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very cheap build

R

Rekki

n00b
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
23
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web browsing, office work, no game

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
300 w/ tax and shipping would be nice

3) Where do you live?
NJ, so I get taxed by newegg, I can probably find parts else where though

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
Need a duo 2 core CPU, not specific on ram/case

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
No reused parts, but i know i'll be buying a samsung f3 500gb hd for $54

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
22"-24"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Asap

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Nothing special, just one thats easily overclockable

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 32bit and 64bit

Note: I'm building this computer for my sister. This build doesn't need to be pretty or anything, I just want parts that I can overclock the hell out of and make fast for daily use. So things like a pretty case is not needed. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
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i assume you already have a montior and your were not completly clear

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.352800

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX240OCGQBOX - Retail

+
BIOSTAR TA790GXB3 AM3 AMD 790GX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Combo Discount: -$20.00
Combo Price: $117.98
$10.00 Mail-In Rebate
Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $107.98

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227249 2x1 GB OCZ 1066 ram 48$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152226 Samsung F3 250gb hd 45$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182006 rosewill 350W PSU 25$

using onboard video and sound

+ dvd burner 25 bucks

case +40 bucks @ local dealer (save on shipping)

Total Cost 290$ no shipping or tax from newegg. with MIR
 
gwarren007 said:
Coolermaster 341 $38.24
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1267651453&sr=1-2

EA-430D $56 (15MIR)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034

Gigabyte $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128397

PII 550 $89
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103847

Kingston 1333 2gb $57
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134788
Click to expand...

This but use Sikkyu's ram: OCZ Gold 2x1gb.

Also if you feel like skimping on the motherboard a bit you can get this combo

Phenom II 550 + Biostar 790GX

Not a huge fan of biostar but if you really just want the basics then it should do fine.

I dont understand this:

Rekki said:
Note: I'm building this computer for my sister. This build doesn't need to be pretty or anything, I just want parts that I can overclock the hell out of and make fast for daily use. So things like a pretty case is not needed. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Why would you be overclocking your sisters computer if its just for daily use?
 
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gwarren007 said:
You listed the 350w version of the same family...
Click to expand...

i dont see that comp coming ever close to pulling 300w... plus it was the highest rated PSU under 25 bucks.

cheap builds require cheap parts

would i buy it for myself? no

would i buy it if i was building a 300$ computer for a family member? yes
 
I still wouldn't buy it or recommend it. That PSU is something that uninformed people buy because "thier all the same". You would still recommend an inferior part knowing the probability is high for it to fail?
 
gwarren007 said:
I still wouldn't buy it or recommend it. That PSU is something that uninformed people buy because "thier all the same". You would still recommend an inferior part knowing the probability is high for it to fail?
Click to expand...

If it was the 500w PSU and if the system I was building was pushing 300-400w under load I would not use it, hell if this system pushed 200 w on the 350 W PSU I would probably move up to 35-50 $ range. The system I listed will use a 45w TDP CPU the rest of the system might draw 60-90w under load. So this is well within spec.

I would be hesitant to say throw a 4850 or even a 4830 in.

For this build in which it will not pull more then 200w, this is the best choice for effiency and price for the range. For a low end user its fine. If it didnt have 300 ratings with 80% being 5 egg reviews then it would be different.

what would be a better choice of PSU for under 25 bucks?
 
Sikkyu said:
For this build in which it will not pull more then 200w, this is the best choice for effiency and price for the range. For a low end user its fine. If it didnt have 300 ratings with 80% being 5 egg reviews then it would be different.

what would be a better choice of PSU for under 25 bucks?
Click to expand...

There are no good PSUs under $25 in general. Once you factor in shipping, that Rosewill PSU is actually $31. For $9 more, you can get a significantly better quality PSU such the EA430 for $40AR or the EA380 for $40 with free shipping. $9 isn't kill that much of a $300 budget to warrant using a low quality PSU.
 
 
Last edited:
Shadowssong said:
I dont understand this:
Why would you be overclocking your sisters computer if its just for daily use?
Click to expand...

Because i can :D. Well i just want to make the most out of my sisters money, plus its so easy to OC so why not? Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, i'll look at all of them one by one and make a decision.
 
Overclocking won't give you any significant gains if she isn't even using 50% of the processors power...

@hossdaddy, I've read reviews about that thermaltake PSU and apparently it blows so I would avoid it.
 
I agree Shadowssong. Pointless to O/C the cpu for what she will be doing. The best thing is to just run it stock speed and making sure the O/S and programs are running smoothly. Disable unnecessary programs that bootup with the PC. Also, I like to have the web browsers history/cache be cleared when I close the browsers. She would benefit more with a faster HDD than an overclocked CPU.
 
hd's build (w/ 550be) is nice if you can't afford g's build, but if you can avoid that tr2, do so. i agree with danny, you really shouldn't buy a shitty psu... cheap, yes, but shitty, no. i'd definitely go for an ea380 over the tr2 if at all possible.

btw, rosewill doesn't use the same oem for each psu in each of their model families, but that inconsistency is reason enough to avoid them. a good quality psu doesn't have to be expensive. all 5 of my EA380's were found for $20, either from Fry's or off the forums. :D but haven't seen such deals in a while, so $40 for the ea380d is still good enough for either of the two builds i mentioned above.
 
I got my mobo, cpu and case at microcenter. If you have one near you.

for the 3 that gwarren recommended it comes to $188 or $205 after tax, cheaper than newegg plus B&M so returns are easier. I got the x2 555 since it was a bit cheaper than newegg.

Plus $15 MIR for the mobo. But essentially my main parts for my build that I got done for about $350. still gotta put it together tonight though...
 
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