fastest PC I can assemble for no more than $400?

S

szdpd

Weaksauce
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Aug 10, 2008
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I already have all of the following: monitor, case, decent PSU, speakers, video card, dvd drive, plenty of hard drive space, etc. I only need help figuring out a good combo of the following items for no more than $400.

CPU
Motherboard
RAM
<possibly a hard drive but only if its price justifies a noticeable increase in computer performance>

I won't be doing any gaming. I just want to allow virtual machines to work more smoothly. I'm open to AMD/Intel systems, though i admit I prefer Intel. Then again, I'm also looking for performance so I'm willing to compromise. The total price must be no more than $400.

Any ideas?
 
1) What PSU will you be using?
2) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
3) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
4) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
5) Will you be overclocking?
 
what size MB can you fit in your case?

this is why there are a list of questions.....
 
The biggest upgrade you can make to system performance is an SSD. Make sure you budget for that.
 
RAM and storage performance will be critical. Knowing what each VM will be running is also beneficial to weigh against your budget.

What will the VMs be running?
How many concurrent VMs will you use?
 
Danny Bui said:
1) What PSU will you be using?
Click to expand...

like 600watts. i don't have the specs in front of me so please assume that the PSU won't be a problem.

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

The US.

3) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Click to expand...

ideally before the new year or shortly after.

4) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Click to expand...

USB 3.0 would be nice, but it's not necessary. SATA 6 GB/s would be nice, too. I'll even say that if it has an IDE port even better. That's all it needs to have.

5) Will you be overclocking?
Click to expand...

I wasn't planning to.



tricky0502 said:
what size MB can you fit in your case?

this is why there are a list of questions.....
Click to expand...

my case is pretty big. full atx will fit.


Anyway, the motherboard is not what worries me the most. my current motherboard is a $50 motherboard and I'm happy with it. But since it won't work with new CPUs it needs to be replaced.

as to the virtual machines, maybe 1 more instance of windows. maybe 2 but i doubt it. the vms will likely be running different versions of visual studio. I just want everything to work smoothly.
 
szdpd said:
like 600watts. i don't have the specs in front of me so please assume that the PSU won't be a problem.
Click to expand...
I can't do that.

Please find out what PSU you have. Otherwise, us recommending parts to you would be a slight waste of time if the PSU can't handle it. Yes there are crappy 600W PSUs out there that can't provide more than 200W under the most ideal of conditions.
 
If you are sure you won't overclock then you can drop back to a H67 board and a non-k CPU. That will save you a bit of money and may be enough to squeeze a SSD into your budget.
 
plugwash said:
If you are sure you won't overclock then you can drop back to a H67 board and a non-k CPU. That will save you a bit of money and may be enough to squeeze a SSD into your budget.
Click to expand...

so can I do like

$150 CPU
$75 mb
$75 RAM
$100 SSD

is that even realistic?
 
szdpd said:
so can I do like

$150 CPU
$75 mb
$75 RAM
$100 SSD

is that even realistic?
Click to expand...

Not for an Intel Sandy Bridge build. You should be looking towards:

$190 - Intel Core i5 2400
$70 - Biostar TH67B microATX
$32 - PNY Optima 2x4GB DDR3 1333
====
$292 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

But for serious VM work, you may be better off with an AMD hex-core setup:

$150 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
$70 - Foxconn A88GMV microATX
$32 - PNY Optima 2x4GB DDR3 1333
=====
$252 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

For reference (as the following would be what I would recommend in an SSD):

$110 - Crucial M4 64GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" SSD (does not come with an adapter/bracket)

With the AMD build, you could double your memory, grab the SSD and adapter/bracket (which can range from $7 to $15), and end up slightly over your $400 limit. (With the above recommendations, you'd hit your exact target.) But there's no guarantee that the board can support the newer Bulldozer AM3+ processors. With the Intel build, the motherboard is guaranteed to support the first generation of Ivy Bridge processors that are expected to arrive next year. But if you're unwilling to go beyond $400, you won't be able to grab the SSD. (I personally wouldn't recommend any SandForce-based SSD, even if one is cheaper or faster than the M4, as there are still ongoing performance issues with the SandForce controller.)

Please keep in mind that the SSD isn't a panacea for your performance wishes. While a good SSD, like the recommended Crucial M4, loads programs significantly faster than a traditional HDD, 64GB is only enough storage capacity for the OS and a few key programs. Worse, SSDs, like HDDs, slow down the closer they get to full capacity. You probably won't be able to install all (or possibly any) of your desired VMs on the SSD.

Now, having said all of that, please answer Danny Bui's question about the particular PSU you have. He wasn't kidding when he said that several 600W models aren't even capable of handling a 200 watt load.
 
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