Looking for a SFF for school

[vtx_]

First off I'll say that i have been out of the game for a while... The last desktop I owned was a Dothan 730 on an Asus P4P800SE with a radeon 9800.

I just really dont have the time to research everything from scratch like I used to, I would appreciate advice. I just need something to use at school and for a possible Media Center PC at home.

I also have a good inspiron 9400 so this isnt really my primary computer.

What I am looking for is a decent SFF like a shuttle with the following looking to spend about $500-600
AMD X2 or Intel Core Duo
250 gb hard drive
2x1 gb ram
Graphics card that supports dual monitors (dvi) that is good enough to play half life 2 thats about all i play anymore
tv tuner (if it fits budget)

 

[tiraides]

This is a setup that I've posted in another thread.

Here's a SFF configuration (not including the OS) for under $600:

Ultra MicroFly microATX case - $40
Corsair 520HX 520W modular power supply - $100 (with $10 mail-in rebate)
Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2 microATX motherboard - $106
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 processor - $122
G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 memory - $50
Lite-On LH-20A1S SATA DVD±RW burner - $27
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA/300 hard drive - $59
Sapphire 100206L Radeon HD2600PRO video card - $80

Total (not including shipping or taxes) - $584

I don't know whether or not your budget included the costs of an OS, but IMO, you shouldn't cut too many corners. (I normally recommend $750 as the minimum budget for a full rig.)

 

[vtx_]

thanks for the reply... i already have windows xp home that i could use since it is mostly just going to be used as a regular computer i dont know if i want to buy media center edition.