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Low budget build...looking for some help

S

SmAw

n00b
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Messages
52
I'm about to build a new tower, but i only have about $500 to work with. Whats a good mobo/cpu combo that will give me decent performance but won't break the bank. I prefer AMD and asus parts, but if there is a cheaper way to go and keep the performance and reliability up, im game. THanks
 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2410569&CatId=332

Biostar mobo, AMD x2 4400+, 1gb ram, 585W psu, case, card reader all for a low $320. All you realy need to add is a hdd, os, and optical drive.

edit: If you want to move more towards $600, look at this crazy barebones kit for $470. All you need to add is os and optical drive.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3825375&CatId=332

MSI K9N SLI-F Motherboard Socket AM2/AM2+ Barebone Kit - AMD Phenom X4 9500 2.20GHz OEM, 400GB SATA HD, 2GB DDR2 PC6400, ATX Mid-Tower, Clear Side, 700 Watt Power Supply
 
SmAw said:
I'm about to build a new tower, but i only have about $500 to work with. Whats a good mobo/cpu combo that will give me decent performance but won't break the bank. I prefer AMD and asus parts, but if there is a cheaper way to go and keep the performance and reliability up, im game. THanks
Click to expand...

You're gonna have to be a bit more specific. Please answer these questions or we can't help you better:
- Is that $500 for just the mobo and CPU or for the entire PC? In other words what exact parts do you need for that $500?
- What are you planning to do with this PC?
- What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID, firewire, etc.
- Will you be overclocking?
 
$320 really isn't that low when you consider what you're getting.

You can do better.

$10-20 - Rosewill or similar case (look for free shipping, wait a couple days, look for one with all 120mm fans for quiet)
$70 - Silverstone 500 watt PSU (quality unit -- won't run SLI, but won't die on you either, should handle a quad and any single card system with ease -- $73 Seasonic 500 watt also an option)
$40 - 2 GB DDR2-800 CAS5 (TEAM Group, SuperTalent, Patriot -- take your pick)
$65 - Gigabyte GA-G31M-S2L LGA775 motherboard (onboard video, 16x PCIe for aftermarket if you go that route later, 2 PCI, and a single 1x PCIe)
$70 - E2180 series C2D CPU (should OC to ~3-3.2Ghz with ease)
$32 - Kingwin Revolution RVT-12025 HSF (keep the CPU cool and quiet)
$60 - Seagate 250GB 7200.10 SATA HDD
$25 - LG 20X SATA DVDRW

$390 + shipping for a far better machine, all parts of the tower included. Could make it a budget gaming rig for ~$550 with a 9600GT or 8800GT AR., or a used 8800 GTS 320/640MB.

Intel is faster right now if you're willing to OC (and OCing C2Ds is dead stupid easy, so why not?). That E2160 will get to 3-3.2Ghz /easily/ and run frosty cool under the HSF I picked. $40 more gets you 8GB of RAM if you want it.

Add a monitor, mouse, keyboard and speakers, and you're good to go.
 
I would go ahead and go for an Intel build. I used to be an AMD fan and wouldn't think about using them right now. Maybe one day they'll be on top of the enthusiast market.
 
SmAw said:
I'm about to build a new tower, but i only have about $500 to work with. Whats a good mobo/cpu combo that will give me decent performance but won't break the bank. I prefer AMD and asus parts, but if there is a cheaper way to go and keep the performance and reliability up, im game. THanks
Click to expand...

In all my years of doing this, I have found one thing that I pass on to people with low budgets:

If you are trying to go for a stable, solid computer in the $500 range and you are NOT going to be overclocking, then I would recommend a Dell.

I know... blasphomey. But, hear me out: If you only have $500, take advantage of Dell's bulk pricing. For that money, you can get a 2.5ghz system with 2GB of RAM, a legal copy of Windows, a 19" flat screen LCD monitor, plus a full warranty on everything. You know its going to work right out of the box. You know you don't have to worry about it if something goes wrong. And you know that if anything does go wrong, Dell will ship you a new one. It is really hard to beat that kind of a bargain.

For minimum budgets, a prebuilt is a great way to go.
For medium to maximum budgets, a do-it-yourself can way outperform.
 
mellojoe said:
In all my years of doing this, I have found one thing that I pass on to people with low budgets:

If you are trying to go for a stable, solid computer in the $500 range and you are NOT going to be overclocking, then I would recommend a Dell.
Click to expand...

QFT. Unless of course this is also a hobby and you enjoy the build process. That probably applies to most of us here, but not our friends/family.

Robert
 
Valnar said:
QFT. Unless of course this is also a hobby and you enjoy the build process. That probably applies to most of us here, but not our friends/family.

Robert
Click to expand...

When friends/family ask... I always send them to Dell. I have tried building my brother a computer once... let's just say that I hate being somebody's tech support. :)
 
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