New rig $600 ?

T

topslop1

2[H]4U
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Apr 15, 2002
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I've been out of the game for awhile. My last pc was an AMD 3000+ with a 7800gs on a DFI Ut250GB.

I went the laptop route for college and although I'm still in college I would like to build a new rig that's either a very small case or a small form factor of some sort that could fit into my suitcase. Would a $600 price tag be too little to shoot for a decent gaming rig?

If I was looking for a quad core with 4 gigabytes of ram and a this generation vidcard I'd probably be looking at $800?

And what's going on with the videocard releases - Nvidia is putting out a new card in a few weeks and ATI is launching one for August? Should I be waiting a few weeks before I pull the trigger?

Anyhow, throw me a recommendation here if you could on a build for me that would fit my needs and not break the bank. I appreciate it guys.
 
How big is your suit case? :)

Also we need you to answer these questions or we cannot help you:
- Will you be overclocking?
- What features do you need on the motherboard? RAID? Firewire? HDMI? SATA ports? etc
- What parts do you need for that $600/$800 budget?
- Do you already have a legit OS key available?
 
Even though I love overclocking I probably will not be doing it only to keep the cost down. However - if it is a very cost effective overclock then I wouldn't mind tinkering again with the system. I used to fit the old alienware styled full size case into my suit case until the system ate it on a journey back from college. So it's a decently sized suitcase, but I'd like something about 1/2 or at least 3/4ths the size of that. SATA ports would be the only thing that I need since I already have a 300gig harddrive. I do have a copy of XP and VISTA so I won't need an OS built into the price. I have a 20'' lcd and I have keyboard and mouse and all the external goodies, I'm just looking for the tower itself here minus the harddrive.

Freeing all of those things up puts more bang into my dollar for a build I would hope.
 
A SFF build with a quad core processor, 4GB of RAM, and one of this generation's video cards is certainly doable... but it won't be cheap.

Here is a sample setup, based on what you mentioned earlier (all items are from NewEgg, for simplicity's sake)....

$75 - Silverstone SUGO SG02B-F microATX desktop case
$120 - Corsair HX520 520W PSU
$97 - Asus P5K-VM Intel G33 microATX motherboard
$210 - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
$84 - G.Skill 4GB DDR2 800 dual channel kit
$27 - Asus DRW-2014S1T SATA DVD burner
$195 - VisionTek HD 4850
(reusing HDD and OS?)
=====
$808 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Now, which components/features do you need, and which ones do you want? And how much, at most, are you willing to spend? What you want you may not be able to afford, based on your budget.
 
That's alot of computer for $800 for sure. What would I have to sacrifice to drop it to $600? The Quad Core turns into a Dual and then I'm thinking that the videocard turns into something with alot less power? I have an older PSU kicking around but I think it's only a 450 watt that's of mediocre quality. Would I want to use that in there or would that PSU just be a headache?
 
Chances are the old 450W PSU will be a headache in your new machine.

The CPU, RAM, and video cards would be the easiest ways to cut some corners. However, I have a few more questions for you:

- What monitor/resolution are you using?
- Which games/programs do you plan on using?
- How long do you want this machine to last? Will you be making any incremental upgrades during that time?
- How large/small do you want this machine to be? (I know you said that you want this to fit in your suitcase, but is there a certain size/type of case you're more interested in?)
 
i think he said in a earlier post that hes using a 20' monitor. using a e2180/e2200 would be like 70/80 and u could drop the ram to the 2x1gb gskill ram for $45 thats $180ish off from before
 
i found parts for a complete computer for ya that should handle almost any game you can throw at it.

SILVERSTONE SUGO SG02B-F $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163112

GIGABYTE GA-945GCM-S2C $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128076

Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6GHz $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115045

ZOTAC ZT-88TES3P-FCP GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (oc'd to 700 core) $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500006

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003

EXCELSTOR Jupiter Series 250GB 7200 RPM $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822210020

PNY Optima 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 $36.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178163

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

Subtotal: $606.92
Shipping: $36.26

Grand Total: $643.18
 
20'' LG 204WT which is 1680x1050 and I would be using this machine with pretty much the newest games out right now and then onto the next generation as well. I'd be doing Assassins Creed, Alone in the Dark, Diablo III (when released), I'm a gamer to the core here.

I used my last rig for about 3 years and threw 2 new videocards into it over the course of its life.
 
There's one key problem that I see with jjolin's build (no offense): the Intel 945GC chipset won't support the newer processors with 1333FSB (and, IIRC, it won't support the quad core processors either). That may or may not hamper you, depending on how badly you want the quad core.

Using my build as the template, here's what I suggest that you change...
  • IIRC, the SG02 case only comes with two 80mm fans. You should get a third one... especially since one of the three fans is mounted on the HDD cage to cool the hard drives. The other two are mounted on the top of the case.
  • Keep the Corsair HX520 PSU -- its modular cables enable you to use only the cables you need, thus minimizing unnecessary clutter -- but get it from Buy.com ($105). You'll get immediate savings (compared to NewEgg) and a $20 mail-in rebate.
  • Drop down to 2GB of RAM and a dual core processor, like the G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800 kit ($45) and the Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 ($130). Though you could follow onedestinazn2's advice and go for an E2200 ($80), to get the most benefit out of the E2200, you would then have to overclock it. The SG01/SG02 cases have poor cooling capabilities for overclocked machines, so you're better off with the E7200 -- and leave it stock.
  • The 9600GT is a good video card and can handle most games at medium settings on a 20 inch monitor. (There are better cards out there, but I'm trying to keep everything at the ~$600 level.) The Foxconn 9600GT ($120) is the cheapest one I was able to find (before factoring in the mail-in rebate).
With all of the above changes included, here is the revised list:

$75 - Silverstone SUGO SG02B-F
$5 - Silverstone 80mm fan (for SG02B-F)
$105 - Corsair HX520 (free shipping & $20 mail-in rebate)
$97 - Asus P5K-VM
$130 - Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 (free shipping)
$45 - G.Skill 2GB DDR2 800 kit (free shipping)
$24 - Sony NEC Optiarc SATA DVD burner (free shipping)
$120 - Foxconn 9600GT ($10 mail-in rebate)
(reusing HDD and OS?)
=====
$601 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)
 
I concur with Tirades' $800 and $600 recommendations. He's right about the 945GC not supporting 1333Mhz FSB CPUs or quad-core CPUs out of the box. Though that particular Gigabyte mobo can support 1333Mhz FSB CPUs through overclocking according to the Gigabyte CPU Support List

In any case, I recommend going with Tiraides $600 recommendation.
 
oh, i didn't see that about the motherboard. let me give it another shot.

Sony NEC Optiarc Black 20X DVD Burner $23.99 Free Shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118012

SILVERSTONE SUGO $74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163112

ZOTAC 8800GT (oc'd to 700 core) $149.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500006

Thermaltake Purepower 500W PSU $69.99 ($49.99 after MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052

pqi POWER Series 2GB $36.99 (room to add another 2gb later)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141300

ECS G31T-M $49.99 ($39.99 after MIR) Free Shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135063

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 $209.99 Free Shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017

Total:$615.93 ($585.93 after MIRs)
Shipping: $24.59
Grand Total: $640.52 ($610.52 after MIRs)
 
Yeah that Purepower PSU is not a PSU recommended for a gaming rig. In fact the only decent Thermaltake PSUs are part of their Toughpower and Purepower RX PSU lines.
 
 
Nice try but still one problem: The CPU. It's old and has reached EOL. For $5 more can get the E8400, a much faster CPU than the E6850. In addition, even before the 45nm CPU released, the E6850 was a piss poor buy. It was only 333Mhz faster than the E6750 yet costs $80 to $90 more.
 
changed the cpu and changed the 2 gigs of memory to 4

Sony NEC Optiarc Black 20X DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118012

SILVERSTONE SUGO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163112

ZOTEC 8800GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500006

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139003

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

GIGABYTE GA-G31M-S2L
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128078

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

$597.93+$31.62 shipping
 
Your throwing your money away on a budget PC by buying a quad core CPU. If your going to spend $200 on a CPU get a fast core 2, if not, get one of those lower core 2's that they suggested that are around 140.
 
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 - $210
GIGABYTE GA-G33M-S2L - $90 + $8.50 shipping
CORSAIR TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB(2X2GB) DDR2 PC6400 - $80 - $10 MIR
Samsung SH-S203B - $23 + $1.50 shipping (discounted shipping with multiple products)
Antec NSK3480 w/Earthwatts 380W PSU - $75 + $10.50 shipping
GIGABYTE GV-NX88T256HV1 GeForce 8800 GT 256MB - $100 + $7 shipping - $30 MIR

Total shipped: $605.50
MIR: $40
Final cost: $565.50


Case is a little bigger than a SFF but still small enough to transport. I have the NSK3480 and it fits into my 22" upright carry-on when travelling. Upside is it has much better cooling and is quieter than the really small SFF cases. The 8800GT 256MB is a great vid card as long as you don't game above 1680x1050 which it seems you're not. As well, the PSU won't support anything beefier than that. In the future if you want to upgrade the vid card you should upgrade the PSU as well. Also, I didn't include but it would be a good idea to get 2x 92mm fans for the case to increase airflow as the quad + 8800GT kicks out a good amount of heat.
 
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