building budget desktop for mom.

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jamestime88

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 10, 2003
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My mom was talking about buying a new desktop from HP and I didn't want to see her get an inferior product so I'm deciding to build a rig for her. Her price point is $550 hard and i want to squeeze every penny to get her a lasting machine. She doesn't do a lot of intense work on her computer, mostly web browsing, archiving pictures, solitaire, etc. I want to build her something that will have a noticeable zip in day-to-day simple computer work and a little multi-tasking.

case/cpu: Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

optical: dvd+-rw I have lying around

hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

motherboard: ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131398

ram: Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148194

processor: AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103706

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Please critique the crap out of this system, it's been about 8 years since i've built a computer and I'm a bit rusty. Also i'm not sure if the board takes ddr2 or ddr3. Thanks for the help!
 
Last edited:
That's a DDR3 board so you need DDR3 RAM. Also, check out combo deals. Do you live near a microcenter or frys?
 
the only thing in my area is bestbuy so probably getting everything online. i'll update the ram selection.

also is there a noticeable performance increase from 2-4gb? To afford it i'd need to take about $35 from the other components so suggestions are welcome.
 
$140 - AMD Phenom II X4 945 CPU
$68 - Asus M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L mATX Motherboard
$92 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$80 - Antec 300 Case + Antec EA-380D 380W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
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Total: $535 shipped.

The Samsung drive is actually significantly faster than the WD 640GB Black drive. Though if your mom really needs the storage, get the WD 640GB Black drive then IF it's still $60 when you buy. If not, stick with the Samsung or up your budget. Managed to cram in 4GB of RAM. Yes that 380W PSU will be enough.
 
Danny Bui said:
$140 - AMD Phenom II X4 945 CPU
$68 - Asus M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L mATX Motherboard
$92 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$80 - Antec 300 Case + Antec EA-380D 380W PSU
$100 - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM
----
Total: $535 shipped.

The Samsung drive is actually significantly faster than the WD 640GB Black drive. Though if your mom really needs the storage, get the WD 640GB Black drive then IF it's still $60 when you buy. If not, stick with the Samsung or up your budget. Managed to cram in 4GB of RAM. Yes that 380W PSU will be enough.
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thanks for the reply. What's with the mATX board in a 300 case? the boost in processor and increase in ram seem like pretty safe calls. is the phenom 2 945 the best choice. The 940 seems like a better buy if those are my options. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471
 
Shadowssong said:
That is a socket AM2+ processor not an am3, but the Phenom II X4 925 is about $8 cheaper and you only lose 200mhz clock speed.
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thanks for the reply, it's very helpful. so is there any reasoning behind getting a micro atx board or is it just a better value and will fit normally?

also, will a board running HDMI out carry both audio and video to a monitor with built in speakers? if so it'd be cool to get a board with hdmi as long as it's not a wasteful expense.
 
jamestime88 said:
thanks for the reply, it's very helpful. so is there any reasoning behind getting a micro atx board or is it just a better value and will fit normally?

also, will a board running HDMI out carry both audio and video to a monitor with built in speakers? if so it'd be cool to get a board with hdmi as long as it's not a wasteful expense.
Click to expand...

I can't speak exactly for why Danny chose that mobo but it just looks like because of the price its decent. mATX will fit fine, I have personally installed 3 or 4 mATX boards in the antec 300 and it works fine, its actually preferable because it makes the front panel connectors reach a lot easier (since the board is shorter the connectors are closer).

As for the HDMI thing, I can't say with 100% certainty but yes I believe if your monitor has speakers built in then HDMI audio will work (might depend on the board though, again, not really sure about this one as I've done little work with HDMI).
 
I have an extra 500g hard drive in my computer that I don't need so I don't need to purchase a hard drive either. what are some good am3 boards in the sub $100 range? i think the 2.8ghz phenom II x4 is what i'm going with, how noticeable would a 10% overclock be just in day to day usage, no gaming or editing. I would like to squeeze out a couple extra horsepower but not at the expense of buying an upgraded HSF or loss of stability.
 
jamestime88 said:
I have an extra 500g hard drive in my computer that I don't need so I don't need to purchase a hard drive either. what are some good am3 boards in the sub $100 range? i think the 2.8ghz phenom II x4 is what i'm going with, how noticeable would a 10% overclock be just in day to day usage, no gaming or editing. I would like to squeeze out a couple extra horsepower but not at the expense of buying an upgraded HSF or loss of stability.
Click to expand...

The one Danny chose should be fine, the phenom is way overkill for your mom anyways so the cheapest one should do great. I think just use Danny's build minus the HDD and youll be set.
 
jamestime88 said:
thanks for the reply. What's with the mATX board in a 300 case?
Click to expand...

jamestime88 said:
thanks for the reply, it's very helpful. so is there any reasoning behind getting a micro atx board or is it just a better value and will fit normally?
Click to expand...
It was the only quality AM3 mobo that I could fit in your budget.

jamestime88 said:
also, will a board running HDMI out carry both audio and video to a monitor with built in speakers? if so it'd be cool to get a board with hdmi as long as it's not a wasteful expense.
Click to expand...
Yes a board running HDMI can carry both audio and video.

jamestime88 said:
What are some good am3 boards in the sub $100 range? i think the 2.8ghz phenom II x4 is what i'm going with, how noticeable would a 10% overclock be just in day to day usage, no gaming or editing. I would like to squeeze out a couple extra horsepower but not at the expense of buying an upgraded HSF or loss of stability.
Click to expand...
A 10% OC won't noticeable at all in day to day usage. In other words, don't bother overclocking.

A good mobo is this:
$90 - Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H AMD 880G HDMI mATX Motherboard
 
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