Budget Rig

A

Abyss of Borg

Gawd
Joined
Dec 29, 2005
Messages
517
I'm building a budget computer for my brother and I want a good combination of future proof parts, good performance, and cheap price. He doesn't really play any games besides maybe CS 1.6 once in a while. I think I want to go dual core for sure just so he gets a decent upgrade from his current P4.

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119047
I know people who own this case and like it plus it's probably the best quality case for the money.

PSU:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=373047&prodlist=pricegrabber
I heard good things about Ultra power supplies. I think 500w should be plenty if not overkill.

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103733
Only a few bucks more then the 3600x2 on newegg and seems to be the best dual core for the price.

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130066
Not sure about this board but I like MSI and currently am using an MSI board in my gaming rig. This one has onboard video as well which should cut down on costs. If he gets into gaming or gets Vista I can just upgrade him to a better video card.

Ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231043
I've used Gskill before and also seems to be the best priced. I would go dual channel but I want the ability for upgrade him to 4 gigs in the future.

HDD:
http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A3494853&cmp=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r

DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136118


Do you think these would be the best parts for the money? It's somewhere around $360 without shipping.
 
I'm guessing your budget is around $400 or so? What else will your bro be doing with this new build?

I recommend you get this much cheaper but still decent board:
ASUS M2A-VM AMD 690G mATX Motherboard - $64

Here are some reviews of the motherboard:
http://www.hothardware.com/Articles/ASUS_M2AVM_HDMI/
http://www.sysopt.com/features/mboard/article.php/3680576
http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=378&Itemid=27

As for PSU, I recommend that you go with this decent PSU:
XCLIO Goodpower 500W PSU - $50

Assuming that your budget is $400, I think I've save you enough money to go for 2GB of RAM:
Corsair ValueSelect 2 x 1GB DDR2 667 RAM - $65
 
Danny Bui said:
I'm guessing your budget is around $400 or so? What else will your bro be doing with this new build?

I recommend you get this much cheaper but still decent board:
ASUS M2A-VM AMD 690G mATX Motherboard - $64

Here are some reviews of the motherboard:
http://www.hothardware.com/Articles/ASUS_M2AVM_HDMI/
http://www.sysopt.com/features/mboard/article.php/3680576
http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=378&Itemid=27

As for PSU, I recommend that you go with this decent PSU:
XCLIO Goodpower 500W PSU - $50

Assuming that your budget is $400, I think I've save you enough money to go for 2GB of RAM:
Corsair ValueSelect 2 x 1GB DDR2 667 RAM - $65
Click to expand...


Thanks, I think I will now go with that board and PSU. Yeah the budget is around $400. I think the main things he does is web surfing, multimedia, and general multitasking. I think the most intense things he does is converting/compressing audio and video files for his Ipod.
 
good setup, minus the fact that there is no video card. thats alright though, you can always upgrade somewhere along the line
 
Now I know that you have enough money for 2GB of RAM:
Corsair ValueSelect 2 x 1GB DDR2 667 RAM - $65

RAM is cheap these days but it's gonna go up in a few weeks. Better buy more RAM now later.

Now, everything should add up to around $382 plus tax and shipping.
 
Looks good.

amd0freak said:
good setup, minus the fact that there is no video card. thats alright though, you can always upgrade somewhere along the line
Click to expand...

Its onboard.

What size monitor does he use for CS 1.6? I'm guessing the onboard should be fine, but if not, pickup a 7600GT from the fs/ft thread when you get more cash.

If you can, bump the ram up to DDR2-800. AM2 setups benefit a lot when scaling up the RAM.
 
The onboard video on the M2A-VM can run CS 1.6 without a hitch. On mine, I can run CS:S with the settings low enough (1024/768, medium-low settings), albeit not very fast (30-40fps) but playable. However, I am also running on a 5600+ vs a 3800+....:D

I also concur with AMD_RULES on the duel channel RAM. Spend the extra cash and upgrade to dual channel and DDR800...you can stay with G.Skill: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231102 ...should give you a real nice boost in the RAM dept for only $12 more ;)
 
dual

dual dual channel


and it'll also boost your onboard graphics performance...


have you bought the PSU yet? you may be able to save some money by getting a TR2... hands down the best priced PSU for what you get...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153023

the TR2 has been on neweggs front PSU page for as long as i can remember, it is an incredible value, i've sold and installed upwards of 40 units and have never recieved one back (yet, a few more years will tell) but it is still better than some of the other units i've had to deal with, including some models from antec... i've gotten a few of thermaltakes bigger beefier models back (a 530w and a 580w)... but not the tr2....
 
Don't go with a Tt TR2. Your money is better spent on the XClio Goodpower 500W instead of the TR2. Most thermaltakes are crap, aside from their toughpower line, which is supposedly supplied by CWT, the same company that supplies XClio's Goodpower 500W.

Then again, this thread is over a month old. I have no clue why AmnChode decided to dig it up, however shallow down the line it was.
 
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