• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

New build ~$500

J

JestrzPlague

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
81
1) What will you be doing with this PC?
Mostly streaming Netflix, central storage, light gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'd like to stay around $500. ~$600ish tops with shipping, handling and tax.

3) Where do you live?
Florida

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Motherboard (w/ on-board sound & networking ideally)
CPU
Heatsink/Fan/Thermal paste
Power Supply (I have a Antec Neo HE550, but I suspect it's not worth recycling. Thoughts?)
Video Card
Hard drive (small, but fast. will use drives listed below for secondary storage.)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
HP MyBook 1TB External
Western Digital Raptor SATA 74GB (Use as primary?)
Western Digital Caviar 200GB (might junk it)
Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000 Keyboard & BlueTrack Mouse
DVD-ROM
Case (Mid ATX, pretty shitty but it'll work. it'll be hidden behind the TV, It has 3 fans, but they'll need replacing if cooling's going to be an issue. http://goo.gl/GDpb)

6) Will you be overclocking?
No (I mean, if I get really bored in a couple months I might)

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
42" 1080p HD TV (http://goo.gl/laqF)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within a month, if the deals are good.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Networking
Audio

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Ultimate, 64bit (would like to dual boot Ubuntu 10.04 64bit)
 
Last edited:
- How old is that Antec NeoHE 550?
- What exactly do you mean by "light" gaming?
- Which case do you have?
- Is this suppose to be a HTPC that pulls double duty as a server?
 
- How old is that Antec NeoHE 550?
6 years... hah Still works though

- What exactly do you mean by "light" gaming?
Older games, if any. WC3, Tribes 2, EVE Online being the most intensive

- Which case do you have?
This thing: http://goo.gl/GDpb ($20 6 years ago, lol)

- Is this suppose to be a HTPC that pulls double duty as a server?
Yeah, pretty much
 
At six years old, I cannot recommend either the case or PSU to be reused. The PSUs degrade in performance and quality over time as well due to the environment. Case wise, I'm willing to be that the case only uses 80mm fans which means louder noise and still inadequte cooling. So I recommend getting a new case and PSU.

HDD wise, I'm not too sure if that Raptor drive should be reused or not.
 
Consider this:

$70 - Silverstone SUGO SG02-BF microATX desktop case
$150 - AMD Athlon II X2 250 & Asus M4A88TD-M/USB3 combo (free shipping on processor)
$80 - Geil 2x2GB DDR3 1333 dual channel kit (free shipping)
$100 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB HDD & Antec NEO ECO 400C PSU combo (free shipping on HDD)
$20 - Asus GH22NS50 SATA DVD burner (free shipping)
=====
$420 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Given the overall age of all of your major components, I decided to replace your entire build from top to bottom. Since you don't really need much in terms of the power department, I went with an Athlon II dual-core processor and an AM3 microATX board with onboard video and onboard digital audio. (Try the onboard sound out first before you decide to pick up a discrete sound card.)

The Samsung F3 HDD is infinitely more versatile for your needs than any of the HDDs you currently have. In fact, I'd recommend keeping only the external HDD for "remote" backup or storage. (Yes, the PSU is more than enough for your needs; it can even handle a low-end video card, should you decide to go that route later.)

The SG02 is a nice, compact case that will work pretty well for your needs. However, you'll need to pick up a couple of 80mm fans for cooling. The fact that, for now, you aren't using a discrete video card means that you should be able to generate some decent cooling -- and you have room for up to three 3.5" hard drives (one in the second 5.25" slot, which even comes with an adapter for that purpose, and a separate cage that holds two more).
 
Thanks, man. Appreciate the recommendation.

I can mod the case to fit the 80mm fans, so no big deal there. I was already considering hacking apart the case to shrink the form factor. The deal with the case is that my apt previously had a recessed wall mount for a giant CRT. That's where the computer will sit, and the TV will hang in front of it now.

I think I'm going to keep running the WD Raptor until it dies - unless there's a capability issue.

Does that change your recommendation any?
 
Last edited:
tiraides said:
The SG02 is a nice, compact case that will work pretty well for your needs. However, you'll need to pick up a couple of 80mm fans for cooling. The fact that, for now, you aren't using a discrete video card means that you should be able to generate some decent cooling -- and you have room for up to three 3.5" hard drives (one in the second 5.25" slot, which even comes with an adapter for that purpose, and a separate cage that holds two more).
Click to expand...

Given the setup you provided, if I decided to put in a video card down the road, what would you suggest?
 
No, DBAN and sell the Raptor and WD2000JB on CL or FS/T@[H]. The F3 would outperform both of those drives, and give you more space.

Vidcard would depend on your needs. Simple HTPC: HD5450. More demanding HTPC: HD5570. Gaming @ 1680x1050: HD5750+. Higher res gaming: HD5850+ or GTX460+.
 
enginurd said:
No, DBAN and sell the Raptor and WD2000JB on CL or FS/T@[H]. The F3 would outperform both of those drives, and give you more space.
Click to expand...
lol, ok... fair enough.

enginurd said:
Vidcard would depend on your needs. Simple HTPC: HD5450. More demanding HTPC: HD5570. Gaming @ 1680x1050: HD5750+. Higher res gaming: HD5850+ or GTX460+.
Click to expand...
If i'm going to run EVE Online (specs: http://goo.gl/0U7t) on my 1080p TV, upgrade? Same setup with a GTX460? I'm concerned 1) the case will be too small and get too hot, 2) PSU will need to be bigger.
 
Yah, for anything higher than an HD5770, you'll need a beefier PSU than the CX400.

Are you going to hack your old case or pickup the Sugo?

IIRC, EVE online isn't very demanding, so the HD5750 or HD5770 should be fine.
 
Yeah, I'm ok with hacking up the old case to fit a couple 80mm fans - even though tiraides' suggestion is seriously tempting because of the SFF.

And EVE is goofy. Depends on the scale of engagements. I run two clients (lowest settings) on my Asus G50V (GeForce 9700M GT 512MB GDDR3 VRAM), but when you get several hundred people on grid, things start getting ugly.
 
Bare minimum for Eve Online at 1920x1080 would be the HD 5770 1GB IMO. Spring for the GTX 460 if you can. However that would require a larger PSU like this:
$57 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU

I seriously don't think you should reuse that old case as I pointed out earlier: In order to get any kind of decent cooling, you're gonna have to use fast 80mm fans which means a significantly louder PC and still a chance of inadequate cooling. If you want a quieter PC, low speed 80mm fans will not be up to the job of cooling such hardware as a GTX 460. So despite what you think, it's a big deal.
 
I didn't take the optimal requirements of EVE Online into full consideration.

80mm fans aren't enough to cool a midrange card like the HD 5770, so the SG02 may be out of the question. A good yet inexpensive microATX case with 120mm fans is the Cooler Master Elite 341, but it's a tower case, not a desktop case. (The microATX desktop cases that I know support two or more 120mm fans all cost over $100.)

I also second the "recommendation" to upgrade the PSU (and possibly the processor, to a quad-core) to accommodate (if not complement) the GPU "upgrade."
 
Danny Bui said:
Bare minimum for Eve Online at 1920x1080 would be the HD 5770 1GB IMO. Spring for the GTX 460 if you can. However that would require a larger PSU like this:
$57 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU

I seriously don't think you should reuse that old case as I pointed out earlier: In order to get any kind of decent cooling, you're gonna have to use fast 80mm fans which means a significantly louder PC and still a chance of inadequate cooling. If you want a quieter PC, low speed 80mm fans will not be up to the job of cooling such hardware as a GTX 460. So despite what you think, it's a big deal.
Click to expand...
Aright. I trust you.

So, do this?
tiraides said:
Consider this:

$70 - Silverstone SUGO SG02-BF microATX desktop case
$150 - AMD Athlon II X2 250 & Asus M4A88TD-M/USB3 combo (free shipping on processor)
$80 - Geil 2x2GB DDR3 1333 dual channel kit (free shipping)
$57 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$200 - EVGA GeForce GTX460 768MB DDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card 768-P3-1360-TR
Click to expand...
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Yeah, I like the case. Thanks for pointing out the PSU price.

Anyway to do a quad-core processor and stay within budget?
Maybe this: $208 - GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870 & AMD Athlon II X4 640 ?

$40 - Cooler Master Elite 341
$150 - AMD Athlon II X2 250 & Asus M4A88TD-M/USB3 combo (free shipping on processor)
$80 - Geil 2x2GB DDR3 1333 dual channel kit (free shipping)
$68 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$200 - EVGA GeForce GTX460 768MB DDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card 768-P3-1360-TR
Total = $538
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Sounds good. If the gods have spoken, then this is it:

$40 - Cooler Master Elite 341
$163 - AMD Athlon II X4 635 CPU + MSI 880GM-E43 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$80 - Geil 2x2GB DDR3 1333 dual channel kit (free shipping)
$68 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$200 - EVGA GeForce GTX460 768MB DDR5 PCI-Express 2.0 Graphics Card 768-P3-1360-TR
----------
Total: $551

Throw in some thermal paste and 120mm fans and call it a day?
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Your total is wrong BTW: That's $591, not $538.

But yeah looks good to me.
 
Thermal paste (or TIM) is optional, as the HSF that comes with the processor will already have a small layer of TIM on it (enough for the first installation). If you want some more TIM, pick up something that doesn't require any curing time. One good choice is Arctic Cooling MX-2 (or MX-3, whichever you can find for less).

The CM Elite 341, IIRC, comes with only one 120mm fan, which is mounted onto the rear of the case. It can also support one front-mounted 120mm fan and two side-mounted 120mm fans. Two more decent fans (that push at least 40CFM of air with less than 20dBA of noise) should work fine. Get something relatively inexpensive, like the Enermax UC-12EB.

Other than that, you can call it a day.
 
Ordering now, but I just found this in [H]ot deals...

How about this video card instead?
$100 (with coupon code) - BFG Tech GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE 55 896MB DDR3 PCI Express Dual DVI Video Card w/HDCP Support
 
Last edited:
No warranty left on that card besides the 90 day geeks.com warranty. Lesser performance than the GTX 460. Performance should still be enough, however, for running two Eve Online Clients but probably not at max settings.at 1920x1080.
 
Man, you're quick.

I really appreciate your help, Danny (and tiraides). If you're ever in Gainesville, Fla., hit me up for a couple beers - especially if it's during football season.

I'll post back soon with pictures.
 
JestrzPlague said:
Man, you're quick.

I really appreciate your help, Danny (and tiraides). If you're ever in Gainesville, Fla., hit me up for a couple beers - especially if it's during football season.

I'll post back soon with pictures.
Click to expand...

Woke up early actually :)

No prob man.

Good luck with the build!
 
Computer is up and running! It's seriously quiet and no problems running EVE so far. The boot time is pretty impressive, too.

Only having some problems getting the audio working between the PC and the TV, but I've got another thread open in the HTPC subforum trying to figure that out.
 
I'll post up some pics ASAP. I've been skipping sleep just to set the computer up... hah.

I think I've figured out my audio problem. Now I just have to figure out how to connect my motherboard's spdif to my video card, I think.
 
hah, ok I had to post at least one. Here's the state of my living room right now. You can see my oldest computer and monitor setup to the left, the new box sitting to the bottom left of the TV and one of my laptops to the bottom right of the TV. Cords and boxes are everywhere...



If anyone knows how to connect the mobo's sound to the spdif plugin on this video card, I'd be appreciative to hear how :) Or, otherwise, how best to get sound from the computer to the TV.
 
Ahh the PC workden.

Not 100% sure if Nvidia ever pushed audio via HDMI on their later video cards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top