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Super cheap build

S

Squirreljester

n00b
Joined
Jan 27, 2011
Messages
60
I am contemplating building a micro form factor computer for my step-son. He has XP pro running on a Dell GX240 that I have 1GB DDR memory (max) and a 1.8Ghz P4 (2.0Ghz is max so it's not worth upgrading the proc), and an Jaton nVidia GeForce FX5200 video card I bought for it when I got it from work.

I'm looking for a very cheap setup, very small case, low power consumption.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mainly it will be used for old games like Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds, web games like Club Penguine and Webkins websites, and eventually his homework.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'd like to try and do it for under $300, but the cheaper the better
3) Where do you live?
Illinois
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
proc, possibly ram (I have 2GB DDR2100 ram already), case (can I get something that will fit the Dell GX240 case and use it's PSU? It has the P4 power plug but not the 6 pin PCIe), I have a hard drive and an XP Pro 32-bit license already.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
If I can, I could reuse the Dell GX240 case and PSU, my 32-bit XP license, and my 2GB DDR2100 memory. If the motherboard has it, I could even use onboard video.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Most likely no
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Samsung 17" flat screen
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next couple months
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
I don't really need USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s or eSATA
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows XP 32-bit
 
Regarding your PSU, how old is it and how powerful is it ? (250watts, 300watts) ?

I'm no expert here on that matter (others will help...) but I'm not sure it would be wise to put it inside your new build.

You could also browse the for sale/for trade section of the forum. Good parts are available for reasonable prices there.
 
I haven't gotten to the for sale/trade section yet, but thanks for the suggestion, I'll hit that up and see what's there. I just built a replacement for my main system not too long ago, and I'm really happy with it, and in doing my research, I saw some really cheap options available, but I don't know how good/reliable going really cheap actually is.
 
If it came with a Dell that a Pentium 4 CPu, I don't recommend it for a gaming PC as it was made in a time where quality was definitely skimped on and a high chance of proprietary connections. Also is that copy of XP from that Dell?

In any case, you're looking at an entirely new build here. A lot of current or even tech from 2-3 years ago are incompatible or unsuitable for use with that old Dell. Do you live near any of the two Microcenters in Illinois?
 
I'm not at my computer so this is rough and from memory:

$40 - 500GB HDD
$21 - DVD Burner
$20 - 2 GB DDR3 RAM
$90 to $100 - Windows 7 Home Premium OEM
$50 - Case and CPU
$80ish - AMD Sempron 140 single core and Biostar ATX Motherboard

Total: $300

If you live by a Microcenter you can get a better processor in this build. There are also some cheap Intel Dual-Cores that might work but they're socket 775 and DDR2.
 
Just a thought but, since you have a couple months, I would wait for the new AMD Llano APUs to come out and see what the pricing is with them. They seem like exactly what you are looking for. Low power draw, very good IGP (as far as IGPs go), etc.

You might even be able to go with a mini-ITX build when the time comes. I would say to look into the AMD E-350 APUs (Zacate) but I am not sure that would really meet any future needs you might have and, given that you can get something like this mATX combo for the same price, I probably wouldn't go with the E-350 boards unless you want a really low power draw.
 
i would check out something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131697. grab a cheapo case, psu, ram and you have yourself a computer for under 300 easy. the problem with the a build like this is that you wont be able to upgrade anything but the ram.

honestly i wouldnt even bother with a build this cheap. the computer will be next to useless for anything but web browsing and video playback within a year. if you were to step your price point up to say 600 you could build a nice amd setup with room for improvement. i dont know how old your step son is, but maybe he would be willing to chip in/work off the extra cost in the build to get a computer which will last him much longer and will enable him to upgrade if he starts to get interested in more modern games. otherwise i think you will be building a new computer every year.
 
Squirreljester said:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next couple months
Click to expand...

I would suggest coming back 2 to 3 weeks before you plan to buy. By that time there's a chance (a slim chance) that AMD will have released some new chips. Ideally if you want a system that'll last a few years, you want at least a dual core processor and 2 to 4 gigs of RAM for now, but definitely 4 in the future. The AMD 880G graphics should be adequate for your needs, and in a year or 18 months if they're not, you could put in a cheap card to get a large boost. 500 GB hard drives are about the cheapest ones you can get right now, but even then you can get a 1TB for about $55. Not that a 10 year old strategy game needs that much hard drive space.
 
I honestly would get a netbook if I were looking to buy around the $300 price point. You'll get a hell of alot more use out of a $300 netbook than you will a $300 desktop which will be junked within a year.

The 1000HE I bought in 2009, and which I still use daily, was down to like $250 if you can still find it. There are lots of similiar models available around the same price range, though. Not just from ASUS, but other brands as well.

However a $300 netbook is a seriously nice and perfectly usable PC, even for games provided they're relatively older like 2005-ish. Since your stepson already has that LCD monitor (the netbook outputs 1920x1200 via VGA-out) keyboard and mouse that he's using on his current system, you can just plug those right in and it becomes your new desktop. But with a netbook at least your stepson won't be chained to his desk if he wants to do homework at the kitchen table or something.

If you're waiting a couple of months then you should check out the new lineup of EEE netbooks with Fusion apus. Should be available by June, I'm sure of it. They're already available in Lenovos, though those cost a wee bit more.

http://www.slashgear.com/asus-eee-pc-1015b-and-1215b-amd-fusion-netbooks-official-11139378/
 
star wars galactic battlegrounds is a god tier game. make sure you head over to game ranger for the multiplayer, still about 8 or so active people on at a time.
 
I would not recommend a Netbook. The Atom D510 gets beaten by 6 year old processors. Sure it's faster than a 1.8GHz P4, but it's just not going to last as long as any desktop grade processor out there in terms of performance.

I'm also very wary of reusing OEM cases. It might work, but you also might find yourself driving to a Best Buy to buy a case when all your parts arrive and they don't fit.
 
Heck, depending on where he is in Illinois, if he needs a mATX case I can give him an old (in good shape) eMachines case. Again, if it were me I would either buy a ~$110 AMD Athlon Regor and mobo combo or wait for Llano to see what they are all about.
 
Thanks a ton for all of your help and suggestions, I really appreciate it.
Now, from the top:

@Danny yeah I think I'll have to pick up a cheap mATX case for this. I was doing a little digging online and that particular model didn't use a standard ATX setup, so a mATX motherboard probably wouldn't fit for the back ports.
I work about 20 minutes from a Microcenter.

@tony thanks, but I have DDR2 memory and a hard drive already, so it'd be even cheaper.
I work about 20 minutes from a Microcenter.

@beto I like that combo, and I think I'll get an mATX standard case so I can upgrade it in the future if I need to.

@herf This is a build for a 9 year old, so he doesn't use it much right now, but is web based games he plays chug along and it's annoying. I will give him my i3-560 I just built in a few years and put together a 2600 Sandybridge setup for myself, but for now, I'd like to get him into a nice little system that I can use later for a media station or something when it's time to upgrade him.

@tony yeah, I like that plan about the video card. The game itself really doesn't need much in the way of video power at all, and honestly that runs fine on the P4 with the cheap AGP card in it. I'm mainly more concerned with his web games that run really slow. I didn't know there was any mATX motherboards that had onboard video, let alone any combos with proc, motherboard, AND onboard video, nice.
I was looking at the atoms too. Tom's has a nice comparison between a P4 and an Atom setup, and it kind of made up my mind that I'll just build a little setup for him.

@Jalidi I do want to get him a laptop, but not anytime soon. Probably when he gets into middle school or highschool.

@hossdaddy nice setup, I like it.

@gjs where/what is that?

@tony yeah, I looked at the Atoms and decided to just build a little setup for him instead, as I can reuse some of the hardware when it comes time to upgrade.

@beto I'll wait for that Llano stuff to come out, and if they aren't worth it, I'll run with a Regor setup. I really like that 880G combo. One thing that bugs me about all the different choices is, what makes one motherboard $50 and another one $200?
I live in Sycamore, and work in Aurora.

@iLLuSi0N For cheap performance, you can't beat AMD, and I can re-use my DDR2 memory with an AMD board.

Thanks again for all your help guy, this is turning into an interesting little project, and I think I'm going to sit down and even build it with him. :)
 
@beto I'll wait for that Llano stuff to come out, and if they aren't worth it, I'll run with a Regor setup. I really like that 880G combo. One thing that bugs me about all the different choices is, what makes one motherboard $50 and another one $200?
I live in Sycamore, and work in Aurora.

@iLLuSi0N For cheap performance, you can't beat AMD, and I can re-use my DDR2 memory with an AMD board.
Click to expand...

Problem is, the mobo in that CPU/Mobo combo I listed will not allow you to reuse your RAM. And what RAM is it that you have again? Is it DDR 266 (PC 2100) or do you have some other sticks of DDR2? Either way and not to be too blunt about it but I think you may be too attached to the idea of reusing your old RAM. If it is the really old DDR 2100 then you will find zero new boards that support it and if we are talking about DDR2, then buying new DDR3 is now actually less expensive than new DDR2 at least in some cases and, as such, your old RAM might be the most valuable of your old components. If it were me I would put it up for sale here or on Craigslist so that you can stop worrying about trying to find a current mobo that will support it. If you are committed to using a 32bit version of XP as your OS, then you are probably looking at using no more than 2 gigs of RAM anyway and could just buy something like this or this or this. I am not positive but I would think you ought to be able to get at least $20 for DDR2 and you might actually make money if you can find someone who needs 2 gigs of DDR 2100 (if that is indeed what you have).

As for the case, if you are interested in an old but in good shape mATX case and are ever in the Champaign area, you are welcome to contact me and I will give you one if I still have it lying around (which I probably will, unfortunately:)).
 
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@bito I thought the AMD motherboards were compatible with the older DDR2 memory. It's DDR 266 (2100) memory, and I believe it's either Crucial or Kingston since that's really all I bought back then. I had 4 gigs in my old P4 setup (of which 3.535GB was seen by the bios. 2GB went to my parent's computer that only had 512MB in it! And the other 2 I have just sitting around, but I think buying new memory for like $50 would be a better option to trying to build a system around my old memory, maybe run a 3 1GB chip kit in the new system for 3GB. Is triple channel too much to ask for my little build? :)

I do want to keep 32-bit XP as I have multiple licenses of that OS, and I don't want to spend another $130 on a Windows 7 license for this build. I will later when I build a more substantial system for him (3 - 4 years most likely), but not now.

I never thought of selling the memory... hell, I could sell the whole setup to someone that wants a P4 2.8Ghz HT, Asus P4P800S motherboard, 2GB DDR2 2100 memory, and an AGP ATI 3750 video card bought just last year.
It really was a decent system, and I only upgraded to be up with the times. It ran MMO's like WoW and Dark Age of Camelot, as well as new games like Magic the Gathering: Tactics almost flawlessly.
 
Squirreljester said:
@bito I thought the AMD motherboards were compatible with the older DDR2 memory. It's DDR 266 (2100) memory, and I believe it's either Crucial or Kingston since that's really all I bought back then.
Click to expand...

No, with each new succession of tech, the board makers tend to move away from supporting the older, legacy forms of tech. And actually what you have is not even DDR"2" RAM. You have even older, regular old DDR RAM. I don't think there has been a board made in years that would support that RAM. You might be able to still find a new board that supports DDR2 but, again, it isn't worth the effort because the RAM, just isn't worth holding the rest of the system back for.

I do want to keep 32-bit XP as I have multiple licenses of that OS, and I don't want to spend another $130 on a Windows 7 license for this build. I will later when I build a more substantial system for him (3 - 4 years most likely), but not now.
Click to expand...

Makes sense to me. And if you want to buy 4 gigs of RAM that's fine too. I only said 2 because a 32bit OS isn't able to use all 4. But you already know that so whatever you want to do.

I never thought of selling the memory... hell, I could sell the whole setup to someone that wants a P4 2.8Ghz HT, Asus P4P800S motherboard, 2GB DDR2 2100 memory, and an AGP ATI 3750 video card bought just last year.
Click to expand...

I don't know about selling the system as a whole but, yeah, I think you could possibly get something out of parting it out. It's just a matter of finding people who are in need and willing to pay. Someone with an AGP slot might want the card and, like I linked to earlier, at ~$40 per gig, the DDR 2100 RAM is something like four times as expensive as DDR3 to buy new right now. So, anyone in need of that old RAM would be glad to get it at a reduced price.

One last thing, here are two other set-ups that seem like they might take alot of the hassle out of your search. There are tradeoffs with these package deals in terms of power consumption and performance and such and others can comment if they think they aren't worth it but from a purely "research free and under $300" standpoint, they would more than adequately serve your needs. You would still need a case and a decent power supply but those can often be found used here in the [H] for-sale forum or on Craigslist or something.

Link

Link
 
By the way, Windows 7 Home Premium OEM is $100 (rarely on sale for $90.)

Also, there are still some AM3 motherboards that use DDR2. Their integrated video performance won't be quite as powerful as some of the newer stuff. However, DDR2 and DDR 266 (2100) are not the same thing and will not work together.

I like the idea of selling the system to allow you to build a somewhat more substantial system. Even if you don't spend it all you'll be happier with the end result.

If you are still considering an Atom based solution, it would be worthwhile to look into an AMD Zacate solution too. More expensive, but better performance than Atom.
 
I almost wish that second link combo didn't have a hard drive, as I have hard drives coming out of my ears right now... but I really like that one. It doesn't have an integrated video, but that just means that down the road I can upgrade it easier.

Thanks a ton, I've been checking the suggestions out all week, you guys were a big help.
 
Yeah, I've already got a much better of what I want, and I've been checking as you all were posting, I just wanted to post a thank you to you in case I forgot.
 
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