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Time for a new PC...

A

aekel

n00b
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
38
Hey everyone.. I don't really have any friends that know much about building systems so I figured I'd come here to ask for a bit of help! My brother's computer.. which is a hand-me-down of my first computer I ever built finally is shitting out and I figured he needs a new machine.

I have a 8800 GTS, Monitor, and keyboard already but I really am not sure what the cheapest / best parts would be to get for him. If someone could spend a few minutes of their time helping me put together the best bang for the buck computer from like.. well, lets just say newegg's stock that would be awesome.

The old computer that he was using had a 6800 GT and AMD 64 3000+.. so this will be a big upgrade for him. Thanks again guys and gals, stay [H].
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
- Gaming

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
- 200$, can go up to 250$ max.

3) Where do you live?
-US

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
-CPU, RAM, Case (with or without power supply, perf. with), Mobo, CPU Fan, I think that's all...

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
-I have monitor, keyboard, gfx card (8800 GTS) , hard drive.

6) Will you be overclocking?
-No

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
-1680 x 1050 19"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
- Soon As Possible

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
-None really.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
-Yep
 
Do you live near a Fry's?


If not...
$119 - COMBO: AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE Kuma 2.8GHz AM2+ w/ ASUS M3A76-CM AM2+/AM2 AMD 760G uATX
$110 - Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower w/ Earthwatts 500W
$44 - A-DATA 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2-800 ADQVE1B16K
=========
$275 + tax and shipping...

hm... if you don't buy a PSU, what PSU will you be re-using? If you already have a good quality PSU, you can switch to an Antec 300 case for $55 w/ free shipping, bringing you under budget. ;)
 
Last edited:
How's this look? I want to try and go 50$ cheaper.. but I'm having no luck. The main game he really wants to play is WoW.. so I'm not sure if I could cut down on the CPU? Or... hmm..

72dttx.jpg
 
if you're not overclocking then you might be able to get rid of the cpu cooler and use the stock one
 
aekel said:
How's this look? I want to try and go 50$ cheaper.. but I'm having no luck. The main game he really wants to play is WoW.. so I'm not sure if I could cut down on the CPU? Or... hmm..
Click to expand...

It looks horrible. The included PSU is a POS. Would not recommend it for ANY kind of system.

Since you're not overclocking, you don't need a HSF. Oh and WOW is very very CPU heavy. Would not recommend downgrading the CPU at all.

I recommend this setup instead:
$113 - Intel Pentium E5200 CPU + GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L mATX Mobo
$45 - Rosewill Wind Ryder RZLS142A-P ATX Case
$45 - Antec Earthwatts EA380 380W PSU
$44 - A-Data ADQVE1B16K 2 x 2GB DDR2 800 RAM
---
Total $247 plus tax and shipping.

You get a better PSU in the above setup.
 
In this case, it's better to go the AMD route:

$131 - Antec NSK4480B II (with Antec Earthwatts 380W PSU) & AMD Athlon X2 7750 (free shipping on processor)
$25 - PNY Optima 2x1GB DDR2 800 kit (free shipping)
$55 - ASRock K10N78M microATX motherboard
=====
$211 - Subtotal (not including shipping, taxes, or rebates)

Though it's still over the $200 limit, this setup would enable future upgrading. The ASRock motherboard is good for running everything at stock speeds (read: don't try to overclock with this board) and it supports the new Phenom II processors. The combo deal that I found for you comes with a decent processor (on par with the E5200), a case, and a good PSU. If you really need to cut corners, just go with the case that you chose earlier. However, neither case comes with free shipping.
 
That build looked real good but with shipping it was a killer.. (280$). I've taken a bit from your suggestions guys, and this is what I've came up with so far. Tell me what you think. (Unfortunately I guess I will have to get a hard-drive with it too, since his is currently fubar).
2lc4oqp.jpg
 
I actually forgot about the EA380/Three Hundred combo deal; good choice.

If you want to upgrade the processor in the future, choose an AMD board that can support one of the new Phenom II processors. Intel's Socket 775 reached EOL earlier this year; unless you're willing to buy a used processor, you may have virtually no upgrade options come this time next year.
 
I would but I'm actually loaning all the money to buy this to my brother, because he really needs a new PC.. but he hardly works, so it's going to take a while to get payed back. Haha :rolleyes: I'm pretty sure that looks like a winner though, thanks everyone for your help. I don't think there's anything else I'm missing.. but if I am missing anything please tell me! Other wise thanks again everyone. I love [H] and it's people! (Oh yes, I also have some Arctic Silver 5 here so no need for that). :D
 
I like enginurds build. It just needed the adjustment of the CASE/PSU and go with the Antec 300/EA380 combo

CPU/MOBO - AMD Athlon X2 7850 2.8ghz + ASUS M3A76-CM AM2+/AM2 both for $119
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.191022

RAM - A-DATA 4GB DDR2 800 for $44 w/free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188

CASE/PSU - Antec 300 + Antec Earthwatts 380 both for $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.193753

Total: $243
 
Yah, I didn't see that one when I was shoppin... nice deal though.
 
That processor and motherboard combo I cannot pass up! Thanks again guys. The only difference is I've kept 2gb of ram instead of 4. Will it make that big of a difference? The computer wont really be used for resource hogs like crysis or other games, mainly WoW, HL2 Engine games, and Diablo 3 when it comes out.
 
With prices so low, I'd recommend taking advantage now and getting 4GB, but if you don't have the cash, then oh wellz. It shouldn't hurt much, especially if you're running XP.
 
twoblueeyes78 said:
You might try doing some pricechecking for this stuff on www.pricewatch.com You might find good prices there.
Click to expand...

wow... I haven't used pricewatch for years... lol. like... years! i think the last time was 2002. i just got tired of the vendors you used to find through there. have they improved at all? just curious, but too lazy to look, lol.
 
Well shit! I ordered all those parts.. and my motherboard's bios wont support the CPU. So i'm pretty much fucked. Won't recognize the CPU at all and I have to get an older processor to upgrade the bios.. not sure what to do now.
 
which parts did you order there are several mobo's and cpus posted in the thread
 
You have two options...

1) Return the board and get a new one that supports the newer processor right out of the box.
2) Get a cheap (preferably used) processor that does work with the motherboard.

Which option is more practical for you?
 
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