New Build... help needed

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dannitohoot

n00b
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Messages
24
I'm helpin my bro put together a new comp. Here's what he's lookin at...

ASUS M3N78-EMH HDMI AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8200 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Windsor 3.2GHz Socket AM2 125W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX6400CZBOX

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6D-4GBMQ

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3160815A 160GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black PATA Model SH-S202N - OEM

Cooler Master 10-Bay ATX Computer Case w/550-watt Power Supply & 9.84-inch Blue LED Fan
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=939PL&cat=CAS&cpc=CASbsc

He's adding two 90mm fans as well.

The mobo has an onboard GPU. I told him that the power wouldn't be excellent, but he's okay with that. He says he can upgrade the video card later. The main purpose is to be able to run Vista 64 and DirectX10. This will probably be used to watch movies more than anything else. Gaming is a secondary use. Also, he's using his tax rebate to buy this, so price is the main concern. He's tryin to stay below 600... closer to 500. I told him that Intel has better dual-core's. If you can find one that's close to the power and price, that'd be helpful. He's payin 159 for the CPU.

Any other questions, just ask, I'll try to keep up on this as much as possible.
 
Definately go with intel instead and OC. Any Core2 OC'd to 3+Ghz would outperform that AMD chip.

If he's watching HD content, he'll want a discrete video card designed to use hardware acceleration for decoding/encoding HD video. If he wants to game, he'd be best served by a 9600GT or 8800GT.

Why get an IDE HDD? Go with SATA300 instead.

$600 budget? Does that include tax and shipping?

$150 - 9600GT
$120 - E4500
$105 - Antec Sonata III w/ EA500 (Free shipping at buy.com)
$75 - GA-EP31-DS3L
$65 - 250GB Seagate 'cuda.10
$35 - 2GB DDR2-800
$30 - Samsung SH-S203B DVDRW SATA
===============
$580 + tax and shipping (before any rebates)
 
Lookin at MSI mobos. Don't know anything about MSI. Is it a good brand? Found an open box one for 49 that has good specs.

Other notes... I converted him over to Intel. He's lookin at the one previously recommended as well as possibly an E8400 Wolfdale. He also wants a mobo he can upgrade to 8GB of RAM. I told him he'd be fine with 4. It's extremely hard to find a mobo with an onboard GPU that supports Intel and 8 gigs of ram... He's now willing to possibly drop the integrated video card though.
 
BTW, thanx for catching the IDE/SATA mixup. Got that fixed. I'm pretty sure that the budget does include tax and shipping.
 
So here's what diggin around has helped us find...

ZOTAC N73USupreme LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7150 / nForce 630i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $79
^not sure about this brand either

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 -
$200
(Also looking at waiting for the release of the E8300 Wolfdale 2.83. It's like 22 bucks cheaper.)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL6D-4GBMQ - $95

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - 60

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black PATA Model SH-S202N - OEM - $27

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM - $100

Subtotal $545.94

Earlier, I forgot that he wanted to buy windows as well.
He's stickin with the 550 Watt PSU and case mentioned earlier.
 
Considering his intended usage and lack of high end video card, an E2xxx chip for ~$70 will do just as well as the E8400 once OCed to ~3Ghz.

Instead, spend more money on a nicer motherboard and a dedicated GPU. If not gaming but watching HD content I'd recommend the Abit IP35-E / Gigabyte P35 DS3L and a Geforce 8500/8600 GT for ~$90 and ~$60 AR, respectively.

Drop the PATA DVDRW as well. SATA on everything.
 
Just asking - do any of you go to a university? Because you can pick up vista for cheap. I know at Iowa I can get Ultimate for $11...

Just thought I might throw that out there.
 
I guarantee you that the CM 550W PSU that comes with the case isn't really a 550W PSU. Its probably more like a 400W PSU, and its possible that it could kill all his new parts. But hey, its cheap, and it most likely won't, so its a small risk, right? eh... its only $600 worth of hardware... no biggie.

For his needs, he's probably better off cashing in on a good dell deal instead of building a system. For example:

Dell Small Business - Dell Vostro 400 Desktop with 2.4GHz Core 2 QUAD PROC Q6600, 2GB Memory, 250GB HD, DVD Burner, 128MB NVIDIA 8300GS and 22" Widescreen Monitor for $699 with FREE Shipping!
Click to expand...

Deals come and go, so if he's not in a rush, he can wait for one that fits his needs better at the price he wants. Check gotapex.com daily for any dell deals if interested.
 
tzk said:
Just asking - do any of you go to a university? Because you can pick up vista for cheap. I know at Iowa I can get Ultimate for $11...

Just thought I might throw that out there.
Click to expand...

My university still charged me $129 for Vista Ultimate, and wouldn't even give me the 64-bit disc, and the educational versions aren't eligible for the upgrade disc from Microsoft. I had to resort to a torrent site for the 64-bit image. FOR SHAME! :(
 
Question - does the product key for 32bit versions work for 64bit versions?
 
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