microcenters around me. I prefer Amazon since I'm a prime member, but if Newegg is cheaper, I'll buy there.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

CPU, RAM, Case, Power Supply, Monitor

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

Its going to be an 1155 Mobo. Either a P67 Sabertooth (if so I'll bring the GPU; don't worry about it) or a Z77 pro (it was free).

I also have a 1.5 tb HDD. This will be the storage drive as well as the boot drive.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Nope.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

Don't have one yet. Since cheap is the goal, I'm looking at this. It isn't the best, but again, cheap is the goal. Its good enough for the purpose of this computer. Dad's eyes are getting weaker, so going full 1080 isn't going to happen on anything less than 27"...which is expensive.

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

Good question. I'm aiming for the next two-three weeks. Meaning at the end of two to three weeks, I want to have a computer built. When it actually gets built depends upon the cost of the computer as a whole.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

N/A

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

64 bit Windows 7.

___


Here's what I'm looking at:

AOC 1600 x 900 Monitor - $103
Celeron G530 - $47.41
4 GB of Corsair RAM - $22.99
430w Corsair Builder Power Supply - $40.68
NZXT Source 210 Case - $39.99

Total: $254.07

I want to reiterate, the goal here is to maximize value. I'm sure I could get a better case, more RAM, better monitor, better processor, etc, but I don't think it would be an effective use of funds. I'm most tempted to up to 8 GB of RAM, but I don't think that would be a wise decision.

As advertised, the RAM that you selected needs 1.65V just to even run at its advertised speed and timings. And Intel advises against the use of 1.65V RAM or any RAM rated at higher than 1.575V for long-term operation unless you want to risk early death to the CPU.

 

[Dangman]

As E4g1e said: That RAM is harmful to your CPU. So I recommend this RAM instead:
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-DDR3-...32/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1334549515&sr=8-15

As for the case, the NZXT Source 210 isn't an effective use of funds IMO considering that the NZXT Elite costs $10 more and comes with an extra 140mm fan and front USB 3.0 ports. That makes it a better value than the NZXT Source 210:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case

Besides what I said above, the setup looks ok.

 

[BigJayDogg3]

Yall sure that's 1.65v ram? Both Corsair and NewEgg say its 1.5.

I realized that's a 4GB stick of RAM, not a kit of 2x2GB. Changed to this:
Corsair XMS

Or this

Crucial

Thanks for the heads-up on the case.

 

[Dangman]

Yall sure that's 1.65v ram? Both Corsair and NewEgg say its 1.5.

Huh, I stand corrected.

I realized that's a 4GB stick of RAM, not a kit of 2x2GB. Changed to this:
Corsair XMS

Or this

Crucial
.

Neither of those RAM are good buys since 8GB of RAM will only cost $10 to $13 more than those sets:
$38 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$40 - Corsair CMV8GX3M2A1333C9 4 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM

For 4GB of RAM, regardless of whether it's a single or dual 2GB set, it should be as close to $20 as possible to make it a good buy.

 

[BigJayDogg3]

Thank you sirs for the info.