Need help with low budget build

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Wingy

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 18, 2000
Messages
1,294
Hello,
I'm looking to get a new build soon. I could use some help, as I havn't been following hardware reviews and stuff like I used to.

Primary uses:

Office stuff, Surfing, Web Development, Software development, etc... Not too into gaming on here, but being able to upgrade somewhat easily if I feel like it would be great.

Longevity, meh.

The only thing I really plan on keeping are my monitors, mouse, keyboard. I'm converting my current box to a development server for my projects. I may also keep my Lian Li box for this build, but then an alternate cheaper case would be necessary for the old box.

I would also need an OS. I have almost 0 experience on vista, but I'm willing to convert. You all would know more about any horror stories then I would.

Consider a budget of $800 for giggles. I'm not 100% on that budget yet, but it will be right around there.

Thanks!
 
Go with the following build (thanks, HardwareGuru!):

$85 - Antec Three Hundred & Antec Earthwatts EA500 combo
$7 - Two Yate Loon D12SL-12 case fans (for Three Hundred case)
$255 - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 & Asus P5Q Pro combo
$39 - Xigmatek HDT-S1283 & ACK-I7751 retention bracket
$65 - 4GB G.Skill DDR2 1000 kit
$160 - SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB
$75 - Western Digital 6400AAKS HDD
$25 - Samsung SH-S223F SATA DVD burner
$100 - Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
=====
$811 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Most of the items included have free shipping (and/or mail-in rebates), but if you want to save some money (to keep everything under $800 shipped), you could omit the aftermarket CPU cooler (and its retention bracket) and go with some cheaper DDR2 800 memory. (However, if you plan on overclocking, leave everything as is.)

Since you don't plan on gaming, you could also go with a cheaper video card. But which resolution are you using?
 
that covers it, and for your needs it's overkill ( considering no gaming) but keep the card since it will avail you in the event that a game catches your eye.
 
tiraides said:
$85 - Antec Three Hundred & Antec Earthwatts EA500 combo
$7 - Two Yate Loon D12SL-12 case fans (for Three Hundred case)
$255 - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 & Asus P5Q Pro combo
$39 - Xigmatek HDT-S1283 & ACK-I7751 retention bracket
$65 - 4GB G.Skill DDR2 1000 kit
$160 - SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB
$75 - Western Digital 6400AAKS HDD
$25 - Samsung SH-S223F SATA DVD burner
$100 - Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
=====
$811 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)
Click to expand...

Another vote. Don't mess with success, yeah?
 
$900 build, $800 with rebate: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=11121988

Anyway, if you're wary about rebates go with tiraides very sound build
ecstatic.gif
 
tiraides said:
$85 - Antec Three Hundred & Antec Earthwatts EA500 combo
$7 - Two Yate Loon D12SL-12 case fans (for Three Hundred case)
$255 - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 & Asus P5Q Pro combo
$39 - Xigmatek HDT-S1283 & ACK-I7751 retention bracket
$65 - 4GB G.Skill DDR2 1000 kit
$160 - SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB
$75 - Western Digital 6400AAKS HDD
$25 - Samsung SH-S223F SATA DVD burner
$100 - Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
=====
$811 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)
Click to expand...

Add another vote for this build as well.
 
+1 what tiraides said

Getting a simpler mobo like the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R would work if it allows you to find a better deal than the e8400 p5q pro combo.
 
flegg said:
+1 what tiraides said

Getting a simpler mobo like the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R would work if it allows you to find a better deal than the e8400 p5q pro combo.
Click to expand...

I'd argue the P5Q Pro combo is actually a really good deal, it'd be hard to beat... and I hate ASUS, so that's saying something.
 
Right now, the P5Q Pro is the only "good" P45 motherboard (though there are others available) that has some decent combo deals. Include the combo deal savings, and it's much cheaper than the UD3R (which, like the GA-EP45-DS3L, is somewhat "crippled" by the fact that it's a P45 motherboard with only one PCI-E x16 slot).

If you really want a cheaper motherboard, go with either the MSI P43 Neo3-F or the Gigabtye GA-EP43-DS3L. The only reason you should be going with one of those boards is if you decided to get a cheap quad core (e.g., Q6600) instead... but for the OP's needs, the E8400 is more than enough.

And again, for those trying to keep themselves under a fixed budget: DON'T LOOK AT MAIL-IN REBATES. Since you still have to pay the full ("before-rebate") costs up front, they're not exactly the best way to save money. (That's why I really don't like talking about rebates: How much do they save you AT CHECKOUT again?)
 
yet another vote for HG's build. As SC mentioned, the $30 savings form the board/cpu combo is hard to beat.

GeorgeHR said:
For office work $500 is a lot for a computer.
Click to expand...

Hehe, I agree.

If you're not gaming, ditch the HD4850. If you are gaming... even just a little bit, then keep it if you don't mind the price. However, for non-gaming, you could get away with a $20 vidcard, or even onboard. :p If you'd like to see a cheaper build, I'm sure others here are willing to throw one together for you. Though, for $500, you might as well cash in on a good dell deal instead.
 
What alternative video card should I look into, assuming I will not be gaming. One thing though, I am using 2 Samsung 226bw's, not that I think that's an issue at all, just an FYI.

Also, could I ask about that PSU quickly? Are all these parts way more efficient than they used to be? Meaning 500w PSU seems low. It seems like not long ago I would have needed a larger watt PSU. The one I currently use is larger than that.
 
Well, I had originally listed this...

$40 - MSI R4350-D512H Radeon HD 4350 512MB ($10MIR)

Then read that you were using two 226bw's and you'd probably want both of them on DVI, right? In which case, this would probably be better:

$67 - POWERCOLOR AX4650 512MD2 Radeon HD 4650 512MB

Or if you want something cheaper...

$55 - ASUS EAH3650 SILENT MAGIC/HTDP/512M Radeon HD 3650 ($20MIR)


Regarding PSUs, that build that HG listed probably won't even reach 350W at full load with the CPU OC'd to 4Ghz. ;) Modern systems draw most of their power from the +12v rail(s), so you want a PSU that focuses much of its power there. You also want something with low noise/ripple and high efficiency (80+), which usually goes hand in hand with Active PFC.
 
Few quick Questions here.

With that build, is the DDR 1000 only necessary if I want to maintain a good ratio when OCing?? (I don't OC much) In which case, would DDR800 be more appropriate?

Also, surfing the deals forum, I noticed alot of good deals seem to happen with OCZ memory. Can I count on this being of high quality, along with the G Skill? In my previous builds I've always used Crucial or Corsair.

Thanks for the help!
 
Wingy said:
Few quick Questions here.

1) With that build, is the DDR 1000 only necessary if I want to maintain a good ratio when OCing?? (I don't OC much) In which case, would DDR800 be more appropriate?

2) Also, surfing the deals forum, I noticed alot of good deals seem to happen with OCZ memory. Can I count on this being of high quality, along with the G Skill? In my previous builds I've always used Crucial or Corsair.

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

1) Yes. Its only a difference of $10 anyhow, but up to you. DDR2-800 will take your CPU to 3.6Ghz when OC'ing. DDR2-1000 will allow up to 4.5Ghz, which may be over the CPU's reach. You typically see E8400's around 4Ghz, which, I've heard, is also pretty easy to reach.

2) Any of those brands are fine. Go for the cheapest one. As for rebates, they're never guaranteed, so only buy it if you're ok with the pre-rebate price. If you're relying heavily on that rebate, don't bother -- go for the cheaper one without a rebate instead.
 
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